Teaching FAQs

I teach both in-person and virtual on-line private lessons via Zoom.

Please call or email for specific information regarding lessons. I'm offering a special introductory rate to help get us started (30, 45 or 60 minute lessons).

Virtual lessons include emailed tablature, mp3s and other materials to enhance our on-line sessions.

What do I bring to my lessons ?

Initially, bring these:

• Your acoustic or electric guitar, electric bass or mandolin. If you play both acoustic and electric, I generally recommend bringing the acoustic to lessons, but we can discuss the merits as they apply to your goals.
• A few flatpicks. Medium is the best (pick may be labeled Med or M). If the pick designation is millimeters of thickness, get something between .61mm and .76mm.  Fender mediums (.71mm) are perfect.
• Guitar cord,  if you have a pickup in your guitar, and we will be plugging in
  (see Pickups, preamps, effects, amps and guitar tone)
• 3-ring binder (1" to 2") with at least 10 sheets of 3-hole punched blank copy paper
  (please, no lined, tablature, music staff or colored paper)
• Index tabs for your 3-ring binder.  You can buy these at any office supply store. I recommend 2 sets of 5 tabs, or one set of 8 tabs.  At the first lesson I'll suggest subjects for the tabs that function quite nicely, and you can edit that to your preference.

Please bring to each lesson:

• Your 3-ring binder
• All the handouts, songs and materials I've given you previously (3-hole punch them and put them in your binder)

 Sooner or later, you will need these items:
 

• An electronic tuner (definitely sooner)
• A guitar humidifier (typically used October thru March)
• A capo - especially if you are a vocalist (recommended models: Shubb or Kayser)
• An extra guitar cord (if you have a pickup)
• Guitar polish and soft rag
• Guitar strings (I'll help you choose the type and explain how to save big money)
• String cutter (a small diagonal cutter works well)
• Electric players: Small (#0) phillips screwdriver to gain access to electronics, extra guitar cord, Allen wrench to adjust bridge and saddles

See  "FAQ - Guitars & Accessories"  for more detailed information

Bring a recording device - an invaluable lesson tool
You will find it extremely useful to bring a recording device to lessons. On your device, I will record specific songs, song parts, solos and exercises at different customized tempos (not entire lessons). These recordings increase the value of your lessons tremendously, making your practice time much more fun and efficient. Playing along with the recordings keeps you in perfect rhythm. Since tempos are adjusted to your evolving skill level - slow takes to initially learn the piece, faster ones to work toward - you always have a standard to play against and measure your progress.

A cell phone or tablet can work, but by far the best device is a stand alone, hand held, digital recorder.  It has many useful features that your phone or tablet does not have, including time-saving, frustration-free, one-button recording, better sound quality, and easy USB connection to your computer for archiving, renaming and organizing. There are many models available made by Tacsam, Zoom, Roland and Sony starting at about $80 street price. The Tascam DR-05X would be an excellent choice.



These recording devices are also a great tool for recording yourself from time to time for a progress (and reality) check. In our lessons, I'll explain a marvelous system using them that will help you in your journey to become a very good guitar player.

Pickups, preamps, effects, amps and guitar tone
You do not need to bring your instrument amplifier to lessons.

At some point, if you want, I can help you dial in the "best" tone and settings on specific equipment you own - instrument amplifier, preamp, effects. Every instrument amplifier model has different controls, amplifier components, and internal acoustic characteristics that create a unique amplified sound. The hookup order, settings, and gain-staging of equipment can greatly effect your final sound. Experienced guitar players often take years (or decades) to create their "holy grail" guitar tone with amplified acoustic or electric guitars. Although "holy grail" sounds are somewhat subjective, my experience as a live sound tech, studio engineer, and performing guitarist can help you make the most of the equipment you have. I can also recommend specific equipment that will enhance your sound for your purpose and goals.



Also see: FAQ - Guitars & Accessories

'How much do I need to practice, and how should I schedule that?

• Create sessions of 30 minutes or more, rather than a bunch of short periods
  
  You grow your skills most significantly when you play beyond the warm-up stage. Your calluses will form much faster if you can practice until your left hand fingers are sore, then take a day or two off, as necessary. What you don't want to do is take the number of hours you have per week, divide it by 7, and practice that much each day, especially if it's only 1-2 hours per week.

• How many hours per week?  That's  a function of 1) your available time, in consideration of 2) your guitar goals.  If you have serious goals and want to reach them in a reasonable amount of time, then you will need to practice several hours per week. If it's more of a serious hobby, you might slide by with 2-3 hours a week. If it's a very casual hobby and you've got a 60-hr/week job, a family and pets, you might struggle to get in 1-2 hours. Regardless of how much time you have, read the next section!
  
  
• It's very important to practice as much as you can while taking lessons from an experienced instructor - whatever practice time is available
  
  You want to identify and plan some "sacred" practice time each week so that you maximize the value of your lessons. Everyone learns different aspects of guitar at different rates and comes into lessons with a different set of musical experiences and background.  Whatever your skill level is when you begin, you want to come to lessons having practiced the exercises, songs and techniques so that you can work on the next installment and keep the progress "upward" while you have a professional coach. We'll work together to determine how much home work you can realistically handle. I like to push my students, but it makes no sense to load you up with an increasing backlog of material. Steady progress creates good guitar players. Being overwhelmed creates frustrated, discouraged ones.
  
  

• Rehearse in an undistracted environment
  
  Some students actually practice quite a bit, but don't do as well as other students with a similar aptitude and skill set who practice the same amount.  The reason they underachieve?  It's often because they practice while watching TV or movies, reading texts and emails, or playing with Fido. There is a reason why texting drivers get in 40% more car accidents - they're distracted!  If possible, try to isolate yourself from the partner, kids, dog and media devices and focus on the guitar. You're taking guitar lessons, so make the most of it!
  
  
• Don't practice the stuff that you already know (too much)
  
  Another reason for underachieving is that you spend so much time playing fun songs and techniques that you already have in the bag, that you don't get to the really cool, more sophisticated new stuff. Strike a balance. Have some fun with the old and familiar, but if you're often banging through that 8-minute Grateful Dead folk song that you've played for 15 years (and already play pretty well), and not getting on with learning the new blues soloing techniques that will allow you contribute magnificently in the blues jam or a new band, then you need to organize and prioritize your practice time better. Play the Dead song after you've put an hour into the blues riffs. By the way, I can help you improvise the socks off that Dead song.
  
  

• It's okay to take days off 
  
  Your calluses are busy firming up during your days off. If your goals are more ambitious, you obviously need to practice frequently.  But to avoid repetitive stress problems, take at least one day off per week. Some of my professional guitarist colleagues are really old people (over 50), and a few of them have had issues with ligaments, tendons, fingers, wrists or elbows. Specialists have shown that even one day off per week can make all the difference. I've been very lucky to date, but some day I will be old too.
  
  

About:  The Bad Week
Everyone has a bad week occasionally when you have little time or energy to practice much - or practice at all.  There are SO many things we can accomplish during those weeks, so don't play hooky and spoil the momentum!   Come to your lesson anyway, guilt-free.

Lessons after your Bad Week are actually an opportunity for us to work on:

• Theory applied to the guitar  (invaluable)
• Cool exercises  (both playing and Q&A quizzes)
• Learning a fun, new scale type in a moveable shape
• Playing duets, swapping melody and rhythm guitar parts
• Fine tuning a song or technique
• Bringing your favorite song to a new level!

Why can't I just take lessons on the internet ?

Where do I begin!

Even if you are fairly intuitive about learning things from researching the internet, there are so many sub-areas of music that need to be addressed simultaneously, if you are to be an effective player.  You need to get this information in the most meaningful and efficient order for YOU. An experienced teacher / player knows this, and will guide you through all the areas that need attention as they become necessary and relevant.

A good teacher will focus on exactly what your weaknesses are and turn those areas into strengths. That will save you (at the very least) months, and more likely years, of random learning from questionable, un-vetted sources that self-proclaim to teach you correct technique and information. Much on-line guitar information, instruction and tablature is errant, teaching you a narrow and limited approach to important guitar subjects. All too often it teaches you incorrect and self-limiting techniques and habits. It is much more rewarding, efficient and fun to learn from a skilled professional who already knows "what you need to know" to become a very good guitar player. The kind of player that "turns heads" and puts smiles on people's faces.

A good teacher knows many ways to explain each topic, how they integrate with each other, and be able to answer your important questions and concerns thoroughly and thoughtfully. They will know how to pace the content in different subject matters to keep the carrot out front, make you want to practice, push you gently or hard (as appropriate), and not waste time explaining concepts already familiar to you.

My students get much farther in a single year of lessons than they did in several prior years of internet research.  They have better focus, habits, technique, live experience (duets) and custom recordings of songs and exercises that streamline learning.

Can we do lessons every other week ?

There are several issues with every‑other‑week scheduling.

First of all, consider that I've taught over 8,500 students. A lot of those students have taken lessons for several years. Most have been completely engaged, focused, excited. I know quite a bit about how people learn music and the guitar, what works, and what doesn't.

Over the decades, I've had approximately 150 students try every‑other‑week lessons. Here are the caveats, and my teaching colleagues seem to all agree. Every-other-weekers:

• Tend to drop out early - to a remarkable degree.
  
  
• Practice less
  
  Interestingly enough, on the average, they practice a LOT less than every‑week students who otherwise have a similar amount of weekly time available to practice. Thinking they will have more time to get the practice in, they procrastinate.  They fall behind without the steady push; the weekly stimulation. That translates to very slow progress, no joy . . .
  
  

• Forget exactly what or how to practice their homework.
  
  Since we meet only twice a month, the long interval dampens the flow, the enthusiasm, the memory of lesson details.
  
  
• Lose focus on personal goals.  
  
  Losing the momentum, continuity, and curiosity takes its toll. Meeting only twice a month makes it very hard to keep the carrot out front, and I cannot inject useful feedback when you need it.
  
  
• If they miss a lesson, I don't see them for a month.
  
  Then things really fall apart. We're both a little older. We have to get re-acquainted.
  
  
• Lessons are less efficient.
  
  It is very common to need to go over the same material multiple times if you are every-other-week.
  
  
• If a student has any questions regarding the material we last covered . . .
  
  . . . they don't get the answers for half a month. That's a lo-o-ong time.
  
  
• The Bad Week
  
  Normal, every‑week students have the occasional "bad week" where busy lives prevent them from practicing much.  Ironically, every‑other‑weekers seem to have many more "bad weeks" - but their "weeks" are twice as long.
  
  
• My colleagues at West Bank School of Music and other institutions (MacPhail, McNally Smith, community music schools) have very similar experience with "every‑others"
  
  
• It is frustrating for yours truly
  
  I love to see people learn quickly, achieve goals, and experience great joy in playing and learning music.  An every‑other week schedule seems to kill that for most people.

Having made this extraordinary case against every-other-week lessons, I'm willing to give it a go under certain circumstances - monetary constraints, demanding job schedule, or most commonly, you live far away. Your lesson would need to be the first or last lesson in my day, so I won't have an every‑other-week 'hole' in my schedule. Frankly, the only success I've had with every‑other-weekers, are people who are organized and disciplined with regard to guitar goals (and usually, their lives in general) and generally come a longer distance to lessons - metro fringe, out state Minnesota or Wisconsin.  Many do hour lessons.  There you go.

Note:   See Guitar Do's and Don'ts

I'm rhythmically challenged (or) averse to reading rhythm symbols.  Can you help me ?

There are basically 2 major components to music:

1. All those notes you play (or sing) in chords, melodies, solos, bass lines, riffs, fills and harmonies
2. The rhythm that you play them in

What is more important?  ABSOLUTELY the RHYTHM !!

Frankly, if you can't play in rhythm, then all these are true:

• Other musicians find it difficult or impossible to play with you
• Vocalists find it difficult or awkward to sing with your playing
• People can't dance to your music
• Listeners often feel uncomfortable when you play or sing - even if you don't know it

Professional players occasionally miss a note or a chord. Often, all but the most trained ears don't hear it, because the rhythm groove is strong. If the guitarist's skill level is high, they can even turn an errant note or chord into a cool improvisational element.

However, when someone plays even simple parts out of rhythm, then the 4 negatives above will apply. It can be a musical disaster.            



Every amateur musician can learn basic rhythm notation. It is the timing foundation that applies to guitar tablature, standard notation and song charts. It's a universal language, spoken or written, that ties players and singers together, whether in a blues jam, a worship band, or a singer-songwriter collaborating with a guest artist.

If you have problems playing in rhythm or you don't understand rhythm symbols, I will get you past that. We'll make rhythm symbols and protocols familiar, not daunting.  Some teachers have a "stock method" of teaching rhythm concepts that work with some people, but fail dramatically with others. There are many specialized tools and exercises in my toolbox to help us get as far as we need to get. We'll start from exactly what you do know (including from scratch), dispel misinterpretations you may have, and methodically build that set of rhythmic concepts shared by musicians.  This does not mean that you need to learn to read standard notation. That is a separate issue, and not a necessity.