Cole R. TakeLessons Instructor music, Guitar, Music Theory Denver, CO

    I have been teaching guitar for around 5 years.
 
    I have been playing guitar for eleven years.
 
    I graduated in May 07' from The University of Colorado at Denver with honors and received my undergrad in jazz guitar performance studies.  While in college, I played in many ensembles including two years in the UCD Jazz Guitar Quartet (directed by Drew Morel), two years in the Claimjumpers, UCD's 30 year old dixieland band directed by Bill Clark, of the Queen City Jazz Band.  We had the pleasure of performing at the Ceadar Falls Jazz Festival in Ceader Falls, Iowa last year and were on regional television.  We also performed at Loretta Heights College for about a thousand people with the Queen City Jazz Band).  I also spent one year in the metro jazz ensemble (one semester under the direction Dave Devine, and the other semester under Ron Miles(Ron has played with many monsters in jazz including guitarist Bill Frissel and is considered one of the finest trumpet players in the genre), I also spent one year in the UCD jazz ensemble (directed by Drew Morel).  Dave Devine gave me eight wonderful semesters of private guitar lessons in my time there.
 
    I have extensive non-college performance experience including the metal band Elucidarius (we were doing great until we broke up and played almost every major venue in town a metal band can play!  I actually broke my right leg in two places playing at the Climax Lounge here in Denver with that band). 
 
    I used to play singer-songwriter material under my own name at various coffee shops and bars.  I have played many jazz gigs around town including office parties, wedding receptions, and a couple of standing gigs I used to have (one at an Italian restaurant Il Fornio downtown (until they closed) and one at the restaurant Encore! in downtown Littleton until they decided they would rather have solo blues musicians instead of two guitarists playing standards (it's cheaper for them that way).
 
    I also belong to the rhythm section of The John Akal Ultraphonic Orchestra and have been with them since last October (we are one of the only bands in America keeping the Stan Kenton music book alive and we also do some Brecker Brothers arrangements, as well as Bob Curnow/Pat Metheny arrangements, and many others.  It is a twenty piece band and we play at least twice a month usually at Jazz At Jack's in the Pavilions on the 16th St Mall.  Joe Bonner (played piano in Sun Ra's band for years) subbed for us on the piano a couple of weeks back and that was really exciting for me.) 
 
    I am also involved with a rock band called Wetlands.  We are gaining popularity and are working on a full length record.  Our first show we got to open for The Photo Atlas (a Denver band, on Island Records). 
 
    I have done some promoting/production as well.  On January 5th my production company, Czar Productions, threw the only local music show at The Denver Botanic Gardens that has everoccured.  The bill was Ian Cooke, Paper Bird, The Dendrites, and Laura Goldhammer.  It went great and I was able to pay the bands well and cover costs.
   
    Guitar, playing guitar, and teaching guitar is my entire life. 

    Lessons with me are all about you.  I am very patient and understanding and only want to see you grow musically.  Please think of me more as a friend than a teacher.  It is my belief that if you don't feel intimitdated by me you will learn much more comfortably.  We can start by talking about you or your child's goals and taking it from there.  How fast you progress is completely dependent on how much you play and practice outside the lessons.  I can only guide you. 

    I can teach most genres including jazz (swing, be-bop, free, modern, latin, gypsy swing), rock (any style), metal (any style), folk, country (any style), finger-style, and classical.  I also can teach music theory and rudimentary piano.  I look forward to meeting you!

I can play most styles proficiently. I specialize in jazz, rock, metal, and fingerstyle.

music, Guitar, Music Theory