Having played music for as long as I can remember (my father is an accomplished Jazz and Soul drummer), music has always been a key ingredient in my life much like eating and breathing. From playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme on the drum set as a toddler, I have gone on to learn electric/classical/lap steel guitar, electric/upright bass, various keyboard instruments, most percussion instruments, and many old time instruments such as banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, and harmonica. I'm currently teaching myself viola.

In addition to the performing aspect of music, I am also experienced with writing/composition, recording/engineering/mixing/production, and design/manufacturing/distribution/vending of my own albums as well as those of others. However, none of these things bring me the same joy as teaching the ways of music to others. Fortunately, all of these skills integrate to bring about a clear view of the big picture in regards to music so I can better serve a wider...

Since my own first lessons on guitar the instrument has been by my side day in and day out. I feel that learning this skill has been one of the most important lessons of my life so far because it opened the door to a replenishing well of creativity inside me. My practice and exploration of music has not only been personally enriching, but often my gigs throughout college, where I studied creative writing to aide my song writing craft, often brought in income while expanding my reach into the world through other musicians. My experience with this will benefit each student. Together we will discover your unique reasons for wanting to learn guitar and plan how to use them in the real world.

I have played the guitar for twenty years and have studied a wide variety of music including jazz, classical, folk, blues and rock. I’m skilled in acoustic, electric and classical styles of the guitar. I have an open mind about music and can appreciate any style or type. I have a firm background on music theory, so I am able to explain what I am teaching. I excelled in all my classes in college, music and Gen Eds, with a GPA over 3.75. I also have experience in teaching guitar or bass to students ranging from the ages of six to sixty six. I enjoy taking what I have learned and passing it on to someone else to experience. I believe this is one way you can leave your mark in music. I believe the experience I have playing in bands, and learning songs with my ability of having relative pitch will make my students improve quicker. I am also a very skilled sight reader and can recognize key signatures and musical notation. I’ve also been playing electric bass guitar for 13...

I play, write, record and perform a variety of American popular music forms
including rock, folk, blues, funk, bluegrass, country, fingerstyle
guitar, and jazz.

I began my musical training learning drums as a 12 year old and a year later began private lessons on guitar as well. In the following years, while playing in rock bands and focusing primarily on guitar and continuing practice on drums, I became interested in learning other instruments: I took harmonica lessons and taught myself how to play bass guitar and keyboards. As a teenager I also began writing my own songs and teaching myself how to record music. I also play Spanish flamenco guitar and studied with master flamenco players while living in Madrid, Spain.

Today, I play guitar, harmonica, sing and write songs for my own group, while also working on a variety of other recording projects that reflect my various musical personalities. I love everything about music, and there's nothing I enjoy more than sharing...

Hey everybody! My name is Pete, and I'm a graduate of Wayne State University, where I majored in theory/composition and was awarded the Composition Award. I play and teach guitar and tuba, and am more than willing to help students with theory or writing music. I've been accepted to composition festivals and performed on many cruise ships as the showband guitarist, and I'd love to help you reach either. If not, I'm a professional that would thoroughly enjoy helping you get what you want out of music.

Having started my performance career playing drums and guitar for Bay Area organization, Bandworks, I made a permanent switch to bass in my early teenage years. I studied drama at Interlochen Center For the Arts and was in Piedmont High School’s advanced theater program before pursuing music full-time. I've lived in Chicago for the better part of six years now, originally having moved out here to attend Columbia College's music program. During my academic career , I was affiliated with a slew of collegiate jazz ensembles and had the opportunity to study under musicians the likes of Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks, Joan Osborne, Charlie Sexton, Peter Erskine, Fernando Jones, Chuck Webb, New York Voices, and many more. I also got to play the Chicago Blues Festival twice and open for BB King in Mississippi. I received my BA in Instrumental Performance last year. Since graduation, I've gotten to play the CMJ festival in New York City and tour cities like Nashville and San...

Howdy! I've been playing a stringed-instrument of one sort-or-another since the wee age of 6 and in a variety of contexts, from full orchestras to rock bands to world-class recording studios. I've composed original music for theatrical productions and mastered classical pieces for solo violin performance. I learned my instruments through a combination of private instruction, self-education, and years of real-world experience.

My first instrument was violin, which I started playing in fourth grade; I started private violin lessons in sixth, and continued with the same teacher until I was 20. At age 16 I started playing guitar and electric bass, and shortly thereafter picked up mandolin, ukulele. . . basically whatever stringed instrument was needed in whatever band or ensemble I happened to be playing with at the time. I've found I have an affinity for quickly learning any stringed instrument, a skill for which I owe credit to my years of private instruction on violin.

In...

Hello!

My name is John and I am a guitar instructor for Take Lessons. I have been teaching private and group guitar lessons for over five years. In addition to teaching at TakeLessons.com, I have taught at the Stafford Music Academy, The Chicago Guitar Academy, Vance Music, the CODA Academy and have had several private students of my own. I have been playing guitar for over fifteen years, and began my private musical training under the instruction of my father (a PhD in Theory and Composition) at the age of four. I have extensive experience with writing, performing, and studio work, and have contributed to innumerable projects in the vein of popular music as a writer, performer, producer and engineer.

I expect all of my students to develop a passion for music as well as a comprehensive appreciation for many styles and techniques. This includes an understanding of folk, rock, jazz, pop and classical theory, understanding how these theoretical ideas are applied to the...

I've been involved with music in some capacity pretty much from the get-go, whether as a player, a teacher, a sound engineer, or even building and repairing instruments. Music is my passion, and has been a source of many wonderful things in my life, and I hope that I can pass that on to my students.

I initially took up bass guitar when I was 10 years old, then moved on to electric guitar within a couple of years. With help from a teacher, I developed my skills simply by learning how to play my favorite songs, and this is the same approach I like to take with my own students. I eventually went back and learned a lot of the theory behind what I was doing, but playing along with records was what made it fun and kept it interesting for me. Being a technical sort of guy, I studied audio production in college, then came to Chicago, where I've been working steadily as an engineer, both in studio, and in live sound reinforcement.

In 1994 I began learning to play pedal steel guitar,...

Ever since I began teaching guitar in the halls of high school, my focus has been on helping you, the student, achieve your goals. I grew up in a musical home, played piano for a year or two, and finally fell in love with the guitar at 14. Before long, I was teaching high schoolers the latest Green Day hits, showing business men how to play their favorite Beatles tracks, and helping college students break down songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. By now, you may have figured out that I'm primarily a rock/pop guitarist, but I'm also very comfortable teaching blues, r&b, funk, metal, country, and jazz. The only major style I can't help you with is classical guitar, which I love but don't have the training for!

Here's what I am trained in: while at Berklee College of Music, I focused on skills that would make me a better teacher - Performance, Ear Training, Music Business, and Private Instruction. I continued to teach throughout my four years there, and the more I learned, the more...

I received my degree in Music Education from Loyola in New Orleans, where i also got my teaching certification. Since then i have been teaching lessons and gigging around Chicago.

Originally from Indiana, David has been teaching music in both the private and public school sectors for 12 years. Getting his start as a drumline instructor with only 4 students, David soon expanded his teaching to include both guitar and piano, which he studied under Frank Puzzulo (of Miles Davis' group) at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Upon graduating Ball State, David moved to Colorado to study jazz and classical music with Dr. Douglas Walter, an accomplished percussionist who is known for his versatility and multiple percussion talents. He also studied piano and guitar in his off time, jamming with several rock and jazz groups both in and out of school.

In 2006, David left the college scene with a Masters in Music and moved to Florida where he began his teaching career. In Florida, David taught roughly 70 students, ages 5 to 18, at Wewahitchka High School and Middle School. He was beloved by the town, helping out in the community as a local organist...