Gilbert, AZ Blues Guitar Lessons

tarist & songwriter for a well-known touring rock band with a worldwide fan base and nearly 4 million You Tube views. I graduated from New York University with Bachelor's of Music in Jazz guitar and trained with the most highly respected rock/pop vocal coaches in the world. In 2015, I signed a major label publishing deal with Fieldhouse Music/BMG played throughout Europe (and taught online lessons while away). My songs have been licensed for national/international TV (E!, MTV, VH1, Oxygen, TBS and more), commercials for CBS, Nike, Coca-Cola, Samsung and in video games. I actively perform/record and tour with my (3) bands, and produce/cowrite with artists for their own projects.

I’m endorsed by PRS guitars, Elixir Strings, Godin Guitars/Bass Guitars, & Metaldozer Mic Stands.

Styles I regularly teach include: Rock (Classic Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock), Metal, Punk, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Blues, Funk, Soul, Classical, Folk.
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Lesson Details

My students gain expertise in the following techniques and more...

Voice:

∙ intonation / resonance
∙ proper breathing & breath support
∙ diction
∙ vocal placement
∙ understanding chest / head voice
∙ bridging registers & 'the high note'
∙ vowels and modification techniques
∙ mixed voice
∙ edgy/bright
∙ clean/distorted
∙ vibrato
∙ screaming
∙ rhythmic singing
∙ vocal health/maintaining your voice
∙ touring, recording, performing
∙ writing songs/melodies/lyrics to suit your vocal strengths
and personality

Lead and Rhythm Guitar:

I've developed a step-by-step approach to learning to solo and improvise.
Using simple, "guitarist-friendly” techniques you will quickly learn and begin to apply major/minor scales/modes, blues/pentatonic scales and “licks.” You will learn triads, arpeggios, interval studies, and extensions and how to use them to create interesting and melodic solos. With my line development/phrasing techniques, you will have your own library of “licks” that will help you navigate both simple and sophisticated harmonic progressions. I will help you to become a become a well-rounded, three-dimensional guitarist with a unique voice!

A few of techniques I teach:

∙ triads / arpeggios
∙ strumming
∙ alternate/sweep picking
∙ tremolo picking
∙ hybrid picking
∙ scales/modes
∙ slide guitar
∙ hammer on/pull off
∙ (up to 8 finger) tapping
∙ bending / double stops / unison bends
∙ whammy bar techniques
∙ diagonal scales,
∙ arpeggios & note groupings
∙ 3 and 4 finger per string scales
∙ fingerstyle
∙ Jazz scales, chords including
4 note open/closed voicing
7th, 9th, 11th, 13th chords
∙ chord melodies
∙ rhythm and grooves of various styles

Bass Guitar:

Right hand:
∙ finger style, pick
∙ slapping/popping
∙ groove, rhythms and playing time
∙ time signatures, walking bass lines,
∙ arpeggios, double stops,
∙ chords & improvising
∙ writing bass lines.

All of my students learn:

Sight reading (standard notation/tablature)
∙ music theory & ear training
∙ rhythm / timing (including reading rhythms)
∙ composition/songwriting

We will focus 1/2 of the lesson on repertoire and 1/2 the lesson on technique. Many of my students text/email me a few days prior to our scheduled lesson with a song selection for the week. I focus our lesson's technical study with the song in mind. It has proven to be very effective and makes the technique and theory are less "boring."

Studio Equipment
I have (7) guitars: including (4) electric, (2) acoustic/electric, & (3) electric bass
(2) tube guitar amplifiers, and various guitar effects pedals.

(1) full-size 88-key MIDI keyboard, (1) 61-key USB keyboard controller, and (1) Arturia MINILAB MIDI controller.

Also, I have an assortment of industry standard dynamic & condenser microphones for live performance and recording applications.

DAW recording software (Pro Tools 12.x, Logic 10.x, Ableton Live)
software synthesizers by Arturia, Fabfilter, Native Instruments, Spectrasonics, Steven Slate, Toontrack and more. I use plugin effects by Izotope, Fabfilter, Plugin Alliance and Universal Audio and Waves for many of my lessons and recording projects.

Travel Equipment
I can provide a guitar, videos, music recording, music workbooks and everything else a student may need. Students are only expected to bring a desire to learn. :)

Specialties

I am a performer with a ton of touring/stage experience, a composer who understands the art of writing and a producer who is fluent in the latest recording technology. In addition to technical studies, my students receive performance coaching/career development. I will help you to find your unique voice, a polished and distinct sound, and your true personality as an artist. I am 100% committed to making you a success!

I will ignite a new, or recharge/rekindle your passion for music, and to sing/play the music you love a lot better!

roduction & engineering program) Protools, Cubase, Reason, analog/digital recording techniques, editing, mixing, programming and sound design.

I have just completed five years at the School of Rock in North Hollywood/Burbank Ca. and five years at the School of Rock, Scottsdale AZ... Teaching drums, percussion, bass, guitar, keyboards, vocal and Show Direction for ensembles. Live perfomances at local and national venues.

Prior to SOR I was Dean of Curriculum and drum teacher for the percussion department at The M. Gray Music Academy, a state of the art facility founded by Grammy Award winning artist Macy Gray located in North Hollywood Ca.

On the tour front you will find me performing live with Boston hardcore legends DYS.

Al has performed or recorded with John Zorn, Cypress Hill, Soul Assassins, Martin Sexton, Zora Young, Everlast, MC RAI, Screaming Headless Torsos, the Warm Gunns, Zayra Alvarez (Rockstar: Supernova), Avenged Sevenfold, Lance Lopez, Cycle of pain...

As a performer/ writer/ actor, Al has appeared in numerous films, soundtracks and TV shows (B.H. 90210, Zoolander, Girl, Titan A.E., Bride of Chucky, Excess Baggage, Squeeze, Sex and the City, VIP, Daria, Late Nite w/ Conan O'Brien, Pepsi Musica, MTV's 120 minutes (co host), MuchMusic Live, Little Nicky, LATV Live, Loveline (co host).

As a touring musician, Al has shared the stage with Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne/ Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Metallica, Pantera, Cypress Hill, Kid Rock, Pharcyde, Korn, G Love/ Special Sauce, Marilyn Manson, Method Man, Slipknot, Henry Rollins, Snoop Dogg, N.W.A., Limp Bizkit, Primus, Everclear, Slayer, Filter, Static-X, Ozomatli, Juanes, Julieta Venegas, Charo, Los Lonely Boys, Rob Zombie, Incubus, Stone Temple Pilots and tours of North America, Canada, Europe and Japan with Powerman 5000.

"The primary goal is to educate students in the art of music, have a general understanding and be able to create your own grooves, songs and develop your musical voice"

Product Endorsements:
TAMA drums/hardware,
Zildjian cymbals,
Vater Percussion(sticks/tape)
Remo drum heads
E-Pad practice pads /accessories
Rhythmtec percussion.

tudents achieve their goals.

ional aspirations.

I strive to provide a friendly, comfortable learning environment my students can thrive in. I won't pressure you to play in recitals in order to increase my studio size, but I will greatly encourage you to play an active role in customizing your own individual curriculum. As soon as you have the skills to do so, you should be learning to play the music you love.

Regardless of what your musical goals are, I would love to help you learn the skills you need to reach them. Thank you so much for your time.

helping you accomplish your musical goals.