Private Bass Guitar tutoring lessons Hacienda Heights, CA.

"This is the guy you are looking for.

At 42 I finally got around to buying my first guitar (no musical background other than fan) and set about teaching myself with books and videos. 10 months later I realized that in spite of working at it every day I was going to get to the 1-year mark and not be able to play a single song all the way through (of the 70's and 80's hard rock that I love, I could play "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" pretty well). I was rapidly becoming "that guy" who can play sloppy intros to 300 songs, but nothing else.

I looked around the web, and settled on Ahmad because of his credentials and reviews, and I could not be happier with my choice.

The thing that makes Ahmad special is that he put as much effort into becoming a great guitar teacher as he did in becoming a great guitar player. Every lesson is tailored exactly to my ability at that time. If ever I have had particular trouble with something Ahmad is ready with additional material, alternate ways to learn it, different ways to explain it. No matter what the technique or concept, Ahmad has seen this mistake before and knows just what to do. Some days I leave with many pages of material to master, and some days just one or two. It is all about how slowly or quickly I am picking up the new thing, and all about learning things the right way so that the foundation is solid when I am ready to advance to the next level. There is no schedule or competition (except with myself) and the only objective is to learn more and get better.

To show examples in action Ahmad routinely finds 70s and 80s hard rock for me (not every single note is from Guns-n-Roses of course, but if a particular concept relates to something in a familiar song from the genre, that's the one Ahmad will pick for me to master). You do not have to learn jazz! (I mean if jazz is your thing I am certain that Ahmad can teach you that.)

I really doubt that there is a player at any level (or in any style) who would not learn a lot from Ahmad (that is if you are prepared to be humble and possibly review some foundational material you think you know already... if you knew it, Ahmad would not be teaching it to you... he can hear that your timing is off, or if you didn't hit all of the strings in that chord, and so can your audience). (Once, while I was performing an exercise from the previous lesson, Ahmad had his back to me digging in his filing cabinet for my next materials and said "Did you play the fifth note with an upstroke?"... He heard that, it was supposed to be a down stroke and he heard a difference so slight I didn't even know I was doing it.)

If you are a beginner as I was, my advice is to commit to four lessons with Ahmad. By the end of that time you will hear that you are advancing, and more importantly you will understand where you were and where you are going. It might seem kind of basic at first (which is why I say to go with at least four) but it does not take very long to understand how much better you will be with strong fundamentals. If, instead, you learn to play badly, and you practice regularly, eventually your speed will improve... and then you will play badly fast which actually sounds worse than playing badly slow... all that work for less than nothing.

I have been taking lessons for about a year and half. I can play some Lead Guitar now. And I can play some real songs now. Even those 300 intros are getting tight, that is to say I now play them with the right timing, technique, phrasing and feel!

PS - If Ahmad says "it's time for the Harmony Classes", do it! Like most things Ahmad has taught me, I have resisted it in some way at first, and the harmony lessons are no different. Like everything Ahmad has taught me, the harmony classes have immediately made me better at playing guitar, and have provided a foundation that makes the next thing and the next thing and the next thing easier, faster, and better."

"I have been working professionally with Dan Brown for a few years now and I have to say, he is the finest bassist I've ever worked with. Primarily, he is a brilliant musician and a master of his instrument. But more than that, he has a clear understanding of the music and can communicate musical concepts in a simple, straightforward way. I've learned a great deal from Dan since we began collaborating and couldn't recommend him more highly as an instructor."

"Spiros is great! I've been taking bass lessons from him for a couple of years now and thanks to him, I can actually play now! He's a good teacher, teaching both elements of theory and also how to get the "feel" of music, and he's also fun to be around. I can say that without his lessons and the music he's sent me, I would not be nearly as good as I am today, nor as motivated to learn more."

"I've known Matt personally for about 7 years. He's super-personable, patient, and knows his stuff. I wouldn't hesitate one bit to recommend him!"