Private Electric Guitar tutoring lessons Palo Alto, CA.

Great teacher!

Really good teacher and cool person. I learned a lot from taking lessons with Brandon, he taught me what I wanted to learn and also gave me helpful exercises to help me practice and get better.

Blake not only knows his stuff but he also knows how to teach. Phenomenal teacher.

Excellent instructions

Ryan is professional and easy going at the same time. So far so good. I'm excited to keep going.

Ryan takes his time and tailors my lessons specifically to my level and to the type of music I’d like to play. He covers everything from the basics – like the proper way to hold the pick – to more advanced teachings like music theory. Ryan is flexible, patient, easy going, and he consistently teaches at a pace that I’m comfortable with. He provides take-home practice after every lesson and always has helpful suggestions any time I have questions. What I find incredibly helpful is that at the end of the lesson Ryan will run through the take-home practice on his guitar and let me record it on my phone so it’s easier for me to remember. When I’m ready to practice the next day I just pull up his notes and the video and I’m ready to go!

It’s obvious that Ryan has a passion for music, and it shows in his lessons. I would easily give him my highest recommendation.

I have taken my first few lessons with Ryan and so far they have all been awesome!! Ryan is an extremely knowledgeable and talented guitarist, but he meets you right where you are. I feel my confidence growing more and more with every lesson. I look forward to many more!!

Jimmy is very knowledgeable and very approachable. In a short time, he has helped me to unlock the fretboard. Highly recommended.

Jimmy is an awesome teacher all around! He is very patient and makes me feel comfortable and confident. He has many helpful tips that progress me quickly and clearly truly cares about teaching! I highly recommend taking lessons with Jimmy!

James has been a great teacher so far. He never wastes time and is clear and concise. I plan to continue with my lessons for the foreseeable future!

I work in a guitar store and get the chance to refer teachers to students regularly. I have been sending students to Ahmad since he moved to the Bay Area from Los Angeles. He Has an amazing system of teaching that really works. If you want to really learn to play and have fun at the same time then go to Ahmad!

I started out trying to teach myself to play the guitar using beginner books and free online lessons. At first I was enthused to be taking the plunge and learning some chords. What was missing was an understanding of the structure behind what I was learning. For example, I didn't want to just learn the chords to popular songs but rather why those chords could be used together and why. I soon realized that trying to teach myself was going to be a long and potentially error prone process so I decided to seek out private instruction. I wanted to be able to ask "why" and get an answer and not have to guess or poke around in the dark and hope to stumble on understanding. I needed a guide.

Having spent a fair amount of my adult life in various universities I knew that mileage can vary when it to comes to instruction. After spending some time looking over various local online search results I found Ahmad site. I was immediately struck by the difference in his presentation from the rest of the offerings. Instead of a bio and picture there was a complete presentation of his approach to guitar instruction. The emphasis on an understanding of harmony struck home with me and I gave him a call.

I've been taking weekly one hour lessons with Ahmad for four months. If I had to find another teacher it would be like having my world turned upside down. In the first few minutes of my first lesson, Ahmad identified what was my biggest fear, rhythm and timing. Ahmad immediately recognized that I didn't play to any particular tempo and how crucial that is to making music. I've come to expect Ahmad's keen attention to how I am playing my exercises. There is no indifference or laziness here, he watches, assesses, then instructs. Ahmad writes his own lessons, he doesn't borrow pages from books or other sources (each page has an idea or purpose that is clearly defined, each a building block of understanding) . His energy to embellish his own written material with written impromptu notes and clarifications are the norm for each lesson.

My curiosity about music theory was met with much enthusiasm. Even though I have only been playing for a few months my understanding of harmony and how it relates to the guitar fingerboard still astonishes me. Granted, I ask a lot of questions and because of my math background I can absorb concepts quickly, but regardless, Ahmad has the answers and you can sense his excitement when he shares ideas that open up your understanding about music and especially the guitar. Looking back at the last few months I realize I take Ahmad's knowledge for granted, he never has to look something up in a book or get back to you on some idea. Some of my favorite lessons have been when my head was full of questions and getting access to Ahmad for an hour.

If there is a rhythm I just can't get down or an idea that is foggy for me Ahmad has the patience and experience to present the material in a way that makes it seem easy. Ahmad is great at sensing when something is shaky in my playing or my understanding and quickly focuses on solving the problem. He places a lot of emphasis on the importance of the fundamentals and how that will ultimately lead to real enjoyment as I grow as a guitarist. Ahmad has made me aware of how important it is to learn something correctly the first time rather than trying to retrain yourself down the road (I honestly feel I will be saving countless wasted hours by learning material in an order that makes sense for my experience and by learning good technique from the start).

I feel so fortunate that Ahmad is available in this time and this place to take lessons from. I feel that Ahmad has a real talent for teaching. I feel it is something he is both talented at and genuinely loves to do. I look forward to my lesson each week with excitement, knowing that I am steadily growing as a guitarist. I always leave my lessons with a smile on my face and looking forward to the days ahead with a guitar in my lap.