Harwinton, CT Acoustic Guitar Lessons

Basic Chords, Rhythm Techniques, Intermediate Chords, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Adult Contemporary, Country and Pop.

Artists like Jason Mraz, Green Day, Taylor Swift, the Eagles, Johnny Cash, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, the Who, Pink Floyd and more are great to play on the acoustic guitar. I have the techniques to get you those sounds.

I also teach songwriting, so if you aren't the type to play other people songs and want to write some of your own I have an extensive background to help get you on the road to accomplishing your goals.

My students have spanned every age, experience level, and walk of life through the years... Some wanted to join a band, some wanted to go on to music school, some were aspiring songwriters, and others were simply interested in an awesome hobby! I've been teaching acoustic guitar for over 13 years and teach a mix of playing technique, music theory, ear training, as well as working on songs and styles of playing that the student is interested in. Along with my teaching experience, I have plenty of stage and studio experience as well which allows me to bring those things to the table. More real world and less dry and academic you might say...

I can teach all levels and many styles. I make it easy for you to learn at you're own pace so you can achieve your goals and have fun playing music.

Pro Level

All levels and styles

For beginners, with no or very little experience. I recommend starting on an acoustic guitar as opposed to an electric as it is a better instrument to learn the basics. I can teach just about any style of acoustic.

For acoustic guitar the first thing I do when I meet a student is to interview the student and find out why they want to learn how to play the guitar and what are some of their goals. Then I find out what style of music they would like to learn. I have the student come up with ten songs they would like to learn. I take this information and structure future guitar lessons around the essential elements of these songs. I design each lesson to teach the specific skills required to learn those songs. I create an organized binder guitar workbook and having a teaching degree I create all of the lessons to meet each students individual needs that include lessons on theory, technique, chords, rhythm, scales, arpeggios, songs, song form, and exercises etc. I use a color coded method to teach scales, chords and theory that I created that help students not only understand scales but also they are able to see visually where chords come from. I break down each song into easy digestible parts so ...

Students will experience a fun; step-by-step lesson each session they book, viewing their teacher (myself!) on FaceTime (for MAC users) or SKYPE (for PC users); Google hangouts, demonstrating scales, chords and style of execution, when applicable. I prefer the feeling of the nylon stringed guitar in my fingers, but every student and teacher has his or her own preference. I offer the 'basics' of both MUSIC THEORY and the mastering of scales and chords on the 6 string guitar, which translates to:

1. Learning the notes and scales on each string of the guitar, adding new knowledge yet repeating and re-iterating the knowledge acquired from the previous lesson
2. Learning to play simple songs and melodies on one or two strings of the guitar, gradually incorporating the other strings
3. Accruing a repertoire of chords which may be used to accompany the singing of a folk song or ballad
4. Playing a melody AND accompanying oneself with chords together on the guitar
5. Learning to play ...

My goal is help the student reach their personal goals by giving them the tools and techniques to do so.

To be honest, I'm here to encourage people to play their guitar. So, I'm mostly going to work on the things you want to work on. In terms of my experience, I have been playing for almost 10 years. I started as a self-taught guitarist in high school and then I decided to actually study music in college. So, if you have theory questions I'll be happy to help.
My methods aren't too strict like classical guitarists. However, I do have specific exercises on how to practice more effectively and other things like chord studies. Again, I'm mainly here for you to learn how to play your favorite song, or how to be able to jam with other guitarists and so on. At the end of the day, I want students to reach their goals and enjoy playing what they want to play rather than being able to play all the chords and scales without enjoying it.