Learn Guitar your way with a TakeLessons expert

By David H. – Malden Guitar Teacher

My name is David, and I am a Boston-based teacher of the guitar, bass, and ukulele, as well as a semi-professional carpenter and luthier. The Boston area is a true melting pot of all types of people, and it is an inspirational place to play and teach guitar. It is home to some of the best music schools in the world, such as Berklee (where I studied for four years), the New England Conservatory and the Boston Conservatory. The city also has some gorgeous concert halls and theaters, such as The Orpheum, The Wilbur, The Charles Playhouse (home of the Blue Man Group), The Somerville Theatre, Symphony Hall, the Boston Opera House and many others. So, if you’re interested in taking guitar lessons in Malden, MA, read on for some tips on things to do and see as a musician in the Boston area!

Practice Tips: When just starting out your bass or guitar lessons in Malden, a key thing to remember is to not be discouraged by the initial discomfort in contorting your fingers into funny chord shapes that you have never demanded from them before. This is the biggest hurdle of all - the physical development. Most people understand where they are supposed to put their fingers, but just have a hard time pressing hard enough.

I recommend making practice routines, like going to the gym, and sticking to them. Once you develop your finger strength, the real fun and satisfaction begins. You want to learn the tedious things with your favorite songs as a medium. This way, you can learn theory and technique while playing music from your favorite artists to keep yourself interested.

Additionally, I don’t recommend getting too hung up on reading music for beginner guitar students. You can learn a lot of what you need to know without standard notation. This is an important skill to have, but technique and knowing a lot of chords and a mental map of the fretboard is more important, at least in the beginning.

Local Venues: The Boston area is home to over seventy colleges and universities, which contribute to a diverse culture and great nightlife. Once you are on your way in your guitar lessons in Malden, be sure to check out some amazing local talent at some of the many venues in the Boston area:

The Middle East is a venue, nightclub and restaurant just across the Charles River in Central Square (Cambridge), nestled between MIT and Harvard University. It hosts shows from national touring bands as well as lesser-known people, such as myself. http://mideastoffers.com/me/

Another amazing local secret is Wally’s Café on Mass Ave; a little hole-in-the-wall jazz club which has been successfully running since the fifties. It has some of the best local jazz, funk, and blues bands, as well as a weekly open jam (not for beginners to play in, but a great inspiration to practice!). http://www.wallyscafe.com/

Thirdly, a favorite hot spot of mine is the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, which has Boston’s most popular open mic every Monday (requires a sign-up weeks or months in advance). I usually go not to play, but just to listen to the eclectic variety of indie rock, folk, blues, jazz, hip-hop and everything in between. It costs only five bucks, and the place goes dead silent (in a good way) for the performers. It is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. http://lizardloungeclub.com

Lastly, you can find out more about the Boston music scene at the following website: http://www.boston.com/entertainment/music

Best of luck in your guitar lessons in Malden, and enjoy all that the Boston area has to offer to you as a budding student of guitar!