Music Theory with Alex P.

I have been playing music since I was 7, and now play the guitar, bass, violin, piano, and I also sing. By the time I entered the University of Southern California, I had released my first album of original music, toured the west coast with my own band, toured internationally to China, Canada, France, England, Hungary, Ukraine, and Austria, and performed with The Vienna Boys Choir among other notable musical ensembles. Since receiving my Bachelor's degree in Guitar Performance (with a minor in Music Recording) from USC, I have produced and mixed many albums and toured nationally, for other independent artists as well as for my own music. I currently play in three Los Angeles area bands. I taught guitar at West Coast Music Academy for 3 years, Amadeus Music Academy for 2 years, and have taught private lessons for the last 10 years. With all of this experience and knowledge, I offer a student a rich understanding of many styles of music. I can ensure that a student gets on the right track towards a bright musical future, whether they want to become a professional musician or whether they want guitar as a lifelong hobby. *** Lesson Details *** When you take lessons from me, you will be taking the fastest route to success: playing a lot of guitar! We will cover everything from music theory to technique to soloing to playing your favorite songs, but we won't be spending the lesson time talking. Everything you learn will be quickly put into a playable, practical context, so that you learn the most, and have the most fun! I have high expectations for my students, and practicing every day is a requirement. But because my curriculum is personally tailored to each individual student, and involves a lot of the music that the student is most passionate about, I find my students often love to practice! I also use a variety of musical texts to enrich the students learning (including, but not limited to, Practical Theory for Guitar by Don Latarski, Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner, the Real Book series, and various Mel Bay books). After about 6 months, a new student will have learned most basic chords and scales, the building blocks of playing solos, and a good handful of their favorite songs. More experienced students will have enriched their understanding of guitar and how it relates to the music they love, and music that is new to them! *** Studio Equipment *** I teach out of my studio, which is located in a guest house. Students will need to bring their own instrument. If you're learning recording, Pro Tools, or Logic, please bring an external hard drive with your sessions on it, and/or your laptop. The studio does have a resident dog, so if you have allergies let me know! *** Travel Equipment *** guitar, amp, any effects if necessary. student must provide guitar (any kind) *** Specialties *** I specialize in rock, pop, folk, and jazz guitar styles. I focus on material that the individual student is excited about and wants to learn, and incorporate fundamentals and other pertinent skills necessary to maximize the students ability. For bass guitar I specialize in rock and pop. Contemporary songwriting technique is not genre-specific and I can teach any type of songwriting, from hip hop to country to rock. I have been a songwriter for 15 years, and have released 4 full length albums and 3 EPs of my original material. I was also a student in the pilot classes which later became USC's Popular Music degree program. These classes focused on songwriting and were taught by industry veterans Chris Sampson and Richard Smith. I was trained in advanced music theory as part of my degree from USC. I integrate theory into my other lessons but I can also teach theory alone. I have advanced skills with ProTools and Logic Pro X and have extensive experience (15 years) in recording, from professional studios to personal home setups.