Guitar with Alexei N.

Prior to working in software, I played in many classical, folk and rock ensembles throughout the country. I took private violin / viola lessons for 8 years, and private guitar lessons for 5 years. I was the principal violist in my high school orchestra, 1st violin player in the Greater Westchester Youth Symphony and a violist in the USC Concert Orchestra in Los Angeles. I've been in the classical realm for long enough to realize that picking up and playing a guitar is not the same as playing violin and practicing it for many hours. I started a rock band with my friends in high school, for which I played lead guitar and the occasional drum kit. Playing guitar (solo or in a band) is a lot like playing violin but, the learning curve isn't as steep. You only need to know a few guitar fundamentals before you're ready to play your favorite rock and acoustic songs. My lessons and teaching style reflect this. After 4 years of providing guitar instruction in both the group and personal setting, I think I've figured out a way to get my students up and playing while providing the minimum amount of theory and technique instruction necessary to do so. I'll always ask you what your favorite genre of music is and then craft lessons and a curriculum around that. You'll always end each lesson with a tangible skill or song that you can put into practice right away. If we spend the first half of a lesson learning some chords, you'll learn a song that uses those chords in the second half. If you opt instead to tell me a song you'd like to learn, I'll teach you the song and make sure to emphasize the technique and theory components that the song uses. Playing guitar should be fun, and taking lessons shouldn't feel like a chore. I'll teach you anything you want to learn as long as you approach each lesson with a clear mind and willingness to get better.