Teaching Style:
Chris’s overall teaching philosophy is flexible, focused on answering questions and achieving long terms goals quickly. With a large library of sheet music and many popular guitar methods to draw from, Chris is able to quickly and efficiently answer questions with specific musical examples from famous songs. Students leave the lesson with sheet music in-hand, excited about the new music they will be learning, and well aware of a few easily achievable goals for the week that are designed to build to long term success as a guitarist and as a musician. An expert at transcribing to tablature and sheet music, Chris can show you how to use Capo and Guitar Pro for those impossible to transcribe songs. Chris hosts an online group for his students where they can ask the group questions, set up local jam sessions and gigs, and show off their new music. Chris has helped many advanced students with the entire CD creation process from songwriting to CD release.

Teaching Experience:
Chris began teaching guitar lessons in 1992 while still in college, and was full a full time guitar instructor by 1996. In the mid ‘90s, Chris built a guitar class at Cheney Parks and Recreation from seven students up to two almost thirty in two classes in two years. In 2011 Chris began teaching guitar lessons for The Upper Columbia Academy, built an appropriate curriculum, and together they doubled the size of the program. In 2018 Chris started taking students in his home studio, and now he is available online worldwide.

Education:
Chris has a Commercial Music/Jazz Studies degree with a focus on guitar performance from SFCC. Chris studied music composition and piano performance at Eastern Washington University (EWU), and graduated in 1996 with a BA in Music Merchandising, cum laude. In 1994 Chris received a full ride scholarship to the Berklee School of Music Summer Session, and tested out of the Berklee guitar performance program.

Favorite Bands and Styles:
Classic Rock, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Metal, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Allman Brothers, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Pantera, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, Tool, John Lowery (John5), Mastodon, Baroness, School of Rock, and Foo Fighters.

Guitar Lesson Set Up:
Acoustic and electric guitars for students to use in the lesson. Laptop with software for transcribing. Guitar effects pedals for exploring tones. Software for transcribing includes Capo, and Guitar Pro. 20 years of guitar magazines with a searchable song sheet music database.

Chris is a father, and a very patient instructor who understands that students have different goals, learn at a different pace, and that celebrating our success is the best way to ensure we continue to make progress.

Students receive any necessary audio, transcriptions of songs, and sheet music during the lesson, or shortly after.

Set up a lesson now, and start reaching your goals on the guitar!