Music Theory with David F.

Since beginning his teaching career in 1974 David has taught 7000 people how to play guitar! Some aspiring only to play at home for fun and others to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. David F. has also taught advanced guitar and music theory to several professional musicians who already play other instruments fluently including Oscar nominee Scott Rogness, who co-wrote and performed the songs featured in the movie That Thing You Do. Scott had this to say about his study with David: "I studied with David for about 8 months. Although proficient on keyboards, a singer and songwriter; I had never learned the guitar. I knew a lot about the guitar by osmosis, but technically was green. David let me look at the guitar in a whole new way, using infinite variations on basic chords, showed me how to move and follow vocal melodies and challenged me to SEE what I was playing. All at the speed of thought." Scott Rogness Singer/Songwriter/Keyboardist/Guitarist David F. plays a custom built guitar with Bartoline electronics made by Jay Rhyne in Atlanta, GA. For live performances, David uses a Roland Guitar Synth and an Apple PowerBook with Logic audio for mixing his arsenal of software synthesizers and samplers, as well as Guitar Rig for guitar effects processing. When in Nashville contact David F. for private guitar lessons. I am always looking for the band that will allow me to express myself, my influences include Hendrix, Page, Dimeola, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and many others. I read music and charts, and between practicing, teaching, playing, and recording, I have spent 80+ hours a week for the past 34 years with a guitar. I like to soar in the wind when I am playing." *** Lesson Details *** Almost all of my students learn bar chords and how to use them in song they want to play in the first hour of lesson time. Almost all of my students begin in the first lesson with songs like Little Wing and Georgia On My Mind, and Stairway To Heaven, with the right chords in sheet music form. Once you learn how to do that you can begin to take yourself through songbooks, if you learn how to use the printed music, there is a vast amount of it available everywhere. Almost all of my students are reading melodies using real notation by the 4th or 5th lesson. Reading melodies they like and want to play. Although my students know how to use tab, Notation is the best way and they all prefer it, once they know the difference. Like the Stairway To Heaven Solo, or any of the beautiful Spanish melodies from J.Rodrigo, or blues ,jazz,rock and roll, once you can read, you can read anything in print on your own. All of my students learn rhythm skills playing scales and songs with a metronome, so you learn how to play in time, as you develop stronger rhythm skills you can play better alone or with other people. All of my students learn the Music Theory. What Time Signatures are and mean, Scales and scale harmonization. Chord progressions and playing through the chord changes. All of these and more are the fundamentals you will begin to work on in the first 4-5 hours of lessons with me. I just don't show you songs, I teach you to teach yourself and begin to become musically independent. Work on picking and speed and most importantly touch and feel. Work on Finger picking as well, learn to use all 5 fingers on your right hand. or use the pick and 3 fingers, with me you WILL use your pinky or little finger. By 3-4 months we will have covered the fundamentals and be working on more advanced material, songs and technique. *** Studio Equipment *** separate room with seating for parents *** Specialties *** I use a Learn to play Guitar book that i wrote and self publish in full color. I also use several books by Jerry Coker with some jazz students,and I recommend the Harvard Dictionary of music to students I teach the fundamentals of music applied to the guitar and bass, as well as metronome skills,sight reading and music theory.