Guitar with David W.

Hi there, and thanks for viewing my TakeLessons profile! I am excited to be a part of the team in Berkeley, CA. I started teaching lessons while in music school for Classical Guitar in 1996. From 1998 onwards, I played with a variety of musicians from Africa and Latin America, as well the as great American traditions of gospel, funk, jazz, and bluegrass. All the while, I continued to study music theory and composition, on my own and in private lessons with both well-known players and local professionals. I also studied North Indian Classical vocal for 2 years with a senior student of Ali Akbar Khan, and have been involved in Flamenco for over 20 years. Though guitar is generally my "go-to" instrument, I often use a MIDI keyboard for composition, and studied/performed on bass for 10 years. Increasingly since 2014, I have been a performing Flamenco singer. I taught music theory and composition at Ex’pression College in Emeryville for over 10 years, and worked at SF JAZZ teaching workshops in audio production and music theory for 4 years. *** Lesson Details *** Whether you are a complete beginner or have been playing gigs for years, are very young or old, I have something to offer you! How we structure lessons depends in part on you and your goals, as well as your learning style. Having taught music for over 20 years, I have a large amount of resources at my disposal, and can either teach from a method book, or a variety of materials, some of which are my own creations. I also like to use technology as a teaching aid, and can show you how to use your own computer, keyboard, or music production application (garageband, etc) to practice and create music at home. Another thing that I offer is to make recordings of key parts of the lesson, either as an audio or video file, or both. These can be shared with you through email, dropbox, or a flash drive if you bring one along to your lesson. Please contact TakeLessons if you have any further questions! I look forward to meeting and working with you or your child. *** Studio Equipment *** Home studio: Front room with computer station, guitars, music stand. Waiting area with couches and table, and parents can sit in on lessons. Street parking available, no pets. College: practice rooms and classrooms available with computers and MIDI controllers. *** Specialties *** On guitar and bass, I have experience in world music including Africa, Latin America, and Flamenco. I also love American traditional music, including funk, jazz, rock, and gospel. I specialize in teaching music theory and composition, no matter what instrument. Rhythmic concepts applied to any instrument are a favorite topic.