Guitar with Ian R.

Even if you have never held a guitar before, I will have you jamming by the end of our first lesson. I don't use note names, but instead teach you to improvise in every key using memorable, movable patterns on the fretboard. I’ll show you how to find the key of any given song so that you can begin playing along with your favorites in your free time using the patterns I’ve shown you. Getting better at guitar is all about spending time with the instrument; what you will learn in our lessons will provide you with ample material to practice by giving you the tools to make an infinite amount of great sounding music, even after just one lesson! After your fretting hand has become accustom to the neck of the guitar and your picking/strumming hand has developed the necessary coordination, we will build your chord vocabulary and begin experimenting with different rhythms. Learning theory can be a turn off for some people in the early stages of guitar playing, but as soon as you express interest in understanding why and how the chords in your classic tunes sound so good together, I’m great at explaining to people with all different learning styles. Visual learners, especially, will greatly benefit from the fact that I am a left-handed player. When one righty tries to show another righty something on guitar, the student has to take the extra step of inverting the finger positions being shown to him/her by the teacher. With me, however, our guitars will align in a mirror image. The second you see me play something, it will be much easier to process what I am doing than if you had to flip it. I have a great deal of experience teaching complete beginners of all ages and find it extremely fulfilling to bring someone who has never held a guitar before the incredible joy and liberation that comes with learning how to play along. Study with me, and you will connect on a much deeper level with the music that you have been listening to your whole life.