Whether you're a beginner or more advanced, age 5 or 500, in my experience, with even a few minutes of consistent daily practice anyone can learn music. Maybe your goal is to simply learn to play your favorite songs or maybe you want to learn to write your own music, improvise, or perform live. Like all good things in life, there are no shortcuts, and learning the guitar takes time and effort, but in return you get the ability to express yourself through music, which is one of the most rewarding skills anyone could ever learn, at any age and in any situation. My main focus is on helping you reach the point where you are actually playing music, instead of endlessly going over exercises or theory. I want you to be able to play music you would enjoy listening to, because this is when you will start to truly appreciate your accomplishment, and progress will start to come much easier. Together we will discuss a personalized course of action, based on your goals and situation, and along the way I will provide materials/tools and a summary or a recording/video of each lesson as needed. Different aspects we'll discuss are technique, chart/sight reading, music theory, ear training, soloing/improvisation, and developing a strong sense of rhythm, most of which will be done through simply learning to play the songs you like. Besides the basics, it's very important to learn how to independently keep challenging yourself, learn from your mistakes and continue growing musically, simply using your ears and whatever information you can find online or anywhere else, without my help. Besides teaching you how to play I can also help with finding the right instrument and equipment, provide advice on guitar/amplifier maintenance and setups, as well as recording techniques, or any other practical matters related to playing music/guitar. I am currently teaching primarily via Skype/FaceTime/Zoom due to the pandemic, but social distanced lessons are an option as well, either at your residence or at my fully equipped home studio in the Mount Washington/Highland Park area. In a beautiful and private environment, with plenty of (free/safe) street parking available. I look forward to hearing from you!
Teaches all skill levels
Teaching since 2002
Guitar Institute of Technology
Teaches ages 5+
Speaks English, Dutch
Has background check
Nils is a great teacher, I highly recommend him. He is patient and knowledgable and makes lessons fun. The only difficulty was using this platform to book lessons, but it is worth it to work with Nils.
Nils is an inspiring teacher. He is very thoughtful with his lessons and patient with your progress however slow. He is also very knowledgeable in his craft and often intertwines the history of music with practice sessions. Music is a great way to get an often neglected side of our brains to breathe, and teachers like Nils give us that much needed oxygen. I'll always remember how he helped me think about Smokestack lightning: when I began, I felt utterly hopeless, but he gave me crucial pointers on how to think about the song, and after much practice, I eventually got it, and can now even dare to improvise!! Thank you Nils!!
Thank you for the refresher! Needed help prepping for a show coming up and was able to achieve exactly what I needed! Highly recommended! (Acoustic Guitar)