Music Theory with Paul B.

Paul is a guitarist/songwriter/educator from Branford, CT. He began playing the guitar at age 13 with a strong background in piano. He performed and recorded with bands in high school, during which time he was influenced by a wide variety of musical artists and styles, including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Pink Floyd. Paul enrolled at Boston's Berklee College of Music in the fall of 1994 and discovered a love for jazz, particularly guitarists such as Joe Pass and Tal Farlow and arrangers Nelson Riddle and Gil Evans. At Berklee, Paul continued to study the guitar while working toward a Bachelor of Music degree in Contemporary Writing and Production, which he received in 1998. After graduating, Paul remained in Boston for several years performing and teaching private guitar lessons. He developed a hands-on, practical instruction method that teaches music fundamentals, theory and improvisation through playing and analyzing popular songs. Now back in Connecticut, he continues to teach privately in Branford and the surrounding area. He also performs regularly with his bands, The Syndicate and Debacle on the shoreline and in New York City. *** Lesson Details *** I believe my job as a guitar teacher is to help you get better at whatever you would like to improve. For beginners, that is probably pretty straightforward. After a few lessons, with a little hard work at home, you can be playing songs YOU choose. If you are more experienced, you tell me what you'd like to work on, and I'll give you a specific path to your goals. I have a pretty laid back teaching style, but I can tell if you've been practicing! *** Travel Equipment *** I require my students to have a guitar and a notebook. I bring my guitar and any handouts I might use as well as recordings of music we are working on. *** Specialties *** I specialize in blues, rock, funk and some jazz. Over the years I have developed a hands-on, practical instruction method that teaches music fundamentals, theory and improvisation through playing and analyzing popular songs. After a solid base of fundamentals, I let the student choose the style and songs. With some very young children I use Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method.