Lessons

New to guitar and not sure where to start? Bored with your riffs and seeking new ideas? I cover a range of styles from rock, blues, jazz, fingerstyle and beginning bass. I'll teach your favorite songs while helping you absorb music theory along the way. I've proven to six-year-olds through retired folks that they can play guitar!

Students also get perks not typically offered by music teachers, such as specially recorded audio tracks to help practice lesson concepts and recording projects where they are given raw tracks and I assist them in creating finished demos. Rock concerts are also organized, where I coach several student bands for a live performance.

Who am I? I've been playing guitar since I was a wee lad of eight and started teaching in 1994. I've studied music at College of Marin and the University of California at Santa Barbara. I've produced CDs, performed in everything from rock to electronic bands, composed music to films and video games and even published the guitar lesson posters and shirts seen on this site. Recently I contributed my skills to the Ubisoft game Rocksmith, transcribing some of the expansion pack songs as well as creating the levels within the game to help beginners through experts learn every note in their favorite songs!

Lessons are $30.00 per half hour, though I'll offer the first lesson for $15 to see if we're a good student/teacher fit.
If you decide to continue tuition will be charged on a monthly basis. Payment is due at the first lesson of the month. Students typically have one half hour lesson a week, though that's flexible depending on your needs and my scheduling. A $20.00 charge will be imposed if tuition is more than seven days late.
Cancellations will NOT result in a credit or refund. Make up lessons are possible in the same week if there is time in my schedule, which isn't guaranteed, though I'll try my best.
I'm a PRIVATE instructor and don't follow same schedule of vacations as the public school system. With the exception of major holidays (Christmas, etc.), cancellations should not be assumed. Please confirm scheduling with me in advance or lesson charges will still apply.
Most of these lessons are available at my quiet home studio (I've taught many lessons alongside noisy drum & brass studios at music stores!) right off the 101 freeway in Novato, though I have a limited amount of space available for housecall lessons up through Santa Rosa (where I'm currently logging in some school time--the learning never stops!) Email me for more info.

Interested? Email me. Or perhaps you'd like more advice in how to find the best guitar teacher for your needs, in which case I've written a detailed article on the subject.

Here are some free lessons I've tackled in past blog posts, each in .pdf format.

--A nifty progression using slash chords in 6/8 time: Summer Slash Chords

--Elaborating on the slash chord concept, applying it to chord scales: Slash Chord Scales

--Perhaps a simple picking exercise for some, but those challenged by string crossing/alternate picking will find this useful: String Crossing

--If you're comfortable with chord scales and seeking the next step then you should check out this chart of MODAL chord scales: Modal Chord Scales

Can't find anyone to jam with? Want to do some noodling at 3:00am? You've come to the right place! These jams are available free of charge, though I'd be honored if you put one of my guitar posters on your wall. Or even head over to my music page and sample some of my demos. Maybe you know a project that could benefit from my audio services?