Bass Lessons in East Orange, NJ

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Every student learns at a different pace and many students learn differently. Music is an aural art form and I've found that many younger students haven't always heard a lot of music. I like to incorporate listening and appreciation in those cases. I like to encourage creativity and share ideas that show the student they can create music of their own. I like to see the student enjoy what they are doing and I like to point out their growth, especially when they feel frustrated. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I actually taught me first guitar lesson around senior year of high school, as I had already been playing guitar for about 5 years by that point and had garnered a small reputation as a skilled musician. I continued into college, taking on piano students focusing on theoretical analysis and fundamentals. After college I continued freelance teaching and have had many students succeed in creating and working in their own way. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginners I have created my own custom lesson plan that includes the topics below. Depending on the student the order of topic may change. 1. Basic Guitar setup: Discussion of name of guitar parts,discuss basic function, strap adjustment, neck adjustment, new strings. 2. Name & number of strings in chord diagram form 3. Tuning with electronic tuner using new string knowledge 4. Learning some basic guitar riffs in Tablature…Smoke On The Water, 007,Peter Gunn, easy C & G chords 5. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I like to lay a foundation for what musical notes are and how they relate to the instrument. If we're on guitar I will draw a piano keyboard and give the student the guitar string names and make them figure out the rest of the notes. Then I teach them what chords are and, now that they know their way around a fretboard, they can build the chords themselves. While most students aren't total beginners and won't need all of this groundwork to be laid by me, I've found that almost everyone has gaps in knowledge, more often than not when it comes to actual note names and the music theory behind the instrument. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar

I truly enjoy seeing my students get better and better - then I know I'm doing my job. That also means they are enjoying themselves and enjoying the process of learning and the fact that their skill level is increasing - and that's exciting to witness. I'm very encouraging, patient, and go very slow to make sure the student is understanding the instruction. My focus is on the student, their interest in the instrument and if they are enjoying the experience. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Double Bass Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I began my musical journey on the drums, which quickly led me to the guitar and bass guitar as well, all three of which I studied with Matt Thompson in Frederick, MD. In high school, I ended up gravitating towards the bass as my primary instrument, and a growing interest in jazz caused me to add the upright bass to my collection of instruments. Little did I know that this would become an even bigger obsession of mine! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I have found that a simultaneous combination of book-guided learning and practical application is often most enjoyable for a student (and teacher). Learning the fundamentals is certainly important. Using this knowledge to learn pieces of songs and understand how the songs are constructed keeps things fresh for the student and reinforces the lessons better than book learning alone. I typically start beginners with the Mel Bay series of guitar instruction books. Read More