Guitar Lessons in Mantua, NJ

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

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

For beginning students, I normally start with Alfred's Drum Method. This book works on the fundamentals of reading snare drum music and basic technique. Once the students grasps the basics on reading and playing with a metronome then we tend to move to Tommy Igoe's Groove Essentials (while still working on the Alfred's Method). After the student has began to play with the audio tracks and have succesfully gone through a few lessons from Groove Essentials then we begin to work on some solo repertoire and personal favorites as well. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I find teaching only to be effective if the student is intrinsically motivated to learn more: I like to find a groove or pace that the student feels confident and motivated to practice, and I tailor the lessons to address any problem areas without losing their attention. I find short excerpts of lesson material to be the best way to teach. Short and sweet! For example, for a 30-minute class, three 10-minute exercises made up of: a lesson or two from Mel Bay; 1 new chord; and a pop song that combines the two. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar

Im a composer and musician, and I love learning and teaching how music works. I graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego in 2018 with a Bachelors in Music composition and have been making and teaching music ever since. I started guitar and drum lessons when I was ten years old, motivated by the joy of rocking out and expanded to classical instruction in highschool. I love to bring that rock-out spirit to my classical experiences and incorporate classical strategy and awareness to my popular musical expressions. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Trumpet Trombone Harmonica Ukulele Euphonium Tuba Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements, especially for brass instruments. I also tend to mix in some fun songs that are more well known using my own arrangements. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first recital performance. For adults, I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I like to start with learning the Pentatonic scale in it's 1st position and show how it can be played in 5 positions based on the components of the scale being built on 5 notes, or intervals. We'll look at the C major/A minor scales on every string to show where all of the natural notes are on the individual strings and then expand upon playing them in modes, and move on to another key to show how these scale patterns are inter related with all 12 keys followed by learning the chord shapes in open and closed positions and how and where to utilize them in songs or in a blues/jazz sensibility. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Organ Double Bass Keyboard

My own mentor was a tough guy... He would stand behind me, yell, shout and pound my shoulder. For sure, it is not for everyone. With most students, I take a calm and relaxed approach. As a child studying the classics, I remember teachers hitting my hand with rulers when I made mistakes. Jazz; however, is a creative art. It also requires making things up on the spot, so the most important skill is not to avoid mistakes, but to be able to recover from them. Read More