Guitar Lessons

I am excited to announce that I will be offering private guitar lessons starting in Fall 2025!

Lessons will be available in-person in Thomaston, CT or online via video call if you are unable to attend in-person.

About Me

I have been playing guitar for over 20 years as a hobbyist musician. Early on, I played in a band as the lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter. I have written over 10 original songs. I have recorded my own music and cover songs, and published them to popular streaming services. I have also performed live shows in a band and as a solo musician.

My preferred style of music is the late 90s and early 2000s era of pop-punk, hard rock, and metal. It was a time when the “main guitar riff” was a staple of nearly every hit rock song. That riff-centric approach has always been a key factor in my songwriting and my guitar playing.

About This Course

Given my background as a guitarist who grew up on 90s and 2000s rock music, I want to lean into that style of guitar playing for a beginner course. I want to teach beginner guitarists how to play the riffs of popular rock songs. I believe that learning to play popular songs is the best way to jumpstart your guitar-playing ability.

A common practice of learning to play guitar is to first focus on learning the traditional 1st-position chords that you would see a typical “campfire guitarist” or acoustic player use. To me, this is such a trap that causes beginners to quit. Not only are the traditional chords relatively difficult to play (due to complex finger layouts), but it can be quite boring to just play basic chord progressions. Every guitarist should eventually learn these chords, but for a beginner guitarist, I do not see that as a priority.

In my opinion, the real fun comes from playing the riffs! Those iconic, distinctive guitar melodies that can give a song its identity. Learning to play guitar riffs will be a big focus of this course. Another focus will be learning to play power chords -- the type of chord that serves as the basis for rock music.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, students will learn:

• How to play basic warm-up exercises and scales
• How to play power chords
• How to play basic open chords
• How to play different strumming patterns
• How to play riffs from popular rock songs
• How to tune a guitar
• Standard and alternate guitar tunings
• How to play in a palm-muted style
• How to play hammer-ons and pull-offs
• How to read guitar tablature (tabs)
• The various parts of a guitar
• The distinct roles of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and bass guitar within a rock band setting
• Audio concepts such as equalization (EQ), distortion, gain, and reverb
• How to mentally juggle playing guitar and singing at the same time
• To create your own original riffs using learned techniques!

What You Will Need

You will need to bring your own guitar to each lesson. Electric guitar is preferred, but acoustic guitars and bass guitars are welcome! For electric instrument players, you will also need to bring your own amplifier and instrument cable. If you do not have an amplifier, I can provide one for you to use during the lesson. A guitar tuner is highly recommended.

Rates

• Lesson Duration: 30 minutes
• Cost: $25 per lesson
• Frequency: One lesson per week is recommended
• Payment Methods Accepted: Venmo or Cash