FOR BEGINNERS

      Many times I've heard people say that they would have taken up the guitar or bass, but the strings were too hard on their hands or that the position of the left hand is just to hard to hold. There are certainly good habits you can learn in the beginning that will help you greatly as you learn more. But to me, the most important things concerning these surmountable problems begin with the physical instrument itself. Every stringed instrument needs a "set up" to make sure it is in optimal playing condition- so that it plays in tune and is as easy to play as possible. Almost every store bought guitar or bass - expensive or inexpensive- needs certain adjustments to optimize it as an easily playable instrument that makes all of your efforts sound good and helps to inspire you to play and practice. They will make the difference between a "tolerable" (or even intolerable) instrument and an "inspiring" one. I have set up guitars and basses for students and fellow players for years just as I've always stayed on top of my own instruments. It is not all that hard to do, and if you become more of a player over time, it will make a major positive difference for you to learn how to do this on your own.

      Learning anything new can be a bit daunting in the beginning. Just like you, at one point I was a beginner on guitar, bass, and other stringed instruments. I have both played and taught quite a bit over the years, and I have done my very best to listen to students about what they don't understand from their point of view. Many times this reintroduces me to problems I had in the beginning; and as a teacher, I welcome hearing about what you can't quite grasp or need to or want to work on. This only helps me be a better teacher and to get you where we both want you to be- playing and practicing in an inspired way where you can hear and feel yourself growing along the way. Once you get to that point, the word "practice" seems to lose its meaning- it is no longer work, it's truly fun. I also want you to learn in the styles that you like, so I won't give you a bunch of things that are too hard to do or that are not appropriate for you as an individual. I'm particularly good at teaching music theory and how it applies to either the guitar or bass. Simply put, music theory deals with the various forms of intervals, chords, scales and melodic patterns one can create on most any instrument. The more you know about music theory, the quicker you can identify these forms when you hear them, and the better you can visualize where your fingers would go to recreate exactly what you've heard or to play things as you create them in your mind. I combine lessons with showing you stylistic elements of the music you like with theory. It all can be applied through songs that you want to learn, so you are learning concrete pieces of music in the process as you go along. To me, this is the best combination of musical tools to enable you to choose appropriate chords or improvised lines in all contexts in any type of music.