Lesson Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the world of guitar!  You or your child will finally get the opportunity to learn how to play one of the most unique and gratifying instruments of all time.  The guitar’s history dates way back to the 15th century (although some believe it’s ancestry dates back much further to that of the Ancient Greeks with a stringed instrument called the “Kithara”.)  It has served as an extraordinarily  versatile and durable instrument, and can be played in many different styles. The guitar  can be played with either our fingers in a technique called “Finger Style” or without our fingers by using a “Flat-Pick”  With  the “Finger Style” being a bit more in depth and possibly more time consuming  (but with a bigger window of opportunity when later learning how to use a “Flat-Pick”)  the use of a “Flat-Pick” tends to be more popular as it can cover most of all Rock & Roll styles.
Along with the piano, music can be transposed from most Classical/Orchestral scores right to the guitar with excellent results by playing with  The “Finger Style” technique.  The “Finger Style” technique is by far the most versatile of the styles as it leads to the studies of all musical genres: Classical/Orchestral, Jazz, Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Rock-a-Billy, and just good old fashioned Rock & Roll!   Though most Rock & Roll styles/songs do not require the “Finger Style” technique, it is a very useful technique as it will free up the picking hand from feeling as much tension and allows you to have smoother execution of attack on the strings both when playing with a “Flat-Pick”  and when playing “Finger Style“.  Many famous mainstream artists combine the use of a “Flat-Pick” and the use of “Finger style” technique, such as “Jimmy Page“, “Brian Setzer”, “Stevie Ray Vaughan”,  “Joe Satriani”, “Lindsey Buckingham”,  “Paul McCartney”,  “John Mayer”, and many, many more.

So, then…WHICH STYLE DO I CHOOSE?

At your first Lesson, I will go over the most beneficial style for you or your child to start learning.  Sometimes (as tempting as it sounds) the “Finger Style” technique just simply might not be for you.  You may like the sound of using a “Flat-Pick” better or you may like an artist that uses a “Flat-Pick” exclusively.
Conversely, you may want to learn the “Finger Style” technique as your music of preference lies within the Classical/Orchestral genre such as that of  “J.S. Bach”, “Mozart”, “Beethoven”,  “Chopin”, “Debussy”, etc.
You also may not have any idea which is best for you which leads me to the next point:

At your first lesson I will ask you to make a play list so that  I can hear what your influences are.  This should be fun,  as it will allow you to really think about which musical genres/songs motivate you into learning an instrument and which musical genres/songs just plain motivate you!  Don’t be shy…put EVERYTHING and ANYTHING on there.  I want to hear music that you envision learning on the guitar, but I also want to hear music that inspires you in life…even if there are no guitars in it.  Even if it is just a couple of guys banging a drum or some chickens clucking in a barn, everything is music, and keep in mind…everything can be transposed to the guitar!  I consider myself having an exceptional ear, so I will be able to transpose anything you give me right to the guitar.  Some songs however will take more time to learn of course, and beginners will have to learn a series of chords and some principles of note reading and or guitar tablature before beginning to play their favorite songs.