What Ages, Styles And Levels Do You Teach?
Years ago in my guitar tutoring marketing I would say that I teach "All ages, all styles, all levels". Boy was I a dumbass. Why? Because it's not possible to do that. You would have to be both a musical and teaching genius to do that effectively. I consider myself to be a good guitarist and very skilled teacher…but I sure ain't a genius!
So what did I do? Well after I realised I was being a total idiot, I thought about the types of guitarists that I could teach most effectively. I then wrote that down. And then from that day forward, I focused my energy on being the best teacher possible for that particular segment of guitar players.
So let's take a look at who I feel I can help the most…
Ages
I focus on helping guitarists who are at least 18 years old. In other words, I focus on teaching adults. I've found this age group to be very motivated. And my teaching approach is definitely well-suited to people of this age.
Styles
Over the years I've learnt things from a LOT of different styles. But I feel that the four styles of playing that I can teach best are…
- Jazz
- Rock
- Blues
- Metal
It is also important to note that I focus on helping only electric guitarists improve their playing. No offense intended to the acoustic guitar players out there…but electric guitar totally kicks your ass. (Acoustic guitar reminds me too much of some really bad open-mic nights I've been to in the past. There are only so many times you can hear G to Cadd9 in a lifetime…).
Levels
This is not as black-and-white as you might think. A player can often be advanced in one aspect of music but a complete beginner in another. For example, someone could be an incredibly fast guitarist but not be able to bend strings in tune or phrase musically. (I've seen quite a few players on YouTube with that problem!)…
Before I talk about what levels I teach, I need to quickly explain how I work out a new student's level. To do that, I need to show you this diagram…
I assess a new student's level by looking at three key areas…
Area #1: Mechanical
This area is how well you have developed the basic mechanics of playing guitar. And it includes things like…
- Finger independance.
- Your level of muscle relaxation when you play.
- Your posture when playing.
- Your overall command of different guitar techniques.
Area #2: Musical
This area involves anything that could be applicable to ALL musical styles. It includes things like…
- Your level of pitch perception.
- Your ability to play in time.
- Your understanding and command of rhythm.
- Your understanding of music theory.
- Your ability to read music and/or tablature (TAB).
Area #3: Stylistic
This is how well you can play the style of music that you want to learn. It includes things like…
- Your knowledge of chords relevant to that style of music.
- Your knowledge of scales relevant to that style of music.
- Your vocabulary of licks and rhythms that are commonly used in that style of music.
How does this all relate to the levels that I teach? I can sum it up in two sentences…
I teach people of an advanced-beginner or intermediate level in the style of music that they want to learn, and I help them progress to an advanced level. I also help players of all levels with specific mechanical and musical weaknesses.
Here are a couple of examples…
Example One:
Let's say that you are an advanced neoclassical rock guitarist who can shred with the best of them. Obviously you wouldn't need lessons from me to improve your rock playing. You are already at an advanced level in that style. But if you wanted to learn jazz then I could definitely help you. (Because you aren't already advanced in that style of music).
Example Two:
You might be an advanced blues guitarist frustrated by your lack of music theory knowledge. In this case, the focus of my teaching would be to help you learn music theory. You wouldn't need my help with blues soloing, because you are already advanced in that area.
Bottom Line? Contact me and see if I can help you with your specific musical goals.