1-0n-1 Specialty Courses
What Is A 1-on-1 Specialty Course?
When I was taking lessons in my formal years, I loved the interaction that happened in the lesson. My teachers would listen to my playing, offer me insight, encourage, and also gently let me know when something needs to be better.
That’s something I hold central during the one on one lessons. I’m there for the soul purpose of helping the student get better. Sometimes I demonstrate, other times I listen and get the student to play something again with a different mindset. The mind is a powerful ally in playing musically, and at the same time a hindrance when it’s overactive. I aim to shift the focus of the student to what’s important. Also, most importantly, my teachers would give things to work on during the week before my next lesson. My real progress happened in my personal practice time, but it was always motivated by the next lesson and wanting to do my best.
1-on-1 Lessons Include
- Weekly one on one lessons
- Lesson length range from 40min to 60minutes
- Lessons are using Zoom
- Lessons are in hi-definition audio and video
- Lesson recordings provided at the end
- All materials used in the lesson are provided at the end in PDF form
Music Courses
Green Room Series
The Green Room Series
These lessons can be totally customized to your path. It’s much more chill than the hyper focused specialty course series I offer. The green room lesson series is in essence to get you prepared for the actual stage or just the next stage of your development… wherever that may be in your musical landscape.
Learning Your Neck
Fret Not:
Learning The Guitar Fretboard
One of the most frequently asked questions of all time by students looking to further their craft is how they can go about learning the guitar neck better. This is one of the best assets to have in terms of playing in a wide variety of music situations. Total neck awareness allows your fingers to go where the music goes… not what feels comfortable for them. I give you specific tools and aids that get you jamming, reading, comping, and practicing in all 12 keys all over the neck.
Reading Music
The Road Less Travelled:
Reading Music
The classic answer to how do you get a guitar player to turn down? Put music In front of them! Reading music involves playing music you’re not overly familiar with and bringing it to life just by looking at the sheet music. There is a wealth of ways to curate sheet music of most songs which is a huge benefit in advancing as a guitarist. Learning how to read allows you to:
- Learn intricate solos, chord progressions, rhythms at an accelerated pace
- learning songs by reading them w/o having to transcribe them first
- More in depth observations when looking at transcriptions to gain writing, improv, harmonic, or melodic ideas from charts
- Reading harmonies for Melodies
- Conveying parts to other players if you’re the band director
- Relearning songs you haven’t played in a while much faster
- Being able to manage reading gigs…ie cruise ships or post secondary music school auditions
The Blues
The Colour of Soul:
The Study Of Blues Guitar
The Blues is one of the most pervasive genres of music. It is a primary building block of Jazz, R&B, Rock, Gospel, Funk, and Soul Music. Learning blues music and understanding it allows for a deeper understanding command of the guitar.. Feel, tone, improvisation, and composition are all areas that benefit greatly by having an understanding of the sound of Blues music. We will look at techniques and repertoire of a variety of artists through the years that demonstrate various aspects of the Blues.
Jazz Improvisation
Hollow To Solid:
Jazz Guitar Soloing & Rhythm
Perhaps one of the most mysterious or intimidating genres for guitarists to play but also one of the most rewarding. Studying this genre draws from music as far back as the 20s and on through the jazz of the 50s, 60s and beyond. This is one of the best ways to integrate improv, rhythmic detail, harmonic awareness, and reading all at once. We will look at constructing simple lines as well as bebop lines, and in general how to play through chord changes. These skills work in almost any genre and also translate well to richer melody and harmony in one’s own composition.
Chords/Rhythm
Feel’in It:
Advanced Guitar Voicings & Rhythm
This is the primary role of any guitar player in any genre for the most part. The guitar has unique properties that make it incredibly versatile to to add rhythmic push and harmonic substance to any tune. We will look at a variety of styles and how to accompany proficiently in blues to reggae to acoustic to r&B. We will also cover how different chord voicings are constructed and can be adapted to fit any style.
Harmonic Studies In Composition
The Open Road:
Harmonic Studies In Composition
Understanding how harmony works is a useful tool in any guitarist’ playing/writing tool box. Everything from chord voicings, building chord sequences, to reharmomization. We will look at the works of a variety of composers in jazz, blues, rock, Latin and more. We will cover ways to add richer tonal colour to your music as well as taking cover tunes and putting a different harmonic mood to them.
Modal Improvisation
The colour of music:
Understanding Modes
One of the most googled words in guitar forums is “modes”. In this lesson series, we will go through specifically what modes are, how they are constructed, how they’re used in improvisation/composition, as well as what they sound like on the guitar. We will also look at what makes a modal chord progression as well as common uses of modal interchange.
How to Practice
In the Shed:
Advanced Guitar Practice Strategies
Regardless of where one is in their music journey, the need or desire to improve is achieved through practice. There are always looming questions of the what, why, and how much. I work with you to get a sense of your music path….where you’ve been and where you want to get to. I show you some tools that aid you in your practice sessions that can make it more efficient and rewarding even if you don’t always have that much time each day. I aim to make your practice times something you look forward to and something truly cathartic in nature.
Praise & Worship
Sunday Morning Service:
Praise & Worship Guitar Lessons
I have played this music for over 20 years. Part of what I aim for is to give students a way to go about learning tunes quickly, how to be creative with them, as well as how to curate appropriate guitar tones for each tune. We will look at reading chord charts, specific comping motifs/rhythms, as well as chord voicings that are appropriate for the style, and make sure you are familiar with any playing situation… from fast acoustic strumming, using a capo when necessary, doubling vocal melodies or adding texture.
Chord Scale Applications
Routes:
Chord Scale Applications On Guitar
Chord scales are one of the building blocks of improvising, melody writing, and harmonization. We will cover most of the chord scales ranging from 5 to 10 notes. Knowing chord scales allows one to jam on almost any chord progression in any style. We will look at using chord scales melodically and the harmonies generated from them. Also, adding extensions to chord voicings for more tone colour.