CONTACT: guitarlessonswithjt@gmail.com
Introduction
I’ve been playing guitar since I was 9 years old. Starting out in church bands and jamming with my dad. I then went to college for music where I studied classical and jazz guitar, and majored in music therapy. After college came experience with bands. I spent time writing, recording, and touring and have learned a lot of the ins and outs of the music business. I have been teaching guitar for 10+ years, from beginner to advanced.
No matter what stage you are at in your guitar journey, I would love to help you achieve your goals. I hope to help you find your passion, fall in love with guitar, and support you in this learning process.
Whether a bedroom guitarist, preparing for the studio, preparing for college, or preparing for shows, I would love to help you get to where you would like to be. Whether this is your first time picking up a guitar or you’ve got more under your belt than I do, I truly believe we are able to learn something from everybody. Please reach out if you have any questions or want to make sure I can help address your needs.
I would like to note that playing guitar, especially with someone else watching, can be intimidating and it’s scary to put yourself out there. However, I have learned that it is worth it to learn from others and my goal is to share what I have learned with others. This is a judgement free zone. I have spent my career as a therapist working with children diagnosed with autism and Down syndrome, to adults in active addiction or recovery. Everyone deserves a chance. Everyone deserves to have goals. Guitar is a passion of mine and I hope that I can share it with you, no matter where you are in life or in your guitar journey.
Experiences
Playing in Long/Last – west coast tour, studio time, recording music videos
Studied classical guitar and jazz guitar in college
Been teaching and giving lessons for 10+ years, anywhere from ages 5 to grown adults, beginners to advanced
Music therapist
Taken lessons of my own
Played in various rock bands
Played in weddings
Influences
Plini
Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders)
Slash (Guns N’ Roses)
Jimi Hendrix
Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
Aaron Marshall (Intervals)
I Built the Sky and Jake Howsam Lowe
Joshua De La Victoria (Portraits and Victoria)
Marcos Mena (Standards)
Invent, Animate
Will Swan (Dance Gavin Dance)
Cory Wong
Snooze
Karmanjakah
Satyr
Polaris
Rabea
Nolly
There are so many great resources on the internet that I encourage everyone to utilize, however, there are times where we get stuck. I find it really beneficial to be able to sit down with someone to help explain it to me or to just have a second pair of eyes help me figure something out. I am hoping that is what we can achieve in these lessons. Whether that just be with one lesson, or if we meet over the course of multiple lessons, I think both are valuable.
What You can Learn
Chords
Rhythms
Scales
Soloing and improvising
Timing and Feel
Complex time signatures and polyrhythms
Hybrid picking
Thumping
Drop tunings
Extended range (7 and 8 string)
Theory
Chord melody
Fingerpicking (classical)
Logic Pro X and plugins, programming midi
Plus many other things!
If there is something you are looking for or hoping to achieve, please send me a message and I will let you know if I feel comfortable helping you with that. If not, I will do my best to provide you with resources that will help!
Gear
Let’s talk gear as well! I can help with understanding guitars, pickups, amps, pedals, plug-ins, modelers, etc. I can share about my touring and studio experience if that’s something you are interested in. Would love to help however I can.