Overview
I have been teaching guitar lessons and bass lessons for 15+ years. I have taught students of all ages from 5 to 65 and all abilities. Over the years of teaching I have found that every student is unique in the ways that they assimilate course related material. Being able to view a subject from different angles and being able to communicate that subject from different viewpoints, is one of the many ways that I find out how a particular student learns best.
Expertise
Being an alumni of both Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute, I have come to develop my own curriculum, drawing heavily from both colleges and also a few other very good resources. Students will get the best of both of those curricula and then some. I will listen to what your expectations and goals are and will support and encourage you so you can hit your goals and push you to the next level.
Teaching Style
I tailor my teaching techniques towards both the students interests and needs. I like to think of my teaching style as being fluid and I find how the student learns best. Then I build from there. I have found that the best way to keep students engaged and excited about practicing is to learn music and songs they enjoy, and I try to incorporate the necessary technical and theoretical instruction within that framework. Oh, and lets not forget to have FUN!!!
LESSONS ARE AVAILABLE IN OCALA, LOCATED RIGHT OFF OF SW 49TH AVE, OR OVER ZOOM OR SKYPE.
SOME TOPICS YOU WILL LEARN
Rhythm Playing
Rhythm playing in the context of the banjo usually consists of playing a finger roll pattern, or combining several patterns, but in general it is a style of playing where we strum chords rhythmically rather than play single note melodies or solos.
Rhythm playing and lead playing are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Sometimes, two players in a band will swap roles depending on the song, or sometimes one player may play a bit of both within one song.
Rhythm players are the unspoken heroes of the band. They bridge the gap between the bass and drums and the other melody instruments, holding down the music’s chord progression that forms the backbone of your melody. Feel free to click the link below to book a banjo lesson now.
Lead Playing
The phrase “lead palying” refers to a style of playing usually performed by the soloist in a band, and some bands have nore than one soloist. In the case of bluegrass music (or any music in general), lead and rhythm playing roles can swap between players and even be played by the same musican in a band. It is very important to be able to perform both roles in a band and it will make you a more versatile and more desirable musician. A perfect example of this role swapping between members can be heard from just about any bluegrass band, where a solo is played by more than one instrument. Lets take a look at what you will need to be able to perform melodic leads and solos. Feel free to click the link below to book a banjo lesson now.
Mechanical Techniques
Mechanical techniques is a topic (in my experience) that a lot of teachers overlook or are unsure of how to teach. Its is extremely important to get these basics down at an early stage. If not, you could end up having to relearn months or even years of practice, because you were practicing the wrong techniques. I tend to put a lot of emphasis on this because I was once in this situation. Months of practice out the window due to inadequate instruction from uninformed teachers. Feel free to click the link below to book a banjo lesson now.
Harmony and Theory
Have you ever felt like music is magical? And that because you don’t possess the knowledge of that magic, you can’t understand whats going on? This is where we demystify the musical language and systems. Knowledge like this gives you the power to write better music and to communicate your ideas with other musicians that possess this knowledge as well. The three basic elements of music are: rhythm, melody, harmony. Lets take a closer look…
Ear Training
Training the ear is one of the most important things a musician can practice. Ear Training exercises will improve your musical ability by developing a more intuitive understanding of what you hear. You will develop the aural skills by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. This is a key part in being able to learn songs by ear and to be able to play what you hear in your head.
Reading
