guitar techniques
Whether you're laying the foundation for your musical journey or taking your skills to new heights, our lessons cover a broad spectrum of expertise. Tailored to your unique needs and skill level, our personalized classes go beyond the basics, ensuring you master a wide range of guitar techniques—stretching far past what's listed ahead.
beginner
Cultivate strong, lasting habits while honing the essential techniques that form the heart of your playing. Playing basic chords: For beginners, learning basic open position chords like C, G, D, A, and E major is essential, as they use open strings and are played in the first few frets. Once comfortable, you can move on to barre chords, like the E major and A minor shapes, which involve barring all strings with your index finger and moving these shapes up the neck. Strumming: Basic strumming involves using your pick or fingers to hit the strings in a rhythm. Starting with downstrokes and upstrokes, while focusing on keeping a steady rhythm and relaxed movements. Timing: Timing for musicians refers to playing in sync with the beat or rhythm of a song. It involves staying consistent with the tempo, knowing when to play each note or chord, and using proper note values (like quarter notes, eighth notes) to match the rhythm. Good timing is key to playing music in a way that feels natural and cohesive.
intermediate
Build upon your foundation, integrating the vibrant elements of music while unlocking the full potential of your creativity. Basic improvisation: Basic guitar improvisation involves creating melodies or solos on the spot, typically using scales or chord progressions as a foundation. It’s about experimenting with notes, rhythms, and techniques while staying in key and keeping a sense of melody. Bending: String bending on guitar involves pushing or pulling a string to raise its pitch, creating a smooth, expressive sound. It’s often used to add emotion to solos or melodies, with varying degrees of bend for different effects. Vibrato: Vibrato on guitar is a technique where the player subtly bends and releases the pitch of a note, usually by moving the string up and down with the fretting hand. It adds expression and warmth to the sound, making it more dynamic and alive.
advanced
Start incorporating show-stopping techniques into your playing, letting your imagination soar, and revealing the techniques that have shaped the greats. Picking techniques: Advanced picking techniques include alternate picking, where you alternate between down and upstrokes for speed; economy picking, which combines efficient alternate and micro sweep picking motions; sweep picking, for smooth, rapid arpeggios across strings; and hybrid picking, using both a pick and fingers for faster, more fluid note transitions. These techniques help increase precision and speed in advanced playing. ​ Target notes: Target notes on guitar are specific notes that a player aims to emphasize or land on during a solo or melody. They often correspond to key notes in a scale, chord, or harmony and help create tension and resolution in music. Target notes are used to guide improvisation, typically focusing on strong chord tones or notes that fit well within the song’s structure, providing a sense of direction and emotional impact. Two-hand tapping: Two-hand tapping on guitar involves using both hands to tap notes on the fretboard, typically with the picking hand tapping on higher frets while the fretting hand plays the lower notes. This technique allows for fast, fluid note sequences that are difficult to achieve with traditional picking.
proficiencies
These abilities complement guitar techniques and music theory, exploring niche areas to help you achieve your personal objectives and shape your musical journey.
playing with a band
Playing in a band is all about teamwork! Learn how to feel groove, blend in, and bring the magic! It involves collaborating with other musicians to create a cohesive sound. Each member contributes their part, whether rhythm, lead, or harmony, while staying in sync with the group's overall timing and dynamics. Communication through eye contact, listening closely, and adjusting your playing to fit the band's groove is key. As a guitarist, you’ll need to adapt to different styles, follow the rhythm section, and complement the other instruments, helping to shape the band's sound and energy in a live or studio setting
audition preparation
Nail your auditions with practice, confidence, and the right mindset—own the moment and leave the judges amazed! Audition preparation includes practicing and refining your performance to showcase your skills confidently. It includes selecting the right material, rehearsing regularly, mastering technique, and mentally preparing to handle nerves, ensuring you present your best self during the audition.
music theory
Perfect for intermediate and advanced students, our guitar lessons let you mix and match music theory topics, seamlessly blending them into your classes. Elevate your playing with a dynamic, personalized learning experience that goes beyond guitar techniques.
functional harmony
Functional harmony is a roadmap of music—it guides how chords interact to create movement, tension, and resolution. Each chord has a unique job to do, keeping the music flowing effortlessly and feeling just right!
It refers to the system of chords and their relationships in tonal music, where each chord has a specific function that contributes to the progression of the music. This system organizes chords based on their roles in a key, which helps create a sense of movement, tension, and resolution within a piece.
arranging
Arranging reimagines a song by reshaping its melody and chords for different instruments, styles, or ensembles—mixing things up with new harmonies, textures, and creative twists to give the music a fresh spin!
It refers to the process of taking a piece of music (usually a melody or a basic chord progression) and reworking it for different instruments, voices, or ensembles. It involves decisions about instrumentation, harmony, texture, and form, and is often done to enhance the original composition, make it more fitting for a particular ensemble, or bring a fresh perspective to the piece.
ear training
Unleash your musical superpowers with ear training! It sharpens your ability to recognize melodies, harmonies, and rhythms by ear, making it easier to play, improvise, transcribe, and truly connect with music.
It is the practice of developing your ability to recognize and identify musical elements by ear. It helps musicians improve their listening skills so they can understand and internalize things like harmony, melody, rhythm, and form. This is essential for both performers and composers, as it enhances the ability to interpret music, improvise, transcribe, and communicate musical ideas.
songwriting
Songwriting is all about bringing music to life! It’s the art of crafting melodies, lyrics, and harmonies—sometimes even the rhythm and structure—to create songs that are meaningful, expressive, and unforgettable.
It is the process of creating a song, which typically involves crafting the melody, lyrics, and harmony. It can also include the arrangement, rhythm, and structure of the song. Songwriters may approach the process in different ways, but the goal is generally to create a cohesive, expressive, and memorable piece of music.
complex rhythm
A complex rhythm is like a musical puzzle—full of unexpected twists, intricate patterns, and tricky time signatures that keep you on your toes. Unlike simple rhythms, these patterns challenge the ear with syncopation, polyrhythms, and unpredictable flows!
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It refers to a rhythm pattern that is intricate or difficult to follow, often involving irregular time signatures, syncopation, or polyrhythms. It contrasts with simple rhythms, which tend to have straightforward, easy-to-follow beats.
music production
From first beat to final mix—bring your sound to life! Whether you're just starting or leveling up, dive into DAW wizardry, pro-level mixing & mastering, sound design magic, expert recording techniques, and game-changing production hacks. Turn your ideas into polished tracks and make your music stand out!
Create your perfect home studio and start producing like a pro! Learn to connect audio interfaces, microphones, and instruments, and optimize your workflow. Explore Ableton Live or Logic Pro X, from navigating sessions and creating tracks to recording with precision. Get the most out of your gear and software to bring your ideas to life effortlessly!
Studio Setup and
DAW essentials
Capture crystal-clear recordings and refine them with expert precision! Learn to properly connect microphones and instruments, achieve high-quality audio, and bring out the best in your sound. Dive into professional editing techniques—cut, stitch, fade, and gain stage with confidence for seamless, polished recordings that shine.
professional recording & editing
Elevate your productions with powerful, creative effects! Learn how to shape your sound using filtering, distortion, modulation, and spatial processing to add depth, character, and excitement. Discover how to craft a unique sonic identity that keeps your music dynamic and engaging.
sound processing
mixing techniques
Transform your tracks into polished, professional mixes that shine! Learn to balance every element with precision using EQ, compression, saturation, and other essential tools. Explore the step-by-step process to craft a mix that’s clear, full, and well-rounded, ensuring your music stands out on any system.
