absolute music

Thank you for your interest in studying music. Lessons are taught at my studio in Danville, CA. In- home and online lessons also available. Please call or email for more information on scheduling and rates.

Lessons are available for many styles and levels of ability on acoustic or electric guitar, and bass guitar. All ages are welcome including young children and teens just starting out, college level music tutoring, and adults wanting to refresh their guitar skills and music knowledge. Subjects include guitar technique, music theory, ear training, improvisation, composition, transcription, and song writing. Ensemble coaching is also available to teach you how to get your band sounding its' best.

My instruction method is unique; developed over 15 years of teaching all levels of skill and nearly all musical styles. Since I believe every student has a different idea of what they want to accomplish musically, I tailor my method to enhance and support the students' creativity while making sure you learn the skills and techniques needed to be a solid musician. At all levels, performance of music the student enjoys playing is strongly encouraged.

Basic skills include open chord forms, barre chords, major and minor scales, pentatonic scales, rhythm, strumming and picking techniques, arpeggio techniques, power chords, finger picking styles, and repertoire. Basic knowledge of guitar maintenance is also stressed so that the student can keep their instrument in top condition and cut down on trips to the repair shop.

Intermediate skills include basic harmonic theory, triad and seventh chord voicings, CAGED method, chord extensions, modes, blues and exotic scales, alternate tunings, chord/scale relationships, cadences, syncopation, composition, improvisation, and ear training.

At the Advanced level students learn more intuitive musical concepts and develop a fluency and command of the entire instrument, both melodically and harmonically. Subjects include polytonality, chord and scale substitutions, drop 2 and drop 3 chord voicings, quartal and quintal harmony, and other modern harmonic techniques. A more thorough understanding of rhythm, ear training, harmony, composition, and improvisation is realized.