Specialized Long Distance Lessons
Specialized Guitar Lessons (for testimonials and a letter of reccomendation, click here)
Having been on the receiving end of many different kinds of guitar lessons for nearly the last two decades of my life has taught me a lot about what goes into preparing a great guitar lesson.
Any effective lesson should address the student's core needs and desires to learn what they want to play. Yet, within teaching any given tune there is a plethora of concepts, ideas, and inspirations that apply on a more universal level.
This kind of attention that I was fortunate enough to have received is something rarely provided these days. A lot of guitar lessons focus on modes and scales, right and left hand facility, and building up fabulous technique. But at the end of the day, all of us simply want to play music.
In the interest of passing on what others have taught me, I am now offering long-distance guitar lessons, complete with several materials for the keeping. Each lesson contains one in depth audio CD containing a thorough explanation of the tune and related concepts (with the tune played at tempo and slowed down, with section by section instruction), video files further addressing key sections discussed on the CD (right and left hand close ups), and of course a professional transcription of the material in standard notation and tab.
Within this standard framework, I offer several options. My rates reflect the attention and detail I put into each lesson, with more than a little bit of my soul thrown into the mix.
First, you may wish to have a look at my catalog and simply order an existing lesson. These in depth and comprehensive lessons are avaliable for $39.95
For an additional $25, I offer personalized assistance with these lessons from the catalog. Suppose you have been working on a lesson but wish for me to watch and listen to your playing, offer tips for how to improve your performance, or simply learn some variations on a given tune. The additional $25 includes up to ninety minutes of time for that specific lesson, either in real-time over live video-chat or a follow up video (yours to keep), whichever you prefer.
Finally I provide personalized guitar lessons from the ground up, at the student's choosing. For the purpose of illustration, let's say that you have sent me a request and wish to learn the exact way that Albert Lee played his solo on "Luxury Liner," or instruction on how to play Chet's arrangement of "Dark Eyes" note-for-note.
I will create a custom transcription (standard notation, tab, and chords) for the tune of your choice, accompanied by the usual audio and video recordings. Follow-up assistance is included in this lesson specialized just for you.
In order to keep the quality high, and because of the time involved in the trascription alone, I have to charge appropriately. Personalized lessons begin at $125 and I require a $50 deposit prior to beginning my work. The transcription process can take quite some time, and while I won't take on a job that I am not excited about myself, the deposit is necessary before I can feel comfortable beginning a process which takes considerably longer than the lesson itself.
In rare cases where the lesson requested is more involved than usual (i.e. transcribing a fifteen minute obscure Hendrix solo), I need to charge a higher rate. In these rare cases I will provide advance notice as soon as a lesson request is received (prior to the student's $50 deposit). We can then discuss the intricacy of the piece, allowing me to provide a price quote.
Of course I am also happy to teach material which does not require a custom transcription. By this point, a good dose of fantastic material has been published and is readily avaliable. When creating a personalized lesson which does not require a custom transcription, of course the price is adjusted appropriately and the transciption deposit is waived. These lessons are avaliable for $75 and also include my one-on-one time working individually with you on the material.
