Blackforrest
Music School

I’ve been teaching guitar for twenty-years. My grandfather was a concert-classical pianist, big-band leader, and music teacher… sharing music is in my blood. I have studied with nearly fifty private teachers, and continue to love taking music lessons. Some of the world’s finest instructors have shared their methods with me. I taught at a variety of schools before opening my own studio, Blackforrest Music School.  

My teaching method is to meet students at their current level of development and interest. I aim to inspire students to grow musically through learning proper technique, music theory, music history, and relevant repertoire. I challenge students to grow personally through performing, composing, and playing music with others.

I teach students of all ages and levels from beginner to professional development. Students younger than 10 years are considered by interview. I started teaching my daughter at 2, so if you think you have a young player that’s interested in learning, let’s chat.

My areas of specialty are classical, electric, and steel-string acoustic. Genres of guitar I teach are classical, blues, pop, funk, r&b, rock, folk, and bluegrass. I do not teach jazz guitar as well as some other teachers.

All potential students receive a complimentary meet & greet session to make sure we are a good student/teacher fit. I do have a waiting list for new students, and openings do come up.

Where to next?

Get the Book

Download The Blackforrest Guitar Companion free of charge and start brushing-up on the fundamentals that I teach all of my face-to-face students.

This is a boiled-down player's guide that will walk you through Theory, Chords, Scales, and Arpeggios. You don’t need to read music to get the concepts. You do need to understand the basics architecture of the guitar as well as tablature, chord charts, and scale charts. Everyone’s mind learns differently, some people think in geometries on the fretboard, others see numbers representing frets. I’ve tried to present the information in a way that will leave an impression.

Let’s get to it…

Video Lessons and Tabs

A selection of instructional videos from my YouTube channel and the corresponding tabs that will give you a feel for my teaching style and versatility. If you like these check out the full archive up on YouTube.

No copyright infringement is intended in these transcriptions. These are intended for educational use only, and I transcribed everything by ear. I'll be happy to remove any transcription that ruffles someone's feathers.

Lesson Policies

Welcome to music lessons! Thank you for choosing to study with me. I hope that you find your studies challenging, enlightening and rewarding. In order to get the most from your lessons, please understand and adhere to the following policies.  

Tuition

I currently have a waiting list for new students. Please Inquire about current rates and availability. All payments are billed automatically using Fons immediately following lessons.

Cancellations/Missed Lessons

In the event of absence by the instructor, credit will be forwarded to the next month’s lessons. Absences by the student will be credited to the next month only if the instructor is given 36 hours notice. Excessive absences will result in termination of lessons.

Practice

Each student is unique. Musical goals,performance aspirations, and other activities will dictate how much time you can commit to practice. A minimum of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week is required for students 12 and older. 20 minutes a day, 5 days a weeks for students under 12.

Supplies

Please make sure that you bring a well-maintained guitar,(newer strings, adjusted action and intonation) picks, method books, sheet music, and current assignments. A staff-paper notebook is recommended as well as a folder to keep assignments.

With all that out of the way, let’s rock!