About this Service

PHILOSOSPHY:
The process of becoming a guitar player is similar to building a friendship. It requires trust and patience, diligence and sacrifice, but in the end it rewards the player with a new way of seeing the world, a new way of expressing and thinking.
With no relation to the instrument, the guitar exists as a hunk of wood with some strings, but once the player learns to trust it and discovers its quirks and strengths, the guitar transforms into an extension of the players body.

I take it upon myself as a teacher to foster this relationship as gracefully and easily as possible. The guitar has brought so much joy into my life, but I’ll never forget the difficulty it brought me in the beginning stages. It humbled me deeply! It also taught me that every players journey looks different. Every player has a new voice they can bring to the instrument, and I work to strengthen that voice from day 1.

At the beginning of our lessons, I also want to know what brought you to the instrument. Who are your inspirations? Where do you see yourself playing typically? Why do you want to play?

WHAT LESSONS LOOK LIKE:
My lessons include personalized technical advice, to ensure healthy playing techniques, theoretical teaching so the player can learn to explore the guitar more intuitively and comfortably, and lots of jamming! I teach a mix of technical/ theoretical exercises like scales with a healthy amount of repertoire to guide the student how they can apply what they learn to their playing.

A typical hour long lessons consists of a 10-15 minute warm up routine that consists of some technical exercises, with space for creative playing/jamming tacked onto the last 5 minutes of the warm up. The bulk of the lesson consists of learning whichever piece of repertoire we’ve decided to work on. Earlier in the stages of learning, I tend to pick the pieces that the student can learn to play, because structure is important to seeing fast progress in the introductory stages of playing.

As skills progress, I prefer that the student picks the pieces that we learn together in lessons. Lessons become more theoretically based, as I guide the student through the process of channeling their knowledge of repertoire into a more personalized playing style that offers freedom, exploration and creative expression. This is the ultimate goal of my teaching process!

I offer lessons at my home in Bed-Stuy or I can travel to you in the Brooklyn/Southern manhattan area for an added fee of $15.

About this Lister

Growing up in Nashville, TN, the guitar was an omnipresent symbol of free expression, exploration and creativity. When I was around 8 years old I asked my parents to put me in lessons. When I realized the challenge that lay ahead, the excitement waned, but after a few years, guitar took the front seat in my life as it all began to click. Soon enough, I was devoting every minute of free time I had to the instrument.

I’m now an independent musician, writer, visual artist and community organizer based in the Brooklyn area. I perform under the name Law Office, playing everything from DJ sets to slow, somber guitar and vocal sets. Music and art let me pursue and process the dense web of ideas that face all of us far before words come to me. It’s how I get through the world!

I first discovered my passion for teaching in college when I began to teach my musician friends casually. While they were wildly creative and passionate about music, they often lacked the formal training to communicate their ideas effectively. I’d watch them get frustrated as their songs and explorations would get cut short by some lack of familiarity the instrument or decision paralysis. I took it upon myself to guide these talented friends to a place where they could feel more comfortable improvising and exploring. Seeing them engage with the “flow state” more easily was tremendously rewarding, and it didn’t hurt that it all led to writing much better songs!

The guitar has given me so much and its a privilege to see others develop the relationship to their instrument that I know will serve them for the rest of their life. It also teaches the student a special patience and confidence. The challenge of learning a new instrument is no joke, but if a student can rise to the occasion, not only have they learned to play and instrument, they’ve learned a perseverance and will that will serve them in so many parts of life.

Background and Expertise

MY START IN TEACHING
I began to teach my friends when I was in college. Since graduating, teaching music has slowly become my job. I’ve been teaching full time for over a year, having taught 30+ students in that time. I’ve brought numerous students of all ages from total beginners to shredders. One of my students went from barely being able to fret the guitar last year to flying through the entirety of the Super Marios theme this past July. Now I can hardly get her to listen during lessons because she’s so excited to try new ideas, which is a tremendous gift as a teacher!

MY BACKGROUND
I’m a lifelong musician, coming from a musical background, I grew up playing in jazz and rock bands. These days, I primarily perform as an experimental improvisational guitarist in group settings, while opting for softer, meticulous fingerpicked arrangements during my solo performances. My playing blends my deep roots in numerous genres such as funk, rock, jazz, blues and pop.

References and reviews from previous/active students, as well as links to my music and performances are available on my website.