Am I too old to learn guitar?

No, you are not too old to learn guitar.

90% of my clients are adults who want to learn guitar.

These are the same people who wrote all those kind Yelp reviews, too.

I bet you’ll feel relieved about how easy it is to learn guitar. I also think you’ll surprise yourself with how quickly you learn to play your first song.

Here’s my guarantee to you: If you try a month’s worth of lessons and don’t like them, I’ll refund you entirely.

You’ll love these lessons. I stand by my word.

The only thing stopping you? This narrative that you can’t learn as an adult.

I know you can.

Am I too old to be taking music lessons?

The adults I work with don’t think they are too old to take music lessons. Maybe that’s because they’re too busy having fun to care!

People of all ages come to learn guitar. Each of them loves coming into their lesson each week and playing music.

You won’t care about being too old to take music lessons after you get used to it.

Lots of learners like you have been coming to my studio to take music lessons. I’ve helped hundreds of them since 2006.

And I meant it: Try a months worth of lessons.

If you don’t like them, I’ll refund you. Entirely.

A teacher told me I don’t have the musical gene. Can I still learn guitar?

If someone told you that you don’t have the musical gene, then shame on them.

They don’t have a clue how to teach you music.

Here’s a story about someone who was told he didn’t have the musical gene. We’ll call him Patrick. Literally, his Mom told him he’d never be able to play guitar.

Patrick started from complete scratch. Patrick committed to lessons. He kept coming back, week after week. He began to learn basic strumming. Then chords. Then barre chords. Then fingerpicking. Then flat picking. Then jamming.

Patrick pushed through every single barrier.

Recently, I showed him both the lead and fingerpicking part of Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. He crushed both of them in two lessons. He thought it was both fun and easy to learn.

Lots of adult learners get told they don’t have the musical gene. Yet, the people who work with me find out they can play guitar.

So, are you going to take your old teacher’s word for it?

Or, are you ready to shed that old narrative and step into your future musical self?

I’m stuck in a rut playing same old G C D chords. How can you help me escape that?

There’s so much more to guitar than G, C, and D!

Like, fingerpicking for example.

If you knew how to fingerpick, you could play some super chill tunes for hours, in your jammies.

There’s plenty of other directions too. Like flat picking. Or electric rhythm guitar. Or even basic lead guitar and jamming.

Guitar lessons can easily help you get unstuck from playing the same old G, D, and D chords.

Do you have a way to help me get beyond playing the same old strum patterns on the guitar?

There is one strumming pattern that just about every guitarist knows how to play:

Down - Down - Up - Up - Down - Up

But there are so many more!

For example, Thom Yorke of Radiohead uses tons of different strumming patterns. By learning a song by Radiohead, you could learn a new strumming pattern.

If you work with me, I will teach you more songs that use the same strumming pattern so you can really get it down.

That’s my job: To help you learn new things really well. This goes for strumming patterns as well as anything else I show you.

If I learn from you, do I have to put up with other guitar teachers teaching next door, like at Guitar Center?

You won’t have to put up with any other guitar teachers teaching next door.

Nor will you have to put up with a cramped little room with poor lighting. Or trash on the floor. Or weird smells. Or uncomfortable chairs. Or soul-sucking atmospheres.

If you work with me, you’ll take lessons in my film composing studio. It’s got good lighting. Good chairs. It smells nice. It’s clean. It’s the kind of atmosphere that is conducive to learning.

I think you’ll be inspired here!

Please tell me you won’t treat me like an idiot…

I will never, ever treat you like an idiot. Ever.

You and I know what it feels like to be treated as one, too.

It probably makes you feel terrible. It probably ruins your day. The sting of it might even last up to a week.

It makes me boil inside!

You don’t deserve to be treated like an idiot if you have a question. No matter how silly you think your question is, you are free to ask me.

And you’ll receive a tactful, kind, and decent answer that satisfies your curiosity.

Are you a big box music store that’s just trying to stuff as many students into lessons as possible?

No.

Big box music stores have a clear financial interest in getting you take lessons there.

While it’s easy to take lessons from the same store you bought your guitar from, it’s hard for you to get a decent teacher there.

Worse, you will have to walk through a loud cacophony of guitarists shredding on amps in the showroom.

You’ll have to put up with terrible learning conditions (see above answer!).

Each time you walk in that store, you’ll unconsciously be on your guard.

When you’re on your guard, you really can’t learn. Learning requires trust.

Fortunately, I have designed the entire experience of arriving, learning, and jamming to be as enjoyable as possible. I am a big believer in giving people a great experience from start to finish.

Will you treat me as “just another money bag” like at Guitar Center?

I have seen guitar employees at big box guitar stores fall prey to the autopilot syndrome.

It’s when they just assume that they don’t need to try to help anyone, After all, there’s always more people coming in the door.

It’s no wonder that they just see people as paychecks.

And what happens to you? Well, you get treated like “just another money bag.”

Yuck.

I am grateful for each and every single person I get to work with.

I appreciate working with decent human beings who are brave enough to admit that they don’t know everything.

If you want to learn from me, I will pull out all the stops to help you. How can I not honor you by going the extra mile, each and every week?

If you and I connect, you’ll find out I care far about the quality of my lessons.

Will I get personal service?

You already know how much it sucks when the only people you can ask for help don’t care about you.

That’s basically what you get in most guitar stores. Especially the big ones.

It must bewilder someone to walk into a big guitar store. All those competing sounds, five guitarists with amps turned up super loud, all playing different things, ten different conversations, getting sonically pulled in a million different directions.

And when the time comes for you to ask an employee a question? Chances are Slim-to-none that you’ll get a thoughtful answer.

If you work with me. I give you my undivided attention. My phone is shut off. I won’t check emails, texts, or any notifications.

Every single question you ask me has a 99.99% chance of getting answered thoughtfully, tactfully, consciously, and in the most kind manner possible.

Why should I take lessons with you when Google and YouTube is free?

When you take guitar lessons on the internet, say goodbye to learning from a coach who can help you directly.

The best you’ll get are pre-recorded series of videos that can only guess at your ability.

You’ll try to learn from videos that can’t interact with you in real time. You’ll have to piece together all the information, painstakingly. All the chord charts. All the tablatures. All the concepts. All the exercises. All the learning.

And if you run into an issue, who’s gonna help you through it?

You’ll basically have to learn in a really awkward way.

If you take lessons with me, you can just coast into your lesson and know that you’re covered.

You’ll learn in a way that is perfectly in sync with your needs. You’ll get clear instruction at just the right time. If you run into an issue, we can solve it together. Chances are I’ve helped others solve a similar issue (the benefit of experience!).

Do I need to buy any guitar books? Will I need to search for and print chord charts online?

How about this: Every single material is ready to go. All the chord charts, songs, everything:

1. A PDF for every song.
2. A high-resolution photo for each chord.
3. A PDF for every concept.
4. A library of videos demonstrating every concept.
5. A plethora of music tracks for learn every concept.
6. A playalong video for every song.

If you take lessons with me, everything is ready for you. I have you covered for all materials, starting on lesson one.

Best of all, I send a follow up email to you after each lesson with these materials.

You can download them and save them forever.

All you really need is the willingness to learn.

How do I know you’re the best person to learn from?

If you’re concerned about having the right match for a teacher, you’re like every single one of my current students before they took their first lesson.

Each of them wanted a teacher that they could get along with.

They wanted a teacher who was capable of teaching them in just the right way.

Fortunately, I’m a guitar coach. There’s a difference:

I am always prepared. I structure each lesson to flow in an easy manner. Often, my clients say that they had no idea where the time went.

I aim to take great care of the clients I get to work with.

Again, here’s my guarantee to you: If you try a month’s worth of lessons and don’t like them, I’ll refund you entirely.

You’ll never know if I am the right person if you don’t jump in and give me a shot.

You’ll love these lessons. I stand by my word.

Do you get impatient with beginners?

I had a teacher in 5th grade who got angry with me for not seeing the blackboard clearly.

I sat in the back of the class. Everything on that black board looked blurry.

Clearly, I needed glasses.

Usually, when a teacher gets impatient with a student, it signals a lack of understanding. That, and a lack of empathy.

And further, it signals a lack of ability on the part of the teacher.

My job is to communicate, first and foremost. If you and I are on the same page, there’s no doubt we can do good work together.

My second job is to smooth the way forward for you as a beginner. I have taught about 400 beginners in my career as a guitar coach. I’ve refined my approach over close to two decades of teaching.

Therefore, I have both the skills to teach you as a beginner as well as the communication skills to understand where you are.

Short answer: No. I don’t get impatient with beginners!

Do you motivate with positivity or negativity?

I once had a professor tell me to stand up in the middle of a crowded classroom.

He said, “Dave, you’re gonna hate me now but you will thank me in 20 years. What are the notes in an Ab Fully Altered scale?”

I couldn’t do it.

He knew I couldn’t do it.

He sought to motivate me by embarrassing me.

He failed, miserably.

He killed my enthusiasm. I shut off my mind to just about everything he taught after that moment.

20 years later, if I ran into him, I’d definitely let him know how little I appreciated what he did.

I am motivated by positivity. I like getting positive feedback that’s meaningful.

I assume you are the same as me: You like collaborating with good people.

You can count on positivity from me, the entire time we work together.

Will you ever get tired of questions? Have you ever yelled at a student?

You want a patient teacher, I get it.

You probably understand that teachers are authority figures.

Why should you put up with a jerk just to learn guitar? That’s terrible. That’s a waste of your time.

And, you’ve got better things to do.

I don’t get tired of answering questions. I love questions. Bring them on.

Since I started teaching guitar in 2006, I have NEVER yelled at any student. I prefer tactful communication. I prefer learning about the person sitting in front of me.

I prefer empathy over reaction.

Do you follow up with me to help me along?

Wouldn’t it be nice to receive an email the day after your guitar lesson and get…

• PDF’s for every song?
• A high-resolution photo for each chord?
• PDF’s for every concept?
• A library of videos demonstrating every concept?
• Music tracks for learn every concept?
• A playalong video for every song?

Wouldn’t it be nice to receive an email with a quick review of what you worked on the day after your lesson?

Wouldn’t it be nice to receive an email with a five minute practice suggestion the day after your lesson?

That’s what you get if you work with me. :)

Do you prepare for each lesson, or do just “wing” it?

I never “wing” any lesson. Ever.

I like to teach lessons in a structured but casual manner. I always create a plan that I know will work for you.

If you don’t want to follow my plan? I will collaborate with you and find that new direction.

I’ve refined my approach over a 20 year career in education. It’s so easy to teach when I’m prepared…

And I am always prepared.

So, if you and I work together, you can count on lessons that flow in a structured and casual manner.

How do I know that you’ll actually give me good advice in the lesson?

Many guitar teachers have a terrible habit of teaching you really stupid things in lessons.

They might teach you how to play a barre chord if you’re a complete newbie (bad!).

You might like the challenge in short run.

In the long run, you’ll get annoyed by your lack of progress.

You might get annoyed that you can’t play guitar.

You might even think you can’t play guitar.

That’s terrible! It’s not your fault!

Giving good advice requires empathy.

It’s my responsibility to teach you stuff that is appropriate to your skill level.

This is how I give you good advice. I only share what is appropriate for you, at just that moment.

My goal is to help you build momentum!

How do I know that you won’t tell me to repeat something, over and over again, ad nauseam?

Again, many guitar teachers have a terrible habit of teaching you really stupid things in lessons.

One of the dumbest things they will teach you is to repeat something, over and over again.

They will say that you need more and more reps to get it right.

And following what they say means you get bored as hell. You’ll think, “Do I really have to do this over and over again?”

And yet you do, for an hour a day. A whole lot of the same thing, over and over.

Repetitive practice doesn’t make perfect.

So I’ll let you in on a little secret:

Variety in practice makes perfect.

If you need to learn a skill to play a song, I’ll guide you through tons of different variations of that skill. If it’s a strumming pattern, I’ll help you play it at multiple temps. If it’s a blues lick, I’ll help you play it in different ways so that it can get stronger.

Once you’re down with variety in practicing, learning guitar is a piece of cake

Even better yet: All you’ll need is five minutes per day of practice.

Five. Minutes. That’s it.

I’ve taught hundreds of students guitar on just five minutes of practice per day. You can do it too.

If you ever receive the advice to repeat a skill over and over again, run away from those lessons. The teacher doesn’t know what he/she is doing.

Do I have to learn children’s songs just to learn to play from scratch?

You don’t need to play children’s songs to learn guitar from scratch.

You need songs that are easy to play. You need to learn concepts like strumming and chords to play along with these songs.

Learning these two concepts will get you access to millions of songs.

Again, you don’t need to play kids songs to learn to play guitar from scratch.

Can I actually begin by learning cool songs? Like, from bands I like?

You first need to learn the basics. This doesn’t take too long.

Then, you’ll jump into learning simple, cool songs that are appropriate for your skill level.

After you’ve got a little bit more experience, then I’ll plan out how to teach you songs from bands you like.

Do I have to practice an hour a day to learn guitar?

You’re probably one of those persons who has a ton going on in your life.

You’ve probably got a mortgage, car payment, a full time job, a significant other, kids, and a social life.

You’ve probably got a million other things I haven’t thought about.

The point is, you’re busy. And it’s hard to find time for yourself when you’re busy. Most of the time, it’s hard to keep your head above water!

Thankfully, I have developed a way to learn guitar from scratch that has only two time commitments:

1. An hour lesson
2. Five minutes of practice each day

If you can find that time, I can help you learn this amazing instrument.

Logistical Questions

Where are you located?

I’m located in South Austin. I teach the first lesson through Zoom.

If we both feel comfortable meeting in person, then I’ll invite you over to my office.

What if I forget about my lesson and don’t show up?

That forces me to reconsider working with you. Don’t do it.

If I don’t see you within 15 minutes, I’ll assume something’s going on.

I’ll wait until I hear back from you. You need to email me with a good reason!

Do you teach children?

I don’t teach kids under 14.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult to any in-person lesson.

Adults can play and snuggle with my dog Luna during the lesson.

How long are your lessons?

Lessons last for about 50 minutes, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter.

We’ll go longer if you are really deep into learning something on the guitar.

I’m a sucker for learning, after all…

We’ll go shorter (but not by much) if I get you through everything and don’t want to overwhelm you.

I don’t do half hour lessons.

Are there any differences between Zoom lessons and in-person lessons?

In both Zoom lessons as well as in-person lessons, you’ll get the same things:

1. A follow up email after each lesson
2. Materials for anything that you are studying (aka, you don’t need to buy a book)
3. I’m always prepared to guide you or follow your inspiration

There are some differences however:

The advantages of Zoom? You could skip the commute. You could learn completely remote, with no hangups whatsoever.

The advantages of in-person? We can play music together. You can get out of your comfort zone.

Pick one that works for you!

Can I do in-person lessons rather than Zoom lessons?

As long as we both feel comfortable with you coming over, absolutely.

Keep in mind that my dog Luna is gonna love hanging with you. Don't worry: She'll go back to the couch sooner or later. :)

Will you require me to perform?

No.

Will you require me to learn music theory inside and out?

No.

If you ask me a music theory question, I will answer it according to your current level of interest.

Do you have any discounts at all?

Would you invest your money in a stock if you knew you’d have a 100% return?

Of course you would!

So, here’s my guarantee to you:

If you try a month’s worth of lessons and if don’t like them, I’ll refund you entirely.

You’ll love these lessons. I stand by my word.