I’m stuck in a rut playing pentatonic licks. Can you help me?

Does this sound like you:

You know one or two pentatonic scales. You have a small library of licks to use in and around that scale.

And, you’re bored to death playing that same scale and your same library of licks, over and over again.

Did I nail it?

Perhaps at one time you felt free and awesome playing that scale. Not anymore. You need something new to play.

Luckily, you can learn new soloing concepts that complement your pentatonic licks.

Things like arpeggios. Things like the blues or swing scales. Things like legato playing. Things like Jimi Hendrix rhythm guitar.

You can even learn to play well-known guitar solos BUT make it sound like you created them.

But, what to work on? What’s the best approach? And is there any guarantee that what you go after will make you feel free?

What will give a 1000% return in your investment into guitar lessons?

That’s where we collaborate and find the best route forward. That’s where we figure out the path that excites you the most!

We’ll figure out how to take those tired old pentatonic licks and turn them into amazing foundations of guitar freedom.

Best of all? 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.

How will you help me play beyond just one area of the fretboard?

I know how it feels to be locked in one spot of the guitar.

You must be tired of playing the same stuff, the same way, every time you pick up a guitar.

You might even get intimidated with how to get beyond that one spot on the guitar.

But, what if you could take up the total real estate of the guitar neck?

What if it took you way less time to learn how?

What if it were way easier to do that you expected?

I am prepared to help you play beyond one area of the fretboard. After all, I have helped many hundreds of intermediates before.

I’ve helped people extend scales beyond one position into three or more. I’ve helped them learn arpeggios that move all over the neck of the guitar. I’ve helped a few learn how to do really fast three octave scales.

You’ll be amazed to see yourself playing everywhere on the guitar.

Better yet, it’ll take you a fraction of the amount of time than it would taking guitar lessons from another teacher.

I’m tired of just playing licks. What can you do to help me move past them?

Licks are patterns that you’ve played for years.

You know them, inside and out. They require almost no thought to play.

They are also too easy to play. Once you know them you get bored with them. Once you’re bored with them, you’re in a rut. The deeper you’re in a rut?

Well, let’s not go there.

Moving past your current licks requires someone who will tell you when you’re repeating yourself.

You need someone who can help you spot the patterns in your playing. Then, they can help you break free of old licks that totally don’t excite you anymore.

I’ve helped hundreds of intermediates move way beyond just playing licks. All you need to do is take lessons and communicate what you want to me.

You and I will make a good team.

Can you help me learn more about music theory?

Yes. I’ll teach you anything about music theory you want. Here’s the catch: You need to ask me a direct question.

Otherwise, I won’t talk about it. I don’t assume everyone wants to learn it.

I have to ask though: Why do you want to learn music theory?

Do you want to comprehend it? Speak clearly to other musicians? Do you want to use it to write music?

You might feel like your lack of music theory marks you as a newbie. An amateur. You might think that becoming literate in music theory will allow you to do whatever you want on the guitar.

You might even think that if you knew music theory you could finally call yourself a musician.

Here’s the good news:

You don’t need to be fluent in music theory to write music. Nor to play music with other musicians.

You don’t need music theory to play lightning fast leads. You can shred just fine without it.

So, if you want to learn music theory, come armed with music theory questions! I’ve got your back. I can’t wait to teach you what you want to learn.

Do you work with professional musicians?

If you’re a professional musician, you’ll definitely sharpen your skills with me.

If you want to get faster at picking, I’ve got your back.

If you want to expand your horizons, you can learn tons of new styles from me.

If you want to get 10X better at what you’re already good at, I can show you exactly how to practice so that you become 10X the player you already are.

Luckily, through two decades of teaching, I’ve amassed a huge vocabulary of things I can show you.

All you need to do is ask.

I’ve been playing the same songs, the same everything for decades. I know I’m stuck in a rut. How will you help me get my groove back?

You’re bored to death with how you play the guitar.

You’re tired of the same old songs you’ve played thousands of times before.

You’re tired of the same licks. You’re tired of the same scales.

And worse yet, you don’t feel the fun freedom you did when you were learning, years ago.

The fun left long ago. Still, you wonder if something’s there.

Is there?

You bet.

You are in an ideal place for some help. Sometimes your system needs a tiny shock!

I have helped tons of players feel that freedom, that fun, again. It is a joy to see someone light up, especially if they expect to get so little from a simple guitar lesson.

If you really want to get out of your rut, you need to jump in and take the bull by the horns!

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 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.

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.

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 teacher 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!).

Why should I work with you if I could just buy a book on Amazon?

What do you value: The knowledge, or both the knowledge and deeply awesome experience of learning it?

When you buy a book on Amazon, you get the knowledge. You get just the information. You get the information that the author thinks his/her entire audience wants.

That means you have to sift through tons of books just to get what you want. The search can get totally exhausting. Your momentum will slow down. You won’t feel as motivated.

If you aren’t really motivated to keep on learning, you won’t feel accountable for your learning with that book.

When you work with me, you get accountability. Not only that, you also get context to every single piece of knowledge. You’ll understand where it’s usefully employed. You’ll get how you can use it to create good music.

Best of all, you’ll get an environment where you’ll be encouraged to try out new ideas, even if you think you’ll fail at it.

If you want the knowledge, context, and accountability, skip the book and work with me.

Why should I take lessons with you when I can find a ton of online guitar lessons sites?

Again, you need to understand what you value.

Do you value the knowledge exclusively?

Then you can absolutely sign up for online guitar lesson sites. You can go ahead and sift through the (now) millions of video guitar lesson sites to get what you’re interested in.

You can spend hours and hours of your time finding what interests you.

But if you value the knowledge, context, and accountability in one package, lessons with me can’t be beat.

Will I need to purchase any books outside of the lessons if I work with you?

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.

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

I 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 students?

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. It also signals 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 guitarist. I have taught about 600 students 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 well as the communication skills to understand where you are.

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

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 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.

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 have the empathy needed to collaborate with you if you want to go someplace else.

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

I am always prepared.

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

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.

How do I know you’re prepared for me, each and every week?

Are you tired of teachers winging lessons? I’m not surprised by that at all.

Most of the guitar teachers I’ve met don’t bother to prepare for lessons. They wing them! They don’t bother to clean up either.

These teachers don’t care about you. They care about being a musician and getting paid.

You won’t learn anything from them.

If you work with me, you’ll get lessons with a plan.

The real question is: Are you prepared to jump in a learn?

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.

90% of the people who take their first lesson with me ended up getting invited over.

How much do you charge?

$42 for the first lesson, which is over Zoom.

$240 for an introductory lesson package of five guitar lessons.

After your intro package is done, you have two options:

$197 - Monthly subscription for lessons every other week

$360 - Monthly subscription for lessons every week

Money Back Guarantee - If during the first month you don’t like the lessons, I’ll refund 100% of the fees for that month.

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. :)

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 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.