guitar lessons

Learn to play guitar easily and quickly with a patient teacher and performing musician. Absolute beginners to intermediate guitarists. I teach both acoustic and electric. Styles include folk, rock, blues, rock and roll, reggae, ragtime, bluegrass, finger-picking, and more. Learn how to play by ear, improvise, play and sing at the same time. Learn valuable insight on musicanship, playing in a band, songwriting and recording. Learn how to practice effectively and efficiently.

I mainly teach using the play by ear method and provide hand outs. I do not teach how to read music but provide work sheets of technique, chords, and progressions to practice as well as chord sheets of songs for you to learn. My approach is to teach the roots of most popular music by showing the essential open chords, strums, bar chords, guitar runs, picking technique, essential progressions of rock, blues, bluegrass, and popular music. I cater my lessons to teach the style and songs that you are interested in. Check my musical history for my musical background.

Lessons:
In person lessons are taught private one on one at Cosmic Circuit Studio in Berkeley, California. Online lessons via Skype or iChat are now being offered (see FAQ below for details).

Pricing:
1 Lesson - $50.00 for a 1 hour session private one on one lesson.

Discount Pricing on Pre-paid Blocks for Weekly Lessons:
4 Lessons - $185.00 if paid in advance with lessons taken every week.
8 Lessons - $360.00 if paid in advance with lessons taken every week.

Note: Pre-paid blocks of lessons are only if lessons are taken every week!

Purchase lessons online direct from Cosmic Circuit Studio web site. Please call or email first to confirm date and times and provide your current experience level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc).

Contact Info:
phone 510.868.9323
email info@cosmiccircuit.com

Times Available:
Lessons normally offered weekdays and weekends in my private studio. I am currently accepting students. If interested please send me a brief description of your musical interests and musical background (if any) to give me an idea of where you are musically.

Location:
Cosmic Circuit Studio, Berkeley, California. Easy, free, on street parking available. An 8-10 minute walk from the North Berkeley BART station.

Requirements:
Your own guitar is recommended for lessons; however you can use our Martin LX1E Acoustic-Electric Guitar for a $10 fee per lesson.
Optional: I recommend purchasing a tuner and a metronome.

Payment Policy:
We accept cash or credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover or Paypal).

Refund Policy:
There is no refund if you pay for a block of lessons in advance. Be sure you are happy with the lessons and willing to commit if you pay for a block of lessons. If you are unsure I recommend you pay for a single lesson.

Cancellation Policy:
If you can not make a lesson you must notify me by e-mail or phone at least 24 hours in advance to reschedule with no cancellation fee. Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice (or not showing up for a lesson) results in the loss of the full payment for the lesson (or the deduction of 1 lesson from your pre-paid block of lessons).

FAQ:
Q. Can I purchase lessons for a friend as a birthday gift, etc?
A. Yes. Send me an email first to confirm the lesson time then pay via the web form.

Q. Do you have a guitar I can use for the lesson?
A. Yes, we have a Martin LX1E Acoustic-Electric Guitar. There is a $10 charge per lesson to use the guitar for the lesson.

Q. Do you offer online lessons via Skype or iChat?
A. Yes, live lessons are now being offered via Skype or iChat video. The cost is $55 an hour. Email info@cosmiccircuit.com for more information and to set up a day/time. You should have a fast broadband connection, a web cam, Microsoft Word (version 2004 or greater) to open and view handouts and lesson plans. All lessons are strictly for private use only. Posting of video lessons to YouTube and/or the Internet is strictly prohibited.

Daisuke & Joe taking a break during lesson - July 2009

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last update January 11, 2012