Practice Habits

Brad teaches students how to practice in a time managed, creative and balanced way. Brad is dedicated to the study of music and guitar playing and continues to practice daily so as to continue his own musical growth.

Lesson Material

Academic Subjects: Brad has written out lesson material on all subjects concerning guitar, including work sheets for music theory, chord fingerings, scale and arpeggio fingerings, improvisational techniques, and chord melody arrangements. All material is kept on file and a copy is made for the student. In some cases books must be purchased for specific needs.

Songs, “Tab”

Students can, if they wish, bring in a song they wish to learn via CD or MP3 player and Brad can quickly tab out the song for them. Songs that are “tabbed out” are usually kept on file, and a copy is made for the student. Brad has hundreds of songs on file for students to choose from if they wish. Brad’s tabs are unique in that they are written down with easy to follow arrangements and include easy to understand rhythm, (strumming patterns). Brad has been transcribing music since he started playing and students can count on him for accurate transcription.

Structured Lesson Plans

Beginners can expect to learn:

·       How to tune the guitar; by ear and with an electronic tuner.

·       The basic and most commonly used chord fingerings and how to switch smoothly from chord to chord while strumming.

·       How to read tablature and play easy songs of the students’ choice or supplied by Brad.

·       Exercises to develop technique.

Intermediate Players can expect to learn:

·       Movable chord fingerings.

·       More advanced rhythm techniques.

·       Basic finger picking techniques.

·       Brad’s easy technique for learning all the notes on the fret board.

·       How to play with a metronome.

·       The most commonly used scale fingerings and exercises to develop good phrasing.

·       Basic lead guitar techniques.

·       More advanced songs of student’s choice or supplied by Brad.

·       How to read music (if desired-not required).

Advanced Players can expect to learn:

·       Music theory- Intervals, chord and scale construction, keys, modes, harmonized scales, chord inversions and more.

·       Advanced scale fingering with exercises to develop total mastery of the fret board.

·       Advanced arpeggio fingering for all chord types with exercises to develop speed and technique.

·       Exercises to develop improvisational thinking and creativity.

·       How to solo in key or through key changes.

·       How to Arpeggiate through chord changes.

·       Advanced techniques including: sweep picking, alternate picking, legato style playing and advanced finger picking.

·       Solo guitar playing-Finger Style.

·       Chord melody with walking bass lines.

·       Ear training.

·       Advanced metronome techniques.

·       Song Analysis.

·       Reading and writing music-if desired.

Lesson Policy

Lessons are $18.00 a half hour.

Payment is required the first week of each month, based on the number of weeks per month, not on attendance.

Payments for lessons are non-refundable. Exceptions are as follows:

·       Severe weather conditions

·       Instructor Cancellation

·       Death in the Family

·       Listed Holidays

Rescheduling Lessons

·       Rescheduling will be done at instructor’s discretion. To be eligible to reschedule a lesson you must give at least 24 hours notice before canceling, except in the case of illness.

·       There will be no guarantee of rescheduling.

·       No shows or last minute cancellations will not be eligible for rescheduling.

There will be no lessons scheduled on the following holidays:

·       New Year’s Day

·       4th of July

·       Thanksgiving Day

·       Christmas Eve

·       Christmas Day