Instruments Taught:
- Guitar
- Bass
- Banjo
- Mandolin
- Ukulele
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Teaching personality/style:
Over the past 25 years of teaching private guitar lessons to individuals, groups and high school class rooms, Nathan has encountered many different learning styles across a wide range of ages (from kids as young as 4 years old to adults up to 65 years old). He has also taught guitar to children struggling with learning challenges including autism and ADD/ADHD with great success. Through this experience he has learned to customize each guitar / bass lesson with unique language and techniques to accommodate the students optimal learning style. Nathan’s background with secondary education allows him to quickly assess the student’s strengths so that information can be learned and practiced with ease. Students are motivated by presenting playing and practicing techniques in an understandable and enjoyable way to afford the student the luxury of comprehending within their own comfort zone.
Strengths include:
- using innovative techniques to help music students get the best results on their instrument quickly and efficiently
- being able to quickly identify a students learning strengths, weaknesses and interests helping to customize each guitar or bass lesson
- motivating students to be excited to practice and perform
- being able to work successfully with special needs students including autistic, ADD, etc.
- proficient in theory, site reading, ear training and more.
- ability to teach all levels: beginning guitar, intermediate guitar and advanced guitar. Beginning bass guitar, intermediate bass guitar and advanced bass guitar.
Styles, or genres include but are not limited to:
- Guitar: Jazz, Rock, Blues, Classical, Latin, Reggae, Metal, fingerstyle, and Percussive Acoustic Fingerstyle guitar.
- Bass Guitar: rock, blues, funk, slap, jazz, Fusion, Latin.
Some of the topics that might be covered in lessons:
- Theory: Music Notation Systems, Rhythm, Scales and Intervals, Modes, Chords, Chord Structures,Consonance and Dissonance.
- Scales: Major, Minor, Pentatonic, Harmonic, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Diminished.
- Modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian.
- Guitar or bass Picking and Strumming Techniques: Sweeping, Arpeggios, Speed Picking, Tapping, Finger Picking, Tremolo Picking, Alternate Picking, Pinch Harmonics, Natural Harmonics, Tap Harmonics, Two Hand Tapping, Slides, Hammer On/Off.
Beginner lesson will start with some basics including the notes or strings names, proper finger use for each note and fret, basic cords with proper finger positioning, basic picking and strumming exercises, how to read music, how to read tabs or tablature and will start to learn a song of choice.
Intermediate and advanced lessons will depend on the level of the student but will include all of the above as it applies to the students interest.
Nathan has had students perform (with top scores and 1st place trophies) in a variety of competitions including the American Guild of Music. Some of his students have gone on to play at the college level, many earning full and partial scholarships at major universities. He has also had many students make a career out of music performing in well known national and local acts. And some have gone on to become teachers themselves.