Background
I have been playing the guitar for the past 11 years and picked up the instrument for the first time at the age of 14. I always loved rock music in general and players like Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads were very inspiring for me. The guitar did not come naturally to me at first and I had to practice really hard in the first few years to make any real progress. After my initial two years of playing I lost sight of my original goal which was to write my own music. As a result I got stuck in a rut playing other musicians songs and had absolutely no clue how to go about writing my own. It was at this time that I started taking lessons with a guitar instructor by the name of Glen West. Glen graduated from GIT in Hollywood, California which is the same school that guitar players Paul Gilbert, Frank Gambale, and Synster Gates went to. I took lessons for seven years with Glen and also took a few guitar lessons with Jeff Libman who is the director of Jazz Guitar at Arizona State University. I learned various different styles throughout the years and gained a strong foundation in music theory from studying jazz.
In the past decade I have played in a jazz ensemble, multiple live jam gigs, and started numerous band projects of my own. Being a guitar player can be frustrating especially when you’re oblivious to your rhythm playing. I used to regret not taking lessons from the very first year I started playing because I developed a lot of bad habits which I had to fix overtime. That is why in my own guitar lessons I try to fix this problem by either correct bad habits or preventing people from developing them in the first place.
As a Local Guitar Teacher in the North Phoenix Area I have 11 years of playing experience with the instrument. As a Guitar Teacher, I have a background teaching a variety of skill levels and styles (Rock, Jazz, Metal, Blues, and Pop). My Goal, as an Instructor is to teach my students what they want to learn but also teach them fundamental elements that are important for the music they are playing.
