Guitar Lessons

Learn the songs you love. Build real skill. Enjoy the process. 🎸⚡

You don’t need more random tips. You need a simple weekly system that keeps you progressing—without wondering what to practice next. That’s exactly what my lessons deliver.


What makes these lessons different

  • Song-first approach: We lead with the music you love, then extract the technique behind it—so every drill feels connected to a real song.
  • Weekly momentum: A standing time each week turns progress into a habit.
  • Zero guesswork: After every lesson you get a short video recap and organized Dropbox folder with your tabs, PDFs, and next steps.
  • Built around your life: Optional Weekly Guitar Flow practice plan tailored to your schedule (15–20 minutes can go a long way when it’s focused).
  • Experienced guidance: 20+ years teaching, festivals, studio work, three albums—thousands of lessons distilled into clear, human coaching.

Learn your favorite songs (and the skills inside them)

We anchor your practice to songs you care about—and use each one to build technique, timing, and ear.

Examples & what you’ll actually master:

  • “Riptide” – Vance Joy → smooth chord changes, 8th-note feel, clean muting
  • “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King → I–vi–IV–V harmony, steady groove, bass-note targeting
  • “Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd → intro picking, chord-melody touches, count accuracy
  • “Blackbird” – The Beatles → fingerstyle shapes, string skips, left-hand independence
  • “Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes → riff mechanics, alternate picking, song form
  • “Tennessee Whiskey” – Chris Stapleton → slow-blues timing, phrasing, dynamic control
  • “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses → iconic riff clarity, picking economy
  • “Hotel California” – Eagles → chord flow across the neck, solo targets & phrasing

Bring your own list—pop, rock, blues, acoustic, indie, worship, singer-songwriter. We’ll map the shortest path to sounding like the record(or your version of it).

Exactly what we’ll work on—by level

Beginner: from first chord to first setlist 🎸

• Comfortable posture, pick grip, relaxed fretting hand
• High-success starter chords (Em, G, Cadd9, D) + painless switching drills
• Strum confidence: down-up 8ths, accents, light palm-mutes
• Your first riffs (e.g., “Seven Nation Army,” “Wish You Were Here” intro pattern)
• 12-bar blues basics for instant “I’m making music” moments
• Tuning by ear & with a tuner (easy wins)
• How to practice 15–20 minutes/day with a Weekly Guitar Flow that fits real life
• Three song picks we choose together—quick wins to build momentum
• Weekly recap video + PDFs so you never wonder “what now?”

Exactly what we’ll work on—by level

Intermediate: momentum, musicianship, and feel ⚡

• Barre-chord efficiency + tension-release hacks
• CAGED & top-string triads to spice up rhythm parts
• Strum vocabulary: pushes (e.g., 1 2+ 3 +4), accents, percussive hits
• Fingerstyle starter pack (Travis hints) for “Blackbird,” “Landslide,” etc.
• Pentatonic shapes 1–3 connected + the “blue note” used tastefully
• 12-bar blues with turnarounds; soloing that actually resolves to chord tones
• Chord embellishments (sus2, add9, hammer-ons from suspensions)
• Time feel: subdivisions, click on 2 & 4, simple pocket builders
• Song set: “Stand By Me,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Back in Black” rhythm…plus your picks

Exactly what we’ll work on—by level

Advanced: identity, nuance, and expressive control 🎸⚡

• Lead language: bends & vibrato variety, slides, double-stops, articulation
• Soloing over changes: guide-tone lines, arpeggio targets, tasteful outside moves
• Modal color in real songs: Dorian funk, Mixolydian blues-rock, Aeolian ballads
• Harmony tools: ii–V–I basics, secondary dominants, borrowed-chord moments
• Chord-melody: arrange verses/choruses for solo guitar, harmonics & open-string magic
• Advanced rhythm: syncopation layers, 16th-note grids, pocket polishing
• Hybrid & economy picking—used where it serves the music
• Tone craft: right-hand nuance first; then smart pedalboard choices

Steve's Teaching Strengths

Fretboard Knowledge

See the neck as connected shapes and sounds—not random dots.
• Neck map: octave markers + root/3rd/5th landmarks
• CAGED & triads: tastier rhythm parts and fills across the neck
• Scales → chord tones: pentatonic → blues; target 3rds/7ths so lines resolve
• Arpeggio pathways: outline changes instead of guessing
• Vertical + horizontal movement: shift positions without getting lost
• Ear + theory: key, intervals, and note names where it actually helps

Tiny drills: 60-sec octave hunt • top-string triad “flipbook” • chord-tone loop over a two-chord vamp
Built in: recap video + a micro-drill in your Weekly Guitar Flow
Payoff: improvise, transpose, and write parts anywhere on the neck.

Steve's Teaching Strengths

Learn By Ear

Tabs help—your ears make it music. We keep it fast and practical.
• Learn songs by ear: one-string melodies → full parts
• Intervals you can sing: 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths—then find them on the neck
• Major vs. minor: hear the color in seconds
• Rhythm you can feel: 1+2+3+4+ and 1e+a made simple
• Ear + theory: connect sound to key, scale degrees (1-3-5), and progressions (I–V–vi–IV, 12-bar blues)

Tiny drills: 60-sec hook hunt • call-and-response • sing → play
Built in: a 2–3 minute ear micro-drill in your Weekly Guitar Flow each week
Payoff: learn songs faster, solo smarter, and the theory finally clicks.

Now Offering Coaching (no live lesson) — $129/month

  • Personalized Monthly Practice Flow (or 4-week plan)
  • 2 video submissions/month from you → my video replies
  • Email Q&A when you need it (no getting stuck)
  • Plan includes links to short demo videos of me playing every example

Why coaching works

  • Clear plan, zero guesswork: know exactly what to do each week.
  • Feedback that sticks: short, targeted video responses.
  • Fits your schedule: make real progress in 15–20 focused minutes/day.

Coaching FAQ 

How do I submit videos? Unlisted YouTube link or Dropbox/Drive link works great.

How long can my videos be? Up to 5 minutes each is perfect (I’ll focus on what matters most).

When do I get feedback? Within 48 hours Mon–Fri.

What if I need help mid-week? Email me—quick questions welcome.

Can I cancel anytime? Yes—coaching is month-to-month. Cancel before your next renewal.

When does it start? As soon as your first plan is delivered (I’ll confirm your goals and timeline via email).

How the first lesson works

  1. Clarity — we talk goals, favorite artists, and one song you’d love to nail.
  2. Plan — I show you how lessons run, my simple policy, and your Weekly Guitar Flow.
  3. Play — we get hands on the guitar. You leave with a clear, doable plan + your first recap video in Dropbox.

FAQs

In-person or online? Both. Madison studio or Zoom—same system, same results.

What do I need? A guitar and (for Zoom) a way to prop your phone/laptop. I provide PDFs, tabs, and videos.

What if my schedule changes? Life happens. We can usually swap when needed.

Am I too busy to improve? Not with the Weekly Guitar Flow—focused, bite-sized practice beats long, unfocused sessions.


Ready to get rolling?

Reply with two times that work Mon–Fri (afternoons/evenings) and one song or skill you want locked in over the next 90 days. I’ll hold a spot and get you started.

Prefer to talk it through? Email/Call Steve.