Call (925) 695-7060

Call (925) 695-7060

Music Helps Our Children Develop MORE of Their Potential

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East Bay Guitar Lessons Help to Develop Better Brains & People – not just rock ego-maniac stars!

I’ve been studying and teaching music for over 40 years. Today, I teach guitar and banjo lessons throughout the East Bay in communities like Danville, San Ramon, Concord, Walnut Creek – the whole East Bay.

I teach guitar students much more than simply how to strum a few chords on a guitar. Reading music, variations on a theme, scales, composition, orchestration, road skills, playing with ensembles, soloing… it’s a long list! The more we learn about the brain, the more we discover about how music lessons and education help brains & people development in wonderful ways.

  • music brain training East BayThe Brain –  Research has shown that both listening to music and playing a musical instrument stimulate your brain and can increase your memory. Research suggests that regularly playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills. Hearing it and especially playing it. Music affects mood, creativity and a wide range of synaptic activity in the brain – many areas of your brain start firing and communicating with other parts of your entire nervous system.
  • Cognitive Development – Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills compared with their non-musically trained peers.
  • Neurological multi-tasking – Moving and playing at the same time is challenging. Whether you are in a marching band or creating choreography for your rock band – playing and moving with the music develops body/mind coordination.
  • Discipline & Time Management – Practice, practice, practice = discipline development. When we practice with our band mates, team discipline enters the equation. Developing discipline is key to developing personal integrity.
  • Teamwork – From the hassles to the high-fives. Learning how to collaborate and work as a team is just good human development!
  • Music Lessons Danville San RamonCamaraderie & Sacrifice – Good friends are just one of life’s “must have” experiences. Sharing dreams, disappoints and accomplishments help to extend emotional range and maturity. Putting self aside for the greater good of the band is invaluable for personal development.
  • Resilience, Flexibility, Creative Problem Solving, Manners, Respect, Trust, Self-Expression, Social Skills, Listening Skills – A few of the character traits that music students work with on a daily basis.
  • Music Broadens Horizons – Musicians get passionate about all things music – instruments, composers, poetry, history… music touches every part of life through time, thus it can be a doorway into almost any area of human experience and development. Studies have shown that students who play instruments or study the arts are often better in math and achieve higher grades in school than students who don’t.

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Concord – Danville – San Ramon – Walnut Creek
(925) 695-7060

 

Soloing Guitar Lesson

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Make 2013 YOUR Year to be a Solo Guitarist

Soloing is working on art of doing lead patterns over a group of chords also known as riffing or adlib. Guitar players must know there basic 5 pentatonic scale patterns both minor and major.

A pentatonic scale is a five note scale based on major scale. The minor pentatonic scale is Root, b3,4,5 and b7th degrees of major scale. It really gives you that blues feel and works great over dominant 7th chords and 9thys and minor chords with 7ths or 9ths .

You can use for example an A minor pent scale against A minor, A minor 7th or Aminor9th and also A7, A9 or A13th chords. Also you may use half step displacement in which sax players and piano players use all the time. That means while the rhythm section is in A minor tonality center u can start on A  minor pent and then slide up half step to A sharp minor pent scale and then slide down half step to Ab minor pentatonic but for very short durations and then resolve back to A minor pentatonic scale.

First before jamming with other guitarists, u should lay down a rhythm jam track of u playing just a 12 bar blues in A or a jam based on A minor 7th chords.

Also, check out my Pentatonic warm ups in 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th positions. I recommend using a metronome which u can download for free on your cell phone or free on computer. Start on highest note on string 1 and work your way descending to string 6 known as a descending pattern and then practice opposite ascending lowest finger to highest on each string lowest to highest and do  not stop when you arrive to string one just shift up to 5th and then 9th and then 13th and then 17th. On acoustic guitars just do 1st and 5th and 9th positions.

Its very important to use alternate picking at single meter first meaning quarter notes and then duple meter meaning 8th notes and then skip to quad also known as 16th notes.

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Concord – Danville – San Ramon – Walnut Creek
(925) 695-7060

Guitar Lessons Guarantees

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East Bay Guitar Lessons that Can’t be BEAT!

I have been teaching guitar lesson many years in East Bay – all ages – 5 and up. Today, a guitar instructor needs to focus on making oneself available for the guitar student.

I have a simple philosophy and teaching method for guitar students in our music rich East Bay area.  Always try to keep guitar student’s enthusiasm high. I also teach all guitar students how to read music.

Guitars, Lessons & Guarantees that Can’t be Matched!

On this website you can find great guitars, bass guitars and banjos prices $29.95  up to $699 for clients that need instruments. Guitar Center has a 30 day money back guarantee. I have a 90 day money back guarantee. That’s crazy right? NO, it is actually that I show my new clients that if they give me 3 months to teach them guitar and my method is not working, I will buy back the equipment they purchased off my website. No I know of one offers this. I also offer first lesson free of charge which is an hour lesson and I drive to their place of residence. No one does this. Then I offer two months of guitar lessons private at half price. No one does this. And for any referral I offer student half price on next month’s lessons.

I received a call from a piano instructor who was having trouble getting students. She has no website. I told her she needs to do that and find an expert that can do it the right way. My website was done the correct way – fresh content, lots of videos, Yelp reviews, Facebook and Social Media tie-ins.

Having a unique teaching methodology is very key. When potential students are asking me what makes my method different than  other guitar instructors, I  tell them I build their guitar confidence by coming down to their level of expertise and send them PDF files of all lesson material along with WAV files and VIDEO. I also give out a weekly worksheet that tracks all they have learned with my guitar program.

I highly recommend Devon Harper(email Devon) at Infinet-Marketing for website design.

And a Happy Holidays to my awesome Danville – San Ramon Realtors – The Harper Team!

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Concord – Danville – San Ramon – Walnut Creek
(925) 695-7060

 

Guitar Lessons & Gifts – Walnut Creek – Danville CA

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White Christmas - Walnut Creek - Danville - CA

Give the Gift of Music this Holiday Season in Danville & Walnut Creek

I love this time of year and always love giving gifts. I have wonderful student ts all ages 5 and up 0n electric and acoustic guitars as well as 4 string electric bass, 4 and 5-string banjo, mandolin and uke . I have all my students from Danville & Walnut Creek CA tell their Facebook friends to check out my guitar packages for Christmas gifts as low as $29.95 for half size guitar for a young student. I also have complete electric and acoustic guitar packages that includes amp, strap, picks and of course guitar starting at around $100.

 I’m also giving away two free half hour private lessons and also  half off first two months lessons. You purchase a month private lessons and the 2nd month is free of charge. Wow!! No one is giving this many gifts away. Why? Because I always like to help0 people with the gift of music. I also give a guitar method retail value of $100 for free and you receive a gift envelope with Guitar Confidence that says “A Gift For You”. So, you have the new student open first the large guitar method book and then watch their face grow a huge smile when they open  gift envelope and see they have 10 one half hour private guitar lessons at their home for $150. Or you can receive 6 half hour private lessons for $75.

Today I’m giving a great jazz guitar solo arrangement of “White Christmas” It is performed as a solo with both chords and melody. All chord symbols and fingerings are available as well as tab and standard notation. So, in closing, enjoy this beautiful classic Christmas song

Download White Christmas Sheet Music

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Danville – Walnut Creek CA
(925) 695-7060

Christmas Time Is Here – Guitar Arrangement

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East Bay Guitar Lessons for Christmas & Holiday Songs

Christmas Time Is Here is an intermediate to advanced arrangement I perform every December at Church and Christmas gigs I perform in San Francisco as well as entire East Bay Area. Of course this song is well known also in Charlie Browns Christmas  Animation Video.

So I have included my jazz chord diagrams and also a lead sheet format which includes chord changes on top, the melody is in standard notation and lyrics below lyrics. My arrangement uses  jazz chords which means 7ths, 9ths, 11ths and 13ths which are known as color tones. Triads have four sounds of 1.) Major 2.) Minor 3.) Augmented 4.) Diminished which have basic three notes known as root, third and fifth degree of major scale. When you extend the triads by adding the 7th, 9th, 11th and 13ths wow, what beautiful colors.

Please go to following link which is the best basic music theory in common words you will ever find.

Since we are on the subject of Christmas time here is an advanced arrangement of mine of Christmas Classic “Greensleeves” which is also known as “What Child Is This.” My arrangement uses all jazz formations and you can play as a solo arrangement or as a duo with a bass guitarist or piano player  or another guitarist.

I have included PDF files for all above and enjoy. Please tell friend about my great guitar lessons half off special for Christmas season and guitar packages for as cheap as $49.95.

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE sheet music

GREENSLEEVES MASTER C.M

Listen to the mp3 below and click on the “Greensleeves” link above to hear a more blues version.

Holiday Specials & Gift Certificates

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
East Bay Area CA
(925) 695-7060

Guitar Lessons – Mission Possible!

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Learning to play a guitar like a pro is not Mission Impossible!

My friend, John Harper, who does the online marketing for The Harper Team Realtors in San Ramon CA, created this great promo for me using a sound track that I recorded with my RGS Ensemble.

Whether you live in Concord, Walnut Creek or Danville, or San Ramon – I can help you take your guitar playing to the next level.  I provide guitar lessons for all ages and levels of skill.

Enjoy the promo – playing guitar like a pro is Mission Possible!!!

I notice the stores are already putting out the Holiday displays. Keep your eye on this site for upcoming gift specials.

Playing with Steve Kuban

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Rex Bell Recording "Hallowed Be Thy Name"

Laying down lead tracks with Christian Musician Steve Kuban on his new album

Renowned guitarist Rex Bell plays a rock solo (a la Jimi Hendrix) on “For The Lord Is My Tower” (from Steve Kuban’s new album “I’m Calling Out To You” –Rex’s headphone mix only)

 

If you want to play like a pro, learn from a pro. Guitar lessons for beginners up to and including expert guitarist in Walnut Creek and Concord CA. In fact, anywhere in the East Bay. Let me help you take your guitar playing to the next level.

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Walnut Creek – Concord CA
(925) 695-7060

East Bay Jazz Guitar Lessons

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Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette – Jazz Guitar Lessons

I have been teaching and playing guitar in East Bay since 1975. There are a lot of good guitar players in the area, but only a few great ones. In  Walnut Creek, Orinda and Lafayette there are only a few good guitar instructors that have methods including soloing and reading music and music theory for all levels of beginners to advanced – and this is what you need to go from good to great, along with discipline and love.

Today I share with you  a great jazz guitar composition by great guitarist Steve Erquiaga from Alameda California. Steve has performed, toured and recorded with such great artists as Joe Henderson, Bobby McFerrin, Les McCann and Sadao Watanabe.

In addition to conducting his own seminars in the U.S. and Europe, Steve is a staff member with the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Clinics that are week long clinics held all over the world. He is faculty member at San Jose University, San Jose , California, teaching Guitar ( jazz as well as other contemporary styles).

Here is a PDF file you can download entitled “EL NINO.”  Today I give you the lead guitar part with Latin fill using great jazz lines and jazz chords along with syncopation. Once you have perfected part one lead guitar, then try part two rhythm part soon to be posted.

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette CA
(925) 695-7060

East Bay Lead Guitar Lessons

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Learning to Play Lead Guitar

As I teach many beginner to advanced  guitarist at their homes in the East Bay, I  cover all age levels and requests of students wanting to spice up their lead playing skills of blues, rock guitar, jazz guitar both electric and acoustic. But all lead guitarists first start by learning rhythm guitar. Assuming you already know basic open chord voicing’s as well as basic bar chord formations, you are ready to play a la Steve Ray, Larry Carlton, Robin Ford, Joe Pass, Joe Satriani, Pat Methenany, George Benson ,  the late Chet Athins or the late Les Paul.

You will notice I have 5 chord sounds with roots, 3rds and 5ths in the bass string which in these examples is based on string 6 starting with Major ,  G Major 7th, Gdominantn7th, G Major 6th  and finally Gminor7th. You must master one pattern at a time  able to play all 5 patterns smoothly. This could take days up to months depending on chord knowledge.

Please notice that you keep pick in your right picking hand and play a different bass note on every four beats. But the cool aspect of this is that on the upbeat of both beats one and three you pinch strings4,3 and 2 altogether giving the listening ear multiple parts going at same time. You sound like many players playing but just some excellent walking bass patterns . As always check out enclosed PDF file with  chord diagrams and fingerings.

Download the PDF

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
East Bay CA
(925) 695-7060

Guitar Chords for Jazz & Blues

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jazz-blues-guitar-chords

Guitar Lessons for Jazz & Blues – Danville – San Ramon

Tony, a jazz, blues and rock advanced guitarist, recently contacted me for private guitar lessons. We meet at his home studio in San Ramon. Tony spotted my car at a Starbucks in l Danville, California. He decided on a one hour guitar lesson every week.

Tony has not studied guitar in last 10 years but wants to get back into jamming with his friends who are professional musicians. They jam at local open mic clubs in the Bay Area and Tony needs to learn more rhythm guitar chord patterns as well as exotic scales and modes for soloing. Tony has been into commercial construction all his life but also loves music as a stress releaser and even has his daughter who is 14 is jamming on guitar. Tony has studied guitar with the late great jazz guitarist Warren Nunes and has played guitar with local cover bands.

I took lessons from Warren Nunes back in 1985 – 1987. Warren was from Hayward and had his own scale systems and approached guitar differently in his mind than everyone else in his day… he was a straight traditional jazz guitarists. All the jazz greats know his name.

 

I’m honored to have Tony as an advanced guitar student who needs theory review and that is why I’m showing him solo guitar 12-bar blues a la great jazz guitarist Joe Pass. One time I was playing with Frank Sinatra at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and met Joe Pass as he was playing a gig in another part of the hotel

You have to really know all your basic 7th chords as well as 9ths and 13ths along with altered chords which means 7th,9th,11th or 13th chords with sharping or flatting either the 5th degree or 9th degree of chord.

12-Bar-Walking-Bass and check out the mp3 at the bottom of this post.

Most guitarists lack knowledge with chords fingerings (also known as voicing’s) which is a term that is used by professional jazz keyboardists. Joe Pass, a great jazz guitarist incorporated keeping pick in picking hand as well as using remaining right hand fingers to pinch so you simulate a jazz big band sound. It creates a fat sound especially if you are playing solo guitar. Notice on beats one and three you form chord and picking hand executes by first picking single bass note on downbeat and then on the upbeat pinches remaining strings. I recommend first learning in measures of 2 at a time.  Also you will note that you always have pick in picking hand so if you wish, u can do melodic single note guitar runs.

Guitar & Banjo Lessons
San Ramon – Danville CA
(925) 695-7060

Learn to Play Guitar in the Privacy of Your Own Home

Our guitar instructors come to you to give you personal one-on-one lessons in the privacy of your own home. We cover Dublin, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Livermore and all cities in east and south bay

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Contact us for guitar lessons or more information at:

Guitar Confidence
4101 Dublin Blvd
Suite F, #537
Dublin, CA 94568

(925) 695-7060

guitarconfidence@gmail.com

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