I have been teaching guitar for over 25 years, specializing in traditional Blues and American Roots music. My approach to teaching goes beyond learning songs and licks. I want students to understand the musical language, history, and personalities behind the music.
I have spent much of my career searching out and studying musicians from the past—often lesser-known players whose recordings remain as exciting and innovative to me today as when they were first made. I study their phrasing, chord vocabulary, rhythm, tone, and improvisational approaches, as well as the history and musical environment that shaped them.
My teaching is built around chord grips, chord tones, and learning to navigate the guitar neck musically rather than relying solely on patterns and scales. We study individual musicians and recordings, pull apart their ideas, transcribe phrases, and learn how to incorporate that vocabulary into your own playing.
Rather than simply memorizing a collection of licks, I want students to understand why a phrase works, where it comes from, and how to make it their own.
I particularly enjoy profiling individual musicians and exploring the connections between Blues, Jazz, Jump Blues, Western Swing, and other American Roots traditions. Lessons might lead us from T-Bone Walker to Tiny Grimes, from a West Coast Blues recording to a Jazz guitarist on 52nd Street, or into an obscure recording that contains one great phrase worth investigating.
That investigative process is one of my favorite parts of teaching. The deeper we dig and the farther down the rabbit hole we go, the better.
I teach private lessons to students locally and internationally.
For students in the Los Angeles and Orange County area, in-person instruction is available. I also teach students throughout the United States and internationally through Zoom, FaceTime, and other online platforms.
Whether you are an experienced player looking to deepen your understanding of traditional Blues vocabulary or someone beginning to explore this music, lessons can be tailored to your interests and goals.
I also offer a growing collection of instructional video modules covering many of the concepts and styles I teach privately. These courses are designed to be clear, practical, and easy to work through at your own pace.
Available courses can be found through my website's Instructional Videos section.
Kid Ramos has been a longtime musical hero and friend of mine, and we have also teamed up to produce a special series of instructional videos taught by Kid himself.
Two volumes are currently available. These lessons provide a rare opportunity to hear Kid explain how he approaches the guitar, develops ideas, and turns the vocabulary of traditional Blues into his own unmistakable style.
If traditional Blues, Jump Blues, Western Swing, or American Roots guitar is something you want to explore more deeply, I'd love to work with you.
Come ready to listen, investigate, ask questions—and go down a few musical rabbit holes.
Contact me for private lesson availability and rates.