Electric Guitar Lessons
Electric Guitar Lessons Bergen County NJ, NY, Online
Serving Cresskill, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Haworth, and more over 15 years!
Acoustic Guitar | Classical Guitar | Ukulele
Songwriting & Composition | Improvisation
We offer electric guitar instruction to guitarists of all levels and ages - from students getting started to experienced performers and songwriters. We serve Bergen county and offer virtual online lessons as well.
The electric guitar is such an expressive and exciting modern instrument used in classic rock, rockabilly, boom chick, blues, jazz, pop, surf, 80s hair metal and much more.
- Learn your favorite classic rock songs by bands like The Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica...
- Expand your chord vocabulary. Learn Jazz and Bossa Nova m7b5, dim, and aug chords so you can play through any song with confidence. (This can also expand your arpeggios and licks)
- Learn epic solos like Hotel California, Sultans of Swing, Bohemian Rhapsody, Sweet Child O’Mine, November Rain, One, and more.
- Improve your right hand picking technique, legato phrasing, and more.
- Expand your bag of guitar licks and tricks.
- Become more comfortable improvising and create your own tasteful, melodic solos. Make your guitar sing like your favorite guitarists in the styles of...
Extraordinary Electric Fingerpickers: Jeff Beck, Chet Atkins, Knopfler
Classic Rock and Blues: Hendrix, Vaughn, Page, Blackmore
Melodic Epic Leads: Gilmour, Brian May, Slash
Jammers: Jerry Garcia, Trey Anastasio
Shredders: Van Halen, Yngwie, Morse
Would you like more info? Or schedule a lesson?
Guitar Techniques & Roles
Lead Guitar
Many guitarists reach out to work on their lead guitar solos. This may include learning classic guitar solos note-for-note, or expanding on their improv chops. More importantly, as we listen to the direction of your favorite solos and learn a variety of licks and tricks, you will understand the language these lead guitar parts. This will be very helpful in learning your favorite leads and effectively applying this to your own improvisation.
Whether you’re interested in learning the solos from Sultans of Swing, Sweet Child O’Mine, or One, we can work on the specific techniques for your favorite guitar leads. If you’re interested in jamming like Phish or the Grateful Dead, playing classic rock Zep and Pink Floyd leads, or shredding in the style of VH and other 80s hard rock & metal, we can work on that too - all in a fun process!
Rhythm Guitar
Even if you’re playing lead guitar in a band, you will often be playing 95% rhythm with chords. In fact, understanding how chord progressions interact with solos and practicing rhythms can be very effective for improving lead guitar chops as well.
Depending on the style of music, you may be using common major and minor chords in Beatles songs, power chords in rock music, barre chords, or extended chords in jazz and Bossa Nova. Expanding your chord vocabulary will help you comfortably read through charts for a variety of songs. It will also help you understand and navigate the fretboard, as well as organizing and memorizing different tunes.
Chord Melody Guitar
Have you ever listened to a solo guitar recording or performance and thought, “where are the other guitarists?” Chord Melody guitar playing combines - well, the chords and melody! The chord progressions may include bass lines and harmony, while also playing the main theme or vocal melody.
This advanced guitar style creates an amazing effect, juggling multiple parts in one. It can mimic a pianist playing chords with the left hand and melody with the right. It also gives us an important insight to the general arrangement and instrumentation of a tune.
Chord melody solo guitar pieces can be played on classical, acoustic, or electric guitar, and vary in technique and style. Chord melody is often heard in classical guitar pieces, boom chick styles, and jazz solo tunes.
Some different classical guitarists and chord melody players to listen include:
Julian Bream
Paul Galbraith
Chet Atkins
Tommy Emmanuel
Joe Pass
General Subjects Taught
After getting frustrated watching online videos, many guitarists contact me to receive help from a real person who cares and understands you. Whether you need help in navigating the fretboard with more ease, expanding your chord and theory knowledge, or want to solo with more confidence when playing with the band, I would be happy to hear more about your musical interests.
Some of the general topics we can cover include:
Posture & Technique
Syncing the hands
Understanding Chords/Notation/Tab
Picking, Fingerpicking, & Strumming
Scales and Modes
Music Theory
Triads
Arpeggios
Chord Vocabulary
Ear Training
Improvising
Learning stylistic licks and phrases
Play chord-melody arrangements
Help with Songwriting & Recording
Electric Guitar Lessons for Teenagers
Learn to play your favorite music on the electric. Students eagerly await their guitar lesson every week and are always excited about learning new songs. Many also pursue opportunities in performing with rock bands, jazz band, songwriting and recording. Play the way you’ve always wanted in a stress-free, fun environment.
Electric Guitar Lessons for Adults
Whether you grew up with classic rock, jamming to the Grateful Dead, shredding 80s hard rock & hair metal, or 90s grunge, together we can tackle the styles and songs you want to learn. If you’re just starting out, we can get moving on the right track. For advanced guitar players, we often zoom in on specific techniques and tricks to take your playing to the next level. I also help guitarists prepare for gigs or recordings if needed. If you’re interested in getting started, please get in touch. I look forward to learning about your guitar goals.