Private Half Hour Guitar Lessons with Douglas (In Studio)

Years of Experience: 3 Location Options: In Studio Genres: Rock, Blues, Acoustic Age Groups: Children, Young Adult, Adult Instruments Taught: Guitar Lessons,Song Writing Lessons Overview: I have always had a fond fascination of music from a young age. Both of my parents were big into a wide variety of music and I was constantly being exposed to all kinds of different music for as long as I can remember. My actual journey on the path of becoming a musician didn't begin until the age of 10 when I took up playing the alto saxophone in my elementary school band. I played the sax until I was 13, and then stopped once I got to high school due to the demands of schoolwork. I was always still listening to music though and it was also around the age of 10 that I was exposed to the music that would captivate me for years to come, hard rock. It was at the age of 15 that I was introduced, by a friend, to the guitar. A kid that I lived with in my new neighborhood played and once him and I became friends, anytime I went over to his house, he was playing the guitar. After a few months of just listening, he began showing me some basics. Simple things such as the strings and how they worked, power chords, and basic guitar chords. All of this was enough to keep me busy for a few years, though, and I quickly fell in love with playing! I was constantly working on my playing on my father's acoustic guitar and at the age of 20, I went out and bought my first Fender Squire. My playing had improved considerably from when I had started and I had since began teaching myself anything I could get my hands on! From Tablature, to scales, to modes, you name it, I studied it. I was always buying new books on it. I had also started fooling around with writing songs. Although never having any formal training, I had read up on the matter considerably and just thought of it as fun to create my own songs, good or bad. I was about 20 when I started auditioning for bands and it wasn't too long before I landed a spot as a guitar player in a local cover band. I decided to start my own band, I found a bassist and a drummer, took the position as guitarist and singer myself, and just started playing some of the songs I had written. We immediately had an impact on our local music scene and just started playing shows everywhere and anytime we could! We played many of Pittsburgh's top venues, did some small time touring, released a 4 song, self produced, EP, had pro management and signed a distribution deal. Private Education: I have been taught the basics by a friend as a teenager. The rest of my education has all been independent. I have read many books and watched many videos on the guitar. I have studied everything from basic chord structures to music theory. I'm not a professor by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know my share. I have a good grasp on the instrument and consider myself quite proficient. Performing Experience: I have been playing in bands for about 8 years now. I have performed all over my home state of PA, as well as some of the surrounding states. I have played with many different bands, and a few big names too along the way. My first band was asked to run an open mic night at a local bar, which we did for 2 years and it was very successful. These open mics were open to all genres and as the house band, we were expected to sit in with any band or musician that asked. This diversified my playing in a big way and exposed me to playing a lot of different genres and styles, all of which had to be improvised on the spot! I have played hundreds of shows over my time in bands, and have learned a lot too from all of my band and stage experience. I have also played for my church picnics, for my daughter's classes at school, and have played some open mics myself. I've gone on to form a new band and take another crack at it. Currently, we working on finishing up our debut cd and are out, playing live as much as we can! We've opened up for Joey Belladonna from Anthrax, have had some local radio play, and are doing alright for ourselves. Experience Teaching: I have been teaching for about 3 years now. Since I have been teaching, I have taught over 20 students over this time and have taught adults and children alike. I've taught men and women, acoustic, electric, and bass. I have a teaching plan that I normally follow and have a nice teaching regiment that all of my students have seemed to enjoy and thrive from, although I am open to any other specific ways of teaching, should you have one. I have retained some of my original students over the years and am currently still teaching 2 of my very first students. One of my longtime students has also since started writing and performing his own music since having started taking lessons from me! I enjoy teaching my knowledge and skills to others and love seeing how much of a difference playing the guitar makes in some peoples lives! I like seeing the joy they derive from being able to create their own music, to just playing their favorite tune on the radio!