Will Bollman Guitar Lesson

My teaching approach:

Teaching guitar has been a learning experience not only for my students, but for myself as well. In my 12 years of teaching I have taught hundreds of students of all ages and skill levels. Students on more advanced levels have sought me out to help them explore new styles, such as bluegrass, jazz, or slide guitar. I have also had solid rhythm guitar players come to me to help them hone their lead guitar playing. Beginners are my favorite of all. I really enjoy watching a person go from understanding nothing about the instrument, to being able to perform their favorite songs and/or read music.

My influences are:

Jimmy Page, Tony Rice, Jerry Garcia, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Joe Pass, My mentor Doug Bremseth, David Grisman, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Johnson, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake

My guitar lessons take place in:

The teacher's studio or the student's home

Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas:

Gottschalk Music Center, my personal studio, students home

Guitar Techniques:

Guidance In Equipment Selection, Song Writing, Scales and Exercises, Open tuning, Fingerstyle, Slide Guitar, Vocal Accompaniment, Performance, Improvisation, Jamming Skills, Reading Music, Music Theory, Rhythm guitar, Lead guitar

Your first guitar lesson with me might include the following:

A first lesson with me would entail first and foremost getting to know the students level of experience with the instrument. For the complete beginner, learning the names of the strings and how to tune the guitar is a good start. From there its on to learning a few simple chords and strum patterns which they can practice until our next session. I would also begin teaching the student about tablature, chord charts, and reading music if they wish.

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

A guitar lesson with me could go many different directions depending on the students level of playing or the style of music they wish to learn. Some students would like to learn to read music and explore music theory, others just want to learn their favorite songs. Beginners generally follow a curriculum I have designed which gets them playing as quickly as possible while they learn and develop a sound understanding of what they are doing.

The qualities I look for in an ideal guitar student might include the following:

To me the ideal student is one who is excited to learn the instrument the same way I was when I first began learning. Obviously a student who practices is nice as well :)