Marty Buttwinick Guitar Lessons

My teaching approach:

Hello! I’ve been a pro player, band leader and teacher for many years. I’ve been teaching since 1980 and have streamlined my methods to get a student where he or she wants to be in the most direct, efficient and fun way possible. In a consultation I find out exactly what the prospective student wants to be able to do. Discovering the personal goals provides direction for the music lessons so they are relevant and have a purpose. With this aligning factor, the music the student practices has a real-world application to why they are doing something.

My influences are:

Too many to mention right now. I'll come back for this one.

My guitar lessons take place in:

The teacher's studio

Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas:

Glendale, La Crescenta, Montrose, Burbank, Pasadena, Los Angeles

Guitar Techniques:

Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar, Fingerstyle, Vocal Accompaniment, Performance, Improvisation, Jamming Skills, Reading Music, Music Theory, Scales and Exercises, Song Writing

Your first guitar lesson with me might include the following:

The three primary elements of music are melody, harmony and rhythm. In the 1st lesson I check out the student's strengths and weaknesses, discover which skills are needed and take it from there. I investigate their ear training level, theory knowledge, rhythmic ability and instrument facility, align what I observe to their goals and assign lesson steps. Once everything is aligned well, both the student and I know it, and we proceed from there.

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

I plot out a program that leads a person directly to their musical goals: it could be short and simple or lengthy and involved. If a beginner's main goal is to be able to play easy songs, the lessons could be very simple with a short runway. A person wanting to master specific musical skills could have a program that takes anywhere from one to four years depending on their current ability level and what kind of music they want to be proficient in. I typically cover: theory, technique, composition, rhythm, improvising and reading—whatever is needed according to the student’s goals.

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

The ideal student is truly interested in learning and expanding their musical skills. They practice enough to get a result and stays in communication with me about how they are doing with their lessons (six to twenty hours per week depending on level). They have a lesson every week, are financially stable and have a good practice space. (I help students organize their schedule and practice area as needed.) Most importantly, the student pays attention to what we are doing, practices what he or she should be practicing and stays in good communication with me about how things are going.