Mckay Tebbs Guitar Lessons

My teaching approach:

I have taught out of my own private studio for twelve years and at the university level for over four. I am currently attending USC as a doctoral student where I also teach guitar part time to non-majors on campus. I have a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music and a Masters Degree in Guitar from USC.

My influences are:

Steve Vai, John Finn, Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto - also the great instructors I've had at USC: Richard Smith, Steve Travato and Bruce Forman

My guitar lessons take place in:

The teacher's studio

Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas:

Old Town Music @ Colorado Blvd in Pasadena and students' homes in the Pasadena area

Guitar Techniques:

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

Your first guitar lesson with me might include the following:

The first lesson is the most important because it's when we establish where the student's at and where he/she wants to go. A lot of what we do to determine depends on the student's age and skill level.

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

A lot depends on the age of the student, their skill level and what they are working on. With younger, beginning students I begin with note reading, chord strumming and basic music theory. With older students who have been advancing steadily, we work on improvisation, jamming, music theory and specific songs they're interested in learning. I often have students bring in their iPods and choose a song they want me to teach them.

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

My ideal student is someone who loves music and is willing to practice!