Cameron Schmitz Guitar Lessons

My teaching approach:

Private one on one lessons are geared toward firing up and exposing the unique virtues of the student. I'm a music school graduate and have played guitar for 3 decades and taught for 2! Everyone has his or her own unique voice on the guitar. It's my job to help get that voice heard. All work and materials focus on strengthening technique in areas that are relevant to the student (I won't teach bebop elements to an R&B player - but I will expose jazz concepts to increase awareness, etc). All levels of most every style are offered and with a strong focus on technique and well-roundedness given.

My influences are:

Guitar heroes: Steve Morse, Jeff Beck, Danny Gatton, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, Roy Buchanan, George Harrison, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, Leo Kottke, Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, John Scofiled, Julian Bream, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern and Allan Holdsworth to name a few. Plus Bill Evans, Monk, Bird, Miles, Coltrane,etc

My guitar lessons take place in:

The teacher's studio

Guitar Techniques:

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

Your first guitar lesson with me might include the following:

At an intermediate level, we may play a 12-bar blues and get into the functions of the tri-tones and the Mixolydian mode. If they are a beginner, we look at the parts of the guitar and memorize the notes up to the 5th fret on every string using homemade flash cards. I show them tabs of classic guitar riffs and off we go. A more advanced student might get improv aspects and depending on styles, begin memorizing classic solos of the given genre.

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

For reading skills, I may ask my students to flip their method book upside down. (Try it!) Being a graduate of Berklee College of Music, I am able to tap into many musical resources that I've learned first hand. Add to that the myriad experiences I've had recording, performing live and teaching in a variety of settings and you have someone who can cover the theory and apply it to the fretboard while keeping things fun. No 2 lessons are the same!

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

Whatever age, the ideal student is hungry to learn and grow and wants to express themselves on the instrument. They are dedicated, focused and organized and they have a dream of playing their music at their very best. They are up for the challenge and won't quit when the going gets tough. They are open to all great music and are not close minded to new sounds. They realize how lucky they are to be able to commit themselves to something so cool.