Charles Williams Guitar Lessons

My teaching approach:

My approach is simple: I ask the student what their goals are and then we map out an approach to meet those goals. The most common method is to learn music/songs by their favorite artists and use the music as a vehicle to identify weakness to focus on improving. For improvising, working on learning by ear is heavily emphasized. For classical, or playing songs from books, then written materials are relied on more. I teach all styles on electric and acoustic and I am a specialist in the gypsyjazz style of Django Reinhardt.A native of Atlanta, Charles received an AA from Emory and a BM in classical guitar from GSU. He has attended master classes with Christopher Parkening and Jose Thomas. As a founding member of the seminal jam band ‘The Aquarium Rescue Unit featuring Col. Bruce Hampton’, (which included Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic, Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Bros, and Jeff Sipe from Trey Anastasio), he contributed songs to the ARU’s Capricorn CDs. Two of these have been performed regularly on the Tonight Show featuring Jay Leno. Charles has also toured with Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, played with the Platters, recorded national commercials for Coke, Turner and others, opened for Steve Morse, NRBQ, Widespread Panic and has performed and recorded with members of Widespread Panic, the Allman Bros, and Phish. Currently, he writes and performs for two groups based in Atlanta; The Bonaventure Quartet and Bernadette Seacrest and her Provocateurs. The Bonaventure Quartet is the winner of Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta Jazz Group 2008 and 2009, and their CD, The Secret Seduction of the Grand Pompadour, was chosen as one of the Best 101 Albums of the Decade by Creative Loafing as well as receiving rave national reviews (all songs were composed by Charles). In addition to numerous articles and reviews in both the domestic and international press, the BVQ has been profiled by Michael Dregni, (biographer of Django Reinhardt), in his definitive books on gypsy jazz as being one of the important gypsy jazz influenced groups in the USA. Charles' other group, Bernadette Seacrest and her Provocateurs, (winner of Best of Atlanta 2007), also receives international press and recently toured France in 2010 with another tour planned for Fall 2010. Charles wrote all the songs for their latest CD, ‘The Filthy South Sessions’. Both groups receive regular airplay, domestically and abroad. His groups have performed in almost every venue in the Atlanta area from the Variety Playhouse to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Charles enjoys playing and teaching all styles at all levels with the structure of the lessons being informed by the interests of the individual student. He is also a specialist in the style of Django Reinhardt, and especially enjoys working with students who are interested in the art of songwriting.

My influences are:

Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, Django Reinhardt, Segovia,Miles Davis, Lester Young, George Barnes, Parkening, Steve Morse, Bill Frisell, Scofield, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen,and many, many, many more

My guitar lessons take place in:

The teacher's studio

Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas:

I teach primarily at my studio at Maple Street Guitars in Atlanta.

Guitar Techniques:

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

Your first guitar lesson with me might include the following:

As written above, we decide what approach you would find fun to pursue!

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

As written above, first we identify your skill level, and then decide what you would like to be able to do on the guitar. Having decided that, then we find the most fun way to go there! Typically, it's learning songs right away that you would enjoy practicing.....

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

I teach a wide variety of players, from hobbyists with limited time, to professionals who are obsessed! I enjoy working with all of them, the common bond is simply a love of music.