Joe Mack Guitar Lessons

Joe Mack Guitar Lessons

4.8(4 reviews)

About

My teaching approach: I taylor my lessons to the student in front of me, what their goals are and the best way to achieve them. As a guitarist, singer,songwriter, producer & teacher I have a history of performing in a variety of situations for over 40 years. I have traveled across the United States, Canada, the Carribean & England, performing with Gail Moran-Corea, sitting in with the legendary Les Paul at the Iridium Club in New York City, appearing onstage with Steve Vai as his guest & playing with Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. My guitar lessons take place in: In the teacher's studio Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas: My home-studio is in Nahant. I teach mostly North Shore residence but can also give lessons online. Guitar Techniques: Recording and Production, Guidance In Equipment Selection, Lead guitar, Rhythm guitar, Slide Guitar, Vocal Accompaniment, Performance, Improvisation, Jamming Skills, Music Theory, Scales and Exercises

I love to play and I'm very happy to pass along the knowledge that I've aquired over the years.


Highlights

49 years in business
Serves Nahant , MA

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PATRICK M.

Patrick Murray
I began taking lessons with Joe Mack when I was only nine years old, having received
no prior musical instruction of any kind. I will never forget being asked what kind of music I
would like to play, and promptly responding, “classic rock”. It was then that Joe told me to ditch
the beat up acoustic that I had brought to my first lesson, and head to Guitar Center for an
electric guitar. This was my first indication that I had found an excellent teacher. The fantastic
thing about Joe is that he will happily adapt to music that his students wish to play, while
simultaneously sharing his own wisdom and vast knowledge of the guitar. Joe’s teaching style
consists of a perfect blend of honing his students’ technical abilities while making the lessons
extremely fun. Joe implements a vast collection of technical exercises, made to perfect picking
and fingering frets in unison, along with building hand and finger strength. By repeating these
exercises at the beginning of every lesson, the increase in finger strength and becomes
becomes progressively more noticeable. Along with this highly effective technical training, Joe
works tirelessly to build a student’s repertoire. Not only will he happily teach you any song you
wish to learn, Joe is always recommending new songs, taking great care that they will provide
you with a challenge without being too advanced for your abilities. I will never forget what Joe
said to me after having taken lessons for about four years. Having spent hours learning new
songs, improving my technical abilities, and memorizing the seven modes, we then moved on to
mastering the art of improvising. Joe’s instruction on this matter went something like this, “Now I
want you to remember all the scales you’ve been learning, and completely forget it all.” While
initially confused by this, it became clear what Joe was explaining to me. Once I had memorized
these scales and particular licks, they were now ingrained in my muscle memory. Joe explained
to me that to craft a truly meaningful guitar solo, it is important not to overthink anything, but
rather to let what you already know pour out of you naturally. Looking back at my instruction
with Joe, I am extremely grateful for his teaching method. By tirelessly practicing scales and
technical exercises, I have been given the freedom to explore the guitar with ease, and allow my
original ideas to flow with ease.
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February 21, 2018

RW

Rick W.

Joe Mack is not only an incredible guitar player and performer, hes also an excellent guitar teacher. I had been trying to learn to play the guitar for years using books and youtube videos and got absolutely nowhere. All of that changed when I met Joe Mack and began taking lessons from him. I knew some of the basics and Joe put them into perspective and created the structure to apply them. He made sure I stayed involved by throwing in new songs along the way so I could see and feel my progress. Its been over 4 years and Joe continues to challenge me…not to mention that I get a mini-performance each week that keeps me motivated to become as good a guitarist as him.
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February 21, 2018

MM

Mike M.

I strongly recommend Joe Mack as a guitar teacher and mentor. My son and I started studying with Joe about 8 years ago. He has been an incredibly positive force in our lives. Joe has a patient and adaptable teaching style, a very thorough knowledge of music and a great method focused on modes and learning through playing songs you love. My son Patrick has flourished as a guitarist, playing lead player in his school’s jazz ensemble, playing a serious lead rock and blues guitar and earning acceptance to the Berklee College of Music. Joe got him on stage early with the Joe Mack band and gave him confidence which he will have for the rest of his life. He’s off at school now at Brown University and continues working with Joe over the internet. I continue to play and work with Joe, and each new song gets easier to learn. It is also a real pleasure to have Joe as a friend. And he plays an awesome guitar. Mike
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February 12, 2018

SK

Steve K.

Joe, I want to thank you very much for accepting me as a student and teaching me the correct way to play the electric guitar. I first started playing the guitar in 1973 at the age of 16. I have owned one or more guitars throughout my lifetime and have played music for friends and family since then. However although I could strum along with the rhythm I was never really able to execute some of the more advanced lead parts in songs until I began studying with you and learning some of your methods and techniques. I have really enjoyed learning from you and hope to return to weekly lessons as soon as the project that I have been working on is completed. Best Regards, Steve Kaufman
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February 12, 2018

Frequently asked questions

It all depends on where the person is at, for me to decide which way to start. The person's goals are very important in determining what we are going to do. What kind of music the student likes is key also.

 My lessons are made up of 3 basic ingredients; 1). Technical training, getting control over both hands, 2). Theory what scales go with what chords, stuff taht you can use immediately, 3) FUN, You have to enjoy learning, to play any instrument well is a journey and the journey should be appreciated.

I've been performing as a professional guitarist for 40 yrs, I've studied privately on and off for over 40yrs. I've also taken courses on how to study, how to watch students reactions to make sure they are getting it and how to use gradients so that you don't overwhelm the student.

A 1 hour lesson is $75.00 a half hour lesson is $40.00.

After studying privately for years I decided to teach others

and It's been very fullfiling.

I've worked with students from age 5 to 65 and everywhere in between. Some of my students have been accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and some have gone on to playing professionally.

My student Patrick getting accepted to Berklee was thrilling!!

Ask questions about their methods, are they using a metronome (a time keeping device), what experience do they have. Listen to them play- do you want to play like that?

They need to be clear about their goals and their commitment to the instrument.


Services offered

Guitar
Music Theory