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Mike O'Malley Guitar Lessons

Mike O'Malley Guitar Lessons

5.0Exceptional(32 reviews)

About

My teaching approach: I've been playing since 1979, when I was 9 years old. I graduated from what is now called "Mcnalley/Smith college of music in 1988. I have been playing in bands performing and recording ever since. I currently play in the band Crooked Dice. I work with each student to help them realize there goals in music. I have a broad range of knowledge and taylor each lesson to my students needs. My influences are: Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Eric Clapton, SRV, Joe Pass, Paco Delucia, Bach,Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson etc My guitar lessons take place in: The teacher's studio Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas: Richfield 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: I give them a survey that goes over past experience, taste in music, as well as future goals. Then we come up with a plan to help them achieve there goals. A guitar lesson with me might entail the following: Usually we would start by reviewing what we did last week and then work on a new piece of music or technique to help the student advance there skills. Every lesson is different I do not use a "cookie cutter" approach. The qualities I look for in an ideal guitar student might include the following: I don't have one. Everybody is different. If they are willing to learn then they are an ideal student.

I love helping people realize there musical goals. Weather it's play a 3 chord song, to mastering an Eddie Van halen solo, it's all good.

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Highlights

Hired 13 times
1 employee
18 years in business
Serves Minneapolis , MN

Payment methods

Cash, Check, Venmo, Paypal

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    • Reviews

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    JH

    Justin H.

    Before working with Mike I would pick up my guitar occasionally, and put it down quickly, with no direction of learning. After the first lesson with Mike I was doing basic chord strumming, and within only a few weeks I was playing rhythm for some of my favorite songs. In the nearly 2 years that I took lessons with him I learned a lot and always looked forward to learning another song.
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    August 30, 2022
    CP

    Cameron P.

    Ive been taking lessons with Mike for a few years now and Im very happy with the progress Ive made. Mike is a great teacher, hes very knowledgeable and talented, and he does a really good job of incorporating my questions and interest into our lessons. He gives me good constructive feedback and always has good suggestions on how to improve. Mike has a lot of real world experience playing in bands and recording and producing music which he also works into our lessons and I find that to be incredibly valuable as well. If youre looking for a guitar teacher I would highly recommend Mike.
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    August 08, 2022
    MM

    Michael M.

    I started taking lessons from Mike 6 months ago. Totally thankful he is my teacher. He is teaching me to have fun, to play songs correctly, to develop a productive practice regimen, to NOT be a hack.
    He is extremely knowledgeable about the guitar, guitar theory, and is very adept at creating my own personal lesson(very important)itinerary that matches my skill level, and then elevates that skill level with each incremental song to learn new skill sets. He is currently playing in a band(very important)!!!!
    He is patient and monitors and corrects my playing rather than letting things go(extremely important)!!!! He is very nice and fun to talk to,
    And I absolutely recommend him as a guitar teacher.
    For me personally, He most importantly of all understands and appreciates the genius of Malcolm and Angus.
    Absolutely a 5 star teacher.
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    August 08, 2022
    EB

    Elizabeth B.

    I like how he focuses on what I want to learn. He is also good at being flexible.
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    August 04, 2022
    GS

    Gary S.

    I decided to start learning how to play guitar at age 60, with no musical knowledge of any kind. When I first talked to Mike about taking lessons, he took the time to talk to me about my goals and what it was that I wanted to get out of this. As weve gone through lessons for the past 2 years, weve kept building on the skills Ive learned and added to them as weve gone on. Mike is a great teacher and has a lot of patience. Whether youre a complete beginner like me or someone who already plays and just wants to get better, I would definitely recommend Mike.
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    August 04, 2022
    SL

    Sandra L.

    Mike is a master of the guitar. He can pick up any style of music and play flawlessly. That said, I believe his greatest strength is catering to each individual student, understanding their taste in music and abilities. He picks out lessons/songs that keep the student engaged. He also offers advice on the best equipment to own. It is not a one size fits all. I also appreciate that he is flexible and will work with the students schedule. I have been taking lessons for four years at this point, and have improved a lot! I still love going to my lessons and playing guitar
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    August 04, 2022

    Frequently asked questions

    During the first lesson, I give mt students a survey. The questions are about musical taste and goals etc. This puts us on the same page, and we can discuss a good plan for helping them realize there potential as a player thru learning the music that they love.

    I graduated from Music tech in mpls mn in 1988. The school is now called Mcnalley/Smith College of music. I learned a lot about performing, recording, playing in a band, music theory, techniques etc.

    yes I do. It's $35 for 30 minutes, $45 for 45 minutes and $55 for an hour.

    In 2006, I was working at Guitar Center, and one of the employee's asked me for a lesson. I said sure, about 10 minutes into that lesson, I realized that "this is what I was meant to do". I love teaching guitar, it's so cool to see students improve and when they are having fun, so am I.

    All ages, from 7 to 77 years old. I'm 47, and I have had a lot of success teaching baby boomers. I can show them the sountrack of there youth. I don't have a preference of age, everyone is welcome to learn here.

    Make sure they are qualified. Do they play in a band, how about referalls? Do they know the styles of music that you want to learn.

    Services offered

    Guitar