Marshall Biever Music
6 hires on Lessons.com
1 employee
16 years in business
About this pro
I have been teaching guitar for over thirteen years, and I treat teaching as an additional skill separate from understanding music. There are a lot of people who can play the guitar well, but not as many who are also skilled in adapting to each student and what they need to understand a comicated topic. I've been performing in bands of various genres since the age of thirteen, and in addition to taking private lessons throughout high school, I studied guitar for two years at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. I have extensive touring and recording experience across a number of genres and with an extensive list of different groups and projects.
Generally speaking my approach to teaching begins with a focus on rhythm and technical ability before moving on to theory. I prefer to work on music that my students are already familiar with and have a passion for, so I ask my students to bring music they would like to learn to their lessons. I transcribe it and teach it to them in their lesson, and we work on technique, rhythm, and theory through the lens of the music they already love.
The genres I'm most comfortable teaching are rock (of all varieties), funk, blues, indie, pop, beginner jazz, and some finger picking. I also love to incorporate ear training, arranging, and songwriting into my lessons for students who are interested in more advanced theory and application.
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have. Thanks for checking out my profile!
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Credentials
Staunton, VA 24401
Email verified
Phone verified
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Marshalls an awesome teacher for multiple reasons. First, he's extremely talented and can play practically anything by ear. So when I tell him a song I want to learn, if he doesn't already know it, he can give it a quick listen and start breaking it down for me really quickly. This has been awesome for me because I used to waste a lot of time looking up different versions of tabs or watching a bunch of videos. Second, he is really good at breaking down new songs in a way that helps me learn them efficiently. I'm learning songs now that I would have given up on in 5 minutes if I tried to tackle them myself, but having Marhsall break them down into manageable parts has made it much easier and I can learn way quicker. Also, Marshall includes small lessons on relevant music theory while learning a song, which is very interesting when you can see how what he explains relates directly to what you're playing. Lastly, Marshall is just a very patient, kind, and fun person which makes our lessons even that much more enjoyable. I would very highly recommend Marshall if you have any interest in taking lessons.
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Marshall is an an excellent guitar teacher. He plays everything by ear which is impressive. He has extensive knowledge of music theory, which is challenging for me but I'm working on it and he is really patient with my slow learning process.
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Marshall is an amazing guitarist and an excellent guitar teacher. He can play pretty much anything under the sun just by ear, but he also has extensive knowledge of music theory. So, you'll get the perk of being an educated musician as well as guitarist!
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Marshall is not only an amazing guitar instructor, he is also fun and personable, and he made all lessons I had with him incredibly enjoyable and entertaining. He even incorporated my own personal music interests into my learning experience. He made sure that I understood each and every concept well before moving along, which led to incredible outcomes!
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FAQs
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I like to teach through the music they already like. If they've never played at all before, we'll work on basic open chords they can use to play along with songs they like, or simplified versions of chords that are being played in the song till they can work up to the real voicings. I prefer to teach technique and rhythm first, then move onto music theory. I always teach music theory that will be useful to my students based on where they are in their development, as opposed to teaching theory for the sake of it.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I received six years of private guitar instruction, four years of private theory, songwriting, and arranging instruction, and I spent two years at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA studying guitar, performance, and songwriting. I was also trained in theory and ear training at Berklee.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My normal rates are $45 per hour, $38 for 45 minutes and $30 for half an hour.
How did you get started teaching?
I started when I was fourteen years old, teaching my friends the classic rock songs I had learned to play so far.
What types of students have you worked with?
I've worked with students ages 6 to 65, all with varying interest in regards to genre and goals.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I'm about to release a new EP with my acoustic duo, The Lion and The Badger
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Make sure you know what you want to be able to do. Even if all that means is that you have a few artists who's music you'd like to learn. Teachers can only help you so much if you don't know what you want to accomplish.