Fort Mill Guitar Lessons
About
As an active recording musician and a member of the THMC Elite Guitar Teacher's Inner Circle, I offer you something that the rest of my competition cannot.
Freedom.
No more being held captive by limiting methods, thoughts, or practices. I will work with you to get to the core of your needs and help you develop not into the musician you think you can be, but the one you dream of being and deserve to be.
I specialize primarily in metal and symphonic rock music for the electric guitar, and bring a background grounded in both rock and classical. Working together, we can use this to create a much deeper understanding of music that translate to both the ear, the guitar, and the mind, giving you unlimited freedom without all the boring drills that make you hate practicing.
I offer lessons for everyone from beginners to advanced on things including but not limited to:
1) Guitar Playing
2) Composition
3) Songwriting (different than above)
4) Music Theory
5) Ear Training
Your first lesson is always free, so give me a call and shoot me a message, and lets work together on getting you the results you DESERVE.
Music is my burning passion. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of it. Whether it's helping someone get better, or simply making and performing my own music, it never feels like work even when I'm working hard.
Highlights
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Customers will need to leave me a voicemail or send me an email with their name, number, and what they're calling about. (I may be with a student and usually don't answer unknown numbers for productivity's sake. You'll thank me for this when we're in a lesson). I will then reach out and depending on the needs, we'll have one of two likely approaches:
For beginners, we'll schedule a meeting at a Starbucks or at my teaching location to discuss details, (depending on schedule, whether you already have the guitar vs. whether you're getting it soon, etc.) and so I can do a general assessment of what your real long term goals are (chances are, you're still trying to figure them out yourself). We'll dig deep into your tastes, find out what it is about music that you're really passionate about, and then we'll go from there. We will also schedule an introductory free lesson before we ever do a financial transaction so that you can be sure it's right for you.
In the case of non-beginners, or even beginners who've worked with other teachers. After our initial phone conversation, we will schedule an hour to hour and a half meeting at my teaching location where, similarly to beginners, we'll dig deep into your interests, your goals, and what really drives you about music, do a quick assessment of your playing abilities, and we'll do the introductory free lesson on the spot to help you with your current biggest issue.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Member of the Tom Hess Music Corporation Elite Guitar Teacher's Inner Circle (I.E., I am the only teacher in the area that has access to training materials an elite group of super teachers have used to get students results all over the world.)
College:
B/A Computing in the Arts from College of Charleston with a concentration in music theory and composition.
Real World:
Lead guitarist for melodic death metal band Skydethnetix.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Yes, but explaining all of it here would just confuse you. Price will depend on your needs, frequency of lessons, whether you do group sessions or one-to-one (there are benefits to both).
I'll summarize it by saying I am a premium service: but that price will not be a barrier to entry. I can work with you to make this work and fit your financial needs while maximizing the value given to you.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
For beginners:
Ask the teacher about the process the instructor will go through. If it doesn't involve playing music from day one: run. If it involves learning to read notation on day one: run. If they say they're going to start with basic chords: run. Beginners need to learn following a non-linear process layering certain physical skills on first before they have their minds bogged down with all the theory, and need to start playing real music fast so they can enjoy the process and make long term results.
For everyone:
Ask the teacher if they are paying for mentorship, have studied what makes effective instruction, or if they themselves are writing and performing music. In the last case, make sure to listen to the music. Most teachers, even ones who've been teaching for 30 years, are not educated on how to teach effectively, are not actively doing things in music, and are often overworked and underpaid, leading to high stress lessons with no results. Ask if the instructor teaches group sessions, if they have classes, or what kind of lesson options they have. Most people only do one-to-one which is a shame because it misses a lot of opportunities for growth. Ask the instructor what kind of lessons they offer. If they can't answer this with something other than "I offer guitar lessons" you're missing the opportunity for all the other skills you'll need to make and play good music. A good guitarist needs to be able to do much more than simply play physical parts to be a good musician.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Regarding Lessons:
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Don't get your head set on "I need this format and this amount of time" before you get to your meeting with your guitar instructor. You're paying them to get your results, trust them and that they will know what's best for you. We'll work with you to make sure it fits your needs, and sometimes that may mean we benefit more from shorter sessions with a higher frequency, or in some people's schedules it might be the opposite.
Regarding Price:
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One thing you should think about: Don't let price intimidate you. Guitar teachers are like tattoo artists, you get what you pay for. A budget guitar teacher is going to give you budget results. However where things differ is that a tattoo artist is a one time transaction. If you are genuinely tight on cash, you will benefit more from say, doing two lessons a month with a good teacher versus spending that same cash for four lessons from an average teacher.
Think about it this way:
Take two gym memberships... Planet Fitness, and a Gold's Gym. In one environment, people are mostly weak and out of shape because they went with the budget option. In the other, there are generally less weak and out of shape people there, and you're more likely to achieve your goals because you're around people who are achieving their goals.
Now imagine if you could find a way to pay the same price for them, which would you pick? Don't take the budget guys, you'll save so much more in the long run by going with a good instructor.
Regarding Schedule
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This following entries relate to my business specifically, but will give you some additional ideas to ask your instructors. I'm a night owl and I teach late. If you're an adult with kids, we ABSOLUTELY can do lessons at my teaching location after they've gone to sleep, even if it's nine or ten o'clock. That said... don't ever expect a morning lesson or class!
Ask your instructors what kind of hours they're willing to work. Most people probably want to do a typical 9-5, however my schedule is generally more conducive to when you're ACTUALLY available to take lessons.
Teaching Children
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I do not work with young kids. Teens to adults only. That's an entirely different teaching style and communication style that I'm just not good with. That said, if you need help finding a teacher for your student, feel free to give me a call and I can give you some pointers about what to ask potential teachers.