Aaron Parker Guitar Lessons

My teaching approach:

Through the years I have developed a curriculum which will allow the student to become a well rounded musician with skills ranging from ear training to theory knowledge, sight reading to improvisation. That way a student can be ready for any musical enviroment they may encounter. I began guitar lessons myself when I was 12 years old. Studied until I was 17, then left home for Berklee College of Music. I spent several semesters there before leaving school to tour the country with various bands and as a hired gun. I continue to study guitar through various master classes.

My influences are:

Jazz/Fusion/Avante Garde: Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Jeff Parker, Attila Zoller, Bern Nix, Dom Minasi, Wes Montgomery, John Abercrombie, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Mary Halvorson, Marc Ribot, John McLaughlin, Nels Cline, Derek Bailey Rock/Blues/Indie: Jimi Hendrix, James Blood Ulmer, Mike Bloomfield, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Wilco, No Knife, Mock Orange, Owls, Joan of Arc Many others, too many to list

Guitar Lessons with me take place in the following areas:

Teaching studio @ Ridenhour Music Center in Salem,VA

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:

The first lesson is usually a get to know you and your skill level, your goals and roadblocks that are holding you back from said goals. I have a set of questions I ask to see where your knowledge and experience lies. Once we've figured out your goals and the holes in what is already known we establish a lesson plan and a timeline for that plan.

A guitar lesson with me might entail the following:

Depending on the plan of study the student and I have set up typical lessons are either in half hour or hour time slots. Through the course of a single lesson we typically review material from the previous lesson, making sure there are no questions and the material is thoroughly understood. We examine new material, either from a selected method book or from a handwritten curriculum. We go over examples and demonstrations of the material.

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

Anyone who is open to learn and is willing and capable of committing at least 30 minutes a day or the weekly equivalent to at home practice.