Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance - Paul Elwood

How do lessons with Paul work exactly?

How do lessons with Paul work, exactly?

I offer in-person and online lessons, and the process is slightly different, depending.

In either case, you’re probably interested in playing a particular song, or maybe a couple of ’em. If you’ll give me a couple of choices I’ll pick one and break it down into manageable sections* based on your interest, aptitude and level of experience. We tackle it one piece at a time, at whatever speed is comfortable for you.

During the online lesson I’ll help you figure out any parts you’re having trouble with. Split screen video show both hands and my face, so you can hear and see just what I’m doing. The video is recorded and available to you after the lesson, along with a synopsis, action items and significant take-aways, courtesy of Fathom the online AI teaching assistant I use.

In-person lessons are very useful for brand-new guitarists! You can get a sense of how to hold the instrument, tuning, finger position, music theory as it pertains to guitar playing and much more.

Sign up for your first free lesson here:

Guitar Lessons In-Person

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* how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

“I believe every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it.” – B.B. King

[…]

Paul2026-06-08T20:28:30-04:00

Can’t Buy Me Love

Can’t Buy Me Love

“Can’t Buy Me Love” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in March 1964 as the A-side of their sixth single. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The song was included on the group’s album A Hard Day’s Night and was featured in a scene in Richard Lester’s film of the same title. The single topped charts in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, France and Sweden. In the UK, it was the fourth highest selling single of the 1960s.

Can’t Buy Me Love chords and lyrics

“Where words leave off, music begins.” – Heinrich Heine

Paul2026-06-23T13:42:25-04:00

How do you stay motivated as a older beginning guitarist?

How did you stay motivated as a beginning guitarist (who is over 50 years old)?

Two pieces of advice I offer all my students, regardless of their age. First: manage your expectations! You cannot expect to master this in weeks or months, it is the work of a lifetime. You can, however- and this is my second piece of advice- have fun while you’re learning!

I ask my students not to set the guitar down until they do something that makes them smile. I don’t care what it is! Did you play that single note beautifully? Did you finally get that strumming pattern you were aiming at? Did you learn something new about the neck of the guitar? Enjoy the ride, pat yourself on the back frequently and have fun with it! Having fun doing anything spikes up your endorphins, and that is a great way to stay motivated, imho.

“There is always going to be somebody more advanced than you. You can only aspire to meet your own expectations, and if that is just pure joy, then you are on the right track.” —

Paul2026-06-08T20:23:34-04:00

San Francisco Bay Blues

Sanfrancisco Bay Blues

“San Francisco Bay Blues” is an American folk song and is generally considered to be the most famous composition by Jesse Fuller. Fuller first recorded the song in 1954, which was released by the World Song label in 1955. A “one-man band” rendition of the song featuring a kazoo solo was recorded by Fuller during a 1962 concert. It appears on a Smithsonian Folkways compilation, Friends of Old Time Music.

Topic Records issued the original Jesse Fuller version on a 10-inch vinyl LP called Working on the Railroad in 1959 and included it as track six of the first CD of the Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten.

During the 1960s American boom in popular commercial recordings of folk and folk-inspired music, the song was recorded by more than a dozen soloists and folk groups, including Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, the Weavers, the Rooftop Singers, Tom Rush, Richie Havens, and Peter Paul and Mary. Since Fuller’s introduction, there have been at least 88 recordings of the song in English and other languages, including jazz […]

Paul2026-06-22T09:24:04-04:00

How do I transpose guitar chords?

A bass player I played with for a while showed me this neat trick. Thanks Lenny! First make a row of notes like this, a half-step apart. we’ll start with C. Notice that we’re listing all the notes, not just the C scale notes.

What key do we want to transpose to?How about E? Rewrite the note names exactly in order but underneath the first row, starting with E.

Now we can clearly see what notes correspond to the notes in the C scale. In the scale of C, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A and B. In the key of E, the notes are E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# and E.

Do you see? So let’s say you Have a C major triad in C and you want to transpose it to the key of E. In any key the Major triad is one, three and five; in C major, 1,3 and 5 are C, E and G. Moving those numbers to the key of E, what you’re saying is “if C is now E, then E=G# and G=B. All you’re looking for when you transpose is the same relationships in a scale with a […]

Paul2026-06-26T13:13:46-04:00

Ken lockwood Gorge

ken lockwood gorge

This was created on an Akai MPK mini (keyboard) and Logic Pro on the iMac.

Ken Lockwood Gorge is between Califon and High Bridge in Lebanon Township of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was purchased in 1948 by the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife and has been referred to as “one of New Jersey’s most beautiful places.” It is presently administered by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The 2½-mile (4 km) stretch of the South Branch Raritan River comprises the central feature of this 563-acre (228 ha) Wildlife Management Area. Steep, hilly woodlands host a plethora of flora and fauna including both game and non-game varieties, including a diverse population of birds and mammals.

Ken Lockwood Gorge is best known as a trout fishing destination. The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife has designated the area as a “Trout Conservation Area”, in which a separate set of rules apply. The limits are different from most other sections of the Raritan River, and fishing with bait is prohibited.

The gorge is named after Kenneth F. Lockwood, an outdoor journalist and conservationist. Ken Lockwood was best known for his column, “Out In The Open”, which ran in the now-defunct Newark Evening News. He was also a strong advocate for land […]

Paul2026-06-15T17:27:48-04:00

What is the best instrument to play around a campfire?

What is the best instrument to play around a campfire?

OF COURSE it’s a Tuba.

Hands down, the best instrument to play around a campfire for several solid reasons. Number 1, you (tuba campfire player) will generate stories that will last for decades. 30 years or more from the date of your campfire intubation (I may be spelling this incorrectly), people will still be marveling at your verve and chutzpah and the precision with which you hammer out those blazing tuba riffs. Secondly, when you run out of tunes or when people beg you to stop playing, you can pack the bell with ice-cold lagers. See? two excellent reasons for tuba camping. Thirdly, tuba music, I have heard, is an excellent bear, raccoon and bigfoot repellent. Bravely you will sit up all night long gently oompa-ing into the forest, and your camping mates will sleep all the more soundly for hearing that rock-steady stream of tuba’d quarter notes echoing through the darkness.

So bungi that instrument to the top of your sedan and head for the woods! You’ll be glad you left your guitar at home, imho.

From a reader: Sorry to disillusion you, but although tuba music is an excellent bear repellant, it acts like a mating call for moose. (I don’t know […]

Paul2026-06-18T11:49:26-04:00

Dinner at the Alabardero

Dinner at Alabardero by Paul Elwood is written in a Chamber Jazz and Gypsy Jazz (Jazz Manouche) fusion style, heavily incorporating elements of traditional European folk, blues, and classical counterpoint.The piece is scored as an instrumental duet for Classical Guitar and Acoustic Bass. It blends traditional jazz harmony with an avant-garde, chromatic compositional approach.

Classical Guitar <—> Acoustic Bass

[ Harmonic Style ] [ Melodic Motion ] [ Rhythmic Structure ]

• Chromatic Jazz Chords • Syncopated Hooks • 4/4 Time Signature
• Diminished Passing • Sudden Register Jumps • “Walking” Bass Lines
• Rapid Key Shifts • Blues/Folk Flourishes • Highly Improv-Ready

Harmonic Style & Musicality

Intricate Jazz and Chromatic Chords:

The chord progression bypasses standard diatonic patterns. It relies on complex jazz sonorities like F6, B♭7, A7, and B(b9) interspersed with diminished chords (Fdim, Edim, E♭dim) that act as tense, chromatic passing mechanisms.

Rapid Modulations:

The tonality shifts quickly through contrasting spaces. For example, measures 8–12 jump rapidly through E -> Fdim -> A -> Am -> D7 -> G -> Gm -> C7, creating a […]

Paul2026-06-21T16:51:03-04:00

G major scale

Guitar lesson G major scale. The word “Position” simply tells us what fret our first finger is going to be on, so in second position, 1st finger is on the 2nd fret. In 3rd position, 1st finger is on the 3rd fret.

Download the associated PDF here

But there we have 5 frets and only four fingers! Pinkie finger has to do some extra work here, so he can cover the 6th and 7th fret. A 5 fret stretch scale is an excellent exercise to help us teach all our fingers to move accurately and independently.

Also, both the 2nd and 3rd position G Maj. scales are “portable”, meaning that they don’t need an open string. Essentially, if we learn these Major scale patterns in one position we will have them in all 12 keys. Pretty cool, right? Practice these patterns starting at the root, moving to the octave, ascending and descending

G scale is spelled “G,A, B, C, D, E, F# and G. G Major has one sharp which is the 7th (F#), establishing the pattern for adding sharps for the rest of the sharp keys. All the other notes in G are the same notes as in the C major scale, and this makes sense because G […]

Paul2026-06-08T20:27:59-04:00

New Orleans Weekend

A trip to New Orleans with Mrs. E was lots of fun and very inspiring!

Lead Sheet for New Orleans Weekend

According to our tour guide, if you have New Orleans in mind as a final resting place, he suggests as a first step, moving here and learning to play an instrument. The musician’s tomb in Cemetery #1 would be your last port of call. I especially like the symbolism of the blue note in the center of the cross on top. The blue note is pretty darn important!

During some down time on our last day in N’awlens I put this down- “New Orleans Weekend”. Sounds like it has a sort of French influence to me. Or maybe that’s the fried oyster po’boy I hear…

This (and all my other music too, come to think about it) was written with musescore which is a FREE! notation software and pretty easy to get a handle on. If you like music and you want to look under the hood a little I highly recommend it.

“If you want to work consistently, you have to be a team player.” – Russell Malone

Paul2026-06-15T10:38:16-04:00

About Paul

How do lessons with Paul work, exactly?

OF COURSE it’s a Tuba.

Harmonic Style & Musicality