FAQ about distance guitar coaching, personal online lessons
How do we get started?
How to get started with distance guitar coaching, personal online lessons? Just reach out and we’ll set up an online session. The first one is generally to get acquainted, make sure the technology is comfortable for you, get a baseline on your skill level and for me to understand what your intention is. Based on our interaction, we’ll choose a tune and tailor your lessons specifically to your interests and playing level! Contact me
How does this work exactly?
You’re probably interested in playing a particular song, or maybe a couple of ’em. You’ll give me a couple of choices; I’ll pick one and break it down into manageable sections*. We tackle it one piece at a time, at a comfortable speed 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. I will record any video you might find helpful and post it up to YouTube after the lesson.
* how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
I have online students across the entire country!
Do I need to own a guitar?
Yes. But if you want to use the initial video chat to talk about what kind of instrument you should get, that’s fine! I can show you any of the guitars or ukuleles in my studio; you can hear them played, and we can talk about what might be a good fit.
Prepare
To prepare for your online guitar lesson, please make sure your guitar is tuned and you are in a quiet place. Have your cell phone handy in case the internet connection is weak so that we can continue with the audio part of the lesson. I will take screen video and send it to you after the lesson for you to review.
What about rescheduling a lesson?
Please give me at least 24 hours notice if you have to reschedule and we’ll try to find another time/day that week, hopefully as close to your scheduled lesson as possible. I understand that emergencies come up, but without proper notice, you’ll have to pay for your missed lesson.
How often are the remote guitar lessons?
That is entirely up to you, but most guitar students like to schedule a remote guitar lesson weekly. That way it isn’t too long between one and the next.
What else do I need besides a guitar?
You should invest in a tuner. I like Snark brand tuners myself because they attache to the guitar head stock but there are any number of tuner styles that work fine. The Snark costs about $11. Google “guitar tuner” on Amazon. You should also have access to a metronome. That is super helpful (and super annoying sometimes). Both the tuner and the metronome are available as apps for your phone though, and that’s fine too.
Can I take break from my lessons and pick back up later?
Yes of course! If you want to take off a few weeks, or take the summer off, no worries. Let me know when you’re ready to start back up. Happy guitar-playing!