Other Musical Services

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Acoustic Guitar Lessons

Are you interested in learning to accompany yourself on guitar while singing rock, pop, or folk songs? I am a singer/songwriter who has been playing acoustic guitar for over twenty-five years. For acoustic guitar lessons, I typically provide students with a lead sheet that includes the chord symbols and lyrics for the song they are learning. We then practice playing and singing the song together. Strumming patterns, finger style playing, and arranging will play important roles in our lessons. Because we will be singing together, I can also address vocal technique and harmonization.

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Tin Whistle Lessons

If you want to play traditional Irish tunes such as jigs, barn dances, reels, and hornpipes, I am happy to introduce you! I teach tunes primarily by ear as that is how traditional Irish music is typically learned and played. Once students can play a tune cleanly, I will discuss concepts such as tonguing, breathing technique, and how to play the various ornaments that characterize Irish music such as cuts, taps, slides, and rolls.  

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Music Theory Lessons

Music theory explores the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic relationships that make up the language of music. Without a firm grasp of music theory, the notes that form a piece of music are random. Theory explains how they are connected and why various combinations of notes make a piece sound the way it does. A knowledge of music theory can help students learn and remember pieces more easily. For students who enjoy composing and songwriting, music theory can help with instrumental arranging and creating vocal harmony. While all lessons I offer touch on music theory, if you want to dive more deeply into the subject music theory lessons are for you!  

 

Songwriting/Music Production 

Many teens and adults enjoy writing songs but struggle with finding the best key for their voice, the right chords to go with the melody, and how to make the sections of a song stand out. Many songwriters also want quality recordings of their songs but do not know how to accomplish this. I can help budding songwriters with these areas. Many of the features that make recordings sound professional can be accomplished through virtual instruments and pitch/rhythm editing programs such as Melodyne. I can teach songwriters how to use these programs or I can handle the editing and production of your music myself. ​​​​​​​​