I believe that studying music should be fun and rewarding. If you don't enjoy it, what is the point of doing it?

My Story

I started playing guitar for the same reason that I listened to music. As a kid I would listen to records by The Who, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd for hours. It was only natural, it seemed, to pick up the guitar. It was fun, exciting and it made me happy. I could sit for hours entertaining myself with the discovery that I could actually play my favorite songs. Not perfectly but I could play the song.

Then like most young musicians I entered a very competitive phase. Being able to play was not good enough. I had to be great.

For a long time I was a very serious musician. I studied classical guitar, I took 3 years of theory lessons from the famous guitar teacher in Toronto 'Tony Bradan'. I attended the Guitar Institute Of Technology in California. I worked for a short time as a session player at Motown in Los Angeles.

I practised scales for long hours and didn't have any time for any music that was not technically difficult. Gradually I began to realize that I hardly ever listened to the songs that had originally inspired me.

Guitar wasn't much fun anymore.

It was only some time after I began working as a professional singer I began to seriously develop my ability to play simple well written pop songs. I began to rediscover the music that had originally inspired me. Before long I realized that I enjoyed playing a simple well written pop song by a band like U2 as much as the latest fushion rock tune.

This discovery brought me full circle back to my original reason for picking up the guitar. It was fun and it made me and other people happy to play it. Since then I have learned over a thousand songs and love it.

I think my experience has given me the advantage of being able to understand both the serious student and the hobbyist. I now enjoy approaching the guitar both ways.

I teach with an understanding that there are 2 very different types of students:

1. The player who wants to be a serious musician. He/She wants to learn it all. Will spend many hours practising. This type of student would want to take my Professional Guitar course.
2. The player who just wants to play songs and have fun. Music is not the only thing in their life. This type of student would take my Campfire Guitar course.

Not everybody who picks up a guitar wants to be a virtuoso. This is why I have 2 different guitar courses.