Basic Principles
1. You will progress at your own pace. It is natural for both your motivation and ability to vary from day-to-day and week-to-week so it follows that your development will be steady but uneven.
2. Sessions will give you insight and direction. Improvement occurs mostly during practice. A weekly half-hour session is optimum to get and keep you on track. Sessions work best in person but Zoom sessions are also feasible.
3. A diligent work ethic is a plus; but you will progress fastest by working smarter rather than harder. Your sessions will give you the tools to learn efficiently and advance quickly.
4. We will develop a personalized program including rehearsal tracks (mp3s) with bass, drums, keys and percussion which will help you get the most out of your practice time. These tracks will evolve as you progress and ensure that you advance your skills and understanding as quickly as possible.
5. Curated input is essential. We will also provide a personalized program of listening exercises which will facilitate your progress in all areas.
6. You will learn proper guitar technique – the easiest and best way to do everything that a guitar is designed to do. We will eliminate bad habits and poor technique.
7. For both efficiency and thoroughness of understanding, we will begin with the roots of all modern popular music, i.e., American Jazz and Blues and then move on into Rhythm and Blues, Rock, Country, Reggae, Funk and Smooth Jazz; but the knowledge and skills you develop will be applicable to all genres.
8. We will focus on the four elements of musicianship: Time, Pitch, Tone, Vibe.
9. You will learn music theory.
10. You will learn how to read and write music, notation, head charts and the Nashville system.
11. You will learn how to play in an ensemble, accompany singers and solo.
12. You will learn how to compose melodies and counter-melodies and use these skills to improvise solos which move listeners and intensify the vibe of the song, cue or movement.
13. You will learn certain, well-curated iconic riffs which will help you to quickly expand both your technique and improvisational skills.
14. If you sing, you will also learn how to properly integrate your singing with your guitar playing and you will be given, step-by-step, everything you need to work on to move your vocal performance to the next level.
15. If your intention is to compose and/or record, you will learn music composition, arrangement and production and how all of the various instruments and singers work together both in recording and live situations.
16. We work with students at all levels from absolute beginners to touring pros.
Economics
1. Sessions are $75 per half hour paid monthly in advance ($300).
2. When there are five session days in a month, we will both take a week off.
3. Sessions are scheduled to reoccur at a set time on the same day each week.
4. If you can’t make your session, no problem; but missed sessions are not rescheduled and there are no refunds or credits for missed sessions.
5. There are no free introductory lessons.
Enrollment
To discuss enrollment, send your name, email address and phone number to me at randell@randellyoung.com. I will reply back with my direct mobile number and a Zoom invite for a brief meeting.
More About Randell Young
For more about me (bio, tracks and videos), simply Google “Randell Young”.