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The First Lesson
The question I get asked most often is "What should I bring
to the first lesson?" You only need to bring your instrument
and some way to record me playing
the material that you'll be working on. I do keep a cassette
recorder in my room, if you just want to bring a tape. If
you need picks, you can get them right at Gryphon. For most
students, I generally use my own lesson books ($20), which
you can purchase from me directly at the first lesson. For
advanced students, my books may not be necessary. I do also
have many handouts of material not in the books. As for payments,
cash or checks are fine. Because I am separate from the store
financially, I cannot take credit cards. Lessons are $40 for a half hour.
If you already play some, I'll want to hear you play a little,
though it need not be much. This is simply for me to quickly
assess where you are. Most of my new students have some trouble
playing at their best due to nervousness, so don't worry if
your hands get a little tied up - I've seen it all before.
And if you're a total beginner, relax, I won't expect you
to play for me at all, at least until I've shown you something.
If you have strong ideas of what direction you want to pursue
(improvising, improving technique, increasing repertoire,
learning to play in a specific style, etc.), let me know. Or
if you just want to be led to the place I think you should
go, that's fine too. I do try to make the lessons as low stress
as possible, and I'm told I'm a pretty low-key guy, so hopefully
it won't be too intimidating taking a lesson, if you worry
about such things. Most of my students actually get to where
they like their lessons!
Return to the Lesson Page.
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