Aaron Doerr
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fellow musician
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If you're practicing and it sounds good, you're not practicing
A teacher, to the class
Webster University
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Schedule and
Availability
FAQ
Should I start on acoustic or electric?
Knowing you'll eventually need an amp too, electric instruments are much easier to play. The strings aren't as thick and they're not as high off the fretboard. This means the strings won't dig in to your fingers as much while you're building causes. You can't go wrong with an entry level guitar from reputable brands. I was gifted a Fender Squire to learn on and I still have it.
How long should I practice per day/week?
This is my favorite question because I have the perfect response: How good do you wanna get? A lot has been written about the ten thousand hours of mastery concept and even more about how people learn. I think if you're playing every day, you'll be able to overcome challenges.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancelations are generally uncharged. I can fill the time with another student if I get enough warning.
What are lessons like?
Lessons are sixty minutes long. We address your relationship with music and improve that relationship. I like to make practice routines, track metronome times, diagram shapes on fretboards like constellations, transcribe music and --most importantly-- build a repertoire of songs that have personal meaning.
Do you teach beginners?
Yes.
What age do you start?
I teach ages 9 to 90. On the edges of this range, we would be considering things like fine motor skills and technical aptitude. Very young guitarists will need a half size instrument, or 3/4 size --depending on fit. I recommend electric at that age for ease of use. Very old guitarists might be limited by the hand's range of motion or finger independence.
Do I have to read music to learn?
No. As a result of our studies, all students will, as a matter of course, gain literacy. Sight reading chord charts is usually the first of these skills. For students, I write music on the TAB clef (as opposed to the treble clef) for two reasons: 1. I cannot sight-read the treble clef. That's right, I am literate but not fluent. 2. Tablature is less coded for beginners.
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Only a bad carpenter blames their tools
folk knowledge
"
Fellow Musician lesson studio
Studio Specs: DAW - Mac software; Audio Interface - Focusrite Saffire; Microphones - Shure, Rode, AKG; Floor Speakers - Klipsch RP280F stereo pair; Amplifiers - Marshall G50R CD combo, Hughs & Kettner 20th anniversary, Crate GT15; instruments - Ibanez artcore, Fender Squire, Stolzer Luci, Takamine Jasmine, Ibanez rickenfaker bass, Thor 4 piece drum kit (Aquarian, Remo & Zildgen), Alesis recital keyboard, DigiTech JamMan looper, Garageband recording + MIDI ... instruments through amps and software Proper tuning and care of instruments
Materials
Aaron's guitar packet of original designs come in a glossy, branded oversize ADfm folder. The worksheets are designed in a way that allows us to extract increasing amounts of information from them as we grow. Sheet music, TAB, chord charts, transcriptions, and various exercises will be added regularly. It is expected that students bring this folder every time we meet.
Aaron Doerr fellow musician guitar picks
Aaron uses a mix of formal and informal notation when teaching all ages and skill levels.
We'll be...
...tuning our instruments accurately
...setting proper tone and volume levels
...warming up with song playalongs
...checking in with goals, lesson notes
...aware of foundational techniques and concepts
...drilling isolated phrases
...organizing and printing new music
...transcribing music
...drawing on fretboard diagrams
...writing using formal & informal rhythm notation
...consulting live renditions from artist videos
...comparing demonstration videos
...building a repertoire
...creating new worksheets
...playing to backing tracks
...tracking metronome times
...experimenting with other common rock instruments
...playing through solid state and tube amps
...playing through amp modeling software
...answering questions
...adjusting weekly practice routines
...reviewing goals
...summarizing expectations for next time
...
...Practicing better, Playing better.
Testimonials
Many years ago as a teenage girl in the Beatles era, I learned some guitar chords from my dad. (I'd played piano and knew how to read music, and had a good sense of rhythm--even wrote some of my own songs.) Figuring out how to play along with the first two Beatles albums was my motivation. Since then, I've taken lessons every now and then, but until I began working with Aaron three months ago, I hadn't found someone who could teach me what I wanted to learn in a way that was the right mix of challenge, fun, theory, technique, and pure enjoyment. Aaron's feedback is very constructive, and I've learned different ways to approach a technique or piece I'd like to learn. He provides lots of good teaching aids: demonstrations, materials, and practice exercises that help with skill building and motivation. It's clear that Aaron loves teaching and enjoys seeing his students progress. Plus he's a good guy, has a sense of humor, and is committed to improving his own musical and teaching skills.
Our daughter has taken guitar lessons from Aaron for over a year now and several of her friends do so as well. Aaron is great with the kids, very enthusiastic but measured in his approach to teaching and my daughter really enjoys it. I have no problem leaving her with him for lessons. Additionally, he will occasionally get many of his students in front of an audience at a small venue for a performance, which really helps with their confidence.
Aaron... is an amazing music teacher. He challenges and encourages with enthusiasm and a positive attitude... such a great learning experience. He is also flexible - kids taste in music changes and Aaron goes with it, allowing them to experiment an try new things. In addition he is flexible in scheduling, punctual and professional. I'm not a musician myself, but we have seen great results with the techniques he uses. Very happy with our progress.
I've been taking lessons with Aaron for about a month now, and it's been enjoyable and effective. I've always had trouble learning scales, keys, fretboard theory, etc. because it's basically boring. Aaron took a list of songs I wanna play, teaches me the techniques of how to play them, and then relates it all back to the key and the boring stuff. I've learned a lot more in a short time than I have in years trying to digest stuff from books. Will definitely keep working with him!
Aaron is super flexible and professional. Adaptive to all learning styles and well versed in teaching guitar! Would reccommend Aaron to anyone! :)
I've been taking lessons on and off with Aaron for a few years, and I always enjoy them. Aaron focuses on the music that I like to play, and finds a way to help me build my skills within the genre of music that I enjoy and would like to perform. He always makes the lessons fun, but appropriately challenging. Most importantly, he provides a lot of opportunities to perform with other students and musicians, which keeps me motivated to practice and improve. I would, and often do, recommend Aaron for anyone considering taking guitar lessons.
Our daughter has taken guitar lessons from Aaron for over a year now and several of her friends do so as well. Aaron is great with the kids, very enthusiastic but measured in his approach to teaching and my daughter really enjoys it. I have no problem leaving her with him for lessons. Additionally, he will occasionally get many of his students in front of an audience at a small venue for a performance, which really helps with their confidence.
I'm in my mid-20s, and wanted to learn to play the guitar. Aaron had me on stage at an open-mic night within just a couple of months! He's a lot of fun, very professional, and very patient. He has a great teaching philosophy, focusing both on playing technically proficient, as well as being able to really hear that music and the notes. Some of the fastest hour lessons of my life!
Aaron is the second guitar teacher I've had and by far the best. I've progressed in practically every way with my acoustic guitar in less than a year. I feel like each week I'm given the tools, instructions, and encouragement I need to practice and move forward. His knowledge of and skill with guitar are obvious and amazing, but I never feel overwhelmed. Plus he's just a cool, down-to-earth dude who's fun to be around. I'd recommend taking lessons with Aaron to anyone!
We found exactly the music instruction and support we'd been looking for in Aaron Doerr! We knew it would take a professional with a unique combination of creativity, patience, and high expectation. As an adult with no previous musical training and a teenager with a complex disability, we know we'll need to work hard if we're ever going to make beautiful music on our guitars. Every week, Aaron is ready to get right to work where ever we left off! And every week, we leave with more knowledge and develop more skill.
Aaron is a GREAT teacher. Very professional and responsive to all my questions. He is always very prepared for each lesson. He has a game plan to get my guitar planning to where I want to be as fast as possible. He is very $ affordable. I recommend him highly.
In a word, I have to say Aaron is awesome! I've "played at" guitar since I was a teenager... Aaron very quickly took me to new levels with a deeper knowledge of the fretboard, reading/understanding tabs, Travis picking, lead guitar and theory, all backed up with disciplined drills. In less than 6 months, Aaron has taken me to levels and skills I never thought I could accomplish. He hosts open mic nights where his students can play together (and overcome stage fright). Online notes from each lesson are provided so students can review "homework", link to backing tracks or videos. This has been a very helpful addition to the 1-hour lessons. He also selflessly recommends other instruction venues... to round out skill sets. Very highly recommended!
My son has been taking lessons with Aaron over the last 4 years. Aaron provides a fantastic learning environment and very engaging musical community that allows each student to learn and grow at their own pace. I would enthusiastically recommend Aaron to any student/family looking for a high quality, professional and fun learning experience.
My middle-school son has had Guitar lessons with Aaron as a starter from 2 years ago. My son can play decent music pieces by now. It ended up four friends of my son are students of Aaron as well... Aaron also offers performance opportunities in public that motivates students for working harder. Aaron is good at communicating with students and parents as well. As a parent, I know what is going on with his program and my son's progress. I can see that my son enjoys playing as one of his most favorite activities.