beginner guitar lessons
with marcus martin

Interested in learning how to play guitar? I'll teach you the basics, and help you develop the skills to continue learning on your own.

I am a full time musician and have been teaching since 1995. I have developed my teaching through some amazing teachers (and some not so amazing teachers).

In addition to writing and touring solo and with my band ARCTIC, I have recorded or toured with Harmony Trowbridge, Adrienne Pierce and Paula Toledo.

the process

I have condensed how I learned to play guitar into a successful method for the beginner.

My lessons are private, enabling us to focus on each individual student's strengths and weaknesses. Each lesson is broken down into weekly exercises, chords, and rhythms. You must allocate 15 minutes per day for these exercises. This gets your hands in shape so you have more control.

My lessons are not designed to be taken on a long-term basis; I teach the student how to focus on their weak points and overcome them on their own. My students are taught to know what to listen for, and how to apply it to their playing.

I don't teach you your favourite songs. I find this approach financially draining, because it doesn’t give you the skills to learn the songs on your own. There is a difference between learning guitar and learning songs.

Instead, I teach you how to listen and apply the lessons so you can put on a CD and play along with it. We do work on a couple of songs of your choice so I can teach you how this method works. I do not teach from one particular book; I find each student has an unique way of learning and I lay out the lessons accordingly.

I am located in Kits Beach. The fee is $40.00 per hour: you buy a group of 4 lessons (4x$40.00 = $160+GST = $168 payable at the first lesson). My fees are structured in this manner to ensure that the student is committed. I allocate one hour per week per student.

Let me know if you are interested. Please email me your number, or you can reach me at 604.880.6376 so we can discuss this further. I have a 100% success rate; I will supply references upon request.

Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely,

Marcus Martin

marcus@vancouverguitarlessons.com

private songwriting / live performance lessons

Can you already play guitar, but are not sure what to do next? Do you dream of taking the stage, singing your own songs or your favorite artist's biggest hits? Now you can, with some hard work and lots of fun.

Course Outline:

We will focus on song structure, dynamics, lyrics, chords & arrangement.
You will be responsible for keeping a weekly practice schedule, working on the song ideas & parts that we cover on each lesson.

You will need a USB key, minimum 2GB in size.

Cover Songs:

Not sure where to start on your own songs? Studying cover songs can teach you a lot. The ideas that we develop in this course can be applied to your original songs.

Originals:

You should have at least three song ideas that include partial lyrics & chords as a starting point. If you don't have this yet, but it is one of your goals, then we can work on cover tunes to get started.

Rules & Regulations:

• Lessons are $50/hr, to be purchased in sets of four lessons ($200+GST=$212.00).
• This is a goal-oriented course, and we will set milestones and deadlines for you to achieve. If you don't practice or write during the week, it is even more important that you don't miss a session.
• All lessons have to be completed within a year of purchase.
• 24hrs notice cancellation charge.

Ready to sign up? Email marcus@vancouverguitarlessons.com or call 604 880 6376.