Lesson Information
Fingerstyle Guitar Lessons
Fingerstyle guitar is like a little orchestra. Bruce will teach you fingerstyle guitar in a step by step process.
Here are some of the many things you can learn in lessons with Bruce:
- Add fingerstyle guitar to your singing voice
- Take a simple melody and turn it into a beautiful guitar arrangement
- Use walking bass lines to fill out melodies
- Add harmonics to add a unique edge to your playing
- Learn fingerstyle Brazilian guitar rhythms
- Create Jazz-blues progressions in fingerstyle
Learn great fingerstyle songs and techniques from great guitarists such as Lenny Breau, Chet Atkins, James Taylor, Tommy Emmanuel, Howard Morgen, Martin Taylor, and many more.
Lesson Rates and Details
Lesson costs are straightforward based on how long you would like each lesson to be. If you’re unsure which suits you best, have a talk with Bruce and he will help you decide which is right for you.
Lesson rates for online lessons or in-person lessons in Bruce’s home studio in Niverville, rates are:
- $30 CAD for 30-minute lessons ($20 USD)
- $35 CAD for 45-minute lessons ($25 USD)
- $50 CAD for 60-minute lessons ($37 USD)
30 or 45-minute lessons are recommended for younger teens and beginners who want to pace themselves. Adults and older teens usually benefit from the deeper engagement of the 60-minute lessons.
Easy Online Lessons From Your Home
If you have a laptop with an inbuilt camera or a tablet/smartphone, you already have the equipment needed to start taking guitar lessons with Bruce.
Zoom or Skype lessons are easy. Simply download the latest version of Zoom or Skype and then Bruce and the Student can see and hear each other from anywhere in the world.
The advantages of online lessons are:
- Convenience – No travelling time
- Flexible lesson times
- Lessons can be recorded for later use
- Sharper focus, less distractions
- No geographic or bad weather to contend with
If you’re unsure what you need to do to take online lessons or you live in a different timezone, contact Bruce here and he can help you.
The short video below gives you a glimpse of what you can learn in lessons with Bruce.
What You Can Learn
There are a lot of different things you can learn in guitar lessons with Bruce. Here are three examples of students and how Bruce helped them out.
Learn to Accompany Your Singing
“I had a student who liked to sing blues songs including her own. She was stuck playing the same strumming patterns over and over again. I taught her how to take fingerstyle patterns from other songs.
For example, I showed her how to play the fingerstyle pattern from the song “Deep River Blues” by Doc Watson; the fingerstyle pattern from the song, “You Got to Walk That Lonesome Valley”, by John Hurt, and the fingerstyle pattern from the song, “Candy Man”, by Reverend Gary Davis.
She’s happy now because she has so many new and interesting ways she can mix up her songs and she never feels like she is stuck for ideas when writing.”
If you’re a singer and want to be able to play along with your vocals, Bruce has plenty of experience to help you.
Start From the Basics
“I taught music at an international school in Cairo. I met a Philipino lady in my neighbourhood. She wanted to sing and play guitar in her church but she was frustrated because she had trouble playing and changing chords.
I taught her where to place her thumb, arch her hand, play on her fingertips etc; simple step by step procedures and finger exercises. I also showed her how to get comfortable moving up and down the neck.
She gained confidence and was soon playing and singing in her church. Everybody was happy.”
Whether you’re an experienced guitarist looking at improving your skills or a complete beginner, Bruce can help you.
Write Your Own Music
“I also really enjoy teaching adults. I had one student in Singapore who really
wanted to understand how the guitar works. It’s a big topic so I narrowed it down to taking chords apart in a song and seeing how notes connect between chords, how they rise and fall etc.
From that point on my student just loved analyzing songs and he started composing his own songs.”
If there’s an aspect of music or guitar playing you’re interested in, let Bruce know and he can help you take your interest further.
Talk to Bruce about what you want to learn
If you’re interested in learning fingestyle guitar or want to improve your fingerstyle skills and techniques, have a chat to Bruce to see how he can help you.
Click the button below and let Bruce know what you’re interested in learning and he can let you know if he’s the right teacher for you.