Steel Guitar (Lapsteel) Lessons

Steel guitar is a method of playing any guitar, developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A normal guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use of a bar or slide called a steel (generally made of metal, but also of glass or other materials). The guitar usually needs the nut raised with a temporary raiser and heavier than normal guage strings. I carry the parts needed to convert any guitar for steel guitar style playing.

A Lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar specifically made for the purpose of playing steel guitar style and can be seen in the picture above.

Areas covered:

Playing technique
Music theory
Musicianship
Scales and understanding keys
Modes and their application
Arpeggios, chords & chord construction
Improvisation & soloing
Chord comping
Reading notation, tablature, charts, and sight-reading
Ear-training – identifying intervals, chords, and transcription
Finger & pick styles
Natural and artificial harmonics
Assymetrical time signatures, time changes, and polyrhythms
Alternate tunings
Muting
Vibrato
eBowing
Guitar, amp, and effect settings and application

Lesson Structure:

Students are free to choose the instruments, songs, and styles of music that they wish to persue. Being able to follow ones musical passions I believe is the best way to excel in music, so I nurture those desires with the support of sound technique, theory, and well researched performance and compositional practices.

Lessons are individually tailored to meet the needs and goals of each student. This includes the hand transcribing of music that each student wishes to study.

To faciliate these approaches, lessons are offered on a weekly basis and are one hour in duration. They usually involve half an hour of technical and theoretical work followed by half an hour of musical practice, either playing or composing. Some students choose to see me for two hours a week to draw more benefit from both the technical and practical aspects mentioned, allowing an hour for each component, however this is up to the individual in terms of time and cost.

Philosophy:

I am known for my unlimited patience and dedicated persistence to seeing my students attain their goals.

Whilst being friendly and encouraging I also strive for excellence with each student, striving to push them to the best of their abilities.

I am guided by the students’ unique musical journey rather than trying to steer them, however I can offer guidance when needed.

I understand that all students have different outside pressures and recognise that practise outside of lessons can often be difficult, if not impossible. I am happy to work with students who either practise a lot, little, or even not at all between lessons. The main thing is that my students should find their lives enriched by their involvement with music. Our approach, however, I believe should always be professional, no matter how much or little time we have, as the more we respect music, the greater the rewards.

Ages & Levels

I offer bass & guitar lessons for beginners as well as professional and experienced players that wish to improve and consolidate their musical skills and knowledge and teach all ages from around 10 years old and over.

Rates:

Rates are charged at $110 per hour inc. GST which is slightly lower than the currently recommended rate by the Music Teachers’ Association of Australia.

My rates include preparation time which includes the transcription of music individually for each student and the sourcing and making available of materials needed for each students’ musical direction and development.

I aim to provide the highest quality in musical tuition with fine attention to detail in the areas of technique, theory, and practice. With over 30 years of experience and several qualifications and accolades under my belt, I believe my rates represent value for money.