LESSONS


Hi, my name is Gary Valeriani. I’m a guitarist, teacher, and licensed Godin guitar dealer with a studio in downtown Walnut Creek. I’ve been playing and teaching guitar lessons in Walnut Creek since 1990, when I first established ‘Bay Area Music Instruction’. I’ve recently changed my teaching and retail business name to ‘GuitarPlayerPlanet’.

Whether you are interested in beginner guitar lessons, or are a more advanced player searching for jazz guitar lessons, I can help you learn to teach all styles of guitar playing, from rock to blues to jazz to folk to country. Whatever style of music you’re interested in, I can help you learn to play it.

Since 1990, I’ve taught thousands of Bay Area guitarists to learn to play the guitar. Along the way I’ve developed a teaching style that combines interesting and varied music materials with a clear and organized teaching method. I write all of my guitar lessons using Finale music software notation, making them easy to read and understand for students of any age.

Regardless of your age or playing level, I can help you attain your personal guitar goals. Whether you’re a beginning guitarist who is looking for a solid musical foundation to build and advance on or a more advanced guitarist interested in expanding your understanding of jazz harmony and improvisation, I can help you move forward in your guitar playing.

The descriptions below give you a general sense of some how I would approach teaching a beginner, intermediate or advanced guitar student on both electric and acoustic guitar.

This is a very general description and is always flexible, depending on the student’s skill level and specific musical tastes.


BEGINNING ACOUSTIC:

Open position chords, strumming patterns, reading rhythms, and exploring the notes on the guitar fingerboard are all taught while you learn to play your favorite songs.

Learn the correct techniques from the start and you’ll never have to ‘unlearn’ bad habits.

You can learn to play great songs by artists such as REM, Tom Petty, Bob Marley, U2, and Coldplay with confidence.

No prior musical experience is needed. I’ll teach you all you need to know to learn how to think and play like a real guitarist.


INTERMEDIATE ACOUSTIC:

More advanced chord forms, major scales, flat picking techniques, and basic improvisation are all covered. Music reading skills are also introduced to help the student go beyond dependence on reading tablature.

You’ll gain added confidence with chords and strumming patterns.  You’ll also move forward in your understanding of music theory, including how chord progressions work.

Strum and sing great songs by artists such as Coldplay, Radiohead, Tom Petty, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Green Day, The Eagles and more.

ADVANCED ACOUSTIC:

Modes, arpeggios,chord/scale relationships, advanced improvisation, jazz theory, and many more concepts and techniques are covered, using a wide range of material and styles.

Learn the styles and play the music of a wide variety of acoustic artists such as Eric Clapton, Madeleine Peyroux, Keb Mo, Norah Jones, Robert Johnson, Joao Gilberto, Paul McCartney, Taj Mahal, Bill Frisell,  Jack Johnson, and many others. 



BEGINNING ELECTRIC:

Learn the fundamentals of a great electric guitar player.

Power chords, blues scales, the I-IV-V blues progression, reading rock rhythms, guitar tab and much more is covered. Work on fingerboard mechanics from the start and learning to play the guitar gets easier and easier.

You’ll also begin to understand the fundamentals of music theory and then learn how to use that knowledge to help ‘unlock’ the guitar fingerboard.

Learning the notes on the fingerboard helps you understand everything that you play in a deeper way. I’ll show you a quick and easy way to develop finger independence while learning the notes on your fingerboard. This changes everything for a beginning guitarist.

You’ll do all of this while learning how to play great songs and cool guitar techniques by artists like The White Stripes, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Chuck Berry.

INTERMEDIATE ELECTRIC:

Continue to develop your technique and you’ll start to have real confidence on the guitar.

We’ll further explore the blues scale and look at how it’s used in rock and blues guitar soloing. You’ll also learn the importance of major and minor scales and how they’re applied when soling and playing rhythm guitar.

Learn how to arpeggiate chords and you’ll be able to create your own great rhythm guitar parts. Understanding moveable chord forms and scales will continue to help you improve your understanding of the fingerboard. 

You’ll learn and work through more advanced guitar techniques by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Guns and Roses, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Frisell, and many others.


ADVANCED ELECTRIC:

Learn new ways to look at the guitar fingerboard.

Modal harmony, jazz chording and soloing, interval studies, and ear training are all a part of an advanced students program. Start thinking outside of scale boxes and the guitar neck opens up in radical new ways. While exploring jazz chords and soloing, you’ll continue to increase your understanding of key centers, modal soloing and much more.


Call or email to set up a free initial meeting.


Lesson slots are available Tuesday through Friday, from 10am to 8pm, and on Saturday from 9am to 5pm.