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Guitar Lessons
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Trying to learn guitar on You Tube? Unfortunately, you’re not going to get very far. See how much you will improve with a real teacher in a music driven environment. We offer private and group for electric and acoustic guitar at all levels. Beginners are always and absolutely welcome at North Main Music! All lessons are customized for the individual student’s needs. Styles covered include: Rock, Jazz, Metal, Classical, Blues, Bluegrass, Country and Slide.
Check out our Guitar teachers below, and watch one of their videos! |
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Travis Shelby
Travis Shelby was born and raised in New Hampshire. He began playing guitar at age 14 and he was initially inspired by bands like Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead. In high school Travis was exposed to various kinds of music including jazz, blues and funk. This exposure would contribute significantly to his future development as a musician and also led him to study with well known jazz piano player Art Matthews. While attending Berklee College of Music, Travis was able to study with master musicians such as Richie Hart, David Newsam, John Baboian. Travis was able to gain further experience playing a wide variety of styles and also has experience in playing in musical pit orchestras and backing bands. Travis recently graduated from Berklee with a BA in music. Teaching Philosophy
“I believe first and foremost that music should be fun. The study of music teaches us to be creative, disciplined and passionate people. It involves a lifetime of learning and growing. The most important elements of music are melody, rhythm and harmony. I teach students these subjects by showing them how they are used in songs, both contemporary and older. I also want to expose students to the history of music so they have a deeper understanding of how it evolved over time. I want my students to leave their lessons feeling inspired to practice and create. I want to see them go out and play with other people and share their music with the world."
Guitar Lesson with Travis Shelby - Travis Shelby shows you the pentatonic scale
Travis teaches in our Nashua and Bedford locations |
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Dave Taylor:
With a picking hand that seems to stroll along on its own, Dave brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and a broad understanding of music to the team. He’s studied everything from jazz, blues and rock to folk, ragtime and bluegrass. After graduating from the Art Institute of New England, Dave traveled the country playing guitar and banjo, absorbing as much local music as possible. He teaches all styles of electric and acoustic guitar, bass, bluegrass banjo and dobro, and offers expert knowledge of modern recording techniques. Dave has played with a variety of bands in styles ranging from punk to gospel, and can currently be heard playing at venues and open jams all over New England.
Teaching Philosophy
"I love bridging the gap between different types of music. Often a theme, idea or chord progression that we find in one type of music can be found in a variety of other styles. By looking at similarities like this we can develop a broader understanding of music itself and its inner workings. In this way, students are learning how their instruments work rather than learning just bits of songs. My lessons are always catered to the music and songs a student wants to learn, but by teaching the instrument rather than the song students can play whatever style they like, even if their taste in music changes."
Dave teaches in our Nashua location
Banjo Lesson with Dave Taylor
Dave also offers instruction for ukulele
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Shea Ellis
Shea teaches guitar and mandolin for all ages and levels at North Main Music. His insatiable musical thirst has led him to study numerous guitar styles such as rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and fusion. Shea holds a BA in History with a concentration in Music from the University of Maine at Farmington. In college he was lucky enough to study electro-acoustic music composition and recording under Dr. Steven Pane, and came away with a wealth of knowledge in the field of digital audio recording. Shea also studied guitar under Fred Zinkgraf and blues master Dan Hudson and has won awards and acclaim for his skills in improvisation. When he isn't teaching he performs regularly around New England with his original indy rock band, "Old Abode." In his spare time he enjoys playing classical mandolin and finds himself perpetually striving to achieve the ultimate guitar tone.
Teaching Philosophy
"Every player has their own goals and idea of what they want to be as a musician. To achieve these goals it takes time, dedication, and practice. But who says it can't be fun? I strive to make every lesson unique to the player, and to focus on what I believe to be the four foundations of great musicians: rhythm, tone, phrasing, and technique. I truly want to help my students fall in love with performing music."
Shea teaches in our Nashua location
Guitar lesson with Shea Ellis - Shea Ellis demonstrates the sound differences of using different guitar pics
Shea also offers instruction for ukulele
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Jason Latham
Jason has been playing guitar for nearly twenty years and has a diverse interest in styles that range from American roots music to modern rock and instrumental fusion. His passion was ignited by playing in his Tucson, AZ, high school music programs and later, the Tucson and Phoenix area band scenes. With experience teaching in vocational settings Jason honed the skills needed to teach a range of students from beginners to advanced players. Jason’s ability to combine these teaching skills with a true passion for many types of music makes him a great resource for anyone that wants to learn how to play the guitar. Jason currently plays in a professional praise and worship band, a local hard rock band, and he performs solo acoustic roots shows. He stays busy writing and recording his own musical projects as well as keeping availability open for studio session work with other musicians. Jason also plays and teaches lap-style slide guitar, open tunings, and finger picking techniques.
Teaching Philosophy
With my students I always stress the four “Ts”: tuning, timing, touch, and tone. With these skills mastered, you will always sound good, - without them, you will never realize your potential. I encourage students to play with everyone and anyone, and to explore their instruments using different types of music, different techniques, and different equipment. Most of all, I keep students motivated by encouraging the fun and friendship music has to offer. I want them to know that music lasts a lifetime.
Jason teaches in our Nashua and Bedford locations
Guitar Lesson with Jason Latham - Jason Latham demonstrates the usage of the minor and major pentatonic scales.
Jason also offers instruction for ukulele
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Kayla Paquette
Kayla Paquette is a voice, piano, and guitar teacher at North Main Music. She majors in Music Education at Southern New Hampshire University. Kayla began singing and playing guitar at the age of 6 and soon after that she started to play the piano and clarinet. She has taught multiple children’s and youth choirs for local churches and schools. Kayla has also been involved in school and community musicals and in local theatre productions. She has performed in Orlando, FL, Cleveland, OH, and all over New Hampshire.
Teaching Philosophy
“I believe that we all have musical abilities and consequently deserve opportunities to pursue and to develop our innate talents, whether they be rhythmic, harmonic, melodic, or all of the above! Music allows us not only to express ourselves through a universal language, but also to further develop our critical thinking and listening skills, and to build upon our understandings of human history and culture throughout the ages. Most importantly, music is fun!”
Kayla Teaches in our Nashua location
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Guitar FAQ's
 Do you teach acoustic or electric?
We teach both.
Do you teach students to read music?
Yes, but we do not require it and we don't teach it to beginner students. When a student first starts taking lessons we feel it is more important to get familiar with the mechanics of the instrument, which can be a challenge in and of itself. We prefer our students <b>start making music</b> rather than worrying about whether the note is C or C#. In this case, we will use TAB which is very easy to understand.
What do I need for my first lesson?
Bring your guitar and any other materials you have been studying. You don’t need to bring an amp or cable- we have them here.
Do I need a guitar to start?
The short answer is yes; you will need to work on the assignments given by your instructor with your guitar. A student can do an introductory lesson without a guitar.
Do you recommend acoustic or electric guitar to start off with?
There is a myth that acoustic guitar is easier to play; this is absolutely not true. An electric guitar has smaller/thinner strings that are easier to get sound out of and the string height is almost always lower, enabling easier fretting. Outside of that we suggest you simply learn and acquire a guitar for <b>the music that you want to play. </b> For example, if you are playing heavy metal, an electric guitar would be appropriate and if you are playing folk music, an acoustic guitar would be appropriate.
Do you take children?
Yes, ages six and over.
Do you rent guitars?
We don’t, but the good news is guitar starter packs are relatively inexpensive and tend to retain their value. If you find that you don’t stick with guitar, you should be able to get most of your money back by selling it.
Where do you recommend purchasing guitar packs and accessories?
We sell metronomes, tuners, strings, and other guitar accessories here at North Main Music. For guitar starter packs we recommend Guitar Center on DW Highway in Nashua. They have great stock and helpful salespeople.
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