Ukulele Lessons

I have never sat closer to a better guitar player in my life. At my first lesson, I told Jerry that I wanted to play like this person or that person. After that lesson, the only person I wanted to play like was Jerry. I used to stop him and say, “show me how to play that lick!”, or “what made you decide to play that.” He would always remind me to take it slow, yet practice more.

When I was his student I practiced around 6-8 hours a day, everyday, for years. Now 20 years later, I am pretty much able to do/play whatever I want with the instrument, controlling sound with emotion.

Jerry really takes his students to the next level. He explains more than just theory and licks, and slowly lets you into his approach on music, visualizing the fret board, playing with dynamics, etc. One of the best pieces of advice jerry gave me was to learn the opposites. I would ask, “should i finger pick this or flat pick it? Should I use economy picking or alternate? Should I think theoretically, play licks, or just play whatever comes out.” His reply was, learn them all. so very true.

I met Jerry back in 1989 when I was a freshman in high school. From the moment I sat down with him and watched him play, I knew I was in for a crazy ride. I was only lucky enough to spend about 3 months studying under him (he moved from the area) but it was during that time that Jerry opened doors for me that I’ve never shut. On those doors read “INNOVATIVE MINDS INQUIRE WITHIN.” He was very patient with me and displayed “outside the box thinking.” His own striving attitude to become a better musician became a new standard for me. I began pushing my self even harder, practicing even longer and digging for more musical input were ever I could find it. Inspire me he did and still does today. Studying classical guitar in college, I realized that all the concepts and theory he shared with me were still an integral part of my playing. Modes, pentatonics, chords and structure over lap all styles of music whether we realize it or not. It has been a pleasure for me crossing paths with Jerry some 23 years later. I can only imagine now what goes on in his mind when he picks up his guitar. Thanks for sharing the knowledge, Jerry, and doing it all the right way. I am still playing guitar today and striving to get better and better. God Bless ~

I took both bass guitar and guitar lessons from Jerry in high school, and I will always consider those lessons to be one of the most fun things that I did during my otherwise studious and extremely nerdy teenage years.

As his student, you will discover very quickly that Jerry is not only passionate about teaching guitar, but also about teaching music. This goes beyond just teaching music theory (which he doesn’t skimp on, by the way, thank you Jerry!). I always loved hearing him talk about the backstory of each song I learned to play; not just the what, but the how and the why – the lifeblood of music itself.

His teaching curriculum is very structured and intentional but never feels restrictive or impersonal, probably because Jerry as a person is very chill and relaxed, and you will immediately want to be friends with him. If you are looking for a guitar/bass teacher who is not only insanely talented but also has a true gift for teaching and makes lessons fun and exciting, look no further, because Jerry is your man!