Advanced Guitar Lessons
Chicago and remote advanced music training for talented developing musicians
Start Your Journey Towards Musical Freedom.
If you've been playing guitar for a while, you've probably experienced it. Progress slows down. You keep learning songs, watching YouTube videos, buying books, and memorizing scales, but somehow your playing still sounds... about the same.
It's frustrating because it feels like you're putting in the work.
In my experience, most intermediate and advanced guitarists don't have an information problem. They have an organization problem. They know hundreds of riffs, dozens of scales, and enough theory to hold a conversation, but those ideas never quite become a musical language. They exist as separate pieces instead of a connected system.
That's where I approach things differently.
After studying composition at Berklee College of Music, teaching dozens of private students, directing bands, performing professionally, and continuing my education in psychology and learning science, I've become much less interested in showing students what to practice and much more interested in helping them understand why they're practicing it. Once you understand how musical ideas connect, improvement becomes much more predictable.
Whether your goal is jazz, rock, fusion, songwriting, improvisation, session work, or simply becoming the guitarist you've always wanted to be, the objective is the same: develop skills that transfer to every piece of music you play instead of collecting isolated techniques.
Who These Lessons Are For
Advanced guitar lessons are ideal for musicians who already have a solid foundation but feel like they've stopped making meaningful progress.
Many of my students come to me after years of teaching themselves online. Others have studied with several teachers but never felt like there was an overarching philosophy connecting everything they were learning. Some are preparing for Berklee College of Music, conservatory auditions, professional gigs, recording sessions, or simply want to understand music at a deeper level.
You don't need to be a virtuoso.
You just need to be curious enough to ask better questions.
Beyond the Guitar
The instrument is only part of the conversation.
As students progress, we often move naturally into improvisation, composition, songwriting, arranging, ear training, harmony, creativity, and performance. These aren't separate subjects as much as they are different perspectives on the same musical language.
That's why you'll find articles throughout this site discussing everything from why I think modes don't matter, to how I approach improvisation, to whether music school is actually worth the investment. They're all connected by the same underlying philosophy: becoming a better musician isn't about accumulating more information. It's about learning how to think.
What We Actually Work On
Every student is different, but most advanced guitar lessons eventually touch on many of the same ideas.
Instead of memorizing more material, we build connections between ideas.
That might mean developing a deeper understanding of harmony so improvisation becomes intuitive instead of formulaic. It might mean learning how to hear chord movement before you play it, connecting the fretboard instead of thinking in boxes, improving rhythmic vocabulary, analyzing great recordings, composing original music, or building a practice routine that actually produces measurable progress.
Sometimes we spend an entire lesson on one phrase.
Sometimes we spend an hour talking about how to think rather than what to play.
Those are often the lessons students remember years later.
A Different Philosophy
One of the biggest misconceptions in music education is that better musicians simply know more.
I don't think that's true.
The musicians who inspire me aren't impressive because they've memorized the most information. They're impressive because they recognize relationships. They hear harmony unfolding in real time. They anticipate where a melody wants to go. They make creative decisions instead of theoretical ones.
That's the mindset I try to develop with every student.
The goal isn't to create someone who can pass a music theory exam.
The goal is to create someone who's confident enough to walk into a rehearsal, a recording session, or a jam session and make music with other people.
Ironically, that usually means slowing down. Rather than rushing through another scale or another exercise, we spend time understanding how a handful of ideas connect. Those connections are what eventually make improvisation, composition, ear training, and technique feel natural instead of forced.
What Sets Care Again Music Apart
People-First Approach
In every lesson, every time.
Long-Term Relationships
I’m not just here for the now. I love creating lasting relationships with students and growing with them over time.
Proven Process, Flexible Execution
Bringing structure where it counts and adaptability where it matters. You don’t need inspiration or discipline, you need systems to encourage your success.