He’s very patient and has a unique way of teaching that is easy for a person to learn.
Denise G.
Learning to play guitar with Phil has been a lot of fun. I am a complete musical novice, plus I have a demanding full-time job, so he’s needed to be both patient and extremely flexible. In addition to the usual “book learning,” he asked me to find and taught me songs I wanted to learn, which was a nice break from the “Grade 1″ selections. Quite comfortable and knowledgable in a wide variety of musical tastes and styles, Phil is definitely worth talking to if you’re looking for a fantastic music teacher.
Alan L.
I’ve learned more and gotten better in my first 6 weeks with Phil than I did in 6 years trying to learn on my own.
Gautham V.
My experience so far has been great. The course is very organized and interesting. Can’t wait to attend the next classes and learn new things
Ravi M.
It’s been great! I’m really glad that I joined your class. The way you work with people based on their own pace really helps ease my nerves during the lessons. I think I’m a slow learner and I should probably spend more time practicing, but I know I can take my time and get comfortable with it and you’ll always be helping along the way!
Sam Y.
I’m an intermediate level guitarist and I’ve been taking Guitar lessons from Phil a little over 7 months now. Without a doubt, he’s the best teacher that I’ve ever worked with so far. He’s a true “guru” and a guide , so to speak.
My goals with him were to analyze song structures/theory and get into songwriting and I can definitely agree that my theory/technique and analysis skills have grown tenfold in a very short amount of time. He’s very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson or tracking your progress.
The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you’re in. He’s very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He’s an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres be it Jazz/Blues/Rock/Metal. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist.
Sivalalith M.
He is very professional and patient. I am a beginner and that is very important to me.
Ed B.
At first I was a little embarrassed with my noviceness, but the amount of improvement in a couple of weeks is crazy. So I’m having more fun just trying to figure things out.
Sebastian B.
I took guitar lessons for about a year before coming to Phil, and it was very “normal”. Follow, practice, and repeat from the lesson book. What’s amazing about Phil, is that he teaches you with his own book and methods to take those notes and chords and do something creative with it, to think and play like a real musician!
Ryder T.
I just wanted to say thanks for being such an awesome teacher. It’s been five months since I started taking guitar lessons with you, and I’m really enjoying the journey. I’ve been playing almost three hours a day—pretty obsessively, I must admit! I’m feeling a lot more confident these days.
I also want to mention how much I love the music theory tidbits you share during our lessons. They’ve really piqued my interest and added another layer of enjoyment to my practice.
Vijaya M
In this age of free online guitar classes, infinite youtube videos on how to play guitar, and eye catching books and sites screaming “learn guitar in one day”, one wonders if we still need “real” guitar instructors anymore! Phil Johnshon has been a clear proof to me that we truly need “real” instructors – perhaps even more so now than ever before, someone who takes genuine interest in one’s progress, growth and evolution as a guitar player.
I have found Phil very methodical and very professional as a guitar instructor. Many a times when I got stuck with a measure or bar, he would find novel ways to break that into simpler strokes and strums, so that I am sure to get past a difficult lesson. He very easily spots my mistakes and corrects them early on before these can become a habit that can become harder to overcome later on.
Phil goes beyond just teaching how to play notes and strum chords for a song: he provides deeper insight into the musical background of a piece of music, how it relates to other similar pieces of the genre and other guitar players, how the piece is structured, so that you come out better equipped to play similar other music or to see patterns in music that you are otherwise unaware of.
As with any new endeavor, hobby or passion – it is easy to get started, and initial lessons can be quick, easy and encouraging, but then suddenly you may find yourself not able to make much progress as the lessons get harder and you may feel that you have reached your potential and cannot go any further. Early on this happened to me – when I started learning my first classic-rock piece of music (“Stairway to Heaven”) after several introductory and warm-up lessons, I thought I had hit a wall and that I would never be able to play my favorite rock music and was considering quitting.
But Phil, as a true Coach, with his patience, led me to genuinely believe that I had the potential and that I could play all these classic rock pieces – he helped me through the process, building up my confidence. As a result, my passion for playing guitar has been kept alive, I have continued to become better at my guitar playing, and I am at a stage where I truly enjoy playing my guitar, thanks to Phil.
Presad B.
Ages 14 and up. I specialize in adults and teens.
If your child is too young to work with me, I recommend finding a music school that specializes in younger students. Leffler Academy, just a few blocks from my studio, does great work with kids.
If your child is younger than 8, it’s worth starting with an instrument that’s more physically accessible — something with a lower learning curve that still builds the fundamentals of music theory and rhythm. Those fundamentals transfer directly to guitar (or any other instrument) later, so the time is never wasted.
If your child is under 5, a KinderMusik-type program is a great fit. These programs use a variety of instruments and activities to build a strong musical foundation. In my experience, starting earlier on a specific instrument doesn’t lead to faster or more thorough learning — a child who starts at 3 and plays for 3 years, and one who starts at 5 and plays for 1 year, will typically end up at about the same level.
Yes! Lessons can be done in-person in my studio, online, or asynchronously and you can switch formats anytime.
If you’re too far away or traffic is just a little too crummy to get to my studio, we can do your lessons online from anywhere in the world. We use a platform custom built for music lessons called Muzie that works really great. No trashy Zoom audio!
You’re never too old! And yes, you can become a good guitarist no matter what age you start at.
If one of my former students, a 70 year old man in a wheel chair learning how to play gypsy jazz guitar, is any example, it’s never too late to learn music.
The only thing that can hold you back from becoming the musician you want to be is if you can’t (or choose not to) commit to focused and consistent playing time.
You don’t need to put in 8 hours a day like some child prodigy to become really good. But you do need to consistently play and put in the work to accomplish your musical goals.
What to play and how? That’s where I come in. I’ll give you a fully laid out plan to build your guitar skills and show you exactly how to practice to get the most improvement in the amount of time you have to play.
My students learn in 1-2 years what took me 15 years and 10 teachers to accomplish.
Worrying about your age is just an imaginary mental barrier. All you need to do is find out what you need to practice to reach your specific goals as a guitarist (that’s where I can help you) and then actually go practice those things. It’s a fail-proof plan for musical success.
Pricing depends on which program is the right fit — the answer for someone who wants one dedicated weekly lesson is different from someone who needs scheduling flexibility or wants to move faster. Lessons are priced as a professional service, in line with private instruction from an experienced guitar instructor in the Bay Area. Rather than post a number that might not apply to your situation, the better move is a quick 20-minute call where we figure out what you actually need and whether we’re a good match. There’s no sales pressure — plenty of people leave that call with useful information even if they don’t end up enrolling.
A good starting point is 30 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week. The #1, super duper, mega gigante important thing that will help you become a good musician is consistency.
Your time with me during your lesson once per week will be for me to teach you new skills and concepts to work on and to check up on how your doing with whatever I’ve given you to practice. The real work happens in your daily practice sessions at home.
There’s no good way to “cram” for music. Learning to play an instrument is all about developing muscle memories in your hands. And the only way to do that is through consistent daily playing. (Like sports, but smaller, and with less sweat.)
You’ll find that you advance much quicker towards your goals practicing 30 minutes per day than you would cramming in 4 hours once a week.
In your lessons, I’ll show you exactly how to structure your practice sessions in a way that is super efficient and still keeps things fun. Learning HOW to practice is just as important as WHAT to practice. And I’ll show you every trick I’ve learned in my decades as a player, performer, and teacher to learn this stuff quickly.
ALSO That doesn’t mean every time you pick up your guitar it’s “practice time”. Just playing the guitar using the skills and songs you already have it part of the process too.
If you are a beginner, regular weekly lessons are going to ensure that you’re staying consistent with your practicing and let me introduce new concepts to you regularly to keep you engaged and excited about playing music.
But if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, not improving further, find yourself playing the same songs over and over, and don’t really understand how the music all fits together, then you need me to set you on a course for breaking up old ruts and habits and getting you back on track to becoming a better musician. And that happens by visiting me weekly.
That said, Drop-Ins are welcome during Group Lab Sessions wherever there’s room.
Somewhere between the ads claiming “Learn guitar in 30 days!” and Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours to mastery lies the answer to this question. But that answer if different for everyone. The good news is that YOU are in total control of the answer!
For that reason, no good music teacher will give you an answer to that question without having sat down with you to devise a plan that leads you to your musical goals.
What’s your idea of good? – Do you want to just be able to strum songs with your friends or kids? Or do you want to be a monster shred demon that takes on pieces by Steve Vai, Rachmaninoff, or John Coltrane? Different goals take different amounts of time to attain.
How much time are you going to commit? – 20-30 minutes per day is a minimum amount of practice time. The more time you put in, using efficient practice techniques (that I’ll show you), the more you’ll be able to accomplish.
Keep in mind, music is not a race. You don’t have to be in a hurry, even though I’ll move you towards your musical goals as quickly as I can.
But you’re the one in control of how much and how quickly you improve on your instrument.
No. That old school way of teaching music doesn’t fly here.
Right from the beginning you’ll be learning the skills that you ACTUALLY need as a guitarist on a daily basis.
Later inyour guitar journey there will be a time to learn that stuff, but I’ll show you how to make them musical and immediately useful and creative so you’re not left wondering what the point of it all is.
My girlfriend and I were out on a walk the other day and heard piano scales coming from someone’s house. She immediately started telling me stories of how she hated her music lessons as a kid because of those scales. I want to create great memories for you instead!
Most of my students are playing for their own enjoyment and the idea of a recital isn’t appealing. However if you are interested in performing, joining a band, etc, I can show you the ropes on how to do that. I’m a nationally touring performer with the experience of thousands of shows and I’m happy to share my road warrior knowledge.
No. There are certifications and “levels” and competitions and such out there in the music world. But to me that’s never been the point of playing music. It’s called “playing” music for a reason. It’s fun! You can learn all the same skills and become just as good a musician without ever being judged on it.
You can earn free lessons through my referral program. When you refer someone to me for lessons, after they pay for their first month, you’ll receive 25% off your next month’s membership. And you can stack discounts for multiple referrals.
Every musician encounters times when we don’t get to play as much as we’d like. Just because you miss a day doesn’t mean you’re not a guitarist anymore.
I offer generous makeup policies that allow you to reschedule your lessons when you can. See the Studio Policies for more details.
Life gets in the way of music sometimes but your guitar will always be there for you when you return.