Acoustic Guitar Teacher Directory

You are never too old or too good to take a lesson and learn something new on the guitar! Whatever your age, experience, location, or interests, this directory will match you with some of the best teachers around.

Use the drop-down menus below to filter teacher profiles by area, specialty, whether lessons are available online or in-person, and more. You may apply as many filters as you like.

Name		City	State	Country	About	Contact	Contributions to Acoustic Guitar	Specialties	Virtual Lessons	In-Person Lessons	Teaches Beginners	Teaches Children	Technique: Fingerstyle	Technique: Flatpicking	Technique: Alternate Tunings	Technique: Slide	Style: Bluegrass	Style: Blues	Style: Celtic	Style: Classical	Style: Country	Style: Folk	Style: Jazz	Style: Ragtime	Style: Rock	Skill: Arranging	Skill: Composition	Skill: Songwriting	Skill: Stagecraft	Skill: Theory
Alan Barnosky		Hillsborough	North Carolina	United States	Alan Barnosky is a flatpicking guitarist who plays and teaches in the folk and bluegrass idioms. He has been a lifelong musician and performs regularly in the Southeast. Influenced by Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White, and Tony Rice, Barnosky teaches flatpicking to students of all levels. “I focus on a blend of technique, theory, and musical examples to bring together all aspects of well-rounded musicianship.”		See Alan's posts.	Flatpicking, Bluegrass, Folk, Arranging, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	No		Flatpicking			Bluegrass					Folk				Arranging				Theory
Cameron Knowler		Nashville	Tennessee	United States	An acclaimed educator, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist, Cameron Knowler specializes in the art of the conceptual record. He counts such diverse influences as Haitian jazz composer Frantz Casseus, English fingerstylist John Renbourn, and American old-time icons Norman and Nacy Blake. “My approach is to teach core tenets of musicianship, working from materials inspiring to the student. If the song or tune you are wanting to learn isn't in my archive, I am happy to transcribe it with you.”		See Cameron Knowler's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Folk, Jazz, Ragtime, Arranging, Composition, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide	Bluegrass	Blues			Country	Folk	Jazz	Ragtime		Arranging	Composition			Theory
Doug Young		Mountain View	California	United States	Doug Young studied jazz guitar in college and moved into fingerstyle with a focus on alternate tunings, studying the work of Pierre Bensusan, Laurence Juber, Martin Simpson and many others. "I don't have any specific program. I try to help each student with what they need and are interested in. We can look at specific tunes, technique, arranging and composing. I can also help with gear-related issues, pickups, amplification, and with learning to record or make videos." He is the author of Acoustic Guitar Amplification Essentials.		See Doug Young's posts.	Fingerstyle, Alternate tunings, Celtic, Folk, Arranging, Composition, Songwriting, Theory	Yes	No	No	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate Tunings				Celtic			Folk				Arranging	Composition	Songwriting		Theory
Eddie Scher		San Francisco	California	United States	Eddie Scher is co-leader of ragtime band Parlor Tricks. Largely self-taught, he’s influenced by the playing of greats like Al Casey, Oscar Aleman, Lonnie Johnson, Nick Lucas, and Danny Barker. Scher takes an informal approach to teaching ragtime, blues, and jazz, aiming to “offer ideas that will help smooth the long and precarious road.” Scher adds, “With music every ounce of hard work returns endless pounds of fun and joy... Talent isn't real, only time and effort.”		See Eddie's posts.	Fingerstyle, Slide, Alternate tunings, Blues, Jazz, Ragtime	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate Tunings	Slide		Blues					Jazz	Ragtime
Fred Sokolow		Los Angeles	California	United States	Fred Sokolow started taking guitar lessons at age four. He counts Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Wes Montgomery, and many others as important influences. Author of nearly 200 instruction books and videos for stringed instruments, Fred is also active in the recording studio. “I’m very flexible, I like to teach music the student likes. I also like to tell the back stories behind the music, the history. I enjoy teaching, spreading the joy of music around!		See Fred Sokolow's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Folk, Jazz, Ragtime, Rock, Arranging, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate tunings	Slide	Bluegrass	Blues			Country	Folk	Jazz	Ragtime	Rock	Arranging				Theory
Greg Ruby		Los Angeles	California	United States	Greg Ruby authored The Oscar Aleman Play-Along Songbook and directs Guitar Week at the Swannanoa Gathering. Private lessons and studies at Cornish College of the Arts prepared him for a career in performing and teaching. Adept in early jazz, swing, and gypsy jazz, Ruby strives to demystify the guitar and help students develop the skills they need. “If you study with me, we will create a solid foundation while playing the music you love.”		See Greg's posts.	Flatpicking, Jazz, Stagecraft, Arranging, Theory, Composition. Also Early Jazz, Swing Jazz, Surf, Plectrum	Yes	No	Yes	No		Flatpicking									Jazz			Arranging	Composition		Stagecraft	Theory
Hiroya Tsukamoto		New York	New York	United States	Hiroya Tsukamoto learned from records and tapes and sharing tips with friends. His biggest influence is Pat Metheny. Hiroya mainly plays fingerstyle acoustic guitar and composes original music. “I have been playing guitar over thirty years and I still practice fundamentals. It is very helpful when I perform. I try to focus on simple things to practice and that way you can get a good result.”		See Hiroya Tsukamoto's posts.	Fingerstyle, Alternate tunings, Folk, Jazz, Composition, Stagecraft, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate Tunings							Folk	Jazz				Composition		Stagecraft	Theory
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers		Syracuse	New York	United States	Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers is the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar and author of The Complete Singer-Songwriter and Beyond Strumming. “I learned primarily by ear, picking apart favorite songs and records along with my brother.” His biggest influences have been Paul Simon, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, and Stevie Wonder. “My teaching is based more on songs than on exercises or a specific method. I like to focus on songs that students want to learn or play better, addressing issues of technique in the context of real music and arrangements.”		See Jeffrey's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Folk, Rock, Arranging, Songwriting	Yes	Yes	No	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings							Folk			Rock	Arranging		Songwriting
Jim Josselyn		Little Silver	New Jersey	United States	Jim Josselyn started lessons at age eleven at the local music store and went on to earn a master's degree in music performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music. His influences include Jimi Hendrix, Wes Mongomery, John Williams, and B.B. King. “Music is fun, it's called playing for a reason. If you are a serious student, I will give you all I can. I'll encourage you to listen and create your own things as well.” He is is director of the School of Music and Drama in Little Silver, New Jersey.		See Jim's posts.	Flatpicking, Blues, Jazz, Rock, Arranging, Theory, Composition, Songwriting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Flatpicking				Blues					Jazz		Rock	Arranging	Composition	Songwriting		Theory
Jon Shain		Durham	North Carolina	United States	Jon Shain is the author of Gettin’ Handy With the Blues (Mel Bay). He had private guitar lessons from middle school through high school, plus a fine high school music program and continued studies in college. ”I do not use a boilerplate approach to teaching. Every student has a way that they learn best, and I try to identify that and tailor my teaching to the way they best assimilate information. I'm a touring musician and a studio producer, so lesson times vary week to week.”		See Jon Shain's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Bluegrass, Blues, Folk, Ragtime, Arranging, Composition, Songwriting, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide	Bluegrass	Blues				Folk		Ragtime		Arranging	Composition	Songwriting		Theory
Luke Edwards		Carmarthen	Carmarthenshire	United Kingdom	Luke Edwards honed an early childhood start on guitar at Leeds Conservatoire, earning his performance degree studying with Stuart McCallum and others. Greatly influenced by Tommy Emmanuel, Leo Kottke, and Chet Atkins, he calls his teaching approach “highly tailored and personalized. I understand that everyone learns in their own unique way. I emphasize the importance of post-lesson support with follow-up emails, messages, and even instructional videos to maintain a dialogue with my students.”		See Luke's posts.	Fingerstyle, flatpicking, alternate tunings, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, classical, country, folk, jazz, ragtime, Welsh music, arranging, theory, composition, and songwriting.	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings		Bluegrass	Blues	Celtic	Classical	Country	Folk	Jazz	Ragtime		Arranging	Composition	Songwriting		Theory
Marcy Marxer		Silver Spring	Maryland	United States	“Start where you are. Practice every day with a specific plan. Track your progress. Join in jam sessions. Never compare yourself to others. Play, play, play.” Marcy Marxer started playing guitar with her family at age five. Her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother all played and sang. She considers herself a life-long learner and has been influenced and personally encouraged by many players, among them Frank Vignola, Danny Gatton, Les Paul, Carol Kaye, Patsy Montana, Wayne Henderson, and Robin Kessinger. Marxer is a Grammy Award winning musician.		See Marcy Marxer's posts.	Flatpicking, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Jazz, Arranging, Theory	Yes	No	Yes	Yes		Flatpicking			Bluegrass				Country	Folk	Jazz			Arranging				Theory
Mark Ari		Jacksonville Beaches	Florida	United States	Mark Ari is an an award-winning educator at the University of North Florida and a self-taught guitarist, influenced by Bob Dylan, John Prine, and many artists in folk, blues, progressive country, Americana, and American primitive guitar. His focus is student-oriented self-expression. “I don't teach theory unless it comes up. Just how to play.”		See Mark Ari's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Rhythm, Blues, Folk, Rhythm, Songwriting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings			Blues				Folk						Songwriting
Mark Goldenberg		Burbank	California	United States	Mark Goldenberg is perhaps best known as longtime guitarist for Jackson Browne, He studied with Ted Greene for ten years. Along with Greene, he cites Ralph Towner, Bill Evans, J. S. Bach, and David Rawlings as big influences. “I teach reading, theory, and improvisation. I have decades of experience teaching and playing. And I'm a pretty nice fellow!”		See Mark Goldenberg's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Arranging, Composition, Theory	Yes	No	Yes	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking						Classical			Jazz		Rock	Arranging	Composition			Theory
Mark Hanson		Portland	Oregon	United States	Mark Hanson is a Grammy-winning guitarist who has shared the stage with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Tommy Emmanuel, and John Renbourn and penned dozens of instructional books. He was first inspired to play guitar by the Beatles and then got into fingerstyle, citing Bert Jansch, Leo Kottke, and Andres Segovia as influences. On his approach to teaching, Mark says "musicality is all important, at whatever technical level you play."		See Mark's posts.	Fingerstyle, alternate tunings, slide, blues, celtic, folk, jazz, ragtime, original fingerstyle tunes, arranging, composition, and theory.	Yes	Yes	No	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate Tunings	Slide		Blues	Celtic			Folk	Jazz	Ragtime		Arranging	Composition			Theory
Mary Flower		Portland	Oregon	United States	Mary Flower is an award-winning guitarist, host of the Blues in the Gorge camp, and has recorded numerous instructional CDs and DVDs. She tailors her lesson to the student's personal taste - and that is most often acoustic blues and ragtime. She's self-taught and learned by ear, listening to records of early blues artists like Blind Blake. Mary says, "I'm easy to do whatever kind of music it takes to get the fingers picking."		See Mary's posts.	Fingerstyle, alternate tunings, slide, blues, folk, ragtime, open tunings, arranging, composition, and songwriting	Yes	Yes	No	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate Tunings	Slide		Blues				Folk		Ragtime		Arranging	Composition	Songwriting
Nathan Bell		Signal Mountain	Tennessee	United States	Nathan Bell is a largely self-taught guitarist. He cites Lightnin' Hopkins, Robbie Robertson, Johnny Winter, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, and flutist Eric Dolphy as important influences. “I teach a better understanding of playing the guitar and how to maximize potential. I teach to the student, not to a system.”		See Nathan Bell's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Slide, Blues, Country, Folk, Rock, Composition, Songwriting, Stagecraft	Yes	Yes	No	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking		Slide		Blues			Country	Folk			Rock		Composition	Songwriting	Stagecraft
Nick Rossi		San Francisco	California	United States	Nick Rossi is a professional performer with a love of Swing Era (1929-1946) guitar. He began private guitar study at 13 with surf guitar pioneer Johnny Fortune and continues to learn via archival material and his own personal study journey. His main influence is early to mid-20th Century American music, primarily jazz of the 1920s through the 1960s. “My approach to teaching is highly personalized, tailored to suit each player’s situation and commitment to the instrument.”		See Nick's posts.	Flatpicking, Jazz, Stagecraft, Arranging, Theory, Composition	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Flatpicking									Jazz			Arranging	Composition		Stagecraft	Theory
Orville Johnson		Seattle	Washington	United States	Orville Johnson is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist on strings, especially guitar and Dobro, and the author of Acoustic Blues Guitar Basics. He’s studied and been inspired by musicians from Doc Watson to Jim Hall to Elmore James to Mike Auldridge and beyond. “My goal is to give you the tools and understanding to ultimately teach yourself. I am very patient, and very good at explaining concepts that may seem complicated at first. My goal is to help you do the thing you want to do.”		See Orville Johnson's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Folk, Jazz, Ragtime, Rock, Arranging, Composition, Theory	Yes	No	Yes	No	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide	Bluegrass	Blues			Country	Folk	Jazz	Ragtime	Rock	Arranging	Composition			Theory
Pete Madsen		Berkeley	California	United States	Pete Madsen is a frequent contributor to Acoustic Guitar who studied with numerous teachers, including Joe Satriani and Duck Baker. His foundational influences are Leo Kottke, John Fahey, and Merle Travis, coming later to the early blues players like Robert Johnson, Blind Blake, and Big Bill Broonzy. “I like to cover as many bases as possible, giving my students audio recordings, video, and sheet music. Every student comes at it from a slightly different angle.		See Pete Madsen's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Blues, Folk, Ragtime, Rock, Arranging, Composition, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide		Blues				Folk		Ragtime	Rock	Arranging	Composition			Theory
Ron Jackson		Teaneck	New Jersey	United States	Ron Jackson has performed and recorded in over 30 countries, with artists such as Taj Majal and Ron Carter. He attended Berklee College of Music and studied with Ted Dunbar, Pat Martino, Melvin Sparks, and others. Ron believes that all music students, especially guitar players, should learn and internalize the basics of music. In his teaching, he emphasizes timing and rhythm, theory and harmony, ear training, reading notation, and the language of jazz improvisation.		See Ron's posts.	Fingerstyle, flatpicking, alternate tunings, slide, hybrid and economy picking, tapping, octave harmonics, bluegrass, blues, classical, country, folk, jazz, ragtime, rock, reggae, calypso, ska, soca, brazilia, arranging, composition, songwriting, stagecraft, and theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide	Bluegrass	Blues		Classical	Country	Folk	Jazz	Ragtime	Rock	Arranging	Composition	Songwriting	Stagecraft	Theory
Tim Bertsch		Seattle	Washington	United States	Tim Bertsch first studied guitar formally with Mike Stoican, and later with Larry Coryell, Emily Remeler, Beppe Gambetta, Joshua Breakstone and John Stowell. His strongest musical influences are John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, and Jeff Beck. “I formulate a specific and personalized curriculum for each student to assist them in achieving their musical aspirations. I appreciate all musical genres and am constantly striving to excel in all styles of the guitar.”		See Tim Bertsch's posts.	Fingerstyle, Flatpicking, Alternate tunings, Slide, Tapping, Blues, Celtic, Folk, Jazz, Rock, Arranging, Composition, Songwriting, Stagecraft, Theory	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Fingerstyle	Flatpicking	Alternate Tunings	Slide		Blues	Celtic			Folk	Jazz		Rock	Arranging	Composition	Songwriting	Stagecraft	Theory
Tom Feldmann		Minneapolis	Minnesota	United States	Tom Feldmann is a self-taught guitarist influenced by John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Mississippi John Hurt. He boils his teaching approach down to “Slow and steady. Simple but effective.” He’s recorded instructional videos for Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop, teaught at Fur Peace Ranch, and contributed to Acoustic Guitar and Vintage Guitar magazines.		See Tom Feldmann's posts.	Fingerstyle, Alternate tunings, Slide, Blues, Arranging, Theory	Yes	No	Yes	No	Fingerstyle		Alternate tunings	Slide		Blues								Arranging				Theory

All of the guitar teachers featured here have been vetted and verified by Acoustic Guitar. We encourage you to reach out to an instructor directly for more information about their offerings and to discover if they are the best fit for your needs.

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