Lessons
Nathan is currently accepting students of all levels for lessons in guitar and composition in the Ottawa area. He has experience in both group and one-on-one teaching at the post-secondary level in a variety of guitar-related subjects. Lessons are tailored to suit the goals and needs of the individual student, with a strong focus on building a solid technical foundation. The multi-faceted approach Nathan employs creates students that are well prepared to pursue any style.
Among the concepts that Nathan addresses are:
Technique: Development of ergonomic and efficient playing habits, including an examination of posture, hand positioning, finger independence, tension and relaxation, and healthy practice routines.
Musicality: How to approach phrasing a piece of music by combining one’s own musical tastes and ideas with the indications contained within the music itself. Students learn how to approach interpretation of a piece of music from phrase-by-phrase as well as macroscopically.
Sight-reading: How to comfortably read notated music on the guitar in any position. Students learn how to read both single lines as well as chords and polyphonic music as well as how to understand rhythmic notation, key signatures, time signatures, and strategies to employing efficient guitar fingerings.
Theory: How to take a piece of music apart to look at it’s core components to aid interpretation, memorization, and inform one’s own compositional style and technique. Students learn the basics of music theory with a focus on practical applications. Harmony is covered in relation to the guitar fretboard as well as within analysis of the student’s repertoire.
Composition: How to create an original composition from conception to the final product. Students learn strategies to generate and develop motivic and thematic material, develop larger form structures, and establish a unique compositional voice.
Arranging: How to adapt an existing composition or tune for a new instrumentation. Students learn strategies to overcome the challenges posed by arranging music for solo guitar.
Email Nathan at [email protected] for more information about lessons and availability.