Guitar Lessons Westwood

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30

Minutes

45

Minutes

60

Minutes

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What will you learn in our

Guitar

lessons?

Sitting With Guitar

Sitting in a chair, put your feet on the floor and make sure your posture is upright Put the waist of the guitar on your right leg, and rest the guitar against your stomach and chest. The neck of the guitar should be horizontal with the floor. Be careful not to use the left hand to hold up the neck of the the guitar, but instead rest your upper right arm on top of the guitar to stabilize it. Once comfortable with this position, its time to place your left hand, (or your fretting hand), on the neck and frets. First, make a C shape and put your thumb between your first two fingers. Place your hand on the frets with the thumb resting behind the neck of the guitar, and press the tips of your fingers against the strings. Avoid touching the frets. Practice moving the hand up and down the neck. Maintain a good curved shape but do not squeeze. Your hand should be able to comfortable move up and down the neck.

Basic Strumming

To get the best sound strumming the guitar, put either your fingertips or the pick over the sound hole. You can experiment with going a little to the left and the right, and see how that affects the sound quality. You will want to start with downstrokes, strumming all the strings equally. Make sure the wrist is flexible, and try to create as natural a motion as possible. Once this is mastered, go on to upstrokes. You do not need to hit all the strings on an upstroke, as you do on the downstroke. Again make sure your wrist is flexible, and nothing is held tightly in the fingers, wrist and elbow. After some time begin to combine the downstroke and the upstroke together. If you are using a pick, avoid squeezing it too tightly. Experiment with how much tension you need to hold the pick between your fingers, and don’t use more than is required to just keep it in place. It is a good idea to spend lots of time getting comfortable with strumming before incorporating the right hand, or the “fret hand”.

Sight Reading

Sight reading is an important skill for any aspiring musician. To begin, students are taught about treble and bass clefs, (different ranges), and to identify notes that are on the lines, and notes that are in the spaces between the lines. To remember the notes on the lines, students learn phrases such as, “every good boy does fine” The first letter of each word are the notes on the lines of the treble clef from bottom to top. E, G, B, D, F. The notes that are in the spaces between the lines spell the word “Face”, F, A, C, E. As students become faster at identifying these notes based on these simple phrases, the phrases wear off and they simply recognize the note for what it is. In addition to identifying notes, sight reading includes understanding rhythm. Rhythm is differentiated in notation by notes filled in or empty, and with different stems and beams. These indicate different speeds of notes. Even the most accomplished musicians can often improve their sight reading. More advanced training involves pushing speed and looking ahead, and through creating progressive goals.

Music Theory

Music theory teaches us how recognize and identify patterns across all music. It is fascinating because it starts to bring together a clearer understanding, and patterns once complex become simple. Imagine a complicated math equation that actually has a very simple answer. Learning theory involves a mixture of ear training, (the ability to identify harmonies and melodies), as well as identifying and labeling these patterns on paper. Harmony is seen in notation vertically, and is often what might be described as the background in which a melody is set. Harmony consists of chords, (3 or more notes heard simultaneously), and can be Major, Minor, Diminished, and several others. These differences in sound are often described emotionally; happy, sad, or scary. The beginning of music theory training might involve identifying the difference between a couple of these chords. Ultimately, advanced theory students are able to write out the music they hear, and to analyze harmonies and melodies in musical scores. A full grasp on the structure of music can take years to develop. Learning theory involves a mixture of ear training, (the ability to identify harmonies and melodies), as well as identifying and labeling these patterns on paper. Harmony is seen in notation vertically, and is often what might be described as the background in which a melody is set. Harmony consists of chords, (3 or more notes heard simultaneously), and can be Major, Minor, Diminished, and several others. These differences in sound are often described emotionally; happy, sad, or scary. The beginning of music theory training might involve identifying the difference between a couple of these chords. Ultimately, advanced theory students are able to write out the music they hear, and to analyze harmonies and melodies in musical scores. A full grasp on the structure of music can take years to develop.

Our Facilities

01

Newly renovated, state of the art facilities on the best streets

02

Access to grocery stores, high end shopping and cafes

03

Comfortable lobby for parents or students with amenities: water, coffee, tea, and wifi

04

Top quality Yamaha and Kawai pianos

05

iPads in every room stocked with the latest music education tools

Brentwood

11670 San Vicente Blvd #C 
Los Angeles CA 90049

Westwood Village

10921 Weyburn Ave 
Los Angeles CA 90024

Tarzana

18634 Ventura Blvd 
Tarzana CA 91356

Concerts

Angeles Academy sets itself apart with the highest caliber performance opportunities in leading venues around Los Angeles, such as the Beverly Wilshire Ballroom, (Four Seasons), where such events as the Emmy’s are held, as well as the BP hall at the Disney Center. The rare opportunity to perform in these world-class facilities increases student recital participation, preparation, and results.

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Over 70 Music Instructors On Staff

All our music instructors have been carefully screened and chosen from hundreds of applicants to bring you the finest quality music lessons in Los Angeles! Here are some factors we look for: A fun positive personality, intuition and sensitivity, flexibility in teaching approach, years of experience, and university training from a top music school. We are sensitive to the fact that not everyone learns through the same method. Our instructors will make a plan to help you or your child learn music through the songs you love, while introducing all the essentials of good technique along the way. Learn more.

University Trained

Background Checked

Warm Personalities

Years of Experience

Our hiring process

Become part of our professional team by going through all stages of selection

1

Over 5000 candidates per year

2

Only 1% selected

3

Personality tests and screening

4

Background check and due diligence

5

10 hours of training in Angeles Academy’s proprietary music education Methodology

What Are They Saying

We have a proven track record of excellence since our founding in 2011. Our testimonials for music lessons in Los Angeles can be found on Yelp, Google, Facebook and many other sites. Please enjoy just a few of our testimonials from happy customers.

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FIVE STAR!! Angeles Music Academy is beyond awesome!!! The staff are so professional and welcoming. The music teachers are so great and I have witnessed my daughter’s fast development in piano and her interest in music growing big that she is starting to learn singing as well.

Mona Namin

My son has been enrolled at Angeles Academy of Music for 2 months and we love it here. He is 7.5 and is taking piano lessons for the first time with Tori. She's amazing with kids and he is having fun and learning so much. I love how they tailor what he learns to his interests. Definitely recommend for families looking to introduce their kids to the joy of a musical education.

Eva Vieyra Osmand

This is the most supportive environment I have ever found for music learning. The teachers and staff are really amazing and welcoming. The school has very high standards AND a very fun environment. I love this school.

Sandra Duran

FIVE STAR!! Angeles Music Academy is beyond awesome!!! The staff are so professional and welcoming. The music teachers are so great and I have witnessed my daughter’s fast development in piano and her interest in music growing big that she is starting to learn singing as well.

Mona Namin

My son has been enrolled at Angeles Academy of Music for 2 months and we love it here. He is 7.5 and is taking piano lessons for the first time with Tori. She's amazing with kids and he is having fun and learning so much. I love how they tailor what he learns to his interests. Definitely recommend for families looking to introduce their kids to the joy of a musical education.

Eva Vieyra Osmand

This is the most supportive environment I have ever found for music learning. The teachers and staff are really amazing and welcoming. The school has very high standards AND a very fun environment. I love this school.

Sandra Duran

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Why choose the Guitar?

The guitar is the second most popular instument to learn. Nearly every song we know and love encorperates guitar in some way. It is a very portable instument, making it easy to practice while out of town or on vacations, and has a mellow and pleasant sound even in the initial stages of learning. The guitar is extremely versitle, with syles ranging from Classical and Flaminco, to Jazz, and Pop, and Rock. This means there are endless musical worlds to explore once you get the basics. While it is a serious solo instrument, it can also be great to accompany yourself while singing, or to play with bands and ensembles.

When should my child start guitar lessons?

Generally around 6 or 7 years old. Although there are exceptions, the challenge of learning guitar for the very young is that pressing the strings down can quickly get tiring. Certainly there are exceptions however, and it really depends on how focused and interested the child is. We usually recommend that kids try it for a couple months and see how it goes.

How long does it take to learn to play the Guitar?

You will often see results in a few months, however it’s hard to predict. It really depends on how consistent the student is with classes, and of course with daily practice. We find that setting clear goals and also participating in recitals tend to boost progress.

Is it too late to take guitar lessons?

No. This is a question we frequently get from adult students. Over the years, we have trained hundreds of adult students, from college age, to students in their 90’s. We train adults who are getting back to guitar after a long hiatus from lessons, as well as adults who are starting the instrument for the first time. Our instructors really enjoy working with adults, and we even find some adults learn faster than children because they often have longer attention spans and great ability to understand the mechanics of the instrument.

Other Instrument Lessons We Offer at Westwood

20% OFF! - $100 Value