Guitar School Student Concert Excerpts
Mark Fitchett's
GUITAR sCHOOL
All Styles for All Ages & Skill Levels
(310) 540-6767
Priority Registration Click Here 
- music lesson benefits
- workshops & programs
- 11 questions regarding instruction
- special needs students
- preschool music
- adult students
- community
- rates
We teach other instruments as well. click here
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11 QUESTIONS REGARDING GUITAR INSTRUCTION 1) "How much do I have to practice?" Many are under the impression that hours upon hours per week are needed to get good at playing the guitar. Unless you are planning on being a guitar superstar in the first few weeks, this is simply not true. If you can find 20 minutes to an hour a day, four or five days out of the week, you will noticeably progress. Generally, students find the more they accomplish, the more they are encouraged to practice. 2) "What if I have no musical talent?" Some worry about being "tone deaf" or that they have "no rhythm." Something we truly believe is that everyone has some sort of innate musical talent. Initially, some may appear to have it more obviously than others, but there are many instances when a student who seemed to be not getting it at first became the one that surpassed the rest. 3) "What if I don't have a guitar?" Guitars can be purchased relatively inexpensively. For under $300 one can get a decent acoustic guitar, or an electric guitar and a small amplifier. Used instruments can even be less. 4) "What if I don't know how to read music?" We can teach you, and our instructors will make it an enjoyable learning process. However, since most of what guitar does in popular styles is rhythm accompaniment, beginning guitar is usually is taught through a variety of other methods that make more sense to that style. As a student progresses beyond the beginning stages they will find that reading music is useful for more advanced musical understanding. Students are encouraged to make reading a part of their learning experience. 5) "What if I've never played a musical instrument before?" Learning a musical instrument does not require any background. Ultimately every musician has started from zero. All that is necessary is the desire, and a willingness to practice. 6) "What if my hands or fingers are too big or too small?" It is extremely rare that this ever true. Once a student realizes what needs to be stretched and how to work on this then they find that it's not as difficult as they imagined. Having a qualified instructor look at the individual is recommended. 7) "Why can't I teach myself?" We are of the opinion that instructional materials such as videos, DVDs, internet downloads, books and CDs, regardless of how good they are produced, are best studied with a competent teacher. It's not the student's fault! As good as these learning aids may be, the problem is, is that you can't ask them questions. Since everyone learns differently, there may be an issue if the method utilized by the various instructional materials is not one that works for you. This is where the experienced private instructor who can customize their approach to the individual enters into the picture. Once the basics have been mastered, then the various instructional materials available are much easier to deal with. 8) "How long will I have to take lessons before I can play anything?" Although this is a tricky question to answer because every student is different, the average is between two to four weeks before a student can start playing some simpler songs. 9) "How long to I have to keep taking lessons?" Our goal is to make the student self-sufficient so that after they learn the basics they can teach themselves. This could happen after just a few lessons. One doesn't necessarily need to keep taking lessons to learn enough to become a competent player. However, once a student gets involved in the guitar they often find that they enjoy the learning process so much that they want to keep it up and study techniques beyond the basic chordal accompaniment styles. 10) "Can you learn anything in a group class?" Yes, group classes can be useful as an introduction to playing an instrument. The problem is that everyone learns differently. This makes it difficult for an instructor to address each student's individual concerns as most group classes tend to be short and have a large number of students. 11) "Is it better to start on an acoustic or an electric guitar?" They are both good. It depends on the quality. Often we recommend an electric to the younger children because of the ease of playing an electric.
Coming to CANADA: Chilliwack | Vancouver BC | Richmond BC |
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TEACHING EXPERIENCE
SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL: Guitar Instructor, Torrance, CA
2007 to Present
FITCHETT GUITAR SCHOOL: Private Guitar & Music Instructor, Redondo Beach, CA
1989 to Present
LONG BEACH SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Private Guitar & Music Instructor, Long Beach, CA
Teach all styles, as well as theory, music composition and arranging.
PENINSULA SCHOOL OF MUSICPrivate Guitar & Music Instructor, , Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
HOLLYGROVE: Volunteer Guitar Instructor for in Los Angeles
EVERYONE GETS MUSIC : Volunteeer Guitar Instructor for
SOUTH BAY & TORRANCE ADULT SCHOOLS: Guitar Instructor, Redondo-Torrance, CA
1989 to 2007
Teach beginning and intermediate classes in rock and blues electric guitar.
TORRANCE REC DEPT: Guitar Instructor, Torrance, CA
1989 to 1994
Teach beginning and intermediate classes in rock and blues guitar.
NATIONAL GUITAR SUMMER WORKSHOP: Guitar Instructor, , Redlands, CA
1995 to 1998
Teach courses in blues, rock, jazz, music theory and technique.
UCLA EXTENSION: Guitar Instructor, Westwood, CA
1994 to 1997
Teach intermediate to advanced courses in blues/rock improvisation and
contemporary guitar styles, with emphasis on practical music theory application.
GUITAR CENTER: Guitar Clinician, Lawndale, CA
1994 to 1999
Lecture on various aspects of guitar technique and performance.
BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
Transcriber, CHERRY LANE MUSIC COMPANY, INC., Port Chester, New York
1987 to 1997
Author of many internationally published guitar transcription folios. Many of
these transcriptions have appeared in the popular magazine "Guitar For
The Practicing Musician."
Author, CHERRY LANE MUSIC COMPANY, INC., Port Chester, New York
1995 to 1997
Author of book/CD or cassette instructional package "Chopsbuilders,"
designed to give guitarists a fresh perspective on some different ways
of playing exercises, scales and licks.
Author, GUITAR SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS
2004-2006
Author of "Reading Music" Level 1, an introduction to reading music
on the guitar.
RELATED EXPERIENCE
Composer, REGINA KLENJOSKI DANCE COMPANY RKDance@aol.com, Torrance,CA
2001 to Present
Composer, ROBERT GILLIAM (Los Angeles choreographer)
1998 to 2000
Composer, LULA WASHINGTON (Los Angeles choreographer)
1998
Guitarist/Composer for "CULT of the WRONG NOTE," Southern California
1991 to 1996
Guitarist for "THE CAMPBELL BROTHERS," Southern California
1990 to 2000
Session Guitarist, See jeffjonesmusic.com for some current examples.
1985 to Present
Owner & Audio Engineer, OPEN DOOR SOUND, Hermosa Beach, CA
1981 to 1994
Musician/Performer, Southern California, Los Angeles, Vancouver BC, Richmond BC,
& Surrey BC
in Canada
1975 to Present
EDUCATION - Institutions
CAL STATE LONG BEACH, Long Beach, CA
2000 to 2003
Bachelor of Music degree in Composition
SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Santa Monica, CA
1999 to 2000
EL CAMINO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Torrance, CA
1997 to 1999, Graduated with honors
Theater, Music & Dance
GROVE SCHOOL of MUSIC, Studio City, CA
1987 to 1990, Graduated with honors
Advanced Guitar Theory & Technique, Composition & Arranging,
Film Composition
EDUCATION - Private Instruction
TERRY PLUMERI, Composer/Conductor/Recording Artist, Manhattan Beach, CA
1995 to 1998
Film Composition and Jazz Studies
RON ESCHETTE, Jazz Guitarist/Recording Artist/Author, Long Beach, CA
1996 to Present
Advanced Jazz Guitar Studies with emphasis on improvisation and phrasing.
DAVID ANGEL, Composer/Musician, Los Angeles, Silverlake CA
1989 to 1994
20th Century Composition Techniques for Film Scoring and Symphonic Works
JAMIE GLASER, Fusion Guitarist/Recording Artist/Session Musician, Studio City, CA
1989 to 1994
Studio Guitar and Contemporary Performance Techniques
TED GREENE, Jazz Guitarist/Author/Recording Artist, Encino, CA
1986 to 2005
Chordal Jazz and Harmony Studies
Mark is originally from Richmond BC, Canada which is a city just outside of
Vancouver BC, Canada.
Mark has performed at many events in the Los Angeles area as well as in the the
outlying cities in Los Angeles county. He has been performing in Los Angeles now
for almost 30 years.