I’m a singer and songwriter with over thirty years of performance experience, and I have been teaching guitar to all ages since 2005. For the first five years I taught at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in Washington, DC as well as out of my home. In August of 2022 we moved to Charleston, SC, and I now teach exclusively out of my studio here to both online and in person clients. The pandemic forced me into developing an online practice, and it has worked out much better than I could have imagined. Even though I have resumed in person lessons, I continue to offer online lessons for those who live out of town or prefer the convenience. I can also offer on site lessons, but they will include a travel fee on a case by case basis.

I consider my practice to be in “campfire guitar,” meaning that my goal for you is to be able to lead a group in a song, as well as follow songs led by others. We can also work on your singing for those interested in putting voice and guitar together. I’ve had great success getting students to open up voices that have never been shared with others before. Can’t guarantee that everybody will thank you for “sharing,” but at least we’ll have a good time getting you there.

Beginners are taught to form the 15+ primary or open position chords and to play some basic rhythm/strum patterns. Some light music theory is also introduced so that you can find your way around a song. This is nothing too complicated, but well worth storing on your personal hard drive. I just want my students to recognize that the chord changes in a song are not random (usually) and to understand what it means when somebody says a song is in a particular “key.” This is the primary focus of my lessons: HOW to PLAY a SONG! Not part of a song, not just the cool riff, but the whole damn song! Your family, friends and all future listeners will thank me.

For those with a little more experience I can offer my skills as a long time performer to get you ready for an open mic or other performance situation. This involves helping select the songs, arranging the songs for your voice and skill set, and making sure you know the music and lyrics inside and out. Not comfortable with a microphone? I can plug you in to my PA at home and help get you comfortable in an amplified situation. I can record you as well so that you can mark your progress and hear how truly amazing? you sound, now that the mysteries of the guitar have been revealed to you (no extra charge for revelations as long as you share them with me).

So. Bottom line…I’m experienced, positive, vetted, and flexible on scheduling, with day and evening hours available. More information on my background is available in the Bio page of the website. You can also look me up as the former owner of Gypsy Sally’s, a live music venue in Washington, DC. We sold the business in January 2020(whew!), but there are numerous articles online that will verify my public profile(never hurts to be too careful/diligent to check folks out). Please email me at silkydave@gmail.com for quotes on rates, scheduling availability and any other questions you may have.

Thanks, David