Matt OBrien

I have 20+ years with over 20,000 hours of musical instrument teaching experience and a total of 30 years of guitar playing experience with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the Chicago Music College of Roosevelt University.

I teach acoustic guitar (6 & 12 string), electric guitar, classical guitar, jazz guitar, ukulele, bass (5 string), and tenor banjo (Irish tuning). 

Here are some of over 300 5 star reviews that I've received from students on various other platforms:

"I started playing the 6 string guitar last November (2020) and have been taking lessons with Matt since December. After ~4 months of instruction we have almost completed a beginner guitar book, covered a variety of open, barre, and power chords, and even played a couple of rock tunes. I am happy with our progress.
In our lessons, Matt creates a relaxed and positive environment. This makes lessons a pleasure and something I look forward to each week. He introduces concepts and assignments that I find fun and useful in achieving my musical potential.
All of our lessons have been though Skype. This has been very convenient since it saves on travel time, gas, and allows you to have lessons from the comfort of your home. Matt does a great job of making you feel like he's there with you in person.
I plan to continue lessons with Matt and I believe that he will be able to guide me on my musical journey to wherever I choose to take it."

-Nick L. (Electric Guitar)

"He’s really supportive and easy going! He takes classes at the students pace and makes a comfortable learning experience. It’s okay to make mistakes and we work thorough challenges. He’s also very good to talk to about anything music related. He can answer pretty much any questions you have about music. He also give you really good suggestions and resources for what you need for class."

-Laura P. (Jazz Guitar)

"I've had a great experience working with Matt to learn and improve my guitar skills. His layout of work in lessons and for practice has definitely improved my ability, and I look forward every week to seeing what's next. His approach is very thoughtful to what my needs and abilities are, and he has worked well with my busy schedule when needed. You can also see the depth of his knowledge in music when working with him, whether it be the depths of music theory or noticing a small something that you may be slightly off on. Always very punctual, and very professional. I've learned quite a bit already and I'm thankful for his teaching."

-Michael K. (Electric Guitar)

"In the five years I learned guitar with Matt, I grew more than I ever thought possible. Matt does an excellent job of ensuring that students do not pick up the bad habits that most guitar players fall into when learning for the first time. While building a solid base in the fundamentals, Matt has a vast knowledge on rock and other modern genres and teaches technique for any type of player. With Matt I learned to play with my electric and acoustic guitar and felt experienced with both over a short period of learning. I learned to play some of my favorite songs, even the ones I thought would be too hard to ever learn. I was able to perform live 5-6 times with Matt's help in practicing the songs. Matt is also very personable teacher with a clear attention to detail and patience that makes for an excellent experience. Highly recommend Matt as a teacher to learn or to improve your guitar skills."

-Kyle M. (Acoustic/Electric Guitar)

"Matt taught our son to play guitar and was an awesome teacher and mentor. Our son learned so much from Matt I cannot even put into words. Matt always had a game plan but also shifted to quickly help him learn a new song when he had a gig or competition coming up. Matt is one of the most talented instructors and guitar players you will ever have the opportunity to meet."

-Andrew M. (Acoustic/Electric Guitar)

"Matt is awesome! I received a tenor banjo as a gift and struggled to find a teacher in my area. Luckily Matt was available online and his teaching style is very relaxed but informative, which helps me a lot! I attended his class every 2 weeks. His feedback is very helpful and the tips he sends me to work on between classes gives me something to improve upon. I highly recommend Matt for any tenor banjo player looking to start learning like me or improve there skills."

-Paul D. (Irish Tenor Banjo)

"Matt is able to spot small things that make a big difference in a musician's journey no matter how far along they are. His demeanor puts his students at ease, and always encourages and builds the student up. I'd recommend Matt to anyone, at any level, wanting to grow as a musician!!"

-Luke L. (Acoustic Guitar)

"Matt is a great teacher. Patient, knowledgeable, and always adding little interesting bits to the lessons. He pointed out my mistakes and was guiding me to make my playing much better. He opened me to the various interesting topics in music theory and pointed out importance of posture and exercise – playing scales and various simple arrangements. He has a great repertoire of songs of different genres at different levels, for his students – even those like me, who like classical music. I would very strongly recommend him for anyone wanting to learn or improve guitar playing skills."

-Adrian C. (Classical Guitar)

"Matt is a great teacher. I have been his student for about 10 years now. Not only does he know his stuff, but he is also a very comfortable teacher to be around. The lessons feel less like a lecture, and more like a nice dynamic friendship that makes the learning process so much easier and less awkward, especially because the beginning part of learning guitar can be frustrating and a bit embarrassing. Overall, I highly recommend learning from Matt."

-Naveen C. (Electric Guitar)

"Matt is a wonderful instructor. He is patient and easy to get along with. His lessons are catered specifically to each individual student and he always sends a lesson follow up. I find this helpful for my individual practice. Matt is a well-versed and talented musician. I highly recommend him for lessons."

-Emily O. (Irish Tenor Banjo)

"I have been taking guitar lessons from Matt for a few months now and would recommend him to anyone looking to learn or improve on the instrument. I've attempted to self teach myself several times over the past 20 years and every time I hit a wall. This time around, as I felt that wall coming, I started looking for a teacher. I chose Matt due to the abundance of good reviews he has and they're all spot on. Matt's a fantastic teacher and has helped me break through that wall that I've encountered every other time I've attempted to learn. He tailors the lessons towards what I'm interested in, encourages me to learn from other sources and helps me understand them. He's also available to ask questions whenever needed. He's very easy going, takes things at your pace and knows what he's talking about. I plan on continuing with him for the foreseeable future!"

-Dan W. (Acoustic/Electric Guitar)

"Matt is very friendly and laid back. It is easy to get along and have conversations, all while simultaneously him being a great teacher. I am a beginner guitar player with little background knowledge who has been with Matt for about the past 3 months and I’ve already learned so much with his pointers during the lessons we’ve had. He always expresses how he believes the potential and talent is all in the hands and mind of the player, and he is simply just a guide! I recommend taking lessons with Matt if you’d like an easy going and charismatic teacher who is yet still instructive. And on top of all that, he has a great and diverse music taste!"

-Ceci D. (Acoustic Guitar)

"Matt has taught me SO much and I advanced so quickly in my playing! Matt taught me how to play the songs and styles I wanted to learn. He introduced me to new styles of music and playing to open my abilities up, and backed it up with the theory of what’s happening in the music I’m playing to understand it.

I became a better player, much tighter with my timing, turned my “chunky” picking into smooth, controlled, efficient, much better sounding playing. Matt helped me lock in to better timing (even different time signatures), and through the nuggets of theory he passed on - gave me the tools I needed to write MUCH better music! I started lessons with Matt to just “learn how to play guitar better”. I definitely got that PLUS a fun well-rounded music education too!

Matt is truly an inspiring teacher who is uber friendly and enthusiastic about teaching. His teaching makes you want to keep picking up the guitar as often as possible!"

-William N. (Electric Guitar)

"In the five years I learned guitar with Matt, I grew more than I ever thought possible. Matt does an excellent job of ensuring that students do not pick up the bad habits that most guitar players fall into when learning for the first time. While building a solid base in the fundamentals, Matt has a vast knowledge on rock and other modern genres and teaches technique for any type of player. With Matt I learned to play with my electric and acoustic guitar and felt experienced with both over a short period of learning. I learned to play some of my favorite songs, even the ones I thought would be too hard to ever learn. I was able to perform live 5-6 times with Matt's help in practicing the songs. Matt is also very personable teacher with a clear attention to detail and patience that makes for an excellent experience. Highly recommend Matt as a teacher to learn or to improve your guitar skills."

-Kyle M. (Acoustic/Electric Guitar)

"My son has been taking lessons with Matt for 2.5 years now, and has had a fantastic experience. Matt is the consummate guitar teacher, able to tailor lessons to keep my son highly interested and engaged, while still covering the needed fundamentals. My son loves his lesson time each week- he's been asking to add a few per week, when he can ;)... we have thoroughly enjoyed our time with Matt, and encourage anyone looking to learn and enjoy music to work with him as well."

-Jason S. (Acoustic/Electric Guitar)

"I started playing guitar 8 years ago and Matt was my first, and only teacher. I was ( and still am) a metal head so I didn’t really want to follow a progression of books and wait to get into playing what I wanted to play. Matt isn’t the type of teacher who forces you to learn things you don’t want to learn. I remember we finished the orange standard guitar book and he asked me if I wanted to go to the second one, then I walked out of the room grabbed the ...And Justice For All tab book and said, I want to learn this. He taught me every song on that album and taught them with heart. What ever you want to learn Matt is 100% willing and capable of teaching you. Matt is the friendliest guy and his teaching style will stick with you for life."

-Joseph H. (Electric Guitar)

"As a beginner ukulele player, Matt has done a great job introducing me to the skills and mindset needed to learn a new instrument. The lessons are relaxed and focused on what I want to do ... whether that is working on chords, learning a song, or whatever. His lesson recap emails (list of what we did, things to work on during the next week, and links to resources) is such a great thing to have as a student. He is truly focused on my experience, not following a set program. Highly recommended!"

-Dylan C. (Ukulele)

"Matt was my first guitar teacher and I started taking lessons with him back in like 2008ish? Idk but I'm still playing and it's because of him. He not only taught me techniques and skills, but helped me with my confidence as a player and kept me with it. Highly recommend Matt to anybody whether a beginner or if you've been playing a couple years and wanna step it up a notch!"

-Noah A.(Electric Guitar)

"I’ve been studying classical guitar with Matt for around 2 years. He’s been a wonderful resource for learning the instrument, and has introduced me to pieces from composers such as Bach, Tarrega and Segovia. Studying with Matt has certainly contributed greatly to my progress as a guitarist!"

-Scott R. (Classical Guitar)

"Matt is a great teacher for any player of any age and any skill level. He will tailor your experience to meet your wants and he’s knowledgeable enough to go super deep into all corners of music, regardless of your instrument. I’ve been taking virtual classes with Matt and I have learned a ton in just 4 weeks."

-Matt M. (Electric Guitar)

"Matt is a fantastic teacher! Very deep background in music, proficient in many styles of playing, very well versed in music theory, and a diversified vocabulary when it comes to different types of music. Years of teaching experience speak to his level of patience and ability to break what could be difficult concepts down into simpler terms. It’s an honor to learn from him!"

-Cameron H. (Electric Guitar)