Lesson Feesfrom $37.00 / 30 Minutes
Promotions Available
About
What Students and Families have to say:
"I give Will seven stars! Will is different than other teachers because he lets you try until you succeed and he teaches you important concepts, ways to play, and can make you better.". - J.M. Age 11 (student since age 5)
***************************
"- Will used to come to the house on Saturdays to do lessons with both Rowena and Navin and in 2020, we had to pivot and do it online instead. Will is extremely effective teaching guitar online. Will provides his full attention to the student and keeps them engaged throughout the class. - You can tell that Will enjoys working with kids and has a true passion for guitar and bringing music into people's homes.
- Will makes guitar learning fun - he is creative in teaching specific guitar techniques through music kids are interested in learning. - Will is a very patient teacher and brings a ton of energy to each lesson and is genuinely interested in progress of the student. - The kids have been working with Will since 2018. - Rowena used to play the violin before the guitar and Will was able to leverage her skills from playing the violin to enable a smoother transition to playing the guitar. Rowena also continued to improve her ability to read music while working with Will." --The Smith Family (students since ages 8 and 11)
****************************
What is something that sets Will Doughty apart from other teachers or online resources (YouTube etc.)?
By my second lesson, we were already learning chords to the songs I wanted to play. Most classes take the first several months just teaching chords and drills. Also, he is watching you play live so if you are doing anything wrong he can correct you, or if you are having difficulty he can modify it.
How have you specifically improved playing the guitar while working with Will Doughty?
My ability to switch from chords, finger strength, and my finger dexterity has improved by outstanding leaps and bounds.
If a friend asked you about taking lessons with Will Doughty, what would you tell them?
Do it! He is such a good teacher! he makes learning fun and has you playing songs you enjoy so you'll want to practice! - Susan S.
Hello! I'm Will Doughty and I love teaching music and guitar!
I have been teaching private 1:1 lessons for almost 20 years in the LA area. My retention rate is very high. Most of my clients study with me for 10+ years weekly! I earned my degree in the performing arts from Illinois State University.
Most of the musicians who I work with start off with zero guitar experience and grow to playing what ever they want! Some of my success stories are clients who start at 9 years old and are now in the High School Jazz band. Another client of my just released another single on Spotify! They all started off knowing very little about guitar and music! This is how much I love teaching! It shows in my clients continued passion and experience!!
One of my most rewarding professional gigs was being an accompanist/music director for Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences fundraiser Chords 2 Cure (2016 and 2017). I played along side Ewan McGregor and Chris Martin (Coldplay) with my own students to raise awareness and funds for groundbreaking Pediatric Cancer research.
My style is fun, empowering and student focused. You get to play what you want to play! Every song has it's own lesson and, together we generate a list of songs that you want to learn. I pick and choose songs from your list to learn in a specific order so you learn the skills you need to play the more difficult songs on the list later.
We work together every lesson developing your musicianship (reading notes, theory etc) and fret board skills (finger exercises, strumming patterns, chord changes).
My goal is to create a personalized experience for you so you are learning at your pace!
My focus is about creating clear, consistent good tones on the guitar first! This means good chords and strong single notes. I have found over the decades of teaching guitar that most players stop because they can not produce a good tone on the guitar. The get frustrated and feel behind as the books and teachers move forward into more complicated lessons. What has been the best success for me is developing unique finger exercises to enhance your accuracy and speed at the same time.
I have use books like, Reading Music for Guitar by The Musicians Institue and Scale Guru by Karl Aranjo. Most importantly I have written and created exercises that have proven to get you playing chords, melodies, scales, and strumming patterns with great success! Every lesson is personaly crafted to your current ability and skills. My method could be described as a "work at your pace" style. Over the past 20 years I have seen this works best for new and experienced players alike. It gives you a chance to invest your time well and challenge yourself to play more and learn more!