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Rob
- Rate L815
- Response 1h
-
Students16
Number of students Rob has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
Number of students Rob has accompanied since arriving at Superprof

L815/hr
1st lesson free
- Guitar
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric guitar
- Bass guitar
- Classical Guitar
Experienced tutor in Guitar in Lincoln Park, Rob offers private lessons tailored to your needs.
- Guitar
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric guitar
- Bass guitar
- Classical Guitar
Lesson location
Recommended
Rob is a respected member of our tutor community. He is highly recommended for his commitment and the quality of his lessons. An excellent choice to progress with confidence.
About Rob
My goal is to give the student the ability to teach themselves and play what they hear in their head. I teach rank beginners and make sure they get the proper exercises to start with but many of my students are professional guitar, banjo and ukulele teachers as well as award winning musicians who study with me from around the world. I have been teaching a unique method of fingerbard theory and ear training which enables the student to get the big picture on their first lesson. I have recorded with many artists including Brian Setzer, Drake Bell and Maria Muldaur and have done commercial sessions as well. I don't allow people to focus on a specific genre with me until they are able to play a simple melody and accompany it with chords in any key without hunting for notes.
I have done nothing but teach music, record and perform for most of my adult life. My favorite thing to do is help people who have tried and have failed for years to finally overcome their problems and see that it isn't impossible.
I was playing professionally at 13, doing weekly radio shows and live performances in local spots and summer tours. I developed a proficient enough technique to attract students and was teaching at that age daily after school as well as Saturdays. I was a lousy teacher because I let the student run the lesson and didn't have enough experience to get them to a level where they were able to teach themselves, which is really a teacher's job. I opened my own studio after high school and have done nothing else but record and perform for most of my life.
I only had a couple years of college and Psychology 101 taught me more than any music course I had, since I was already playing professionally since my early teens. Studying the mechanics of the cognitive process helped me develop my teaching method. Being a poor teacher early on was also helpful because I saw where the quantum leaps came in my students progress once I developed a proper method.
About the lesson
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- +2
levels :
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Professional
Children
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
I walk them through a quick test and see their needs and start them with one of three courses. The goal is to make sure that no steps are skipped in the student's development. They should have confidence that they are on the right track by the end of the first lesson and see the big picture.
Since I was able to play any song on demand in any key without searching for notes, many professional players have studied improvisation with me. It used to be only the local teachers and pros that would see me at workshops or concerts, but since YouTube came along, I have been attracting many people in the industry. I have worked with Disney and Nickleodeon kids who's management contacts me to develop their musicality for a project. I also teach Grammy award winning artists and musicians with platinum albums. It is strange to think that a rock star would not be able to play a simple song like "Happy Birthday" without hunting for notes and making mistakes, but many can't and lots of them have contacted me to pick my brain and let me develop a lesson plan for them.
Get the basics first. Reading notation and tableture is not the first step. Imagine trying to teach a child to spell the word "Mommy" before they learned to say the word. That would be backwards, but that is what happens when the teacher begins by having the student associate names with notes before the student learns to play the notes by sound and feel. This is the most important step and is almost always ignored. The problem is much like giving that same child a pair of crutches when they are trying to learn to walk. It may seem easier but it will hamper the child's ability in the long run. Music is an auditory art and the ear and finger connection must be developed before one starts using vidual aids. Imagine skipping kindergarten and going right to college. That's what most instruction is like. Nobody has any idea of how destructive this is. Most people can learn to read music in a very short amount of time if they have memorized their scales in the order of the circle of 5ths and understand key signatures.
I took my wife to lunch.
A few things worth thinking about before reaching out
Ask yourself what it is that you would like to do. Then, think seriously about what is needed to get you there. Lots of people want to learn a certain style or genre. Here's the big question;
WHAT GENRE DOESN'T REQUIRE ANY ABILITY IN BASIC MUSICALITY?
The answer is, there is none.
Ask a teacher to play a simple song such as Take Me Out to the Ball Game or Happy Birthday and then ask them to transpose that song to several keys. If they failed or struggled even a little bit, they haven't mastered the instrument themselves.
If this is the case, ask yourself how you expect them to teach you to master something they have been unable to do themselves.
Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
Rob has been an excellent guitar teacher for my 10 yr old daughter. He works at her level, has reasonable expectations, and is patient and caring. He is not only a great guitar teacher but a great role model.
Outstanding, rob is well prepared, knowledgeable and paitient. Rob Also an outstanding player, a master of the fret board and reading. Plus he’s a great person. 😊
I've been a student of Rob's since the 1990's. He really knows his stuff, has a proven method of teaching, and is extremely helpful in guiding students where they want to go with learning their instrument. He's very easy to work with, and is very positive in giving the student encouragement and accurate assessment. The use of Skype for lessons allows personal interaction just like being in his studio. A+
Rob is an excellent instructor who focuses on musicianship first and foremost. His vast knowledge and practical approach to playing makes learning both fun and rewarding. Both my son and I are learning at an incredible rate and I would reccommend him as an instructor to anyone at any level.
Rob is the last guitar teacher you'll need to find. He can teach in multiple styles, and he is the only teacher I've found to teach the language of music through his method of teaching guitar.
That means learning to play by ear, what you hear, in different styles. He's taught me the difference between a casual guitarist and a true musician. Highly highly recommend.Rob is an amazingly talented musician. Extremely knowledgeable about his craft and he shares his knowledge well and is easy to get along with. If you want to take guitar lessons I would recommend him 100%!
I've taken lessons with Rob for four years. He can drive you crazy picking apart a small detail, and have you go over and over that detail, but when you finally get it, the piece sounds so much better. There are lots of mediocre guitar players out there. If you are serious about being good, Rob has the ear and the knowledge to find those small differences and raise your game.
Rob is professional, personable and highly skilled in multiple styles of instrumental and vocal music especially including on guitar, banjo, ukulele, and bass. I have learned a great deal from Rob in nearly ten years of lessons and my abilities are continuing to grow with each lesson. Rob is a great teacher and performer in many genres of music. His knowledge of vocal harmonies is immense, too.
His method and patience have really made my guitar lessons journey an amazing experience!
Excellent and very patient teacher. My husband and I have learned so much from Rob. He explains himself so well. He's the best! A+
I have been with Rob for 10 months and have enjoyed every lesson we have had. He is the most knowledgeable teacher i have every had. No matter the style or music taste he can teach it.
Rob has an uncanny ability to tailor lessons to various skill levels and musicians of all ages. His background, experience and methods serve all types of guitar players and he recognizes very quickly how to approach a lesson.
As a rhythm guitarist who's played for 20 years, my sessions with Rob have afforded me tools that hone my creativity and explore new ways of finding melody as I play. I've also witnessed him strengthen advanced players as well as engage children who are still curious about the instrument.
I cannot emphasize enough how satisfied a lesson-seeker will be once they sit with Rob, begin to explore, and learn about the universal gift of music.There are many things that I like about having Rob as my guitar instructor. First I like his virtuosity. He is a fenomenal guitarist. I like his philosophy of teaching, that we should learn guitar like we learned to talk when we were children. I like his genuine interest in the success of his students. I’m truly lucky to have a musician of his caliber as my guitar teacher.
He is wonderful with my boys. He is very patient and beyond gifted in his abilities as a musician and teacher.
Rob is incredibly talented and creative. He freely shares his talent and creativeness with my daughter as his student of almost 4 years. He helps her to extend out of her comfort zone and I'm watching her become a well rounded musician. This is exactly what he said he was going to do when we started lessons. I'd like to mention also, he is kind and flexible. We found him by a word of mouth recommendation and since going to Rob, we have noticed the good reputation he has in our community because it seems that often when we mention his name as her instructor, many people say "yeah, I know Rob! He is a great musician!" Enough said :)
Rob Bourassa is by far the best Guitar teacher I have ever had (and I’ve studied with many). He is knowledgeable, patient and possesses great communication skills. As great of a teacher as he is, he is an even better man.
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Rates
Rate
- L815
Pack prices
- 5h: L4075
- 10h: L8150
free lessons
The first free lesson with Rob will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.
- 1hr
online
- L815/h
Details
My pricing is high for my area. I charge $25 for a half hour lesson but I also provide a video at no extra charge which the student uses to practice with till the next lesson. I don't require any scheduled frequency. If a student wants to take a lesson and wait three months while they work on the material with the videos, they are welcome to do so.
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