Beckwith Guitar Systems

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Beckwith Guitar Systems is the website for both the studio and teaching sytems of Jim Beckwith. The studio is located in Kenner at 3901 Williams Blvd., accessible to residents in Kenner, Metairie, and Laplace/Destrahan. The teaching systems are a group of proprietary learning systems I've developed over 25 years of teaching. These systems allow a person to play and understand the guitar in as few steps as possible. I also use standard method books to teach music notation and show students how to play specific songs, depending on their goals. I currently teach approximately 50 students weekly, ranging in age from 7 to over 60.
(click on the link below, for map)
3901 Williams Blvd.,Kenner LA 70065
About Me: Since 1980 I have taught over 2500 students of all ages to play guitar and bass in the greater New Orleans area. My years of study at both UNO and Berklee College means that you will understand how music works. My experience as both a full time and part time professional musician means I can help you to learn how to play and enjoy it. I keep learning practical and fun!
STUDIO LOCATION AND FEES: The studio is located at 3901 Williams Blvd. in Kenner, LA., between west esplanade and the lake.OPEN: Tues- Friday 3pm to 8 pm. Saturday 9 to 3. Phone (504) 885-1150. FEES: Lessons are 1/2 hour private instruction at the studio and are scheduled once per week, at a regular time. Tuition fees are $80.00 per 4 lesson month. Personal checks and cash only, please.

CHILDREN: 8 years old is generally the earliest I recommend. I will take younger students, ie. 6 or 7, but the parent must be present and I can't guarantee results. With regular 20 minute practice sesions, you should start to see results in a few months. For most kids, I combine fun songs with a method book so they can learn their notes and have fun!

ADULTS: It's never too late! Whether you're a complete beginner, just need to brush up, or get out of a rut, now is the time! Almost a 1/3 of my students are adults, including a few parent-child combinations. The skill level ranges from beginner to semi-pro. (several play in local clubs) With adults and teen-agers I tailor my methods to include the styles you want to play, so you can enjoy the guitar.

LEARNING SYSTEMS: In over 25 years of teaching, I have developed 3 learning systems which reduce a massive amount of confusing information into a set of easy to understand principles that allow anyone to both learn and understand the guitar. BEGINNER: Whether you're an adult or a child, the main problem is how to move both hands together and play the guitar! There are 1000's of diagrams and pictures available and none of them tell you how to do this. I've developed a system that boils down all the endless advice to a dozen or so essentials to remember and a 4 step process to learn any song. I've used this to teach over a thousand beginners of all ages how to play. BASIC THEORY/SCALES: While most people can master the guitar enough to play basic songs, many fall into a rut and can't go any further. This course answers the 2 main questions people have:

My system teaches basic theory in 4-6 lessons and scales in 12 lessons. The basics of everything I teach can be fit easily on 1 sheet of paper! Once you learn this information you can analyze any song and key on the entire neck and apply this knowledge to whatever style you play. Everything will fit tgether instead of disconnected bits.
CHORDMASTER: Chord books have hundreds of chords, how can you possibly learn them all? You can't! Pro's know that the name of a chord is a formula that tells you exactly how to make it. If you understand the name, you can modify a few basic forms to get whatever you want. I will show you how to turn 6 forms into almost 1000 chords. This gives you a lot of freedom on the instrument.
All of this may sound too good to be true, but I have taught thousands of people over the the past 25 years using these systems. I currently teach about 50 people weekly, of all ages and levels. These systems are what I use and if they didn't work, I'd, be out of work!
CALL TODAY! (504) 885-1150