I'VE BEEN TEACHING GUITAR FOR OVER 15 YEARS AND HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES OR QUIT TEACHING IT ENTIRELY. I SIMPLY WOULD RATHER HAVE 5 GOOD STUDENTS (students who practice) THAN 10 MEDIOCRE ONES (students who don't practice). THIS DECISION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR NATURAL TALENT. MY JOB IS TO DEVELOP TALENT IN YOU AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!
- IF you don't have the time to first read ALL of this page and HALF of the next page ("Guitar Lessons") then don't contact me. Seriously.
- IF you do not have time to practice what I've taught you, or have time for lessons do not call me. Yes, things come up unexpectedly. I get it, I'm not unrealistic. Lately I've had a run of rude, insincere students not showing up for their lessons, and not calling or texting beforehand. This USED to be a rare occurrence. What changed about being polite?
- IF you are not age 13 or above, do not call me. Too many young ones (and a few older ones) fall in love with the IDEA of being a guitar player, and simply have no idea of the work that HAS to go into learning the skills. I need ONE HOUR PRACTICE PER DAY to get you playing guitar FAST. If you want to learn slowly, then practice half that time. (I make more money that way.)
- IF you want to learn music NOTATION, find another teacher. Did you ever wonder why MOST guitarists on stage don't usually have notation charts in front of them? They have CHORD charts, like what we use. Guitarists who need notation are ones who want to join a band that uses sheet music, common in jazz, orchestral, and big band music, or someone learning how to play classical guitar. You can always learn notation later, if it's ever needed, which is rarely.
- IF you are looking for ADVANCED guitar lessons, look elsewhere. It's only happened twice, but a couple guys who didn't read my first couple pages here have showed up to learn advanced guitar, despite me saying repeatedly here that I only teach BEGINNER guitar. READ, folks!
- IF you want to learn QUICKLY how to play and enjoy guitar without hours of scale playing and sight reading, I'm your guy.
A student recommendation on Google Business:
FIVE STARS
I have been taking lessons from Mr. Mike for about 2 years now. I was looking for something to do during the pandemic and always wanted to learn the guitar so I bought one and my husband found Mike Upchurch Music through his google search. What a great journey it has been. Mr. Mike will give you his all as long as you are motivated, engaged, and practicing. I made a ton of progress in a short time and was playing a simple song by lesson 2. I graduated beginner guitar and now am focused on performance guitar. I can't say enough about how great of a teacher Mr. Mike is. He has an actual lesson plan, a great list of songs, focuses on useful techniques, and knows just when to challenge you. He was exactly the type of teacher I needed and I am very thankful to have crossed his path. I will warn you that he will push you out of your comfort zone but he knows just when to push and when to cut you some slack. He has spent far more hours with me than I have deserved as he is truly dedicated to his students!
MIKE UPCHURCH MUSIC
BEGINNER GUITAR LESSONS
Serving New Bern, N.C. and surrounding areas
For those who have attained the level of Intermediate guitar and want to continue learning with an emphasis on performing, click the Performance Guitar tab above or the picture at left.
For information regarding acoustic or electric guitar lessons, click the guitar lessons page tab or the picture at left.
WHAT IS HERE:
I am NOT a music store. I am a retired school teacher with 36 years experience teaching English and Drama and tutoring elementary through college students. During the majority of those years I fronted my own weekend band as guitarist and lead singer. For the past fifteen years I have taught guitar and LOVE it! I have the experience and the patience to teach you how to play guitar from beginner up to intermediate ability. CALL ME: 252-474-3990. You have nothing to lose as the first visit is free!
This are my musings, rants, and recommendations mostly on home recording or DAW work. There's no telling what I might feel inclined to write about! Click Mike's Blog at the top or click the picture at the left.
Here you will find audio samples of my recorded music, written, produced, recorded and edited by me, with help from friends and family. Click the Album 1 0r Album 2 tabs at the top or click the picture at left.