Billy Newman
Tags
Primary Instrument
Guitar
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
I have been teaching for many years now. My instruction goes beyond guitar to include improvisation for other instruments, Ear training, Harmony and composition. My Schedule is flexible just inquire. I've been teaching online since 2009 via Skype or Google. I've instructed in recent times horn players in improvising and even a steel drum player. Some have found me useful for my sight reading methods. I am always enthusiastic to help someone who has strong passion for music and especially one who can find the time to practice. Over the years there have been those students who have improved by doing their practice just in the hour lesson every week. I will work with you and show you how to work by yourself. I've often found much Joy teaching students and beginners but I think I can be very useful to advanced students. I have amassed a body of transcriptions fingered for guitar by some of my favorite horn players and pianists. These include Frank Strozier (alto sax), Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins, etc. I have over 30 solos already in digital form and I will do a guitar book on horn and piano solos adapted for guitar one day. Most of the work is done. To recuperate all the solos for a demonstration CD would be quite a challenge! I have definite ideas about positions and slurring to make these solos as easy on the neck and strings as possible. These ideas are always evolving of course. The development of a "Brazilian solo guitar repertoire" in order to play these types of gigs had led me to amass a vast collection of chorinho and other Brazilian guitar material directly from Brazil. I've spent hours at the Biblioteca Nacional in Rio de Janeiro and in the file cabinets of many generous friends. I've been sharpening my arranging powers over the years and also have a collection of my own arrangements of many sambas, bossa novas and baiãos. This includes a number of arrangements of Pixinguinha which are far more playable than Barbosa-Lima's. It would be my greatest pleasure to help someone on this path. I have a lot more to offer my students in developing within Brazilian music than what is in the fairly condensed 50-page book I did for Alfred in 2002. Of course this book is still highly recommended! It can be purchased from GuitarWorkshop.com, or by contacting me directly. Rhythmic training is an integral part of learning Brazilian guitar as well as instruction in classical guitar techniques. My students improve vastly in their ability to recognize and play rhythmic motives. I was trained in pandeiro and will encourage percussion playing and the exploration of basic polyrhythm.
Clinic/Workshop Information
saxophone, alto

saxophone, tenor

guitar

trumpet

piano

guitar, acoustic