As a teacher, I have guided many students to successfully advance their skills on the guitar. I love the way teaching was described by master trumpeter and longtime teacher William Vacchiano (teacher to Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis, among many others). He said... "To me, teaching is like what a painter does. As a teacher, I see each student as a great piece of art. Each student comes in, more or less raw or green. In each student I can reproduce myself, you might say, and create great artists." That is what a master teacher does. Here are what some of my students have to say to you...
"I had been playing guitar for 9 years before I met Tim and I was in a blues rut. Being mostly self-taught, I only excelled at blues. The idea of learning how to play fluid jazz like my heroes Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino and Kenny Burrell was just a distant dream. That is, until I found Tim.
"I feel privileged to have studied with a teacher that has the breadth and depth of musicianship to fully embrace a wide variety of styles, including Rock, Blues, Slide, Jazz, Country, Finger-style, and Classical genres. Tim uses published and original materials, personal transcriptions, and customized studies to convey ideas; his lessons aren't just something "off the shelf" from a music store. He continually worked to find what motivated me, helped shape musical goals, re-awakened an interest in Jazz, and inspired me to dig deeper into all aspects of music. Those studies directly helped with advanced placement at LA Music Academy."
Kevin Sven Berg
"Tim is by far the very best guitar instructor I have ever encountered. His knowledge and technical skills are amazing, and he puts in many extra hours (at no charge) preparing for his lessons. As an example, Tim has transcribed numerous songs upon request for me. His transcriptions are accurate and easy to read. Thanks to Tim, I can now play several songs that I never thought I would be able to play. Tim can teach any style of guitar playing, and has an excellent understanding of music theory. Tim is also a very nice guy."
Guy McRoskey
"The world of music is filled with hype HOWEVER Tim is the real deal. He markets his guitar instruction as the best in San Diego. I believe he is the very best teacher in Southern California...and probably one of the best musicians as well. He likes to teach and he has the patience and knowledge to do so with great expertise.
"I was reluctant at first when choosing a guitar teacher, because I was looking for one who knew his stuff and at the same knew how to convey knowledge to his students. Tim is that and much more. I am really grateful to have found him, because in him, I have found not only a teacher, but really, a music mentor, who I could talk about any aspect of music that was on my mind, and he would be able to add to it nicely.
"Hello Future guitarists. I first picked up the guitar a year ago with the hopes of an attempt to teach myself the basics through CD's and how-to guides and at times felt a little progress, but with time knew I needed a mentor, so I wrote out a list of characteristics I felt a qualified teacher should posses, to say the least my list was long and demanding. I'm in the military and details are my business.
"Just a few words about Tim Quinn and his professionalism and generosity of spirit. Although I am a remedial student, Tim has never let that get in the way and is a devoted teacher with the patience of Jobe.
Tim has the expertise to take any student to whatever level they aspire too in any type of music, because he is a devoted student of the art itself who has no reluctance in sharing his lifetime knowledge of music and his love of such a beautiful instrument.
As long as I continue to play the guitar and have a quest for advancement, Tim will always be my first choice."
John Piscatella
"I was referred to Tim by a reliable source, and Tim has more than met my expectations for guitar instruction. It's one thing to be capable of playing most any style of guitar, and it's another to be a good teacher and mentor; the two are just not one and the same. Fortunately, Tim is both. Tim breaks things down for you into parts and pieces that are easy to digest and then helps you to see how that is going to fit into the bigger picture later. Whatever your interests are, (shredding, finger-picking, jazz, etc.) Tim is going to get you going in the direction that you need to achieve those ends.
"I have been playing the acoustic guitar for 20 years now and still find myself somewhere between basic and intermediate skill levels. Over the years I have briefly tried many teachers for a few lessons here and there, but never found anyone that sparked my interest in becoming a better player; that is until I met Tim.
"I have played guitar for over 20 years, and I have been a student of Tim's (on and off) for the last 10 years. Tim was recommended to me by a friend and fellow guitar enthusiast, about 10 years ago when my previous instructor left San Diego.
"Tim is a great guitar player but more importantly to me he's a great teacher. I've been playing for a long time and had hit a long-term plateau. Tim organized my goals and established a lesson plans specifically designed to meet those goals. He taught me exactly what I wanted to learn. He loaded my up with tons of material; a few months of material from Tim will easily keep me busy for a year. Hearing Tim play and record the material right there in his teaching studio is so motivating. His use of technology rocks, such as recorded examples, backing tracks etc. His teaching studio is state of the art. Bottom line…Tim makes me a better guitarist."
Frank Pratte
"Tim, your lessons did more for me than studying out of the Julliard book in college for two years straight and taking tons of private lessons from other teachers before that. I got so much out of our time together; thanks for being so dedicated and helping me reach my goals. After I stopped taking lessons with you, I got into Eek-A-Mouse, a pretty big headlining reggae band. First show we played: Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Vegas - sold out, and we rocked it too!
