Read what some of Tim's students have to say
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...
"Tim, What a fantastic lesson this week. I'm always amazed at how you are so prepared to react when I come to a lesson and change directions on you. I don't know if its because you are so experienced or because you're thinking a few steps ahead of me. Either way, that's what makes your instruction so great. You can gently ( or firmly, if required) correct my errors, lead me where I need to go and adapt so quickly when I make a no-notice turn on you, like this past lesson. What a feast of techniques and possibilities you laid out before me, and with absolutely no advance warning. I am still extracting all the gems from the recorded lesson and probably will be doing so for months. These recorded lessons are a reference I will be referring back to for years. I leave every lesson with a new set of tools and a new dose of enthusiasm. You're simply terrific. Thanks again."
Ron Harris
"I have benefited greatly from lessons with Tim. I have been playing for many years and his ability to break down techniques and theory into easily understandable basics has made learning much easier. His patience and ability to help me improve have been great and the rest is up to me. There is always much to learn on the guitar. I highly recommend Tim for students at any level."
Ron Horvitz
I originally started taking lessons with Tim in the late 90's when I lived in San Diego and was pretty new to the guitar and was amazed at how quickly my playing started to advance. Back then, what I really appreciated was that Tim didn't only teach me what I was wanting to learn, he would see and delineate other areas in my playing that were weaknesses and helped me turn them into strengths which really bettered me personally as a player. It is obvious that Tim loves what he does and has a special gift on adapting and coming up with lesson plans unique to each student.
"Before writing this testimonial about Tim Quinn, I decided to read others already posted on Tim’s website. If you are not already a student of Tim’s, the superlatives might sound like exaggerated comments from enthusiastic students. They are not. I have played guitar on-and-off for a number of years. Focus on family and work had kept me from seriously pursuing this passion of mine. I now have the best of all worlds, free time and the finest guitar teacher in San Diego or perhaps southern California.
I've had the privilege of knowing Tim for 14+ years. When I first met him, I had been stuck in a rut with my playing and was actively auditioning various guitar instructors all around San Diego. Although there were some competent guitar players out there, I just felt like I needed more. I wanted to find an instructor who was not only a great player but someone who knew how to teach. Most of all, I needed to be inspired. Just a few minutes into our lesson together, it was clear to me that Tim was going to provide the exact inspiration I had been searching for.
"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 have been taking guitar lessons from Tim for over a year now. My previous teacher was also an excellent teacher, but his first priority was performing. With Tim, I feel that he loves to teach, is dedicated to teaching guitar, and that I’m more than just a financial necessity for his “night” job. Two things that I really like about working with Tim are: 1) His use of technology to enhance my learning and practice; and 2) His flexibility to “change gears”, as I learn more about what I like in music.
"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.