Student Reviews & Testimonials
Bill M.
I have been taking live ‘1 on 1’ private online lessons with Dave Celentano through Guitar Tricks for a little over one year. Dave is an excellent teacher. I did not even realize we had been together for over a year as I enjoyed every minute of our lessons. He is quick to analyze my skills (or lack thereof) and develop a plan for me to learn the guitar and music. He taught me more than chords, where the notes are on the guitar and the mechanics of playing. He taught me music, music theory and increased my interest in music. Throughout the year we ventured into several areas I had not thought of, and even gave me some of his own teaching tools to aid in my learning and appreciation of playing the guitar. He taught me some really cool blues songs and riffs.
He is very encouraging, and I could tell he enjoyed what he is doing. There were times I would approach our lesson with great trepidation. Within minutes Dave has me back to being enthusiastic and wanting more. I really enjoy his challenges like having me figure out triads, scales, chords and where the notes are on the fretboard. I am not sure if it proper to feel this way, but Dave makes me feel like a friend.
Cary H.
“I have always considered myself an autodidact. This has been an effective methodology in most of my educational pursuits. There have been exceptions; golf, for example, was difficult. I watched videos and read books on the perfect golf swing, but I never had a working technique until I had a formal lesson with a golf pro. I had no expectation that I could master learning guitar, and I assumed that it would be an arduous task. I performed some due diligence and scheduled my first live online ‘1 on 1’ lesson with guitar instructor Dave Celentano. This experience has been nothing short of an epiphany in my learning experience. I feel fortunate, as I realized early on that Dave enjoys teaching. It is not an easy pursuit. Many of my friends had short-lived experiences with music teachers, and just didn’t know where to turn. Dave has been a great resource. I have had lessons almost every week for the first year. Most of my guitar focus before Dave was centered on ‘cowboy chords’. I was rarely moving beyond the 3rd fret. In a short period of time after commencing Dave’s online ‘1 on 1’ coaching I was traveling up and down the guitar fretboard, employing legato technique, learning fundamentals of “hammer-ons” and “pull-offs”, and basic sliding technique. Dave taught the fundamental execution of string bending as well as different styles/genres with examples.
One of the most important developments I have realized with Dave’s program is correction. I video-record certain sections and performances of the lesson where Dave is demonstrating technique. I use these during the week for practice. Invariably, on follow-up, Dave points out an error or poor habit in my technique. This usually involves an area of difficulty I have experienced in my practice but could not solve. Once this is recognized, presented to me, and worked on, the problem is usually solved.
Summary: Obviously, the experience with Dave Celentano has been quite rewarding and effective. I cannot think of any pursuit more rewarding and enjoyable since completing my specialty training and that was in 1994. It is difficult to quantify the results of learning an instrument, and the experience for each individual is a unique one. I believe that the most effective teaching module does need a feedback mechanism (unlike YouTube). In my specific case, everything clicked when I met Dave, and I truly believe that my approach has become more disciplined and I am finally experiencing tangible results.”
Mark B.
I have been taking live online guitar lessons from Dave Celentano (in group classes and private ‘1 on 1’) through Guitar Tricks for about a year. I’m new to the guitar but have some musical background. I have seen Dave work with all levels of ability, he’s able to keep things simple for the beginner and interesting for the advance guitarist. Dave is an excellent, first-class music/guitar instructor and I feel fortunate to be able to have lessons with him from the comfort of my home.
Roy M.
I took two months of private lessons from a local guitar instructor and although the lessons were good, I found it inconvenient to load the guitar drive to the lesson and back home again. I started to scour the internet for teaching sites, then I discovered Dave Celentano’s ‘1 on 1’ private lessons through Guitar Tricks. You can check him out on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, etc.
Dave is the most knowledgeable individual concerning the guitar I have yet to encounter. He can play any genre and not only teaches you how to play, he helps you understand the guitar and how to expand on what he is teaching. I have learned more in a couple of months with Dave than the previous year. I highly recommend you give Dave a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Greg K.
“This weekend I had several particularly good practice sessions across multiple areas to include my understanding of theory, the intricacies of some personally challenging chord fingerings and my perennial rhythmical challenges. After playing for nearly 3 years and only now beginning to see notable improvements in my playing, I wondered ‘why now?’ The answer to the question is unequivocally my live ‘1 on 1’ private lessons with Guitar Tricks instructor Dave Celentano.
After two years of lessons from a very good local guitar instructor, I was simply not making progress and decided to try ‘1 on 1’ lessons with Dave, which I have been doing for about eight months. I spent much of my professional life as an instructor/mentor and I know what it takes to be a good teacher…and Dave has it. He is positive and reinforcing without being fake, he holds me accountable without being pejorative, and he has meaningful expectations while fully understanding the life demands of non-traditional students. Dave tailors his teaching to what I need every single session, and despite his busy teaching schedule, he always comes to class fully prepared and somehow seems to know exactly where we left off. Dave makes it 100% about the student. He has that unique ability to integrate the practical application of the technique I am trying to master to the theory and logic behind what is happening musically. Dave is always positive and that makes the experience that much more enjoyable to me as the student and to my wife who has to live in the same house as a guitar-player wanna-be!!!”