Melvin
About
Online Guitar Lessons for Adults Who Know Chords But Feel Stuck — Learn the Fretboard Through Real Songs
I'm Melvin, a guitar coach teaching live one-on-one lessons online. I work with two kinds of players: self-taught guitarists who've picked up chords and riffs but feel like something's missing, and intermediate players who know their open chords and want to break out of the box — navigate the whole fretboard, play clean barre chords, and solo with confidence. We learn through real songs you actually want to play, so the theory sticks because you hear it working.
My background: I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and teaching for over 20. I earned a BM in Guitar Performance from Mansfield University (2006), where I studied classical and jazz guitar with Dr. Matthew Slotkin, plus ear training, sight-reading, form and analysis, and jazz improv and arranging — and performed in masterclasses with players including Grammy winner David Russell.
I also studied jazz guitar with Casey Mallow, Hugh Douglass, and Mark Burin. I later earned a Master's in Worship Studies (Ethnomusicology) from Liberty University (2013).
I've gigged in just about every style: jazz combos and ensembles (CD recording, tours through PA and Baltimore), indie rock (Push Dawn — Musefest 2006–2007, self-produced CD), R&B (Lucky Ducks), old-time and bluegrass (1st Street Band, Beaver Dams Boys — Conklin Fair, the Windmill, Bath VA), and contemporary worship (Generations band, Waymakers — Twin Tiers Church, Jesus in the Park Binghamton, Corning Nazarene).
Played with Chad LB - saxophonist in 2005 and 2006.
How to start: book a trial lesson, tell me one song you wish you could play, and we'll map out your first month together.
Teaching Style
Song-first method: we pick songs you love, and I build the lesson around them — CAGED shapes, pentatonics, chord progressions, and ear training all arrive through the song, not as dry drills. Live one-on-one video with close-up fretboard camera angles, so you can see exactly what's happening. Every lesson ends with one clear thing to practice. Theory in plain language, taught on the guitar in your hands — no sight-reading required.
This is for you if: you can strum open chords but get lost past the 5th fret; you learned riffs from tabs or YouTube but don't understand why they work; or music theory has always felt intimidating. Probably not a fit if: you want tabs handed to you with no explanation, or you're looking for in-person lessons — I teach in person only special request for those who live near me in upstate NY.
Common questions:
I've been self-taught for years. Am I too far behind for lessons? — Not at all. Self-taught players are some of my favorite students. You already have raw material; lessons fill the gaps and connect the dots, usually faster than you'd expect.
I'm terrible at theory. Do I need to read music? — No. Everything is taught on the guitar, in plain language, through songs. If you can count to 12, you can learn the fretboard.
How fast will I see progress? — Most students feel a real shift in 4–6 weeks: cleaner chord changes, the fretboard starting to make sense, and at least one song they couldn't play before.
Do online lessons actually work as well as in-person? — For guitar, yes. You get close-up fretboard angles and a lesson recording to rewatch anytime. No commute.
Curriculum
Teaching Method
Song-first method: we pick songs you love, and I build the lesson around them — CAGED shapes, pentatonics, chord progressions, and ear training all arrive through the song, not as dry drills. Live one-on-one video with close-up fretboard camera angles, so you can see exactly what's happening. Every lesson ends with one clear thing to practice. Theory in plain language, taught on the guitar in your hands — no sight-reading required.
This is for you if: you can strum open chords but get lost past the 5th fret; you learned riffs from tabs or YouTube but don't understand why they work; or music theory has always felt intimidating. Probably not a fit if: you want tabs handed to you with no explanation. (In-person lessons available by special request, booked through Lessonface — just ask.)
Recommended student texts:
- Will Schmid & Greg Koch, Hal Leonard Guitar Method — my go-to starting point for beginners: reading, chords, and strumming in a clear graded path
- Troy Nelson, Guitar Aerobics — a 52-week technique workout; great for building speed, accuracy, and daily practice discipline
- Tom Kolb, Music Theory for Guitarists(Hal Leonard Guitar Method) — theory in plain language with audio examples; the book I hand students who want to understand what they're playing
- Christopher Parkening, The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Vol. 1 — my recommendation for classical students: technique, reading, and repertoire from a master
- Jody Fisher, Modal Soloing Strategies for Guitar — my go-to for making the modes musical instead of mechanical
- Barrett Tagliarino, Guitar Fretboard Workbook — the best fretboard-navigation workout I know; pairs perfectly with what we do in lessons
- Bill Edwards, Fretboard Logic — the CAGED system explained clearly, great companion to our chord-shape work
- Mick Goodrick, The Advancing Guitarist— for serious students ready to think deeply about the instrument (jazz-leaning)
- Ted Greene, Chord Chemistry — the bible of chord construction and voicings
- William Leavitt, A Modern Method for Guitar (Berklee Press) — technique, reading, and fretboard knowledge in one graded path
Common questions:
I've been self-taught for years. Am I too far behind for lessons? — Not at all. Self-taught players are some of my favorite students. You already have raw material; lessons fill the gaps and connect the dots, usually faster than you'd expect.
I'm terrible at theory. Do I need to read music? — No. Everything is taught on the guitar, in plain language, through songs. If you can count to 12, you can learn the fretboard.
How fast will I see progress? — Most students feel a real shift in 4–6 weeks: cleaner chord changes, the fretboard starting to make sense, and at least one song they couldn't play before.
Do online lessons actually work as well as in-person? — For guitar, yes. You get close-up fretboard angles and a lesson recording to rewatch anytime. No commute.
Credentials & Affiliations
Associates Degree in Liberal Arts/ Specialization in Music - Corning Community College
Bachelor's Degree in Guitar Performance from Mansfield University
Master's Degree in Worship Studies and Ethnomusicology from Liberty University
