Timothy Patrick Garry
About
Hello there! I am a lifelong musician with a passion for both music and teaching. In my 20+ years of experience as a music instructor, I have guided many students of all ages along their journey to achieve their musical goals. I am patient, have a good sense of humor, and methodical in my way of teaching. I teach proper technique as well as advanced music theory, and enjoy teaching through songs or pieces that illustrate a concept that we are trying to master. I am multi-instrumental, and play guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, piano, drums, and I am a vocalist. I can help you approach music from many angles!
I am also a working musician and a performer, playing at various venues throughout the Bay Area as well as weddings, events, etc. I sing for my supper!
I am an avid traveler and have been to 20+ countries. I am also a sort of linguist - in addition to English, I can chat with you in Spanish, Italian, and German.
Teaching Style
My teaching style is personalized, energetic, and supportive. I meet each student at their level and design lessons that are both fun and challenging, so they always feel motivated while making real progress. Whether we’re working on guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, or voice, I balance technique and theory with the joy of making music. I like to bring in songs and styles that spark a student’s interest, while also pushing them to explore new concepts and expand their abilities. My goal is to help every student not only build strong technical skills but also develop confidence, creativity, and their own unique musical voice.
I teach one-on-one private lessons geared to your level. I like to focus on proper technique, learning through songs that interest the student. I find that learning how to keep time, change chords, etc, is best done by learning actual songs. For more advanced students, we focus on scales, chords, theory, soloing, improvisation, as well as more difficult pieces that we master with practice.
Curriculum
For beginning students (especially children), I tend to go towards the Hal Leonard books as a guide, as they provide an easy to follow methodology. When we get to the intermediate or advanced stages, I'll have additional books or resources to recommend, and a deep well of materials I have produced myself over the years.
I enjoy teaching blues and jazz improv, as well as a fingerstyle and flamenco strumming techniques. I'll teach these through a combination of books, online resources, and my own materials, tailored to the student. If you’re a more hard-rocking kind of student, my two favorite bands growing up were Metallica and Led Zeppelin, so I’m no stranger to that style as well!
I offer private lessons tailored to your level, keeping the process fun and engaging while still challenging you to do your best.
On guitar, I cover a wide range of styles, including rock, jazz, blues, classical, and flamenco. Lessons can focus on both lead and rhythm playing, with songs chosen to highlight new concepts and techniques. We’ll explore chord shapes, scales, arpeggios, and runs—ranging from simple pentatonic scales to more exotic modes. I also teach fingerpicking styles such as Travis Picking and classical fingerstyle, as well as picking and strumming techniques across genres like rock, metal, jazz, folk, blues, and flamenco. Improvisation is a big part of my approach, helping you build a personal vocabulary of licks, runs, and phrases.
For bass players, I teach rock, jazz, blues, and funk, with an emphasis on both fingerstyle and pick technique. You can also learn pop and slap styles, how to construct walking bass lines, and the theory behind modes, scales, and arpeggios.
If banjo is your instrument, I specialize in both bluegrass and Celtic traditions on the 5-string banjo, and have plenty of texts to recommend. We’ll work on finger rolls, clawhammer technique, flatpicking tunes, and the theory behind scales and chords. I also have a large repertoire of tunes to share, so you’ll always have something fun and challenging to play. Again, I tend to start with the Hal Leonard book and then dip into other sources as we progress.
On mandolin, I teach Italian, Irish Celtic, and bluegrass styles. We’ll cover chop chords, alternate picking, tremolo picking, and plenty of theory and improvisation. I also have an extensive collection of mandolin tunes to help you grow your skills and repertoire.
Ukulele players can start with the basics of chords and strumming, then move into fingerstyle and advanced strumming techniques. We’ll also explore theory and improvisation, and you’ll have the chance to learn everything from traditional Hawaiian tunes to popular songs (I particularly like "Jumpin Jim's Gone Hawaiian" book).
Across all instruments, I make sure to incorporate music theory, from the basics of harmony and chord progressions to more advanced concepts like modes and scales.
In addition to instrumental instruction, I also offer voice lessons. These focus on advanced vocal technique, helping you expand your range and refine your approach with proper support and placement. I also provide vocal coaching for audition pieces, performances, and any other singing goals you may have.
Credentials & Affiliations
I have been teaching music privately for 20+ years. Since Feb 2011 ,I have been employed as a Music Instructor at Music Time Academy in Livermore CA. I currently teach guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, piano, voice, and group band classes. I’ve taken part in many annual recitals through this school, which tend to be big productions. I also contract with Futures Explored, a Northern Californian organization dedicated to assisting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where I give music lessons to students and help to put on performances for them.
I have performed all over the Bay Area in various ensembles, the most notable of which are the cover band The UnOriginals, playing clubs, wedding, events, etc, and the Irish music band Fast and Vengefully, playing clubs, festivals, etc. I also currently perform as a solo performer under the name ‘Timmy G”. I have performed multiple years at the annual Dublin CA St Patrick’s Day Festival, the Music and Market series in Concord, CA in Todos Santos Plaza, Concert on the Plaza in Mountain VIew, CA, the Spring Brews Fest in Concord CA, as well as monthly gigs in such stalwart venues as Maggie McGarrys and johnny Foleys in San Francisco, I love performing, and encourage all my students to try it as well! I've also recorded a few albums over the years ,the most recent of which is called "Renewal" under the name "Timmy G". It is an instrumental album that covers various genres of music.
As far as my education and training as a musician goes, I studied Music Theory at Diablo Valley College and took additional courses in piano and Applied Voice Training. I also took part in the Jazz Choir for one year, where I received a Citation for Outstanding Musicianship from International Association of Jazz Educators.
Furthermore, I studied jazz guitar formally under Alex Skolnik (guitarist for the band Testament as well as the Alex Skolnik trio) and Joe Livoti of Concord, CA, both of whom supercharged my knowledge of applied music theory and ability to improvise effectively. I also studied Flamenco guitar under Glenn Staller for a year, which gave me a solid foundation in classical and fingerstyle techniques.