Arvada Guitar
Arvada Guitar

Arvada Guitar

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Area(s) of interest
Format
Sorry this pro can’t do your job, but we know other pros who can.
Introduction
ArvadaGuitar was a Thumbtack Top Pro for 2016, 2017 and 2018. I have been a full-time, professional musician for more than 25 years. I have a degree in Music Theory and Composition and have been teaching privately for over 15 years. I also own and operate a professional recording studio. I understand many different aspects of musicianship beyond simply playing or teaching guitar. But I am also a patient, caring teacher who communicates ideas and techniques to my students in a way they understand. I am not rigid in my approach to teaching and I treat each student like the unique individuals they are. My students often stay with me for 6,8, 10 years and former students return to me because I provide a resource to them that they cannot find anywhere else. I love helping people learn new things. I love seeing them grow. I have spent a lot of time struggling and learning things on my own and I absolutely love helping people who are struggling to overcome their limitations and boundaries.
Overview

Hired 32 times

Background checked

27 years in business

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Cash, Check, Credit card, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.

Top Pro status

Top Pros are among the highest-rated, most popular professionals on Thumbtack.

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2018

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2017

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2016

Featured Projects

16 photos

Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for professionalism, responsiveness, and value.

Excellent 4.9

21 reviews

5
90%
4
10%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%


pro avatar
Gene T.
Sep 7, 2015
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Arvada Guitar's reply
So I asked Gene, "Gene, why only 4 stars?" He replied, "Well, I guess there's always room for improvement right?" Fair enough!
Guitar Lessons
pro avatar
Mark S.
Oct 19, 2017
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Guitar Lessons
pro avatar
Justin H.
Jun 24, 2015
I’ve taken guitar lessons with Gene for over 5 years. My guitar experience prior to meeting Gene was very limited. So limited that I didn’t even own a guitar pic nor how to properly hold/use one. I never felt that I needed guitar lessons as I had taught myself many other hobbies in the past. “Practice makes perfect” was a motivational phrase I often told myself. It wasn’t till a failed audition at my local church that I realized my practicing wasn’t producing the results I had wanted/expected. I started working with Gene and immediately identified that a majority of my current abilities were based upon improper techniques. I didn’t fully appreciate or understand proper technique as its affects were not always apparent in my playing. As my lessons progressed and technique improved, I realized that my motivational slogan wasn’t complete. I now say; “proper practice makes perfect”. Working with Gene got me back on track with learning to play guitar. I have confidence when practicing knowing that the time I’m investing is not being wasted on bad habits. A lot has changed since starting lessons with Gene. I re-auditioned at church and made the worship team! I regularly played lead guitar at my church and was content with my playing ability. I decided to stop lessons as I now had a solid foundation and figured that I could pick up anything I didn’t know from online videos. This was one of biggest mistakes I’ve made. Quickly after being on my own, I began to realize the lacking quality and musicianship in the countless “tutorial” videos found on YouTube. It’s easy finding online song lesson, however, it’s very rare to find someone teaching it correctly or true to the album. I remembered working with Gene and not only learning the EXACT riffs and leads to a song, but also the artist’s style, tone and effects used. Over the years I became accustom to learning and sounding just like the artist I was trying to replicate. This quality of instruction I have only been able to find while working with Gene. I noticed that my interested in playing guitar faded after I ended lessons. I just didn’t have the excitement to learn new songs or challenge myself to play better on the ones I did know. After a long sabbatical I decided to start back up lessons with Gene. Fast forward a few years; I now look forward to practicing nightly and regularly play with multiple churches within the Denver Metro area. I would not be where I am musically today without Gene’s guidance and inspiration. He’s a great mentor and continues to challenge me to be a better musician. Looking back, if I could change anything about my experience with Gene, it would be starting lessons with him sooner and never taken a break.
pro avatar
Jansen Y.
Aug 27, 2015
I have always wanted to learn guitar but never had the opportunity, finally when I was 16 I bought my first guitar. I realized how hard guitar was, and almost felt embarrassed to learn. The guitar collected dust for almost 6 years, until September 2014, when I found Gene on Craiglist. I was very nervous as I had never played a day in my life and I was scared I would be terrible.. well I was! but Gene immediately made me feel comfortable with learning a new skill as an adult. He has been so patient through this long learning process and always encourages me to keep going and is good at pointing out my progress when I think I have not made any. Gene is just awesome, he is super caring and understanding. He has become more than just a guitar teacher, he is a friend. Whenever I am having a bad day I love that I can go to guitar, learn some awesome stuff and get out some much needed venting. He's like my guitar therapist! I honestly believe I wasn't meant to learn till I could learn from him! :D he's great and I would recommend him to anyone!!!
pro avatar
Jeff w.
Sep 11, 2016
My interest in playing guitar started in my early teens. I set it aside in my 20's and picked it back up in my mid 30's. I was self taught and could play but never really caught on to modes, scales and theory. So, at the age of 55 I decided it was finally time to take lessons! I got online and started researching teachers. After looking thru and reading many guitar teachers resumes I came across Gene on craigslist. He has a fantastic background in music and guitars and is an outstanding teacher. He is easy to talk to and got my issues right away. I've learned more in 5 months from Gene than I had in my 20 plus previous years of playing. Gene can teach anyone at any level! I usually get to my lesson a little early and have been able to hear the student before me. This student is a beginner and the progress in the past few months is amazing. I would highly recommend Gene to anyone at any level who wants to learn or improve their playing ability.
Credentials
Background Check

Norman Crout