Bill Nesbitt — Music Teacher

I teach private music lessons in Little Rock. I'll teach anybody, old or young, who shows genuine interest. I teach:

• 5-string bluegrass-style banjo
• Guitar — Specializing in Bluegrass flatpicking — Also fingerstyle, bluegrass rhythm, folk, acoustic pop, basic swing styles. Sorry I don't teach classical or jazz. UALR has a very good guitar program if you're serious about those styles.
• Mandolin — fiddle tunes for mandolin; bluegrass style mandolin — note for note, tremolo styles, Bill Monroe style.
• Upright bass — basic bass technique and advanced bluegrass style bass

I've found that playing an instrument and being able to teach others to play are two entirely different things. My teaching environment (I teach in my home studio in central Little Rock — see photo at left) is warm, pleasant and, most of all, positive. It's also family-friendly, with a big couch for mom or dad to sit and toys to help little brother or sister pass the time. Don't mind the pups, they're just saying "hello."

I won't constantly hound you about practicing your instrument; however, I will expect improvement over time until a level of proficiency is reached that works for both of us. My long-term goal is for you to be a better musician than I am. I'm proud to say I have actually succeeded in attaining that goal a time or two, although it is a difficult goal, since I continue to work hard to improve my own skills.

Practicing isn't always fun, especially when you're just starting out and there are fingers to toughen and muscles to strengthen. The goal is to progress, over time, away from "practicing" the instrument to "playing" the instrument. If it's play, you'll never get enough of it. There will always be self-discipline involved, but it becomes much more of a joy as your skill develops. And the rate of development varies greatly from person to person. It can be difficult to be patient with yourself, but I've found that part of my job is to encourage you to keep pressing forward. I have yet to find a student who was genuinely interested in progressing, but simply couldn't, because they were too uncoordinated or "tone-deaf." If you hang in there and do what your teacher says, you will move forward. Not saying you'll ever be Check Adkins or Earl Scrubbs :-) but you will progress.

My rate is $20.00 per half-hour lesson, once a week, payable at the beginning of each month by check or cash.

Check the chart below for openings in my schedule. I do set some times aside during the week for make-up lessons. If you're unable to come to a lesson, contact me and I will do my best to schedule a make-up for you on a case-by-case basis.

If you don't see an opening that works for you, E-mail me and I'll be glad to put you on my waiting list and contact you when an opening comes up on a first-come, first-served basis.

Friday
afternoon