Don't let your first attempt to learn guitar go bad... learn to play beautifully from the start.
why work with Me?
You'll start off by learning some simple scales and melodies to develop finger strength and coordination and continue to develop this as you learn more.
Once your fretboard fingers develop strength and coordination, you'll learn the most common chord progressions and strumming patterns.
You'll also learn advanced picking patterns that improve your pick accuracy while also making your chord progressions sound amazing.
about me
I’ve been teaching guitar to students ages 3-76 since 2006. I double-majored in Classical Guitar Performance and Music Theory at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. While at Temple, I performed in a masterclass for world-renowned guitarist David Leiser and presented my research paper on Franz Liszt at the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic’s annual conference.
After graduation, I continued my guitar studies with world-renowned lute and classical guitar teacher Patrick O’Brien and Rowan University Professor Kathleen Mayes. I’ve trained in the Suzuki Teaching Philosophy and Guitar Pedagogy under the guidance of Wan-Tsai Chen, David Madsen, Andrea Cannon, and Bill Kossler. I’ve also performed with the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Concert Ensemble.
My main hobbies are chess and gardening, although those have recently taken a backseat to raising my child.
approach
Playing music poorly is hard.
Over your lifetime of listening to music, you've developed musical instincts that help you know when music sounds good and when it sounds bad.
The problem is that most beginners and most teachers are so focused on developing the basic physical skills that they neglect the musical. The result: Guitarists who can physically execute music but don't feel like they're playing is good.
I help students become excellent guitarists by focusing on musicality as early as possible. This focus aligns my student's physical abilities with their natural musical instincts, increasing their confidence and enjoyment.
testimonials
I have been a student of Kale for four years. I am 75 years of age and started with Kale without any musical experience. He has displayed acute understanding and patience which has helped with my progression. I am very satisfied with my progress, and committed to constant improvement.
Kale relates to his students, meeting them at their level. From young toddlers thru college-age, he connects the activities and the music to fit their interests and learning style.
He assesses the needs and interests of his students, and formulates a teaching plan for them as individuals. In this way, they receive instruction that truly motivates them to learn.
I think students will feel that their teacher takes an interest in them and cares to see them progress. They will appreciate the energy he brings to his teaching and will benefit from that.
I've taken lessons with Kale for a few years now. He's a terrific teacher. Challenging and patient. I started with an interest in expanding my 3 chord vocabulary for my job working with kids in a preschool setting. Over the course of a year or so I was able to expand my limited repertoire, improve my rhythm skills with different strum patterns and to figure out how to play new songs on my own.
Last year, with an interest in learning to read music and play for pleasure, I began studying classical guitar with Kale and have found it an interesting challenge. One thing I particularly appreciate has been Kale's willingness to work at whatever pace I'm able to go. Practice is everything of course and some months I'm able to work a lot and progress quickly and other times I have to go at a slower pace because I'm busy and preoccupied with other things and Kale has always been an encouraging and flexible teacher.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for taking me on as a student, and let you know how much it has meant to me over the past couple of years. Learning to play this instrument has given me an extremely fulfilling new way to express myself musically, reawakening a part of myself that had lay dormant for the better part of a decade. Not only that, it's given me something to work toward and look forward to each week that lies entirely outside of my responsibilities as a father or at my job.
You really are a fantastic teacher, able to meet me at my level at every step of the way, and creatively introducing new technology and side materials organically as new challenges emerge on my journey. Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to the next year of study!
I've been taking lessons from Kale for about ten months, and it's been pretty awesome! Kale has a great sense of humor, is very personable, and is a really good teacher. He's very perceptive during lessons, and quickly spots mistakes I'm making, and helps me make corrections. He also gives me really good advice about practicing, and teaches me little tricks so that I am making the most out of my practice time. And on the administrative side, everything seems to run smoothly; he's very professional, and always replies when I reach out to him with questions and whatnot. All this stuff adds up to Kale being a great teacher!
In my first lesson with Kale, he quickly gave me a context in which I could put everything I knew about guitar chords - a system which made further exploration of the guitar possible and exciting. I realized I had a fear of heights when it came to guitar frets - I became less confident the higher up the neck I went, and I'd have to question where I was all the time. Kale didn't just give me new information, he gave me a new way to think. Kale aims to make his students self-sufficient. In doing so, he benefits as well; he will never have to answer another specific question from me about, "How do I play X chord this far up the neck?" and I'll never need to refer to a chord chart again.
Kale has a firm belief in making music fun. Even though he is fun-loving, he does NOT scrimp on musicality. Students will benefit from seeing Kale's excellent technique and being around his infectious personality.
Your lessons got me started on something great and now I'm going to be attending Berklee College of Music this fall! I really appreciate you working with me and getting me started.
I started with Kale as a complete beginner, never having picked up a guitar.I stepped into Kale's studio having no idea if I would do more than 1 lesson, but I walked out not wanting to wait another week before my next one. Kale has a unique combination technical expertise, passion for guitar, and a genuine desire to help his students succeed that makes him an amazing guitar teacher. Not only does he really know his stuff, but he is also excellent at making lessons fun and getting students excited to play every week.
I was 24 when I started lessons with Kale, but I consistently witnessed how he had similar positive connections with students much younger and older than myself, and with a variety of guitar skill levels, so I would strongly recommend him for lessons regardless of your age and experience.
Despite years of playing, I severely lacked the confidence and ability to play lead in either a band or friendly jam session setting. Within a month of taking Kale's Fretboard Freedom course, I jumped on the chance to play lead during a jam session with some rather accomplished friends and was given some nice compliments. Kale has been instrumental in helping me understand what was previously daunting and confusing, and he has also helped me clean up some bad habits. My playing, my practice habits, and my skill level have all been taken to the next level in a very short period of time.
When I first went to Kale Good Guitar studio, I had zero ability to play the guitar. I am now 25 years old, and it had always been a dream of mine to be able to play the guitar. I searched for many instructors, but I know I stumbled upon the best in the city. Kale is a very nice and funny guy. He makes you feel very confident in your ability to pick up the skill, and he himself is immensely talented on the guitar; it gives his students something to look up to. I sing and work with very talented musicians, and each of them have been impressed with how quickly I was able to pick up learning the guitar under Kale's guidance. I cannot imagine there being a better guitar instructor in all of Philadelphia. If you're serious about learning to play the guitar, there is only one place to go, Kale Good Guitar Studio. When it comes to great instructors, Kale Good could not be better.
(via personal email) I just wanted to say that I auditioned your student ***** yesterday at Temple. She was very well prepared and had obviously been taught well so credit to you for your good teaching.