What you need
A Guitar, Internet Broadband or Cable, A webcam and microphone, Skype Application, free to download from skype.com, or Google video chat software, free to download from google http://www.google.com/chat/video?hl=en. PAYPAL account, free to setup paypal.com, and a desire to play and learn the guitar. 

What is next?
Send your name, your time zone or country, your favorite guitar style and what topics you would like to learn, and tell me how long you have been playing the guitar (if not an absolute guitar beginner) to matt@guitarist.co.nz I will make contact with you within the next fourty eigth hours and will provide you with a list of guitar lesson times which you can pick from. After lesson confirmation you can make payment to secure the lesson time.

Booking a lesson and payment confirmation
Email confirmation - Once the lesson has been booked, an email will be sent with your lesson time and the Skype details for your lesson. Payment confirmation - The payment details are based on the duration of your lesson and need to be paid in full to secure the time slot. Introductory lesson price is $45 AUS for one hour which is great value for money, otherwise in person the lesson would be $60.

My obligation as a guitar teacher
I aim to give all my students the best experience at learning the guitar, and will assist you to learn quickly and help you to succeed. Please note that I am not the kind of guitar teacher, that will string you along for years just so that it takes you longer to learn and therefore you keep paying for lessons.. Matt Lithgow - Muscian and Guitar teacher

Here is your chance to get 1-on-1 tuition from a great guitarist who has a lot of skill and knowledge 

FREQUENLTY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the process to organise online guitar lessons with Matt Lithgow?

1. Get your web camera, fast internet, Skype and Paypal setup

2. Email me with some details about yourself, playing ability, topics of interest

3. I email you back within 48 hours and tell you what lesson times I have available.

4. You select the lesson time and date which suits you and then email me back

5. I confirm the time via email with the lesson time and method of payment.

6. You make payment and we confirm the lesson and exchange Skype information

7. We are all good to go! I look forward to seeing you at the lesson

What can I expect from the online lesson?

Before the lesson, you will be asked to provide some information about your guitar goals and any topics you would like to cover. With this information I will come up with a lesson plan and create some PDF documents which we will go over during the lesson, and after the lesson you will use them during you're guitar practice.

During the lesson, we will spend 5 minutes getting setup (tuning, sound, camera lights and action). The lesson is very focused, we will both play examples on the guitar and I will provide feedback on how you can improve your technique or knowledge. I will also play some examples which will stretch your imagination and keep you inspired. You will have questions about guitar playing which I will note down and cover during the lesson and also make up a summary at the end of the lesson and forward the comments via email.

What are the advantages of taking online guitar lessons via webcam?

1. Travel time is reduced
Reducing travel time means you don't have to waste time travelling to get to your lesson, the advantage is that you get to spend more time practicing the guitar, and I get to teach a more prepared student.

2. The comfort of your own home
By having the lesson in front of your own computer with your own gear means that you are more comfortable and relaxed as you don't have to pack your gear up and rush to your guitar lesson.

3. Internet media
By having an online guitar lesson means that we can access a library of guitar examples from all over the internet, this enables the student to get more value from the lesson because it allows them to research topics of discussion after the lesson.

4. Distance
The internet provides the opportunity to bring a student and a guitar teacher together from anywhere in the world. Another reason is that fly in fly out workers who are travelling all of the time, now have the opportunity to keep learning the guitar while away from home.

What are the disadvantages of taking lessons online?

1. Slight delay in signal The drawback is a slight delay in the audio/video feed between our computers.

2. Jamming. It is difficult to jam together however this can be mitigated by playing back examples or jamming over a backing track.

How do we schedule lessons?
Scheduling lessons are rather simple, I work on Western Standard Time (WST) +0800 UTC. Lesson times are currently available between 7pm-9pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 7pm On Saturday.

What if I need to reschedule a lesson?
> Lessons can be rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice

What if I need to cancel a lesson?
> If you need to cancel a lesson, you must give 24 hours notice. If payment was made for the lesson, you will be given a full refund.

What if I want to stop taking lessons altogether?
> There is no commitment. You can cancel at anytime. 

What if the instructor can't make the lesson, will they reschedule or give me a refund?
> If for some reason the teacher is unable to make a scheduled lesson, he/she will notify you at least 24 hours prior to scheduled lesson time. You and your teacher can reschedule the lesson, or you can request a full refund.

What if either of us lose our web connection during the lesson?
> Then we'll extend the lesson time to make up for it.

Are the lessons risk free?
The guitar lessons are 100% risk free, if for some reason (10-15 minutes) into the lesson that you're not getting any benefit from it then you will be given a full refund. As a guitar teacher with over 20 years experience, I am confident that you will get the desired benefits from the lesson.

What should I write in my introduction email?

1. Name and contact info (email address and Skype name is sufficient)

2. Thoughts you’d like to share about your pursuit of music

3. Influences

4. Type of guitar you play on (e.g. acoustic or electric)

5. How long you have been a musician

6. Whether or not you have studied guitar with a private instructor before

7. What you want to get out of your first lesson

8. What style(s) of music you want to learn

9. How involved in music theory you wish to get

10. What song(s) you want to learn or learn how to play better