Testimonials
"Mr. Wirth is a highly dedicated and talented musician who approaches his work with honesty and integrity."
Dr. Nicholas T. Goluses.
Professor of Guitar at the Eastman School of Music.
Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to write about The School of Feedback Guitar because I recommend it to everyone I meet.
My daughter has been playing guitar for 5 years (she's just 12), and in the past we found it difficult to find a teacher who really connected with her as a musician, until we met Dave. Not only can she express herself as a musician, but she has never practiced more in her life. His "practice for 10 minutes a day" philosophy is brilliant. I don't know if he meant it as reverse psychology, but once she picks up her guitar (ok we still REMINDER her), she doesn't put it down. She incorporates things that she learns in songs that she writes (and eventually performs with her band), and she is emerging as a wonderful guitar player. We are overjoyed to have found The School of Feedback Guitar, and highly recommend it to anyone (no make that EVERYONE) who is looking for a teacher.
N. B. (as seen on Yelp!)
I've been a student's of Dave's for a little over a year now. The first time I ever even held a guitar in my hands was just a few days before my first lesson. But dammit - I was turning 40, and I was finally gonna pick up the guitar.
From the first lesson, Dave has been a great teacher. He knows his stuff, is unbelievably patient, and constantly encouraging.
I'll probably end up being an aging rocker wannabe who only knows 3 chords and a handful of songs, but Dave's cool with that.
He gets jazzed seeing progress in his students, and even more jazzed seeing his students having fun and enjoying themselves. After all, isn't that what it's all about?
I'm frequently bringing in new songs that I want to learn, and Dave's always happy to help me learn them - regardless of musical style or genre.
I also like that he's always willing to teach some tricks and shortcuts that increase my abilities and allow me to play songs I probably have no business playing.
Rock on.
G. S. (as seen on Yelp!)
Little background about myself: I have been taking some form of formal musical training since I was 5 (mostly in voice) and I have a degree in music from the University of North Texas. My point is that I have taken A LOT of lessons in my life and none have been as enjoyable as the lessons that I have had with Dave.
I found Dave on Yelp and after visiting his website was blown away by his resume. Dave has a masters in classical and jazz guitar from Eastman, which for those of you who down know much about music schools is a top notch music school. Also his website is really well done and I got a great sense of who he was and his teaching style from his website.
So after perusing his website, I felt confident enough to schedule my first lesson. He offers on-line scheduling which is great and makes the process of picking a lesson time a lot easier. My first clue that this guy was good was that his schedule was almost completely full. Now this part was a little bit of a foreign experience for me because in the past selecting a lesson teacher has been a multi-step process where the teacher was as much selecting you as you were selecting them. Anyway... I digress.
So one of the great things about taking lessons from Dave is his studio. It has been painted a deep shade of blue with guitars neatly placed around the room and lamps and twinkle lights give the room a comfortable and relaxed feeling.
So at our first lesson, we did introductions, talked about my goals and immediately jumped into learning the guitar. I'm learning guitar from scratch, so I knew nothing walking into my first lesson and felt a little intimidated but I instantly felt at ease with Dave due to his laid back demeanor. Dave has a clear method in his mind for teaching guitar. He had a hand out for me and he went through all of the chords that he wanted me to learn. He was also not shy about giving me pointers / tips and correcting bad form. I was having so much fun that before I knew it my 30 minute lesson was over.
At the end of the lesson I wrote him a check for my lesson and was amazed to receive a receipt. I know this seems like a no-brainer but in my experience this is not the norm.
I haven't been taking lessons with Dave for long but I look forward to my lesson every week.
A. Y. (as seen on Yelp!)
"I took lessons from Dave in fall of 2008, and I was really amazed by him (and I'm not easily impressed). I started lessons wanting to develop a really strong technical foundation, having only played a saxophone before. He's a genuinely nice guy, but more important than that, he definitely knows his stuff. I felt his methodology was great for beginning students. After every lesson, I felt like I learned a lot and had good material to work on.
I was going to start up lessons again in the spring but some medical problems on top of school stuff left me without that possibility. I've been practicing independently a little since the start of the year, and I made far, far more progress in the few months I took lessons with Dave than I have in all the time since.
I'm really, really looking forward to starting again come fall.
Hakan S.
"After a seventeen year musical dry spell (since middle school!), I began taking weekly guitar lessons from Dave about 8 months ago. I'd never touched a guitar before, but I knew I had made a good choice right away. Dave puts a lot of care into developing an organic curriculum that is flexible enough to cater to a wide variety of musical interests and skill levels, but every lesson is laid-back, comfortable, and free-flowing. I confess to having a very analytical mindset, so I am very interested in music theory in addition to the practical aspects of playing guitar. Dave has has always been able to answer all of my theory questions without any difficulty, and also expose me to new concepts that I'd never considered. But, though he knows the theory, he is always certain to drive home the point that you should feel free to break the 'rules' that those theories attempt to impose in the interest of experiencing new sounds and techniques. As an amateur musician for the better part of a year, I would do it all over again, and I think that's the highest compliment I can pay to the School of Feedback Guitar."
-Mike S.
"My teenage daughter was very interested in learning the guitar and after looking and talking with a handful of very nice teachers we decided on Dave. We are so BLESSED to have done that. My daughter is having a blast! She and Dave have similar tastes in music and there was 1 day she didn't feel like playing, she wanted to talk about music. She was so excited when she came out of the lesson. I couldn't be more pleased! He's an amazing guitar player and teacher but more than that he has such a heart!"
-Susan G.
"If you peruse my reviews you know I'm no BS: if something is good, I'll tell you. Dave is the truth; he's knowledgeable and skilled enough to satisfy the tight pant indie kids and the dark shredders of the world. He's impressed with his skill for 2 straight years; he teaches and creates because he's compelled and that's the type of person you want as a teacher. With that in mind, Dave only wants what YOU want as a student. Just want to learn 3 chord guitar? He'll teach. Complex 3 octave shredding? He'll get you there.
Take home message? Dave should be charging more; his knowledge is that valuable. Book a lesson before he wises up!"
-Skyler T.
"Almost 2 years ago when our son first started at School of Feedback Guitar, we expected that we'd be satisfied with the instruction he'd receive -- But right from the start, the quality of instruction there has *well* exceeded all of our expectations. The lessons are very engaging, relaxed, and productive. Would highly recommend School of Feedback Guitar to anyone looking to learn how to play guitar."
-Parent of a Current Student
"I have had my first experience with the School of Feedback Guitar over the summer and still continuing. Dave's layed-back approach to teaching the guitar is both helpful and inspiring as a young person with no experience with it, but with an interest in music. Over my weekly lessons i have been having so much fun, and Dave has a way to hook you into learning the guitar even if your not feeling it that day, because you observe the talent he has himself. He is different from previous musical instructors i have had in the past because i cant even call him an instructor. He's more like a mentor, and that is definitely more appealing to me."
-Halle G.
"I really enjoy learning from Dave. I've kept at it for two months and I usually have a teeny-tiny attention span for new hobbies! I like that Dave lets me learn the pieces I'm interested in. He lets me explore my creative side, is really patient, and keeps me from getting frustrated (and quitting!)."
-Tina M.
"In six months with Dave, even at just two hours a month, my abilities have been enhanced pricelessly.With his musical ear for details and his focus on my individual desires, these lessons build onto my own will to play more and more guitar. His experience as a live performer and compositionalist, added with his classical music education, really makes Dave a one of a kind teacher with lots of heart to boot. If you truly want to play guitar, then you can't go wrong by setting up a session with the School of Feedback Guitar."
- M.D.
"Dave at SOFG has been great, I have learned a lot and would definitely recommend him. It has been a blast!"
-Maria L.
