WHO IS THIS GUY?

Your guitar teacher is Jeff Auen (pronounced Ouw-en). I’ve been playing guitar since age 7. I started with classical and flamenco lessons on a nylon string acoustic guitar (which I still have!). I played in a folk group when I was a kid and was the guitarist in a band called Sweet Poison (I’m not kidding) when I was 12. In college, I played a lot of folk/rock stuff (James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, Jimmy Buffett, John Prine, etc.) and began a music career as half of a comedy/musical duo called “Change of Pace.” Bob Slowey and I toured colleges and resorts up and down the east coast, including Sloppy Joes in Key West, the Yacht Club in St. Thomas and just about every club in and around Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, DC.

We made a very good living doing this 6 nights a week for more than 4 years and part-time for more than 14 years. We recorded two CD’s and plan to do another. I also sing and play in a Baltimore-based quartet called BBQ (Baltimore’s Best Quartet) with Mike White, Dave Mattheiss and Bob Slowey.

My guitar influences include Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Pete Huttlinger, James Taylor, Danny Gatton, Brian Setzer, John Jorgenson, Jimmy Bruno, Martin Taylor, Johnny A and many others. Basically, if it was recorded with six strings, I like it.

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY IS THIS:

“If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you probably won’t do it.”

Therefore, I will not subject you to endless scale and arpeggio exercises. All practice material will be musical and rhythmic, in short, song-based. You pick the songs too.

I mean it. Anything.

The method I use to teach students is the result of continuous, active introspection, over many years, while I learned from a variety of sources (teachers, tapes, videos, websites, channeling Chet Atkins, etc). When I finally reached a goal I always asked myself, “How could I teach this more efficiently?”

The process is still ongoing for me, and always will be. The subject is just too big to ever stop. I hope to streamline the learning process for you.

I'M A STUDENT TOO!

Every year I attend multiple, intensive, week-long Master Class seminars with my guitar heroes. I've studied with Tommy Emmanuel (Certified Guitar Player as per Chet Atkins), Doug Smith (Grammy award winner), Mark Hanson (Grammy award winner), John Knowles (Certified Guitar Player as per Chet Atkins) and Pete Huttlinger (Fingerstyle Guitar Champion).

WHERE TO START?

For years I made a living strumming easy first position “cowboy chords,” and I had a blast doing it. The audience kept coming back too! There are thousands of songs (real, popular hit songs) using only 3 or 4 easy chords! For you beginners, we’ll start there.

If you want to play well as a soloist or band member, you will eventually need to learn the guitar fretboard including scales, arpeggios, note names, intervals and many other scary-sounding subjects (they sounded scary to me anyway). All in good time and only when you need it in order to progress.

Intermediate and advanced players can focus in on trouble spots or work on a foreign technique like Fingerstyle, Jazz, Improvisation or Composition. How about taking up an unfamiliar genre (Gypsy Jazz anyone)? Learn how to transcribe. Fill in those gaps in your knowledge!

Former players can get back up to speed. Learn how to get out of ruts and stay out of them! Learn how to practice efficiently.

Nothing will be presented in a vacuum. Any music theory, at all levels will be presented within the context of a song or chord progression that you pick (or we pick together).

So my primary goal is to teach you to play songs.

The theory takes care of itself.

Really. It does.

Here's what you can expect:

1. Your instructor will be well prepared for each and every lesson. You will never hear, "What were you working on again?"
2. All handouts will be professionally produced.
3. Your time will be respected and your lessons will start and end on time.
4. Your lessons will be recorded if you wish. Yes, all of them.
5. You will learn all the songs that you want to learn.