Lessons

UPDATE ON IN-HOUSE LESSONS

All of our instructors are back in-house! However, they are all available for online lessons if that is your preference.

Harry's Guitar Shop offers lessons and instruction for all levels of musicians. We teach electric and acoustic guitar, bass, ukulele, banjo, mandolin and dobro.

  • Private one-on-one lessons
  • All levels/styles
  • Enthusiastic, professional instructors
  • Reasonable rate
  • Convenient hours
  • Locally owned and operated since 1985

Instructors

We have several teachers at the shop who can meet the instructional needs of any type of player, regardless of age or experience.

Harry's Instructor Laurie Capparella

Laurie Capparella has been teaching guitar, bass, and vocals for over 25 years. She has been in numerous bands as vocalist and instrumentalist.

Laurie has a relaxed and inspiring teaching style, tailoring instruction to each student’s interests and goals. She teaches children and adults, from beginning level to advanced.

She is an accomplished songwriter, with many recordings of her own as well as featured on other artist’s recordings. Her music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music, among other sites.

In addition to teaching, Laurie is an avid equestrian and equine bodyworker.

For more information about music lessons, horses, or to read her blog, please visit Laurie’s website at LaurieCapparella.com

Laurie can be reached by phone at 919-271-4378, or by email at lauriecapparella@gmail.com

Harry's InstructorsShane Bullis

Shane Bullis teaches guitar, bass and ukulele, as well as songwriting.

Shane has been recording and performing professionally for over 25 years. That experience has made him a versatile instructor; patient and great with beginners, and proficient enough to take advanced players to the next level.

Shane believes that the approach to teaching an instrument is not "one size fits all" and works hard to find the best fit for each individual student, whether it's learning to read music, learning by "ear" or a combination of the two. Shane prepares tailored lessons that incorporate the student's music of choice while teaching the needed fundamentals to play it. Lessons include a balance of fun and technical work that helps student remain interested and reach their goals.

Shane is an avid mountain biker, and can often be found departing the shop on his bike in the Spring to hit the trails before heading home.

Shane can be reached directly by phone at 919-723-1376, or by email at swbjamz@gmail.com

Harry's Instructor Steve Howell

Steve has over 30 years experience teaching electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, and bass. He has played in rock, country, bluegrass, blues and jazz situations.

Steve has a great knowledge of music theory, and really tapers his lessons to the individual player.

As a founding member of The Backsliders, he helped pioneer the Americana and Alt-country sound, touring nationally and recording four albums for Atlantic and Mammoth Records. He is also an experienced songwriter, sharing musical and lyrical writing with the band and numerous other collaborations over the years. As a session musician, he has graced a wide range of recordings and been invited to play live performances for local and touring musicians. Steve currently plays with and is a co-songwriter for Pinto with local singer/songwriter, Caroline Mamoulides.

Steve is a bit of a foodie, and loves to frequent Raleigh’s local cuisine. He also enjoys craft beer and micro breweries.

Click here for more information about Steve's lessons.

Click here for more info about Steve's band, The Backsliders

Steve can be reached directly by phone at 919-818-4992, or by email at stevehowellmusiclessons.com

Harry's Instructor Joe Knowlton

Joe teaches guitar, ukulele, bass, and introductory mandolin.

Since 1997, he has been teaching various styles of music on electric and acoustic guitar, bass, ukulele, and introductory mandolin. Joe teaches beginning and intermediate students of all ages, with teens and younger students making up the majority. Joe ensures each student is motivated to play through a relaxed and focused teaching approach that is easy to understand, and he has a particular gift for connecting with all students, particularly younger players.

When Joe isn't teaching lessons full-time, he performs with local groups (including the Raleigh Ukulele Ensemble!). His most recent recording projects involved scoring original music for an award-winning indie film, as well as an award-winning educational documentary featured on UNC-TV.

Outside of work, Joe thoroughly enjoys nature and the outdoors. His favorite activity is his annual trout fishing trip to Pennsylvania.

Joe can be reached directly by phone at 919-931-1950, or by email at joeknowlton@bellsouth.net

Harry's Instructor Jon Heames

Jon teaches beginning through advanced guitar and bass, emphasizing music theory and understanding of musical concepts and organization. His teaching style is flexible and suited to the students’ needs and wishes. Positive encouragement and forward progression are basic tenets of Jon’s methodology.

Jon has been a professional musician since 1980, playing shows and recording sessions with many different projects. Jon’s been a member of Mitch Easter’s Let’s Active and the Raleigh band Motocaster, both of which were signed to major labels. He has earned a popular niche in the area as a trusted, positive, and experienced teacher.

Jon also encourages students to customize their sounds - utilizing amp and guitar settings, as well as pedals and effects, to achieve exciting and inspiring sounds. Having been a producer, arranger and musical consultant for various projects, he is a fan of “sonic sculpting”, and improving tone and technique.

As an avid record collector for most of his life, Jon remains passionate about the music and the stories behind it. He continues to dig deep to find the information about the artists - and their recordings.

Jon can be reached directly at 919-413-6457, or by email at jonheames@gmail.com

Harry's InstructorDaniel Day

Daniel is a multifaceted guitarist, composer and teacher with deep traditions in Jazz, Classical, Blues, Rock, and Folk. He plays electric, acoustic and nylon string guitars and has taught for nearly 40 years. Inspired to learn guitar while growing up in Wisconsin, he was soon writing songs and performing in combos and solo in the midwest and on the east coast in the 70’s. As fate would have it, a meeting with Sitarist Roop Verma led him to India to live and study Indian music, yoga and meditation for several years in the 1980’s.

Returning to the states Daniel continued his BA studies in guitar at Cornish College of The Arts in Seattle, WA. He also owned and taught in the Rosewood Guitar store and studios and performed extensively in greater Seattle. He has been teaching and playing in the Raleigh area since 2000.

Daniel sees music as a process of discovery unique to each musician. He is direct, relaxed, and patient in his teaching with the goal of finding the best way forward for each student. From the first beginning notes and chords to sight reading, ear training, composition, theory and improvisation, Daniel works comfortably with all levels of students.

“You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere” --John Coltrane

When not teaching or playing, Daniel’s other interests are writing, reading, travel, being outdoors, exercising, studying other cultures, humor, the dharma, and being with family and friends. He occasionally teaches meditation.

Daniel can be reached directly at 919-280-5225, or by email at dmdzen@gmail.com

Scheduling

Students are assigned a "time slot" - a regular time and day each week to meet with their instructor. Students are expected to attend every week, unless other arrangements are made with the instructor. There is no set curriculum; rather, the lessons are "tailored" to the individual student's needs. We truly want to help YOU achieve your goals in a comfortable and relaxed environment!

To get the most out of their lessons, students should bring:

  • Their instrument
  • A folder and a notebook for transcriptions and handouts
  • Supplemental materials being used, such as CDs, notation and tablature

Rates

$35.00 per 25 minute lesson. Lesson content is determined by the student's experience level and the teacher's personal style.

Payment

Payments are due for the coming month on the last lesson of the current month. Payments are to be made directly to the teacher by check or cash only.

Cancellation

Teachers require 24-hours notice to cancel a lesson. If cancelled within 24 hours of the lesson, the teacher, at their discretion, may re-schedule a lesson or credit the lesson into the next month. Missed or canceled lessons without 24 hr. notice are forfeited without refund.

Our instructors try to be understanding about cancellations. However, their time is valuable. As such, we can only allow one missed lesson per 4 week period. After that, any lessons canceled, even with 24 hr. notice, will be forfeited. Please note that students who miss 3 or more lesson per 4 week period may lose their slot without refund. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

 

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