About the Lessons
Herb David Guitar Studio welcomes all ages (3-100) of active, busy people (with little time or lots of time) wanting to have fun playing at any level of skill, any type of music (classical, rock, jazz, pop, folk, flamenco, blues, ethnic, etc.) on guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, piano, harmonica, drums, bass, etc. We do voice lessons too. Lessons are not packaged. After meeting each student, lessons are developed to satisfy the individual’s goals and interests. Lessons are private one-on-one or small groups who want to learn more theory and ear training.
Lessons are offered 7 days a week:
- Monday-Friday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Would you like to sign up for lessons?
It's easy! Just visit our signup page, take a minute to fill out the online form, and we'll get in touch with you soon.
Group Lessons
We are excited to offer several group classes for people of all ages and skill levels. Groups meet for weekly 90-minute sessions over ten weeks, at a time that will be scheduled according to the convenience of the participants. Classes are organized so that people of similar ages and skills are in the same group. The cost is just $250 for ten 90-minute sessions.
The Classes
'90s Grunge
Break out your flannel and play music from the '90s grunge era -- Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc.
All About Rock
Form a band that plays the best of rock, from the early '60s to today. Do you want to wail like Joe Perry? Rock out like Green Day or Nirvana? Sign up and make a killer rock band!
All Acoustic Jam
For acoustic instruments only. Play folk, folk-rock, bluegrass, etc. Hand drums and percussion welcome!
Beatlemania Band
Play in a Beatles-only cover band. Learn great Beatles songs and play with other musicians at a similar skill level, then perform for a live audience at the end of the class.
Blues/Rock/Jam Band
Play with others in a group that covers the best blues/rock musicians like the Allman Brothers, Muddy Waters, Santana, Eric Clapton, and more! Learn how to blend vocals, lead guitar and rhythm guitar with bass and drums to make a tight group, then perform in front of a live audience at the end of the class.
Classical Guitar Ensemble
Learn how different musical parts interweave with each other in a classical music ensemble. We'll help you get better at following the leader, staying together with other players, and being the leader yourself.
Dead Rock Band
Learn Grateful Dead covers with musicians at a similar skill level, then play for a live audience.
Family Jam
Need help organizing your family into a band? This is the class for you and your kids!
Girls Only Jam
Play with other girls in a group that covers other girl groups like The Donnas, Amy Winehouse, Mandy Moore, Taylor Swift, Chrissie Hynde or anyone else your group prefers. It's ladies' choice!
Music Theory and Ear Training
What exactly are notes, scales, keys and chords, and what is their relationship with each other? How do you create melodies and harmonies, or find a rhythm pattern that works with a song? Train your ears to really hear music and figure out how to play it.
Music with Meditation
Apply meditation techniques as you play music to enrich your overall musical experience, reduce performance anxiety and improve concentration. (Offered as a private or group lesson.)
Professional Persons Jam
A jam class for doctors, lawyers, police, firefighters, nurses, professors, etc.
Sound Possibilities
Learn to fatten up your blues, pop, rock, bluegrass or jazz tone by combining the tonal characteristics of your instrument with different pickups, mics, amps and effects pedals.
Ukulele Jam
For students of the ukulele of all ages. All you need is a uke and the desire to learn how to rock it! Learn songs and perform in front of a live audience.
Vocal Ensemble
Join a duo, trio, or quartet composed of males, females or mixed groups.
Sign Up For Group Lessons
Please use this form to provide us with some general information about you and your musical experience. We will add you to the class waiting list and contact you shortly.
Jean Agopian
Flamenco Guitar
Jean Agopian, Flamenco guitarist and singer, was born in Marseille, France. He has performed in France, Canada and the United States. His technical ability as a Flamenco guitarist, combined with his sensitivity to his students, has kept him much in demand as a musician and teacher.
Glenn Bering
Sitar/Tabla
Jean Glenn Bering studied sitar and tabla with Rajin Sachdeva, as well as advanced tabla technique with Thomas Hunter, who studied sarod with Ali Akbar Khan and tabla with Zakir Hussain. Bering holds a Masters in Music Degree from the University of Michigan, and has studied and performed the music of various cultures, including: Arabic, Japanese, Javanese, Russian and Spanish Flamenco. He is currently the principal percussion accompanist for the U. of Michigan Dance Department where he has been employed for 14 years.
Jason Burbo
Guitar: Acoustic/Classical/Electric; All Styles/Levels
Jason Burbo has been teaching music in Ann Arbor since 1995. He has studied music with Glen Betcher, Benjamin Bunch, Mike Grace, Lee Dyament, and Brian Roberts and is an alumni of Community High School (Ann Arbor), Wayne State University School Of Music (Detroit), and the Musik Akadamie of Basel (Switzerland). Jason’s musical education has concentrated on classical and jazz guitar, choir, piano, and music theory. He is a recording artist on Small Stone Records (Detroit), has toured the United States, and has appeared on recordings by Chubb Sessions Band, Morsel, U.S. Sheep, Sissy, and PostPrior.
Al Davenport
5-String Banjo, Guitar, Ukulele; All Ages/Styles
Al Davenport performs with the Prodigals and the Hatfields. On 5-string banjo, Al teaches fiddle tunes, old time tunes and reels. On guitar he teaches acoustic flat picking, surf, "Stevie Ray Vaughan style" and folk style strumming and singing. Al also teaches ukulele.
Beau DeLoach
Guitar: Fingerstyle/Folk/Country/Pop; All Ages
Beau was one of the first performers to play The Ark, and was a teacher at the Herb David Guitar Studio in the late 60s and early 70s. He also taught at Dick Lurie Guitar Studio in Cleveland (1971/76), The Guitar Workshop in Oyster Bay, NY (1976/77) and the Contemporary Institute of Guitar in Port Washington, NY (1977/84) a school he co-founded. While in New York, Beau fronted his own seven piece country band, a group which played at NYC's famed Lone Star Cafe, among other clubs. Beau's chamber music compositions for three one-act plays were performed off-broadway at the Theatre of the Open Eye in NYC. Between 1987 and 2005 Beau resided in Nashville, TN, where he was active as a performer, accompanist, and studio musician.
Jason Dennie
Guitar: Intermediate/Advanced Fingerpicking/Flatpicking Bluegrass (Alternate and Standard Tunings), Mandolin
Jason Dennie is an acoustic guitarist combining elements of folk, blues, bluegrass, new age and contemporary techniques. Jason gives many workshops of flatpicking and advanced finger style techniques. Jason helps student get comfortable with their instrument and works with unlocking creativity and enhancing practice time. His two solo guitar CDs have gained him national attention. Jason has won 3 Cammy Awards for Best Folk/Bluegrass Instrumentalist. (You can also check out
www.jasondennie.com.)
Michael Gavin
Violin/Fiddle/Tenor Banjo/Guitar: All Ages/Levels
Michael Gavin has played fiddle for 20 years, primarily in the Irish traditional style with which he grew up, although he is known to experiment with other styles such as classical, American folk and bluegrass styles, and jazz. He performs with the Crossroads Ceili Band and other groups around Southeast Michigan, and has shared the stage with such great artists as Liz Carroll and Ashley MacIssac. Some of Mike’s students have been awarded first place in the Midwest Irish fiddle competition. Though specializing in Celtic styles, he teaches reading and classical techniques along with ear training, enabling students to become conversant with a variety of musical genres. He is also accomplished as a tenor banjo player in the Irish style, and as an accompanist on guitar; and he teaches those instruments as well.
Paul Gunsberg
Drums/Percussion/Ear Training: All Ages/Styles
Paul Gunsberg is a drummer/percussionist who has been playing since the age of five. He is a graduate of The New England Conservatory of Music, where he recieved a scholarship to study jazz drumming with Bob Moses and Billy Hart. He has performed and recorded with a wide variety of musicians in equally varied musical settings. His teaching method promotes learning music by ear and encourages students to seek out their own unique musical path. He welcomes people of all ages and abilities.
Ali Hodges
Voice: All Ages/Styles
Ali Hodges is a current choral music education major at the University of Michigan who has studied under Stephen West and Wendy Bloom. Whatever genre/s, students can expect to learn to use their breath and ear to expand their range and overall dexterity. Ali would love to offer a comfortable, enjoyable environment to help familiarize students with their musicality and voices as instruments.
Amanda Igra
Piano, Beginning Voice, Beginning Violin; All Ages/Styles
Amanda Igra has been playing the piano her whole life, and is very excited to share her passion for music with her students. She is a student at U of M, and her teaching style can be described as relaxed, patient, and fun! Amanda teaches all ages, and all styles of music including pop/rock, classical, show tunes, as well as music theory.
Brieana MacDonald
Flute, Piccolo, Soprano Recorder, Highland Bagpipes (Practice Chanter); All Ages/Styles
Flute instructor Brieana MacDonald is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan and has been engaged with music her whole life. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm with both beginners and more advanced players. No matter what level they are at, students will gain an understanding of the history of technique and playing styles within different genres of music. Students can choose to focus on a specific style/period or study multiple styles for a broader experience. Brieana's teaching method promotes independent learning and thinking in order to encourage students to go beyond what they learn in the lessons. For more advanced students, lessons are geared to prepare students with audition repertoire for successful continuance into a higher level of music education.
Carl Michel
Guitar: Beginning/Advanced, Rock, Jazz Fusion, Folk, Blues; All Ages/Styles
Composer and guitarist Carl Michel studied for a brief period at the West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis (1976) and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston (1977-1979). Today he lives in Ann Arbor, MI, where he continues to work. The Carl Michel Group, a jazz quartet, has been performing in the Detroit area since 1995. The Carl Michel Group (+), a jazz octet, has been performing in the Detroit area since 2000. In 1998, he started his own record label, Play On Records, and has produced and released two CDs that feature his compositions, "The Carl Michel Group" and "The Carl Michel Group (+)". In 2005 Carl Michel was awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television and Art Sciences for his original music score in Storytellers Media Group's 2004 documentary, "Dusk & Shadow - The Mystery of Beverly Potts." (You can also check out his website,
www.carlmichel.com.)
Sean Rogers
Guitar: Acoustic/Electric/Open Tunings/Slide/Fingerstyle, Bass, Mandolin, Ukelele, Harmonica; All Ages/Styles
Sean Rogers enjoys teaching students to have fun singing and playing songs, as well as learning to read notes and tab, and to understand and apply music theory. He has over 25 years of performing experience -- playing a wide variety of instruments and styles -- and has been teaching at the studio since 1994. Sean is the lead guitar player for longtime local jam band Deep Space Six (www.reverbnation.com/deepspacesix).
Helene Rottenberg
Classical Guitar
Helene Rottenberg is a Professor of Music at Madonna University. She has a Master of Musicology degree from the University of Michigan and was a student of the late Argentinian guitarist Manuel Lopez-Ramos. Helene has performed extensively in the Midwest -- particularly in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area -- since 1975. She has often played as a featured performer in chamber music concerts at the "Festival of the Lakes" in Alexandria, Minnesota, and has appeared on Minnesota Public Radio. She plays professionally in a flute/guitar duo, Divertimente, with flutist Susan Lazar, and they recently have released their first CD, featuring music by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Bela Bartok. She performs as a soloist and also enjoys playing in various ensembles. She is currently a performing member of the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit, and a regular performer with Chamber Music at the Scarab Club and the Detroit Concert Choir.
Chuck Swanagon
Guitar: Beginning/Advanced Rock, Folk, Country, Blues; All Ages
Chuck Swanagon teaches a variety of musical styles on both electric and acoustic guitar. He has been playing for 40 years, and has performed as an acoustic soloist, an electric lead guitarist, and had done many sessions in recording. Chuck was formerly an instructor at the Lapeer School of Music. (
Attention, Seniors! Chuck offers a senior citizen discount during certain lesson times. Please see our
specials page for more details.)
Eric Wickenheiser
Guitar, Bass, Ukulele; Rock/Blues/Metal; All Ages
Eric Wickenheiser has been around music his whole life and has been studying the guitar as his main instrument for over a decade. He has played in several rock bands over the years and he is fluent in a variety of styles including classic rock, hard rock, metal, punk, and various forms of experimental music. He now studies classical guitar at Eastern Michigan University under Nelson Amos and is working towards his Bachelors of Music Performance. In the past three years Eric has taken his music in a different direction and now studies and enjoys jazz, folk, bluegrass, Latin, and other world music. He has over four years teaching experience and is passionate about showing others the incredible and diverse world that music has to offer.
Jess Willyard
Guitar, Bass, Ukulele; Rock, Blues, Folk, Metal, Reggae, Punk Rock; All Ages
Jess Willyard has been playing guitar and bass since age 14. He has played with a variety of bands including Sista Otis and the Wholly Rollers, Banned From Earth, Ann Arbor Dub Project, and with Tibetan vocalist Yungchen Lhamo. In his class you'll learn chords, guitar tab, music theory, how to sing and play, and how to perform in front of an audience.
Would you like to sign up for lessons?
It's easy! Just visit our signup page, take a minute to fill out the online form, and we'll get in touch with you soon.
Lesson Policies
Lessons should be paid for one month in advance, during the first week of that month. If this is not possible, then pay each week before the lesson!
No refunds will be given, but lessons may be made up when 24-hour notice has been given for the missed lesson.
If a student must postpone a lesson for an extended time because of a vacation, illness or other reason, the teachers' time may be reserved by payment of half the lesson fees for that missed period. A 24-hour notice must be given by the student in order to be offered a make-up lesson. If a proper notice is not received, the lesson will be considered forfeited, and the student will be billed for the scheduled time.
Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable! Teachers will allow ten minutes to pass from the scheduled start of an individual lesson, then it will be considered a forfeited lesson, and the student will be billed for the scheduled time. If a student is late for a lesson, the lesson will still end at the scheduled time. If the teacher is late, the full lesson will be given.
Acoustic Guitars
