I
now offer weekly, bi-weekly & monthly guitar
lessons. Easier
for students to fit their busy schedule.
Burton Jamison
Voted Best! Best Guitar
Teacher 50+ Years Experience
Playing Guitar
Hi, I'm Burt. I may have
been 11 when I started playing around with the guitar.
My first guitar was found under the Christmas Tree, an acoustic
from Montgomery Wards. It was one of those guitars that
had the strings a half inch from the fret board. It hurt
to try to play it, but I hardly put it down, even with blisters
on my thumb and fingers. I remember putting a bracelet
on the guitar bridge, I liked that fuzzy sound the guitar made
as the top vibrated. I guess I was a rock and roller way back
in the late 60's. In 1969 I moved, and the guitar was left behind.
guitar lessons
stevensville md island guitar studios
In 1971 at age 14 I received my
first electric guitar and amplifier. My Mom bought a guitar
and an amp for me for $20 from her cousin Joyce. Her son never
touched it. I was so excited! Luckily for me that guitar
had a height adjustable bridge.
It was a 1960's one pick up Teisco
E 110. Pictured at the right. The amp was a Discount
one watt tube with one control which turned on the amp and controlled
the volume. I really miss that amp. The guitar was cool,
but still hard on my fingers when I tried to play it.
Then my guitar playing friend Severn Johnson told me about the
virtues of super light gauge strings. He suggested an Ernie
Ball Extra Slinky .008 set. So I put an .008 set on my
guitar.
And then, everything changed.
I mean everything changed. A new door opened for me. (I
knew nothing about different string gauges and types at the
time).
What
changed? The G (3rd) string was not wound, it was plain,
like the B and E strings (1st and 2nd strings). Most of
all the guitar was much easier to play and to bend strings,
but it had an effect on my tone, it became "thin". I did not
have a nice enough amp to compensate for the volume and tone
drop. The .008 string sets go from .008 to .038.
The lighter the gauge, the thinner the strings, the easier to
play and on the fingers. I recommend this set or an .009
set for electric guitarists just starting out. I usually
have guitar
string sets and individual strings available at the studio.
If you need strings call or text Burt at 410-739-1511.
The
original strings were heavy gauge, similar to what AC/DC rhythm
guitar player Malcolm Young used, which are 12 - 56 gauge electric
Gibson nickel round wound strings. They have a tremendous bottom
end and thick top end, which was the tone/ sound I was used
to. At the right playing on The Jetty stage with Jack Selway
for our friend Kim Sohn on her birthday. That is what she wished
for.
FYI - 12 -56 gauge acoustic guitar
strings are used on many acoustic guitars, and are considered
"Light" gauge. That string gauge for electric guitars
are also used on electric guitars for drop D tuning, and for
E standard tuning, and the low, haunting C# tuning heavy metal
players sometimes use. There is a YouTube audio file of me playing
a classical song on a Yamaha acoustic guitar with 12 - 56 strings
near the bottom of this web page.
Please give a listen.
I used the .008's for several
years (known as eights or "oh oh eights" in guitar talk), and
got used to their tone, as I had a Peavey and a Kustom amp by
then. Then my friend Chris Franklin insisted I put "hard tension"
strings on my classical guitar for better tone, and that I go
up one level to have a better tone on my electric guitars, so
I went on to .009's (nines) and .010's (tens). Sometimes
even .011's (care to guess what they are called?), depending
on the scale length of the guitar. (My Gibson Les Paul
Custom, and Les Paul Jr. got nines, and I put tens on my Fender
Mustang). Scale length of the guitar? What's that?
No it is not a musical scale. Keep reading.
Guitar
scale length is the distance in inches from the guitar nut to
the bridge saddle (s). Fender Strats and Teles are 25.5",
Gibson Les Pauls are 24.75". A Paul Reed Smith Custom
24 has a scale length of 25". A Gibson Byrdland
(Ted Nugent) and a Fender Mustang (Nirvana's Kurt Cobain) both
have a short 24" scale. Guitar scale length also has an
effect on string tension and the selection of strings.
The longer the scale length = greater string tension for the
same set/ gauge strings. The lighter (smaller) the gauge
strings = less tension, and easier on fingers to bend,
but there is a trade off in tone. Meaning to put elevens
on a 25.5 scale Strat or other guitar will take considerable
hand and finger strength to be able to bend the strings.
I do not recommend it unless the player has considerable playing
experience. If you are struggling with your guitar on
a longer scale length such as a Strat style, start with an .008
set. Try a .009 set on a shorter scale Les Paul style or Fender
Mustang student scale guitar. Now you may be able to understand
why I was able to put heavier gauge strings (.010's) on my Mustang.
We can talk about all this later on during our lessons in person
or by ZOOM.
Since we are talking scales, how
about a music scale this time? Do you want to learn a new scale
or a new position to play it in?
For a Minor Pentatonic Guitar
Scale Click
Here. This is the scale most often used in Rock
and Blues Guitar Leads. Click
Here to hear me play
lead guitar using this scale.
By the way, if you
know A minor pentatonic, you already know C Major pentatonic
too! Same as if you know the 7 note C major Scale you know the
7 note A Natural Minor Scale. How is that possible? I will explain
this concept during your lessons. The Relative Minor part of
music theory. It is VERY easy don't worry. Theory is not needed
to understand relative minor the way I will show you. But you
will learn some music theory and how it is applied from the
keyboard to the guitar. It's easy the way I teach it.
After
you get the "feel" of the A Minor Pentatonic try
out an "A" Natural
Minor Scale. Also known as the Aeolian Mode, A is the
sixth note in the C Major Scale and is minor. This scale is
one of my favorites! Play this one over an Am based chord progression
such as Am F G Am. Or a 2 5 1 in C Major for wedding style music.
The Dm7,G7,CMaj7 chord progression is known in jazz circles
as a 2-5-1 in C Major.
Tip: You can use the exact same A Natural Minor Scale scale
for both chord progressions. And much more.
For
a new scale and feel we change one note of the A Natural Minor
Scale mentioned above with a Major 7th. The
7th note of the minor scale is raised a half step (one fret)
from G to G#. In guitar talk a full step is 2 frets,
a half step is just one fret. We are talking theory now though,
Intervals, which we will eventually cover in lessons.
This new scale is an "A"Harmonic Minor
scale. Try it over an E Major chord for a Rock, Middle East,
Classical feel and sound. This scale is used by heavy
metal shredders quite a bit!
If you are ready to learn how to shred, I have someone that
can teach you. She is a killer player. Just ask me for her contact
info.
Me, I am NOT a shredder
.I am an Old School Rock and Southern Rock (and some blues in
there) guitar player. I strive to put feeling and emotion into
my playing. I don't feel that when shredders play.
More about my journey learning
how to play the guitar.
I
started out as a self taught guitar player that learned by ear.
There was no internet in the 70's and I lived in a rural town,
but I did have the Gene Leis Instruction Chord Book for Guitar.
That book really opened my eyes. Gene explained things in a
way that was easy for me to understand, and the illustrations
were a big help.
Plus
there were a small selection other guitar instruction books
available. I read everything I could get my hands on. I can't
remember how I got Gene's book. I lent it to a buddy in 1981,
he never returned it. So I ordered one from the internet.
I am amazed how much his 50 plus year old book is still very
relative today. It is available at the studio if a student wants
to borrow it.
The '70's.
A great decade for rock music. During that time if you
wanted to learn how to play a song, you would put an
album on the turntable and listen very carefully. That
was how I learned to play songs by ear. I did a lot
of lifting the arm on and off albums and repeating parts
of songs until I was finally able to figure them out.
I almost
wore out two Uriah Heep albums and the first Black Sabbath
album learning the songs. Uriah Heep Demons and Wizards
is on the left, Black Sabbath's first album is pictured
on the right.For those that think the band Black Sabbath
are devil worshippers, read these lyrics that will dispel that myth
. once and for all. Please read those lyrics,
and if inclined listen to what a great song it is. It
can be found on YouTube.
I did take
a guitar class in 8th grade. The class size was around
70. There were nowhere near enough guitars to go around.
I learned the melody of House of the Rising Sun and
a few beginner chords. That's about it. I learned more
from the other guitarists there. They showed me songs
and guitar licks I did not know, and I showed them the
little bit that I knew.
At
the left, jamming with Unplugged and Overserved at the Eastern
Bay Trading Company pole barn.
I am a guitar player, but also
a guitar teacher. I have been told I am a great guitar
teacher by students, school teachers, parents and professional
musicians. I love teaching and helping to unlock the never
ending secrets of the guitar. Try me. Why? 50 plus
years of experience, and because sometimes all it takes is a
comment, a new lick, scale, chord, a song or solo you always
wanted to learn or one you may have not heard. Maybe what
you just read about the A Natural Minor and A Harmonic Minor
or other scale. It is those types of things that have helped
to unlock the secrets of the guitar, and have made such a difference
in my guitar knowledge and guitar playing. They will make a
huge difference in your knowledge and playing too.
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stevensville md island guitar studios
Well, at age 16 I found myself
playing in a local band. In the basement.
That band never played out, but
I did learn a lot about playing in a band. We played almost
all Uriah Heep songs. I played in a few bands through the years
honing my craft, playing all styles of music. Rock, Southern
Rock, Country. My duties included both rhythm and lead
guitar. Click Here
for a partial song list, which you will find varies. UPDATE:
There are way to many songs to list so I stopped adding to the
list. Much on the list is what I consider old school rock and
southern rock, most of which was current when I was out playing
live gigs (quite a long time ago).
stevensville md guitar lessons
2024
- My most recent gigs have been playing with the Chris Sacks
Band, and with Chris Sacks when he plays solo. I first played
with the Chris Sacks Band in 2019, pictured at the left having
a blast in the rain under the tarps. At the end of the night
Chris gave me an open invitation to "sit in" and play
whenever I wanted. And, a bartender said to me "I knew
you taught guitar but I had no idea you could play like that".
I have played with the Band several times and at the last four
annual Elk -A - Ritaville parties at the Kent Island Elks. I
have also played with Chris at the Elks when he is solo several
times. I played with Chris in November 2024 at the Island Pub
in Stevensville as well.
Other
public "band gigs" were the Summers 2017 & 2018 when I was
invited both years to sit in with Rebound at Dirty Dave's Tiki
Bar at Kentmorr, Kent Island. They were booked 3 times each
year. They allowed me to sit in for all their sets and to close
out the evening playing Comfortably Numb (pictured at the right).
For those gigs I always relied
on my Core 2002 PRS CE24, my Number 1, a guitar that I had customized
to my specs. I have received a lot of questions about that guitar.
You can learn more about my Number 1 and the story behind my
PRS CE24 guitar
here for those that may be interested Pictured below at
the left, playing my Number 1 PRS at Kentmorr with Rebound.
The
guitar player in Rebound ,Deano Tonarelli and I played in In
Trance in the 70's and 80's.
In Trance
was the only band at that time playing War Pigs, Jail Break,
Heavy Metal, There's Only One Way to Rock, I Got the Fire, Cities
on Flame, Denim and Leather, Princess of the Night, Heading
to the Highway, Be My Lover, that kind of heavy stuff.
The bar owners and
servers loved us. Hardly anyone danced. The patrons sat there
and drank while enjoying the live music and our front man Ray
Philips shenanigans. The liquor sales were always great whenever
we played, as were the servers tips. The tips for the band were
always pretty good too.
Back then It was
called Heavy Metal, now it is called Classic Rock.
In
2006, a group of my friends and I were the last band to play
at The Shanty on October 1st, for free. It was a fundraiser,
and I donated two new electric guitars for auction that sold
for $600 and $400. At the left is vocalist and guitar slinger
Brian Bigham and myself taking a break from loading in. That's
me on the right doing what I love, playing lead guitar. The
Shanty closed for good on Halloween 2006. It is now known as
The Big Owl. The band was Unplugged
and Over Served with friends. Friends included Jack
Selway who also supplied the sound reinforcement, Herbie Wheatly
from DeVibe and Conga, and others. We played for the fun of
it and donated our tips (more than $600) to the Sohn family
who had recently lost Paul in a horrific boating accident. May
Paul Rest in Peace.
I
have been invited to share the stage with local musicians such
as the Chris Sacks Band, Rebound, Jack Selway, Dave Hawkins,
Lisa Rowe, and others at local venues such as the Island Pub,
the Kent Island Elks Club, El Jefe, Dirty Dave's Tiki Bar/ Kentmorr,
The Shanty, The Jetty, Red Eye's Dock Bar, Johnny's Tavern,
Lola's, The Big Owl, Megan's Irish Pub, Blue Water Tavern, Lisa's
Small Plates, Luke's, and others.
At the left, sometimes
during the last set it can get rocking, and when it does I put
on my crazy hair hat. I There is always an extra one in my bag.
Ask me if you want to wear it.
At the right is my
25+ year old Squier Affinity Strat that I call Old School. I
use it often when playing live and I don't want to take my PRS.
It sounds great and does the job well. I like the tone of its
ceramic pickups. My only complaint is the neck nut width of
40 mm. It sometimes causes notes/ strings to be muted when playing
chords. Squier guitars are looked down upon by guitar snobs.
Who cares what they think? Not me. Squiers are well made, solid
guitars. Don't be embarrassed to buy or to play a Squier. Ever.
I own 2 Squier Telecasters and 2 Squier Stratocasters. All 4
are well made, solid guitars.
I am building a black
Partscaster with a rosewood fret board neck that is 43 mm width
and is nice and fat hopefully to eventually replace Old School.
I may heve to change out the electronics if the new build does
not have the tone of Old School. I can't wait until it is finished!
I may put a Stay Humble sticker on it. Maybe a Key West one
too. Or another Old School sticker if it becomes my "new"
Old School. I am undecided. What
would you do?
I practice often, and you should
make time to practice often. You
may have heard "Practice Makes Perfect".Here is the
key: Practice is good, but it takes Perfect Practice to make
it Perfect. Strive to get your Practice as close to Perfect
as you can. It will get easier, I promise.
Song Tabs, Blank Tabs, Chord Charts,
Fret Board Diagrams and more are available for FREE download
from my website. All can be found
HERE!
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I have been teaching guitar informally
for many years and have given Lord knows how many lessons, all
for free. I want to develop Island Guitar Studios. I am
"retired" (vintage 1957) and will be happy breaking
even and avoiding the red ink if possible. I am finally doing
what I have always wanted to do, which is to teach guitar. I
teach In Person at the studio on Kent Island in Maryland, plus
group lessons at your location, or, I am now offering guitar
lessons by ZOOM anywhere the student may reside.
I was Voted Best
Guitar Teacher & Best Private School Music Instruction
To get started on your guitar lessons call/ text me (Burt) 410-739-1511.
Mood
For A Day
Mood For A Day is a
classical song which was written by Steve Howe while
he was with Yes. It appears on both the Fragile
(Studio) and Yes Songs (Live) albums.
This
song is always dedicated to the memory of my friend
Chris Franklin. He was attending Peabody Conservatory
of Music in Baltimore in the late 70's when he taught
me how to play it during our lunch breaks. We both worked
at Pickwick International, a records distributor in
Lansdowne. That is how I met Chris. When I first
learned he had transferred from Pickwick in Atlanta,
I asked him if he played the banjo. No stereotype there
huh? He replied with a smile, "No but I play the
guitar". I replied, "Me too, I have a Les
Paul". He replied "So do I". We became
instant friends and had some major good times then and
through the years.. I had no idea of how professionally
well he played when I met him. At the left is his wife
Judy and Chris circa 2005.
Chris
toured the World playing guitar with the Bertie Higgins
Band who had the hit song "Key Largo". His biggest life
thrill musically was playing with Bertie's band at a
sold out show at Madison Square Garden in NYC.
I cannot begin to imagine how exciting it must have
been.
He shared with me that
his Number One biggest thrill was when he married the
love of his life Judy Lindsay.
Chris was a great person
and a great friend, He was also a great musician, great
guitar player, and great songwriter.
Chris went on to become
a very successful Civil Engineer and was the President
of Arnold Bryant Inc. Jacksonville Power and Light were
one of his clients. He left this world way too soon
(in 2005 at age 45).
This version is my take
on Mood For a Day, slightly different than Mr. Howe's.
A combination of the Live and Studio versions, and the
tweaks from Chris. Is it perfect? No, but it was a first
take audio file and will give you an idea of my playing
ability and technique.
I
have had students tell me they decided on me as a guitar
teacher after listening to me play Mood For a Day. Some
have gone on to learn it. I hope you enjoy it.
It is Terri's (my wife since 1986) favorite but I don't
play it as often as I used to, due to arthritis. I am
Old School, vintage 1957.
Pictured above: playing
Mood For a Day at the Shanty (Big Owl) October 1, 2006
direct through the board. Several there commented they
had no idea that I could play that "classical stuff".
The guitar is an old Takamine Classical Electric.
TURN IT UP! Better
yet, use your ear buds or your headphones. Please
don't play this through your phone, lap top or notebook
speakers!
I have put my arrangement
of Mood For a Day on Tab if you want to learn it. The
Tab includes the hammer and pull off notes but does
not display where the hammer ons or pull offs of those
notes occur. Those are taught in person and added to
the tab at the studio.
Song Tabs, Blank Tabs,
Chord Charts, Fret Board Diagrams and more are available
for FREE download. All can be found
HERE!