Finally Understand Music
"I'm an adult taking guitar lessons from Phil for a little over a year now. I'd never played guitar before and every class has been a wonderful learning experience. I like the way the classes have been moving forward from session to session. It's not intimidating and makes me feel like I'm making progress with each session. Phil is patient and encouraging if I'm having difficulty with something. He has really helpful tips to make learning something complex simpler. I've also learned about many different musicians and genres, which is a delight. " - Nikhila K.➡️ Get on the fast track to learning guitar and have a system for understanding music so you can teach yourself new things without getting lost.
➡️ Busy schedule? You'll learn how to maximize your progress and enjoy a creative outlet with personalized time-saving guidance and a flexible schedule.
➡️ Soloing, songwriting, ear training, rhythm - all wrapped up in an in-depth training program that can be applied to any style of music you like.
➡️ Unlock your creativity and keep your brain engaged in a fresh, creative way outside your job.
➡️ Effortlessly get the music you hear in your head onto your guitar.
➡️ Have the confidence to play for others whether friends and family or with a band in front of huge crowds.
"I'm an intermediate level guitarist and I've been taking Guitar lessons from Phil a little over 7 months now. Without a doubt, he's the best teacher that I've ever worked with so far. He's a true "guru", so to speak. My goals with him were to analyze song structures/theory and get into songwriting and I can definitely agree that my theory/technique and analysis skills have grown tenfold in a very short amount of time.
"He's very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson and tracking your progress. The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you're in. He's very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He's an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist." - Sivalalith M.
Who's Phil Johnson?
Motivation, strategy, and problem solving have been the backbone of my teaching philosophy since I started in 1994. (That's over 45,000 lessons...) I've helped hundreds of students reach their guitar goals, expand their musical world, and tap into their creativity. (Even the ones who claimed they had no creativity!)
As well as being a lifelong musician who's played in everything from symphony orchestras to theater pits to rock bands, I'm also a nationally touring performer with dozens of releases. That's real world, in-the-thick-of-it knowledge learned over thousands of shows that you can take advantage of.
How To Start
1. Click the green "Website" button up above.
2. Register for your FREE Strategy Session at a convenient time for you.
3. We'll talk about your big guitar goals, create a custom plan for you to reach them, and get you set up in a program that will suit you best.
Served areas
- San Jose and Milpitas, CA
Business details
- Year established: 1994
Highlights and features
- 30+ years teaching experience
- Rated 5 stars on Google and Thumbtack
- Proprietary learning methods that incorporate accelerated learning principles
- Professional touring performer, songwriter, and recording artist
Associations and certifications
- BA Music San Jose State University
Payment methods
- Credit cards
- Bank transfers
Follow us
Services
Book your free Strategy Session to get your Custom Guitar Learning Plan and Student Success Handbook. Have you been frustrated trying to learn music on your own from videos and random tips you pick up? Maybe you've got a few skills on your instrument but you're not sure how to piece it all together to really feel like a musician. I'll show you the systems that pro guitarists use to understand music.
Got a super busy schedule and can only squeeze in guitar time at odd hours? This is the program for you. Sessions can be done asynchronously at any time day or night on your schedule. You'll get the same personalized training and guidance as live training AND be able to review your lessons as many times as you want. Contact me for more details.
What ages do you accept?
Ages 14 and up. I specialize in adults and teens.
Do you offer online lessons?
You betcha, Sparky! If you’re too far away or traffic is just a little too crummy to get to my studio, we can do your lessons online from anywhere in the world. It’s also sometimes a good way to get a lesson in while I’m on tour.
Am I too old to learn?
Absolutely you can! The only thing that can hold you back from becoming the musician you want to be is if you can’t (or choose not to) commit to focused and consistent practice time. You don’t need to put in 8 hours a day like some child prodigy to become really good. But you do need to consistently practice and put in the work to accomplish your musical goals.
Click "FAQ" above to visit my site for more answers to your questions.
Ages 14 and up. I specialize in adults and teens.
Do you offer online lessons?
You betcha, Sparky! If you’re too far away or traffic is just a little too crummy to get to my studio, we can do your lessons online from anywhere in the world. It’s also sometimes a good way to get a lesson in while I’m on tour.
Am I too old to learn?
Absolutely you can! The only thing that can hold you back from becoming the musician you want to be is if you can’t (or choose not to) commit to focused and consistent practice time. You don’t need to put in 8 hours a day like some child prodigy to become really good. But you do need to consistently practice and put in the work to accomplish your musical goals.
Click "FAQ" above to visit my site for more answers to your questions.
"Learning to play guitar with Phil has been a lot of fun. I'm a complete musical novice with a demanding full-time job, so he's needed to be both patient and extremely flexible." - Alan L.
"I'm an adult taking guitar lessons from Phil for a little over a year now. I'd never played guitar before and every class has been a wonderful learning experience. I like the way the classes have been moving forward from session to session. It's not intimidating and makes me feel like I'm making progress with each session. Phil is patient and encouraging if I'm having difficulty with something. He has really helpful tips to make learning something complex simpler. I've also learned about many different musicians and genres, which is a delight. " - Nikhila K.
"I've learned more and gotten better in my first 6 weeks with Phil than I did in 6 years trying to learn on my own." - Gautham V.
"I'm an adult taking guitar lessons from Phil for a little over a year now. I'd never played guitar before and every class has been a wonderful learning experience. I like the way the classes have been moving forward from session to session. It's not intimidating and makes me feel like I'm making progress with each session. Phil is patient and encouraging if I'm having difficulty with something. He has really helpful tips to make learning something complex simpler. I've also learned about many different musicians and genres, which is a delight. " - Nikhila K.
"I've learned more and gotten better in my first 6 weeks with Phil than I did in 6 years trying to learn on my own." - Gautham V.
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People
Phil Johnson
Teacher
Motivation, strategy, and problem solving have been the backbone of my teaching philosophy since I started in 1994. (That's over 45,000 lessons...) I've helped hundreds of students reach their guitar goals, expand their musical world, and tap into their creativity. (Even the ones who claimed they had no creativity!)
As well as being a lifelong musician who's played in everything from symphony orchestras to theater pits to rock bands, I'm also a nationally touring performer with dozens of releases. That's real world, in-the-thick-of-it knowledge learned over thousands of shows that you can take advantage of.
As well as being a lifelong musician who's played in everything from symphony orchestras to theater pits to rock bands, I'm also a nationally touring performer with dozens of releases. That's real world, in-the-thick-of-it knowledge learned over thousands of shows that you can take advantage of.
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Reviews (7)
Sivalalith M.
Dec 28, 2019
I'm an intermediate level guitarist and I've been taking Guitar lessons from Phil a little over 7 months now. Without a doubt, he's the best teacher that I've ever worked with so far. He's a true "guru" and a guide, so to speak. My goals with him were to analyze song structures/theory and get into songwriting and I can definitely agree that my theory/technique and analysis skills have grown tenfold in a very short amount of time.
He's very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson or tracking your progress. The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you're in. He's very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He's an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres be it Jazz/Blues/Rock/Metal. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist.
He's very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson or tracking your progress. The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you're in. He's very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He's an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres be it Jazz/Blues/Rock/Metal. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist.
Peggy Galdamez
Apr 20, 2015
Phil is my daughter's piano teacher and has been working with her now for well over a year. Our experience with him has been great! He is very patient, something my daughter needs, particularly when she started as a squirmy 5 year old. I appreciate that he works with her to help her find her musical interests. While classical music is wonderful and part of the framework of learning piano in my opinion, she is also able to experience other genres of music. His laid back style has helped her to feel confident about her skills as they develop and not pushed outside of her comfort zone. We are very happy with his teaching!
Prasad Bevara
Dec 29, 2014
In this age of free online guitar classes, infinite youtube videos on how to play guitar, and eye catching books and sites screaming "learn guitar in one day", one wonders if we still need "real" guitar instructors anymore! Phil Johnshon has been a clear proof to me that we truly need "real" instructors - perhaps even more so now than ever before, someone who takes genuine interest in one's progress, growth and evolution as a guitar player.
I have found Phil very methodical and very professional as a guitar instructor. Many a times when I got stuck with a measure or bar, he would find novel ways to break that into simpler strokes and strums, so that I am sure to get past a difficult lesson. He very easily spots my mistakes and corrects them early on before these can become a habit that can become harder to overcome later on. Phil goes beyond just teaching how to play notes and strum chords for a song: he provides deeper insight into the musical background of a piece of music, how it relates to other similar pieces of the genre and other guitar players, how the piece is structured, so that you come out better equipped to play similar other music or to see patterns in music that you are otherwise unaware of.
As with any new endeavor, hobby or passion - it is easy to get started, and initial lessons can be quick, easy and encouraging, but then suddenly you may find yourself not able to make much progress as the lessons get harder and you may feel that you have reached your potential and cannot go any further. Early on this happened to me - when I started learning my first classic-rock piece of music ("Stairway to Heaven") after several introductory and warm-up lessons, I thought I had hit a wall and that I would never be able to play my favorite rock music and was considering quitting.
But Phil, as a true Coach, with his patience, led me to genuinely believe that I had the potential and that I could play all these classic rock pieces - he helped me through the process, building up my confidence. As a result, my passion for playing guitar has been kept alive, I have continued to become better at my guitar playing, and I am at a stage where I truly enjoy playing my guitar, thanks to Phil.
I have found Phil very methodical and very professional as a guitar instructor. Many a times when I got stuck with a measure or bar, he would find novel ways to break that into simpler strokes and strums, so that I am sure to get past a difficult lesson. He very easily spots my mistakes and corrects them early on before these can become a habit that can become harder to overcome later on. Phil goes beyond just teaching how to play notes and strum chords for a song: he provides deeper insight into the musical background of a piece of music, how it relates to other similar pieces of the genre and other guitar players, how the piece is structured, so that you come out better equipped to play similar other music or to see patterns in music that you are otherwise unaware of.
As with any new endeavor, hobby or passion - it is easy to get started, and initial lessons can be quick, easy and encouraging, but then suddenly you may find yourself not able to make much progress as the lessons get harder and you may feel that you have reached your potential and cannot go any further. Early on this happened to me - when I started learning my first classic-rock piece of music ("Stairway to Heaven") after several introductory and warm-up lessons, I thought I had hit a wall and that I would never be able to play my favorite rock music and was considering quitting.
But Phil, as a true Coach, with his patience, led me to genuinely believe that I had the potential and that I could play all these classic rock pieces - he helped me through the process, building up my confidence. As a result, my passion for playing guitar has been kept alive, I have continued to become better at my guitar playing, and I am at a stage where I truly enjoy playing my guitar, thanks to Phil.
Josef Call
Nov 29, 2014
My three children have been taking guitar, piano and flute lessons with Phil for six years. Phil is by far the best music teacher we've had, and the kids' progress has been outstanding. Not only that, but Phil has nurtured their enthusiasm and encouraged my older children to study theory at home to improve their understanding and playing. Phil works as well with my quiet, reserved child as he does with my energetic, loud kid, who he manages to keeps focused and settled, harnessing the energy appropriately. I can't recommend Phil highly enough, we expect to continue lessons for many years to come!
Nikhila Krishnan
Oct 25, 2014
I am an adult taking guitar lessons from Phil for a little over a year now. I had never played guitar before. Every class has been a wonderful learning experience. I like the way the classes have been progressing from each lesson to lesson. It is not intimidating and makes me feel like I am making progress with each lesson. Phil is patient and encouraging and works with me if I am having difficulty with something.
He has some really helpful tips to make learning something complex simpler. Another reason why I like his classes is that I have learnt about many different musicians and genres. Sometimes during lessons, he also mentions some history about the band, song or genre which is always a delight.
He has some really helpful tips to make learning something complex simpler. Another reason why I like his classes is that I have learnt about many different musicians and genres. Sometimes during lessons, he also mentions some history about the band, song or genre which is always a delight.
Sivalalith M.
I'm an intermediate level guitarist and I've been taking Guitar lessons from Phil a little over 7 months now. Without a doubt, he's the best teacher that I've ever worked with so far. He's a true "guru" and a guide , so to speak. My goals with him were to analyze song structures/theory and get into songwriting and I can definitely agree that my theory/technique and analysis skills have grown tenfold in a very short amount of time.
He's very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson or tracking your progress. The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you're in. He's very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He's an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres be it Jazz/Blues/Rock/Metal. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist.
He's very methodical and organized in his approach when it comes to teaching a lesson or tracking your progress. The best part about him is he tailors his lessons specifically for your skill level no matter what part of the journey you're in. He's very patient, humble and super fun to be with. He's an amazing professional with great depth of knowledge spanning across multiple genres be it Jazz/Blues/Rock/Metal. I would 100% recommend him to any aspiring guitarist.
Alan L.
Learning to play guitar with Phil has been a lot of fun. I am a complete musical novice, plus I have a demanding full-time job, so he’s needed to be both patient and extremely flexible. In addition to the usual “book learning,” he asked me to find and taught me songs I wanted to learn, which was a nice break from the “Grade 1″ selections. Quite comfortable and knowledgable in a wide variety of musical tastes and styles, Phil is definitely worth talking to if you’re looking for a fantastic music teacher.