Russell D.

Lakewood, CO

Guitar Lessons, Vocal Lessons

Pin Studio or Home or Webcam

Experiance 15 years. Years

About Me

Hello, my name is Russell, and I am a local musician in the Denver, Colorado area. I play guitar and sing vocals in a local cover band and have been performing live music for 2 years. I have been playing guitar since I was 13 years old, though I did not make major progress and improvement until later, as an adult, when I finally took guitar playing seriously. I enjoy many genres of music, but prefer to play hard rock, alt metal, and R&B, as well as jazzy types of music. My band has a drummer, bassist, lead guitarist, and I play rhythm and vocals, though I do play lead guitar sometimes when I’m not singing. I have been singing most of my life and used to go to karaoke quite often before forming a band. I am a Bari-Tenor and love expressing myself vocally. From deep chest voice to falsetto and head voice, I have experience singing a broad range of music. Music teaching for me is an amazing opportunity to create a space and desire for someone to dive deeply into a never-ending world, exploring various ways to express oneself, or sometimes just to let off some steam and have fun. I think a lot of music teachers get teaching wrong by not catering to where a student’s interest in music comes from. Sure, we all need to learn theory, at least in some form, and we need to develop the skills, ear training, and hand-eye coordination, but keeping students engaged in learning and actually playing/singing is the key to getting the results they are looking for. There is no better way to do that than by keeping students engaged, by having fun, and actually playing their instrument or learning a song they are interested in. Both music theory and basic rudiments have their place, but must be sprinkled in intelligently, as mindless drills or scales will likely chase most students away early on. I can attest to this because I was one of those students. I believe it is extremely important to understand your students’ needs, desires, and skill level first, then cater to what you think will work best for each student to keep them engaged and to actually practice! Music is a universal language, and once you can speak it, you will always be able to express yourself to others. One-on-one guitar and vocal lessons allow students to learn in a safe, fruitful, vulnerable, and conducive environment to explore their creativity and learn a tough craft. I am happy to help anyone achieve what I have achieved on my own musical journey, and I think my experience being stuck in the intermediate rut for so long would be valuable for students.

Russell D. has over 15 years. years of music experience in the Lakewood area.

Russell D. is proficient in and teaches Guitar Lessons, Vocal Lessons .

Degree and Field of Study:

Political Science & Legal StudiesMay 2024

University of Colorado Denver

What to expect in my Vocal Lessons

Beginner - Intermediate

Students should expect to learn about timbre, vocal registers, and how to access each register. As well as learn to have a basic understanding of the use of vocals in the appropriate musical scale. This will require some music theory knowledge that I am happy to provide. Breathing support and technique for safely accessing higher and lower notes will also be taught. It is also important as a singer to understand your natural vocal range and how to transpose music to fit your vocal range for more comfortable and better quality singing.

What to expect in my Guitar Lessons

Beginner - Intermediate

They should expect to learn the fundamental techniques necessary for their chosen musical genre and the rudiments required for that genre. Students will be exposed to basic music theory and scale intervals in a way that allows them to understand the why behind the sound. Understanding how to form triads and chords will also be explained.

Age Group Taught: