Guitar Lessons With Jimmy Rose

I’m a former piano teacher and a gigging musician — I only mention that so that you’ll believe me when I say I’m REALLY picky about music lessons. In other words, I won’t just take lessons from any old teacher who promises to teach me to strum a few chords and noodle through Stairway to Heaven. I’ve been taking guitar lessons from Jimmy for over three years and take my word he is a STELLAR teacher. Extremely knowledgeable, passionate, dedicated, patient, and very well-​versed in so many styles not to mention music theory. I started as a beginner on guitar and Jimmy has given me a fantastic foundation in both technique and repertoire (all across the board: classical, folk, rock, jazz standards…). He is truly a connoisseur of the instrument and his passion for it is contagious. He has been instrumental (pun intended) in what’s sure to be my life long obsession with guitar.

Over the 5 – 6 years that I studied with Jimmy, I learned more than I have from any other music teacher throughout my life! I honestly believe that Jimmy is the best guitar teacher out there and I have studied with Paul Gilbert, teachers at the Berklee College of Music, and a handful of other guitarists in NY, Mexico, and Korea. Jimmy does a great job of teaching proper technique on guitar, in a way so that you’re playing will progress quickly, while also working with music that you actually enjoy. It’s a good combination that I think every music teacher should strive to achieve, yet it seems like most teachers will work hard at one or another; you may have worked with guitar teachers on either side of the extremes who are either:
1.) really strict about technique and skills, but at the sake of losing fun and interest in music or
2.) are enthusiastic about the guitar but can’t teach much more than how to play a few chords.
Jimmy is the best and if you can get a chance to study with him, I highly encourage you do so! Go on Facebook and check out the page Musicianship Changes Everything to check out some of Jimmy’s students or check out my YouTube page @
to check out my guitar playing as a testament to Jimmy’s amazing teaching!

I’ve been meaning to write this review for months now… and I think the main reason I waited so long was because I knew it wasn’t something I could just bust out in a hot second. There’s no way that a «Great teacher! Love him!» review would cut it. I mean… he’s just SO MUCH BETTER than that.
I started studying with Jimmy in November 2006. I was 21 at the time and had never picked up a guitar in my life. I had inherited a cheap laminate acoustic guitar from my brother and I kept telling myself, «Just pick it up and play already!» I figured, all the musical greats taught themselves, why couldn’t I??? Needless to say, the guitar sat in my apartment collecting dust for 9 months before I finally contacted Jimmy and asked for a little guidance.
Best. Decision. Ever.
I truly can’t say enough about Jimmy as a teacher… as a musician… as a person. All of the above. His passion for music and teaching is truly infectious. When I first started studying, I figured it would be this fun little thing that I’d maybe dedicate an hour a week to. No big. Well, leave it to Jimmy… and after just ONE lesson, I was playing every single day. I couldn’t get enough of the instrument. He’s so encouraging, so inspiring… he made me believe that if I dedicated a little bit of time to it, I could actually become a guitar player. And within a year — or maybe even a little less — I was. I was playing full songs (both covers and originals), reading chord charts (tabs can suck it), and was even singing along as I played. And after two years, I was doing open mic nights. Can we say rock star??? (Not me. Him.)
I studied with Jimmy for 2 years before I moved across the country for grad school. Since leaving New York, I have not found a single teacher that compares to his level of expertise, patience, and excitement. Jimmy loves what he does and you can feel that. Even if you suck. (I did.) No lesson feels like an obligation or a chore. It’s not his day job. It’s his passion. And you’ll feel that. Promise.

I have taken lessons from Jimmy for many years. He is awesome and dedicated as a teacher. The best part about working with him is that he is a musical genius and can rip on lead guitar. He comes down from a very high place to humbly teach mortals. He is also a great collaborator on song writing and on and on. And with all this, he loves teaching. You will receive more than you will ever pay him.
Donna L.
Executive Management Trainer

It was just by chance several years ago that I began guitar lessons with Jimmy after searching online and through word of mouth for a guitar instructor. I had somewhat of a background in music, but not a sufficient one and with no knowledge of the guitar. Jimmy was the ideal instructor for what I was looking for; I didn’t want to just learn how to play songs, but rather also incorporate theory. He was always very patient and thorough with whatever he taught. His focus in teaching took into consideration my strengths (or lack thereof). He made every session very individualized based on my pace and capabilities, yet at the same time always pushed me forward even when I doubted myself. Punctual, very nice, proficient, professional and very easy to get along with, I highly recommend Jimmy for those looking to pursue guitar lessons. Whether you are a novice or an experienced guitar player, Jimmy will assist you in expanding your abilities and help you explore and build new ones.

This really is good as it gets. Before finding Jimmy, I was ‘learning’ from two other people. Both of them had the same approach, sure, tell us which song you want to learn and we’ll write out the tabs. Now that’s something I could have done off of the internet. I wasn’t really learning the instrument, just to play the songs.
Then came along: Jimmy!
We started from scratch — how to read music which was a phenomenal experience. Thanks to Jimmy, I was sight reading in no time. Also, we’d mix up the lessons wherein half would be learning to read/​play and the other half would be learning songs I wanted to play but this time, without tabs and with the actual music in front of me.
He gave me great exercises to hone my sigh-​reading, coordination and how to hold a beat.
Jimmy is patient, clear and communicative. With him you know your goals, what you will be learning and most importantly, why it matters. While I have since moved on to another city, I have taken away the ability to read music and a far deeper appreciation of the guitar and that’s something I will keep for a lifetime.

Jimmy is the BEST guitar teacher! I am a beginner and he has been patiently guiding me through the basics to build a strong foundation– which is the farther most important element in learning to play an instrument. He is very detail oriented and help you fix your bad habits. I am a musician myself and I still learn a lot from him about music other than just guitar. He helps you enjoy the sessions by tailing lessons to your individual style. Also he has been extremely helpful in terms of scheduling lessons because my schedule is crazy and have to change the lesson time all the time. and he is always willing to rearrange the time for me!