Divine Guitar Lessons

I told myself for years (and years and years) that I’d take guitar lessons «some day», and one day I stumbled onto Coren’s website, learning that he was giving lessons just a couple of miles from where I work.
I began with half hour lessons, and at the beginning it was challenging, yet quite fun. Coren was fun and interesting to talk with — sometimes we run long after the lesson is over, chatting away on everything from nutrition to martial arts.
And in a way, his instruction is much like that in martial arts (as taught properly). He emphasizes the basics, but not drilling to the point of boredom. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, where one week we’ll be playing 1980s rock, and the next week, reggae, which always keeps me on my toes and out of being in a one-​type-​of-​music rut. In fact, we rarely play the same thing, or even discuss the same techniques or theory, from one week to the next, so it’s almost always something new.
Coren is exceptional at finding the balance of pushing «enough» and not excessively. Likewise with giving information, where there is a steady and sufficient amount of music theory, enough to allow me to put together the pieces myself without feeling like I’m just memorizing and regurgitating.
Now, around two years after I started, I now take one-​hour lessons weekly, and always enjoy them. In fact, I’m considering taking two lessons per week, since I also would like to learn bass (which Coren also teaches, as well as piano).

Stop your search, if you want to learn how to play the guitar well, Coren’s your guy. I have some music background but just started learning guitar and cannot motivate myself to go through all the chords and practice regularly. I have stopped making excuses and called Coren and it was very easy to set up a lesson plan starting out with 8 lessons. I wanted to begin with a more regular — weekly lesson to keep learning new things as well as keeping myself motivated in practicing and getting better each week. So far, I’ve really enjoyed learning from Coren, the half hour lessons goes by so quickly. He’s super laid back, passionate about music, and a great instructor as well as an excellent musician with great techniques. He’s also very patient and really makes learning guitar a truly enjoyable and easy experience. I will definitely be taking many more lessons from Coren and hope you will too!

I have been playing the guitar for about a year now, but I didn’t really feel comfortable in what I was doing. I heard about Coren and decided to give it a shot. He is a phenominal guitarist, which made me a bit more hesitant (sometimes seeing someone that good makes you wonder if they’ll be condesending when you aren’t capable yet). After only a few minutes, I saw that Coren was not like that. He was really able to get me to understand everything so much better! I feel much more comfortable now and have really been progressing nicely since working with him.

full disclosure i am a long time friend of Coren so you might find this review a little biased but if you look a little deeper and keep an open mind (as Coren will certainly ask of you while teaching you) you will certainly find this review helpful.
as a fellow musician i have found very little progressive teaching in my experience. a lot of instructors focus on the fundamentals, which is very important (and also covered by Coren) but Coren digs a little deeper and really exposes you to what music really is all about. it is not just a way to impress your friends it is an artistic expression that allows us to communicate without words. Coren will emphasize the importance of music being ART and a journey both the creator and the listener both simultaneously experience.
his style of teaching is not for everyone but it is certainly for those that truly believe in the power of music and their potential as musicians to express themselves in a genuine and unique way.
i can assure you lessons from Coren will not only increase your skills as a guitar player but will also raise your awareness of what it really means to be a musician!