After you click through to the checkout and join, you'll get an email with your confirmation. If you're already a logged in user, you'll have immediate access.

It may take us a day or so to activate all the stand-alone courses on your account.  But the full program and library will be immediately accessible to you.  

Over the next few days, you'll get emails suggesting how to get started and oriented within the site. You can login and explore anytime. If you have any troubles getting started, simply email us and we'll help you through it.

Yes, you get full access to The Woodshed Program, The Woodshed Practice Video Library, and 100% access to all courses available on CGS. Membership get you everything on the site.  

Note: There is an optional check-in and accountability service that can be added to your membership.  It is called the Practice Magnifier.  But it is not required or necessary. It is purely email-based.  Basic membership gets you total access to all the resources on the entire site.  

The Woodshed® is laid out very intuitively, like a dashboard, so you can easily find what you need. If you use the step-by-step "levels" system, everything you need will be in one place. You'll have specially-designed practice routines that provide well-rounded practice sessions.

If you ever need a hand, you can email anytime and get help.

The Woodshed is very intuitively organized and laid out. You can start with the "Start Here" link on The Woodshed Homepage.

When it comes to the levels, I recommend everyone start at the very beginning, and work through the levels each in turn, regardless of your current ability level,

This is so you gain the underlying principles and concepts on which the entire method is built.

You will likely move more quickly through some areas than others, based on your current abilities.

But in the process of going through the material from the beginning, you may find "holes" in your playing that you weren’t even aware of. These holes are often where we can make the most improvement most quickly.

• Gain the physical skills to move your fingers so that you make the best sound with the most efficiency, while avoiding injury or pain.
• Increasingly understand how to practice and play so that you see improvement regularly. learn systems and processes to learn music and solve problems effectively, so you can continue to advance on your own.
• Ingrain ways of seeing and hearing music so that you can play expressively and know how to approach phrasing and volume dynamics in a way that brings up emotional experiences (for you, and for anyone listening).

Learning classical guitar involves 3 main skills:

• Physical Technique - how you move your fingers
• Playing Pieces - playing expressively, gracefully, beautifully
• Practice and Musical Skills - the systems and processes you use to learn music and make overall progress in your playing.

The Woodshed addresses all three of these areas. You’ll focus on technique (how you move your fingers) separately from learning pieces of music.

You work on technique one element at a time, so you fully understand and “get it”. And you’ll be guided through pieces of music and shown how to practice, how to solve problems, and how to play expressively and beautifully.

Combined, it’s a well-rounded system that will help you progress quickly and enjoyably.

In addition to all the one-of-a-kind learning materials and step-by-step program in The Woodshed, you also get access to all the premium courses sold on CGS.

So as a member, you can access all the lessons in all the courses. If one interests you (such as the reading higher positions), dive right in. This also means you can dig around and try courses out, even if you don't fully commit to them in the end.

If/when you end your membership, you also end access to all the courses. Very much like Netflix, or membership to a gym. If you want to keep a course forever, you are welcome to purchase it. But that's not really necessary unless you cancel your membership.

The videos and diagrams in The Woodshed program are all created from the right-hand-dominant perspective. That said, the concepts, techniques and movements all translate from one hand to the other. There is no difference, apart from reversing right/left in the videos and images.

If you are left-handed, and already play guitar, you should find it easy to work through the levels and progress.

If you are left-handed and are just starting out, and do not yet have a guitar, you may consider learning to play right-handed instead. Many left-handed guitarists play right-handed guitar. Starting from the beginning, it's not much difference in the learning process. And it's much easier to find a guitar to play!

Did I miss something?  Please feel free to ask anything.  Click here for the Contact Page.

Yes, you choose the pace. All the resources in The Woodshed are on-demand and self-paced. There are no deadlines, so you can progress as quickly or slowly as you wish.

The technique training goes step by step, and you can spend as much time as you need on each step.

The pieces (tunes) are broken up into small sections, and we go through each separately. Because it's meant to be useful for a broad spectrum of ability-levels, some of the concepts may be confusing at first. If you encounter anything that seems advanced, feel free to just ignore it. You can always come back later if you want to.

The Woodshed® Classical Guitar Program is more structured and organized than any other program.  And the support you get is more complete and varied than any other program.

Most other sites just tell you how to do something and leave you to it. The Woodshed® takes you moment by moment through your practice and does each exercise right along with you (via practice-along videos) so you can mirror the movements and repeatedly compare what you see on the screen with what you see your own hands doing. This speeds up learning considerably.

Also, The Woodshed® has the highest quality video and practice materials available, combined with other cutting-edge and well-researched learning and practice methods. The Woodshed® is organized and clean, and you have personal support whenever you need it, via email, video review, 1:1 Zoom meetings, and the Community.

No other site (that we've seen) offers anything coming close.

Sure, there are probably better teachers out there, but I do dedicate my life and my days to (1.) mastering the craft of classical guitar, my mind, and my body; and (2.) studying and practicing the art of communicating what I find in ways that you can understand and use them.

As far as credentials, I have a B.A. in classical guitar performance, and have held teaching positions at Reed College (Portland, OR) and at Lewis and Clark College (also Portland, OR). And I've taught classical guitar lessons full time since 2005. I continue my education through regular musical coaching with a world-renown concert pianist, as well as workshops and self-study focused on teaching/learning methods and the principles of mastery.

I love teaching, and I love music, and I constantly strive to get better at both. I'd love to work with you, and will do my best to help in any way I can.

If you start with the monthly or yearly membership and would like to upgrade, simply go ahead and purchase the yearly membership.

After you do, email me and let me know that you're upgrading. I will cancel the first membership and refund your current month's payment (if appropriate).

Many of the members in The Woodshed are over 60 (many over 80). If you're in this age group, you're in good company.

The Woodshed was designed to keep joints and connective tissues safe and healthy, and to help you avoid stress injuries and pain. The levels go step by step, and everything is very intuitively organized and laid out.

And if you ever have any questions, you can always contact me.

There’s a whole lot more to The Woodshed than just the courses. While you do get access to all the courses, there is also

• a step-by-step technique program,
• practice routines,
• guided practice (play-along) technique videos,
• office hours for feedback,
• and more.

What you see on the public site is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you play with your right hand fingers, instead of a pick, then any work you do to gain classical guitar technique will directly transfer to any other style.

Classical guitar technique will also protect your hands and wrists from injury and pain.

Classical guitar technique is simply the study of how to play the guitar well. So you can use it for any style or genre, not just classical guitar music.

The Woodshed program does not specifically work on composing or arranging.

However, you will learn how music is put together.  You'll discover the different elements of music, and how composers compose.

So while there are no specific exercises for composing, you can certainly use what you learn to compose or arrange your own music.  You will gain the tools you need to do it.

Nobody’s perfect. And The Woodshed® is no different. We’ve had to make tradeoffs.

We don’t offer certificates or badges.

We could, and it would please more people. But we choose not to, for well-considered reasons. Namely, we feel they put the ladder against the wrong wall. And science supports this.  read more...

This program costs more than some other programs.

It has to, because of the personal support and feedback you get. Cheaper programs or apps usually just give you access to a pile of videos. You’re left to make your way as best you can.  read more...

There is a learning curve when first starting the program.

The structure is different (and better, we think) than any you’ve likely seen before. But it may take a minute to wrap your head around it. We strive to follow Einstein's maxim of making it “as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  read more...

We’re not famous players.

Many other programs have famous touring guitarists teaching lessons. And we’re not famous. Instead, we’re teachers. We study the art and craft of teaching classical guitar to real people.   read more...

I'd love to help you in any way I can. Guitar is my life's work, and it's my greatest joy to see you enjoying it as well.

As you practice and deepen into your work on the guitar, I hope you experience the satisfaction, peace, and sense of accomplishment that comes from a well-structured daily practice. Some days it's exciting; others it's like a meditation.

Of course some days are hard, too. But playing classical guitar is a relationship. And relationships bring on numerous emotions, experiences, trials and rewards.

Good luck! I'm excited for you!