Welcome to my website for guitar lessons and guitar instruction!
I discovered the guitar at 13 after fledgling efforts with several other instruments. I found I could sing with it, play in public, and entertain myself for hours. My students come for the same reasons - to learn songs, write songs, play with friends, or just lose themselves in the wonderful world of music.
Cathy teaching an outdoor class at the
Puget Sound Guitar Workshop outside of Seattle, WA
I teach the way I learned - helping students figure out what kinds of music they'd love to play and how to get there. Guitar lessons with me can combine elements of the basics - chords, strums, picking patterns - as well as building into more complex aspects, like bass runs, melody and harmony lines, arranging breaks, music theory or instrumentals written out in tablature or standard music notation.
I've been a guitar teacher in the Albany NY area for over 25 years as well as a guest teacher at the well known Puget Sound Guitar Workshop in Washington State. I toured for about 25 years, performing at folk venues and festivals throughout the US, Canada and England, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Clearwater, the National Women's Music Festival and many others. My recordings are available from Rounder Records, A Gentle Wind (children's recording) and can be found on iTunes. In fact, going to iTunes and listening to clips of my recordings is a good way to decide if you're interested in the styles of acoustic guitar I know well.
After more than two decades of touring, the road lost its charms, and I hunkered down in the Albany NY area - Schenectady to be exact. I have found teaching guitar lessons is as much of a love for me as playing, performing, and writing have been. I work with my students to go where they want to go, drawing on years of performing, my early roots in folk, jazz, and blues, and most of all, my love for playing guitar and singing.
I particularly like to teach beginning and intermediate guitar, drawing on traditional, progressive, and contemporary repertoire, working with adults and children. I enjoy working with people of all ages who have never picked up a guitar as well as those who have been playing for a while and need some new ideas.
I also host the Open Mic for the Eighth Step in Schenectady in Proctor's Arcade from 7-9pm on the third Thursday of the month, except in July and August. Stop by if you want to say hello, share a tune, or see what folks are doing !
I primarily teach out my home studio in Schenectady. Contact me at cwinter@aol.com with the best way to reach you and we can discuss what you want from your guitar lessons.
Music is the best friend you'll ever have !
I discovered the guitar at 13 after fledgling efforts with several other instruments. I found I could sing with it, play in public, and entertain myself for hours. My students come for the same reasons - to learn songs, write songs, play with friends, or just lose themselves in the wonderful world of music.
Cathy teaching an outdoor class at the
Puget Sound Guitar Workshop outside of Seattle, WA
I teach the way I learned - helping students figure out what kinds of music they'd love to play and how to get there. Guitar lessons with me can combine elements of the basics - chords, strums, picking patterns - as well as building into more complex aspects, like bass runs, melody and harmony lines, arranging breaks, music theory or instrumentals written out in tablature or standard music notation.
I've been a guitar teacher in the Albany NY area for over 25 years as well as a guest teacher at the well known Puget Sound Guitar Workshop in Washington State. I toured for about 25 years, performing at folk venues and festivals throughout the US, Canada and England, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Clearwater, the National Women's Music Festival and many others. My recordings are available from Rounder Records, A Gentle Wind (children's recording) and can be found on iTunes. In fact, going to iTunes and listening to clips of my recordings is a good way to decide if you're interested in the styles of acoustic guitar I know well.
After more than two decades of touring, the road lost its charms, and I hunkered down in the Albany NY area - Schenectady to be exact. I have found teaching guitar lessons is as much of a love for me as playing, performing, and writing have been. I work with my students to go where they want to go, drawing on years of performing, my early roots in folk, jazz, and blues, and most of all, my love for playing guitar and singing.
I particularly like to teach beginning and intermediate guitar, drawing on traditional, progressive, and contemporary repertoire, working with adults and children. I enjoy working with people of all ages who have never picked up a guitar as well as those who have been playing for a while and need some new ideas.
I also host the Open Mic for the Eighth Step in Schenectady in Proctor's Arcade from 7-9pm on the third Thursday of the month, except in July and August. Stop by if you want to say hello, share a tune, or see what folks are doing !
I primarily teach out my home studio in Schenectady. Contact me at cwinter@aol.com with the best way to reach you and we can discuss what you want from your guitar lessons.
Music is the best friend you'll ever have !
