Matthew is all the things you want in a great guitar teacher, he is knowledgeable, focused, patient, encouraging and friendly. He has helped me excel in a range of styles from metal to more complicated jazz pieces, electric and acoustic. He has helped me play songs that I was struggling with, learn music theory, learn scales and play evenly to a tempo. It would have taken me years to learn the things Matt has taught me in a few months. With Matthew you are going to get great individual focus which will help you learn complicated music and unlearn bad habits. Whether you are beginner or advanced I'm sure Matt can help you get over that hurdle and excel to the next level. read more

Matthew is by far the best guitar teacher you can find in the bay and from my experience out side the bay too! I had many guitar teachers over the years. All of them were really good musicians (one of them play in famous band in Israel) but none of them were able to explain it to me in a way that it will really sink in. Every lesson with him was mind blowing! Every lesson I left with same though in my head " soooo easy how come I didn't get by now". Of corse it's not easy. But that is specialty, he will make it easy for you to understand! Don't waste your time else where. This is the guy you are looking for! He really care about your success and in today world, this is priceless. read more

It doesn't look like Matthew needs more rave reviews and I am sure people are lining up for lessons. But I wanted to chime in. I've had two guitar lessons from him and it's been life changing. I'm a songwriter and have always kind of strummed along with the guitar, literally never looking at my right hand while playing. He showed me the right way to strum which has steadied my rhythm. He gently encouraged me to try using a pic, giving me good reasons for trying it out. I get it now! Matthew is so kind and thoughtful. He took my 70+ year old self exactly where I was. He gave me techniques to practice efficiently. He encouraged me to work on my own songs right away on the guitar - without the voice and melody. I'm now hearing more possibilities that ultimately will enhance my songs. Amazing! read more

If you are looking for a guitar teacher, STOP and call Matt, no matter your skill or experience level - call Matt. He is passionate about music, he is patient with his students and seems genuinely excited to add more musicians to the world. I work a crazy schedule and have 2 kids, Matt works at my pace with lessons that are tailored for me. Call Matt, your skills will improve, your love of playing will grow and you will have a deeper appreciation for music. read more

Matt is one of those truly rare musicians who are not only masterful performers, but also exceptional educators. I know from experience -- I've had the pleasure of playing with him in a band, and was blown away by his skill, technique and ability to play in any style. When I wanted to get more serious about learning to play the guitar, he was my first choice. He was able to talk directly to the level I needed, both in terms of music theory as well as technique on guitar. My skills shot through the roof! He's a great player and a great person who really knows how to communicate, which is really essential for a teacher. I recommend him without reservation! Do yourself a favor and give him a call! read more

Not only is Matthew one of the most in-demand guitar players in the Bay Area, with a ton of big-time credits to his name, he's also among the very best educators. If you're ready to get serious about your instrument, I can think of no better guide through that lifetime process. He'll give you tools, techniques, and insights that you'll carry with you for decades to come. He's a super good guy to boot. read more

As someone who has seriously pursued the study of guitar - Berklee College of Music and privately with Wayne Krantz, Oz Noy, Jonathan Kreisberg and others - I would say that Matthew would be one of only a few guitar players in the Bay Area who could provide a student with the level of instruction that you would get from a Berklee or one of these other great guitar players. The reason studying at Berklee or with one of these guitar geniuses is so beneficial is that they understand what you need to know and they can focus your efforts on getting there. In my experience, Matthew stands out as someone who can provide this level of learning experience. read more

I have been bringing my son, now 16yo, for lessons with Matt for over two years, after some mediocre experiences with other guitar teachers. Matt is a highly regarded professional musician with a ton of talent playing the instrument. But that isn't why I feel compelled to write this review. It's because no matter what mood my son is in when he goes in to his lesson, he always comes out happy and excited and eager to talk about everything he's learned. Yes, I did just say those things about my teenager! Matt teaches guitar in a way that is very engaging for his students and also efficient and practical. In our experience, Matt will allow his students to direct the process if there are particular things they want to work on, but he is also extremely capable of identifying students' abilities and areas of need from which he can help them to establish a foundation of fundamentals. Once these are in place, the sky is the limit! Bringing my son to see Matt makes me so happy because he is giving one of the greatest gifts: inspiring a passion for learning to express oneself through a musical instrument, and more generally applying oneself to learn a craft. The best teacher in the bay. read more

I'd like to try to explain why Matthew is such a good teacher. My past experience with occasional lessons is that I would learn a tune well enough so that someone might be able to recognize, more or less, what I was trying to play. I felt like Sisyphus. But instead of rolling a rock up a hill, I would learn one tune poorly, drop it after a couple of weeks, and then start another, hoping to play it better. I never did get better and never really learned to play the guitar. I was frustrated and I felt that there was no real method behind the teaching. Then I started lessons with Matt. Whew, what a difference. We spent many months on one tune, using it to learn progressions, key changes, and timing. I learned how to analyze the tune's structure, which made it much easier to play from memory. I started using looping so I could create my own backups. Most importantly, Matt teaches you how to practice. He gives you a roadmap for getting to your goal and his lessons keep you on the road. If you really want to learn to play guitar, then Matthew is who you need. read more

Matthew is an extremely patient and valuable teacher, in addition to being the most talented guitarist I've ever gotten a chance to work with (I've taken lessons with three other guitar teachers). Highly recommended. read more

My son and I have been studying with Matthew for over a year now. Both of us have progressed and really enjoyed the process. My son has been in seveal bands and is playing challenging bass lines at the age of 12 and I have taken up the guitar again after many years off . This time I'm getting so much more out of the experiance due to Matthems talent as a teahcer. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to play most any sytle of guitar or bass. read more

I would highly recommend Matt as a guitar teacher. I consider myself an intermediate level player and taking lessons as an adult I'm not the most disciplined best student, but Matt worked with me on several levels - from writing songs, to voicing chords, and some of my favorite lessons were when I would be able to bring a song to Matt that I felt I should be able to play, but couldn't quite figure out. He helped me break the difficult parts into manageable chunks and those lessons really moved me forward. As a songwriter I was even able to bring Matt to play on a recording project and his playing is quite amazing! read more