Guitar & Bass Lessons - Dave's Guitar School

~ All About Dave Taylor

Dave began playing the guitar in the summer of 1980. He learned first from his father and later from various private guitar instructors. His early influences were Rush, Pink Floyd, Journey, and other popular rock bands of that era. In the mid 1980s Dave started listening to and studying the guitar styles of Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Gary Moore, and other rock guitar virtuosos of that time period. In the late 1980s he became inspired to study blues after he heard the playing of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

In 1989 and 1990 Dave attended The Atlanta Institute of Music, from which he graduated with honors. During this time he had the privilege to study under such world class musicians and instructors as Jimmy Herring, Steve Freeman, Bill Hart, Robben Ford, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, and Ritchie Kotzen.

Upon graduating from The Atlanta Institute of Music in 1990, Dave taught guitar lessons as a substitute teacher at Howren Music in Charlotte, NC. In 1991 he moved to St. Louis, MO, where he played in bars and taught guitar and bass lessons at Eberhardt Music. That same year, after a long cold winter, he moved back to the Carolinas and in 1992 he put together the acoustic duo Hawks and Taylor. This group played on and off in the Charlotte area for close to two years. During this time Dave also taught guitar lessons out of his home in Lake Wylie, SC.

In 1994, Dave began teaching guitar full time for Howren Music in Charlotte, NC, typically teaching 50+ lessons a week. He continued teaching there for a period of eight years until finally quitting in 2002 in order to work full time at his own guitar school.

While successfully running his own guitar school, Dave still found time to write three different instructional books. He did this out of necessity after struggling to find quality curriculum from an outside source. During this time he also worked as a studio musician, laying down guitar tracks as well as writing and recording jingles for various television commercials. This period also marked the beginning of his exploration into other guitar styles such as Jazz, Fusion, Bluegrass, and World Music.

Dave continues to write, record, and teach to this day. Many of his students have gone on to gain entrance into top music schools and some have even received music scholarships based on a combination of their hard work and Dave’s effective teaching strategies. Additionally, quite a few of his students have gone on to become professional musicians.

Dave considers teaching to be one of life’s highest callings and feels blessed to have made his living all of these years in this field. He is a believer that instructing others works best through a positive attitude and has witnessed firsthand that anybody can learn to play music with patience, practice, and proper guidance.