Welcome to NashvilleGuitarGuru.com!

 

Mastery is no mystery:

the means are in the method.

 

On Music Row at 1010 16th Ave S, Nashville, TN.
At Music Square South/Grand Ave, convenient to downtown and I-40.  


UPCOMING EVENTS:

Small group guitar classes have begun! Enrollment is limited to three per class!  An intensive, effective, and affordable option. Email for details.

 

photo by Carie Burchfield-Thompson

Meet Dave Isaacs, your guide.

There's no shortage of guitar teachers in Music City USA...they don't call Nashville "Guitar Town" for nothing. But Dave Isaacs has earned a reputation as one of the best: not simply a guitar teacher but a musical trail guide, leading young artists, professional songwriters, and touring performers to new heights.

Isaacs' approach to teaching develops not only guitar playing but the whole musician, building the skills, confidence, and individual style that create artistry.

A dynamic performing artist himself and a composer and songwriter of exceptional range, Dave has released six independent CDs and performed in venues large and small across the US, from small clubs to festival stages and concert halls.

Over the course of his recording career Dave has explored modern country-rock, literate singer-songwriter folk, ambient jazz, improvisational blues-rock, and Southern soul. The depth of this musical diversity combined with rigorous formal schooling and over twenty years of teaching private students offer him a rare and exceptionally wide perspective as an educator.

 

 

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS

Dave Isaacs holds degrees in guitar performance from New York's Manhattan School of Music (M.Mus. 1993) and the City University of New York (B. Mus. magna cum laude, 1991). He has studied with and performed for some of the most prominent artists in the classical guitar world, including Segovia protege Oscar Ghiglia, composer/virtuoso Benjamin Verdery, and international concert artist and founder of the guitar program at the Juilliard School, Sharon Isbin.

He is a music instructor and music technology specialist in the Commercial Music Program at Tennessee State University, and is the founder and artistic director of the annual TSU Guitar Summit. He also teaches music and listening skills to audio engineering majors at the Art Institute of Tennessee - Nashville, and is a member of the workshop faculty of the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI).

His own experience in overcoming guitar-related repetitive strain injuries led to comprehensive study of the biomechanics of guitar playing and the development of the concept of "effortless guitar".

PRIVATE TEACHING

Dave maintains a busy private studio on Nashville's Music Row, teaching songwriters and aspiring artists how to build their musical, writing, and performing skills on guitar and piano. His innovative and transformational approach ties together elements of traditional guitar and piano lessons with an artist's perspective on the creative process. Nashville is full of musicians who can teach a student how to play, but Dave's method teaches the student how to learn.

Services:

Guitar lessons
Piano/keyboard lessons
Performance coaching
Arranging and charting
Session work/guitar tracking
Artist development & production 

 

Become a fan on Facebook!
Artist Page   Guitar Studio Page

 

 

TESTIMONIALS

"Dave Isaacs is the best guitar teacher in Nashville".
-Doak Turner, networking guru and editor of the Nashville Muse


"Dave is one of the best guitar teachers around, and we are always happy to include him at our Thursday Night Workshops at the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He is able to create lessons for any level of player, from beginner to master level....even songwriters who have been playing for years are able to break bad habits and become more effective songwriters and performers."
-Debi Cochran, National Workshops Director, Nashville Songwriters Association International


"Dave Isaacs brings a deep understanding of music theory, technique, and bio-mechanics to his guitar instruction.Having spent years studying the physical aspects guitar playing,he knows the best ways to avoid the pitfalls of repetitive strain injury more than anyone I've encountered, and his ideas are informed by real-world demands."
-Andy Ellis, music journalist and former senior editor at Guitar Player Magazine


"I count Dave as a major contributor to my musical education and only hope that he realizes how much I appreciate him for passing on to me an inkling of his amazing talent and seemingly omniscient wisdom! “Thank you, Dave…in this wild and crazy business you ARE the consummate professional and one HECKUVA teacher...I am truly indebted.”
-Megan Linville, country artist


"You've helped me bring out what I didn't know I had. Thank you for helping me to be the best I can."
-Rebecca Hosking, singer-songwriter

 

ON DAVE ISAACS' MUSIC

"Powerful and undeniable."
-Rich Adler, multiple Grammy-winning producer-engineer

"Dave is one of the most talented guitarists and performers on the planet."
-Steve Ekblad, Audiogrid.com

"...a master musician..."
-Roots Music Report

"You really know what to play and what not to play."
-Tommy Womack, Nashville rock icon

 "...the best interpretive guitar player in town."
John Haring, Random Music Group, Nashville

 

NEWS

In addition to writing for the Songwriters E-Tip, Dave has become a regular contributor to Dream Row, an online magazine helping musicians build careers. Click here to read recent articles.

Have you signed up for the Songwriters' E-Tip? How about the Nashville Muse? Music Starts Here?
If you want to learn how to make your mark in Nashville, DON'T miss these great resources.

In the studio, Dave recently produced Americana singer-songwriter Rebecca Hosking's second CD My Mother's Child, working with Grammy-winning engineer Rich Adler (Alison Krauss, Neil Young, Natalie Cole) and completed a new CD Torch with his trio DI3.

 


RECENT EVENTS

  • Oct 2011 recorded video lesson series for JamPlay.com
  • Sept 2011 NSAI Songposium: Art of the Riff, Harmonic Astronomy, Performance Workshop
  • June 2011 3rd annual Guitar Summit @ Tennessee State University
  • April 2011 Intensive workshop with Music Concentration students from Ecole Secondaire Charles-Gravel in Chicoutimi, Quebec.
  • March 2011 Faculty Concert @ Tennessee State University. Watch video!
  • Oct 2010 Workshop for Fort Worth Songwriters Association in Mansfield, TX.

Thanks to FWSA president John Terry for the Texas hospitality!

 

 

THANKS TO ALL WHO ATTENDED THE 2011 TSU GUITAR SUMMIT AT TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY!
Featured guests include New Grass Revival's Pat Flynn, hit songwriter Rand Bishop, top-10 artist and songwriter Walter Egan, and Nashville rock legend Tommy Womack. This year's event was the best yet and we anticipate continued growth for Guitar Summit 2012!

Thanks to our sponsors:

SESAC
The D'Addario Foundation
Music Starts Here
The Nashville Muse

and of course the music department at Tennessee State University.

Watch for announcements on Guitar Summit 4, slated for June 28-July 1, 2012! www.TSUGuitarSummit.com