Matthew is the best guitar teacher Ive ever had! Hes an exceptional musician himself, and has refined his teaching over 30 years and it shows in his thoughtful and comprehensive approach. Even when I havent practiced as much as Id like (Im a new mom!), he is patient and encouraging, and I am energized and inspired after every lesson. Im so grateful that hes part of my community!

Ive been working with Matthew for approximately 4 months, as of this writing, and have found the experience overwhelmingly positive. Im probably a bit of an odd case for him, as Im pretty much a novice on the instrument, but do have a reasonable amount of formal music training. Given this circumstance, Matthew is excellent at identifying what I understand, and dont need focus on, and honing in on the areas that I do need help with. Stylistically, hes extremely positive in a way that is both compassionate as well as practical. A combination of attributes which I think are highly desirable in any teacher. Id recommend him regardless of where a student is in his or her musical journey

Matthew moves smoothly from teaching simple songs, reading music, complex theory, and details of composition while remaining attentive to the heart and mind of his student. He has an intuitive nature and the depth of skill to make learning fun while challenging. In the two years that I have been studying with MCH my appreciation for the guitar and for music has grown by leaps and bounds. Every class I gain skill, understanding and desire; to keep playing and improving. I’ve had other teachers, I’d be hard pressed to find one to replace Matthew.GastonEl Cerrito, California

I cannot say enough about what a fantastic teacher Matt is. I was fortunate enough to be a student of his for a little over a year and a half while I was living in California. When I first started taking lessons I could barely play one song, after about a month I could play 5 songs and was learning how to play over backing tracks. Learning from Matt was an absolute pleasure, he covers everything from theory to practice and is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to his craft. If you are looking for a solid teacher who can cover it all, look no further than Matt.

Matthew is outstanding. He is amazingly kind, thoughtful, patient, well informed and has a great sense of humor. His musical interests and achievements cover a broad range of genres. He invests early in the relationship to learn the specific musical interests and needs of the new student. Always look forward to my next lesson with Matt. A gem!

MCH is a well known and established guitarist/musician in the Bay area and beyond. He is also a superb teacher/educator whose teaching style is personal and individualized for the students particular needs. You may ask a seemingly simple question but you come away with a whole new insight to explore and build on. A great learning experience.

Matthew is all the things you want in a 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.

I do music composition and production for a living and first met Matthew when hiring him as a session musician. I quickly realized that he would be a great teacher to help me get better proficiency with guitar and also teach my 8 year old son. I took lessons with my son for about a year and really love Matthews approach to teaching. I stopped after gaining some tools on guitar, and my son has been working with him for going on 3 years.Excellent in presenting ideas, and takes time to tailor to individual needs. He also has a very strong theory background and applies diatonic theory in his lessons early on. He also teaches melodic reading, not just TAB, which is very important for Jazz band playing.Excellent guitar teacher, and great person to be around!

I came to Matthew because I felt I needed the knowledge of Music theory and more of a structure to have a better perception of the fret board. I have been working with Matthew for about a year now and am 100% satisfied with my lessons. Matthew understood exactly where I was at being a self taught guitarist, and has been able to explain his material to me in way I could understand and apply to my guitar. I have been very fortunate to have Matthew as my guitar teacher, he is very knowledgeable and an awesome guy. I highly recommend!

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.

Matt is not just a great guitar player and a great guy in general, hes a great teacher. Ive been bringing my son to him for four years now and hes improved a ton. No matter what mood hes in when he goes into the lesson, hes always in a great mood coming out! Matt has a way of connecting with kids and teaching them where they want to learn. Hes clearly capable of teaching adults, but my experience lies in the way hes worked with a teen.

Matthew completely transformed my playing. He provides the knowledge you need to achieve your musical goals and helps build skills to learn and practice effectively for long term growth. With his guidance, I had breakthrough after breakthrough. I cant recommend him highly enough.

Matt is just a fantastic guitar teacher - in every way. His combination of musical theory knowledge, combined with a very practical approach to learning the instrument, and finally, a real focus on helping me enjoy playing the songs I love, has been a great experience. Ive learned things I had not understood in many years of playing, and every lesson is enjoyable, lots of learning, and the support for the process that is so important... it doesnt matter if you are acoustic/electric, beginner/advanced, young/older, etc. He adapts to you. He understands where you are in the journey. My recommendation for Matt is absolute. If you are lucky enough to get into his schedule, take it!

I came to Matthew not even really knowing what I wanted to learn, after many decades of playing. He was immediately able to identify gaps - both large and small - and start filling them in. Ive learned more in the past year than I have for a very long time. Plus, hes an incredibly nice dude. Did I mention patience? Hes got it by the truckload.

Id 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 tunes 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.

Matthew is a great guitar teacher, and he knows a lot about music theory too. Definitely recommend!

Clear-Simple-Funny-Smart- Focused and above all....PaitentI am a 68 year old guitar-singer -songwriter who has been playing guitar since I was 16 years old, so you do the math. Yep, 52 years holding the guitar in various stages of study, sloth, torpor and good intentions.I have taken lessons from at least a dozen poor well intended souls before I connected with Matthew.Matthew is the first teacher who has been able to make clear to me what I am trying to accomplish with the scales and chords I practice and who has me working on the songs and music I actually care about playing.Matthews lessons reflect his own passion for the instrument and his equally strong desire to connect with who his student is and what THEY want from the experience, not what HE thinks they should want.Look no further , Matthew is your man for guitar enlightenment. Get on the path today ! Remember- A solo of a thousand notes begins with a single scale!

Ive been working with Matthew for the past two + years. How lucky I was to have found such a gifted teach and player, seemingly by chance, on the internet. Matthew continues to teach me the critical importance of rhythm in guitar playing and its a foundation of everything he teaches. He has played with some of the best drummers in the world; he knows rhythm. He encouraged my to join BandWorks to learn how to play songs with others, and that has helped my playing immeasurably. We also work on music theory for guitar in the context of learning songs. Whatever song you want to play, he will help you understand its theoretical underpinnings in a way you can understand. Hes really good at giving you bite size chunks to work on, but not too much to overwhelm. Matthew is patient, kind, encouraging, unpretentious, and funny. If youre want to improve your guitar playing and musicianship, whether youre a complete beginner or a professional player, then give Matthew a call! I cant recommend him enough!

Matthew is the best guitar teacher I have ever had, period.His relaxed and patient approach to teach has given me the confidence to try new things, challenge myself and ask any question on guitar technique or theory.In my experience I have learned the hard way that being a good musician doesnt make you a good teacher. Matthew is definitely both.I will always recommend Matthew to anybody who REALLY wants to learn to play electric guitar.Victor Zubeldia

Matthew is a fantastic teacher. He is hard-working, patient, funny, gregarious, and extremely knowledgable. Whether you are looking to shred some fusion, learn the ins and outs of a Meshuggah tune, or further your songwriting/production abilities Matthew can help you through it all. Matthew gets my highest recommendation!!

Matt is the man!!, I have been playing for 35 years & I have studied with many great teachers around the bay area & have played my share of shows and still do, There have been areas of music that i was still trying to figure out and were hard for me, Matt was able to explain to me in a way i could understand its was kind of a reset in my playing that i need, Also when i got stuck in a rut Matt again was able to set me straight, Wow thanks Matt & BTW he is a super cool guy on top of it all.Mike JohnsonFungo Mungo/MoFu

I love to learn guitar