Testimonials
My name is Everett Ritenour and I have been playing guitar on and off again for about 15 years. I have always been able to hold my own but I have never been able to grasp just how music works. I have been on the fence about taking lessons because as an active duty Soldier my hours are never consistent ( I have been in the Army for 8 years and two deployments has hindered my ability to take lessons on a schedule). I have toyed with the idea of online lessons but was concerned that even though I have the ability to learn at my own pace that it may be hard to learn from a recorded video. Well this is not the case with center stage guitar academy AT ALL!
I can assure you that I will be remaining a student, even after my year subscription is expired. I started the videos from lesson one, I did not let my ego get to me and even though I am a very experienced self taught player I gave you the respect of starting from video one. I have never been this excited about anything guitar related since I was a kid. I have even taken in depth notes on all the videos so far and thats something I never even did in grade school haha. I have finished module 1 and I am half way through module 2. I can honestly say that I have learned more about guitar in THREE days then I have learned in 15 years. I can say with confidence that not only do I know scales but more importantly I understand why they are used, how they are used, and the magic behind them. The best part is that I am only on module 2!!!
Your teaching method is perfect, your customer service is unmatched and I can say this because I received a personalized email 12 hours after I submitted my song request, and your videos give my everyday noodling a purpose.
I will forever be grateful to the center stage guitar academy, but more importantly to Bryan Billhimer. I finally understand the guitar well enough to have that drive to play for hours without sleep.
My husband started playing guitar 4 years ago at the age of 56, with private guitar lessons. After growing up admiring and appreciating the talents of all the great guitar players from the 60’s and 70's he took on this challenge at an age when it can be hard to learn anything. I took a chance last January to purchase your program, over other programs, and he has used it faithfully and has made great progress to his satisfaction. He saw more progress than in his private lessons that were hard to schedule and difficult to afford to do on a more frequent schedule. Thanks again for your lessons, a too good to be true offer and, great customer service!
I'm a 63 year old, retired marketing executive. I played drums in a rock and roll band until I was thirty five and my son is a professional jazz pianist…but, I always regretted not learning how to play guitar. Finding myself with a lot of free time, I bought a guitar, and decided to check the internet for information. I tried a bunch of guitar learning web sites/youtube videos and then found The Center Stage Guitar Academy. I took the free lesson, was impressed, and signed up for the ongoing series.
The key difference from the other guitar playing sites is CSGA's building block approach to learning. Most of the other sites start with learning chords. For a drummer, that would be like learning beats without first practicing rudiments. With CSGA I didn't play a chord until lesson eight. By that time, about a month and a half in to the lessons, I was playing single note runs and clean double octave scales at 150 bpm up and down the fretboard. In the process my fretting fingers became limber, calloused and without pain!
If there is one thing I have learned in life it is not to take shortcuts, especially when learning an instrument. The Center Stage Guitar Academy's crawl-before-you-walk methodology follows that thought process. Plus, the videos are great, the instruction easy to understand, the downloadable material indispensable and the responsiveness of the staff whenever I have a question…remarkable. I'm not John Fahey yet, but I am thoroughly pleased with the CSGA method and highly recommend it to anyone who want to learn the guitar the right way.
Center Stage Guitar Academy's online guitar lessons have been the best tool for my guitar learning process. I used to browse through countless you tube videos looking for certain lessons only to find they were incomplete. Center Stage takes me through the process in such a way that I am always prepared for the next lesson or technique. Everything I need is right there in one place. It also teaches me the theory and tools I need to be creative and come up with my own songs.
Having very little experience with guitar, Center Stage Guitar Academy has been a great way to learn! Bryan introduces music concepts while keeping it interesting with new songs along the way. I have learned more about guitar in a month than trying to play on my own for 2 years. You also can't beat the price!
More Testimonials
“I highly recommend them! My 14yo son is using the program and he really enjoys it. You can go from not knowing anything about guitar to being able to play confidently. As the mom, I can say the teacher is extremely responsive, and I was impressed with his genuine desire to see students excel using the program. The final proof, I never have to nag my son to dothe lessons, he voluntarily picks up his guitar every day. Thanks, Center Stage Guitar Academy!”
“This has helped me learn how to play acoustic guitar and the lessons are perfectly building on top of each other. Thank you!!”
“Amazing so far…what a great bargain, and I will look forward to working with them for a long time to come!”
“Lessons are easy to follow, well organozed and very satisfying to engage ending up in learning our favorite tunes from any genre! thank you CSGA!”
“Very impressed with the course. It not only got me playing the guitar but opened my mind up to the theory behind it in regards to scales, and cord construction… I am still working my way through it and look forward to learning more with every lesson.”
“These instructions are just what I needed to finally begin to realize my dream of being a better guitar player. The fact that I can view anytime and as often as I want makes it convenient enough that I can actually improve.”
“Excellent personalized service. Great company!”
“A great system to learn from the start. I’ve been playing acoustic guitar (chords) for years (self taught) and have developed many bad habits. I’m using this system from the beginning to REALLY learn the guitar.”
“I purchased the Groupon subscription to CSGA for my 14 year old son who is trying to learn guitar on his own because we cannot afford private lessons. The academy website has been absolutely invaluable! My son is progressing well with his playing–every day he uses the practice music he has downloaded from the site and he likes using the example videos to check his playing technique. This subscription has been well worth the money, and I would certainly recommend it to other players.”
“My son has really enjoyed the online learning and his guitar playing has really improved. In the past it was hard to get him to practice but he is spending lots of time on his guitar now.”
“They quickly move you into playing something recognizable while teaching the basics. Not boring like many other beginner lessons. Highly recommend.”
“We have had a positive experience with CSG. We even lost our password and they were so fast to help us to regain entry to the program. Would definitely recommend the purchase.”
“We have been very impressed with the Center Stage Guitar Academy online product! In fact, the online lessons have exceeded our expectations! We would recommend Center Stage for anyone with any interest in guitar lessons.”
“This is an excellent program. We have gone to someone before but I am finding that this has been a much easier learning process. He starts from the beginning. VERY impressed. LOVE the program and would purchase again. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn to play. My 10 year old son and I are both learning to play the guitar together.”
“I am surprised how much I have already learned and how much I’ve enjoyed it! CSGA is the real deal when it comes to learning to play the guitar!”
“Very easy to follow lessons that build on the prior lessons. Better than the lessons that I have received in person, in both content and the ability to replay something that I didn’t quite understand the first time. I am completely satisfied and will try to get as far as I can with this program. Great teacher and teaching method.”
“Brilliant interface, very easy to follow. Videos are filmed with a high quality and attention to detail, they go at a perfect pace and really feel like an in person lesson. The instructor is very knowledgeable and guides you every step of the way. Great option for beginners as they can organize the lessons to first teach you the basics then slowly improve your skills before the more difficult lessons come. Lastly, there are endless lessons that teach chords, skills, and even songs that are updated often and take requests. Very pleased with this purchase.”
“These lessons were a gift for my son. The online lessons give him the flexibility to add them to his hurried schedule sometime between work and college. He has been very pleased and enjoys playing the many new songs he has learned. I highly recommend their program of study.”