Chase Robinson has been playing the guitar for 21 years.  He has performed primarily in California in jam, rock, folk, pop, and jazz settings, also giving solo guitar performances.  Chase was attracted to music of all styles from early childhood, and decided to learn the guitar in the 8th grade because he liked rock.

Chase has been teaching the guitar for 12 years. He can teach both flat-picking and fingerstyle, and has also taught bass guitar and ukulele.  He has worked in the East Bay Area of California, Massachusetts, and online with students from around the country.  Before teaching guitar he was an English tutor in California, and studied music education at Berklee, as well as theory, harmony, and ear training.  Chase has taught students aged 4 – 72 from a wide variety of backgrounds, in both individual and group settings.

His approach is to focus on the individual students general and particular goals as well as their unique tastes and natural attractions.  Within these parameters concepts regarding form, harmony, melody, composition, arranging, and improvisation can be explored and creative applications cultivated.  Further, with reference to the desired style, chords, scales, reading, and techniques are learnt to establish fundamentals with reference to attractive music.  Chase aims to treat everything learned as not just an object of memorization, understanding, and technical prowess ;  but also of practical and creative application from the individual student’s personal perspective, especially as regards improvisation.

Finally, Chase makes sure to give due attention to the mental qualities, attitudes, and perspectives he considers conducive to learning an instrument.  Among these: slow, calm, habitual, unforced practice ; a carefree go-ahead attitude when playing ; detachment from particular, day to day results while pursuing our ideal with vision & perseverance ; gratitude for, acceptance of, and contentment with what we can now do.