Marc Miller is the owner and founder of Sound Theory Studio. A Berklee educated guitar instructor with over 16 years of teaching experience and extensive experience in live performance including Rock, Classic Rock, Blues, Metal, and more. Marc has 5 original albums to his credit and has played in several bands ranging in style from Metal to Jazz including "Corrupt-R", a progressive metal instrumental project.  Marc has also been in the Tucson bands: "Father Brennan", "Answer to None", "Dread the Day", lead guitarist in the Tucson Rock / Blues band "Bold As Love"

Sound Theory Studio is what I call my instructional program.  I came up with this name to describe my philosophy that to become a great guitarist requires equal understanding of both playing technique and music theory knowledge, and I teach with emphasis to both areas.  Many guitar instructors teach technique almost entirely, including how to play popular songs, "riff" ideas, building speed, etc.  There is nothing wrong with that per say, but how can you apply those concepts of technique without an understanding of music?  What good is it to learn to play quickly but have no idea how to apply that technique to a song?  My philosophy can be described by the old saying "knowledge is power".  Yes playing skill is important, but the understanding of what to do, not just how to do it, is easily as important.  Therefor lessons with me will always include not just the how, but also the why.  The studio itself is well equipped, very spacious, and quiet.  You'll notice at many guitar stores the quality of the lessons may be good but the space of the lesson room and the noise level leave a lot to be desired, this is why I started my own lesson studio so I could teach my students one on one in a much nicer environment that is noise free and comfortable.


 

Learning guitar is an exciting journey and there are many things to consider when choosing the right teacher, and the right place, to learn.
  • You need a lesson plan designed specifically for you.  No two students are alike, some people learn quicker than others, and each student has different goals.  A good guitar teacher is patient and understands that each student learns at a different pace, and understands that each student's goals may change over time and is able to adapt the lesson plan to match.
  • Its important to find a teacher that specializes in the genre(s) of music you are interested in, and has experience in playing live, recording studio experience, song writing, etc.  I specialize in Blues, Rock, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, and Metal.  I have been in several bands over the years from Metal to Jazz, have released 7 albums in various styles of music, and have performed live for 22 years.
  • Its best to pick a guitar teacher that has an education in music.  Many guitar teachers are "self taught", which is to say that they have received no formal training in music.  Though there is certainly nothing wrong with that, I believe you will find that the best guitar teachers are those that have learned from professional instructors.  My education is from Berklee College of Music (Boston), one of the country's top guitar schools. 
  • Last but not least its always a good idea to find a guitar teacher that has experience teaching.  I started teaching guitar about 16 years ago and in that time have taught students ranging in age from 6 to over 60 in various styles of music.  I have formulated lesson plans for many types of people with varying goals and have learned much in my years of teaching.  I am always working to improve my skills as a music teacher and have learned much about the best ways to teach music over the years.