Beginner Intermediate Advance Rock Metal Blues Acoustic Worship Guitar Lessons Altoona, PA

                About me...
                    Hi, my name is Brad. I won't bore you with my life story or
                 anything like that, but I thought it might be helpful for you to know a
              little bit about my musical and guitar-playing background.

         The first rock-n-roll album I really remember listening to was KISS ALIVE.
       That album grabbed me and I just fell in love with rock music. Around
      78/79, I got turned on to AC/DC. When the Back In Black tour came to town in
      1980 my dad took my friend Jay Harvey and me to see them in Indianapolis.
      When I saw Angus Young perform and play guitar the way he did--I was
      hooked. I became an instant guitar addict. I was thirteen at the time.
      My first guitars were all "air guitars".   And let me tell you, I put on some
   serious air guitar concerts in my bedroom - Jamming to KISS ALIVE, Back In
Black… and loads of other classic rock albums. When I was 15 I got a job at
Burger King. I saved up $300 and bought my first guitar -- a 1973 Fender
Telecaster Deluxe, ironically from my friend Jay. That tele is my favorite guitar to this very day. It's gone through a lot of changes over the years-it's really more of a "Franken-Tele" today. Ask me what I mean by "Franken-Tele" some time and I'll tell you. It's a pretty cool story.

I had 4 teachers:

"Brad really helped me with correct finger positioning, chord structures, chord progressions and strumming patterns. He made beginner guitar concepts easier so that the progression to more difficult guitar was much more natural and fluid. He's extremely nice and down to earth. He's willing to work with you and answer any questions you might have. I highly recommened him."
Chris Bianchi

"Hey Brad, This is esdras, I just wanted to get in touch with you and let you know that I am finishing lesson 4. They are great and I'm having fun playing the guitar... thanks alot for your encourement I'm pumped to learn more."
Esdras, coresponent student in CA

"I can't believe I have only been playing for 7 months & within that time, I went from just plucking a string to being able to play the intros of my favorite songs!"
Brendan Baker

Beginner, Intermediate &Advanced Guitar Lessons with Brad Windlan... Altoona, PA
Altoona, PA Specializing in Rock, Metal, Blues and Acoustic Worship Styles!

http://www.guitarjams.net/News.html

"Dear Brad, Love the lessons...they've made me see quite a few new things! I love the Albert meets PB lick!"
VK,
a corespondent student in China

"Thanks again Brad, i love going to practice (lessons) every Friday night and jamming out with you."
Christian

"Brad, I think what I appreciate the most are the hands-on, step by step that you lead a person thru when you yourself are writing a song. It helps to put things in perspective. The lesson was great, and after I've had a chance to chew on the lesson a little more, I'll be sure to write again."
Christian A.
Commenting on GJSW101 My Song Writing Course.

Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Rock Guitar Lessons
Based in the Altoona, PA area-- Servicing the World!
Private, Class and Online Correspondance Guitar Lessons
Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona, PA

"Thanks again brad, your an awesome teacher and i cant wait til next weekend to come."
Christian Strayer

Vic Cook
Vic was my first "Official Teacher." Vic taught me a lot about the guitar and music in general. I studied with Vic for about a year… I should have stuck with him longer. I would have learned a lot more in less time, but I was young and dumb... and I had become immersed in the local music scene -- so I just sort of drifted away from him.

Local Musicians
I got hooked up with Danny Trice, Don Burrell and Tim Hoenstein. Danny and Don were in a really cool rock band. I hung out all the time at their rehearsals. I guess I was a bit of a groopie… except for me it was all about learning how to play. I constantly picked their brains and asked them to show me stuff… "How'd you play that riff? Can you show me that lick?" They were very gracious to me and I learned a great deal from them.

Doug Marks & Metal Method
Then there was Doug Marks of "Metal Method". He was hugely popular back in the 1980s. I ordered several of his lessons (on cassette via snail mail! -- now THAT is dedication)! I grew a lot as a player under his teaching.

RECORDS
And finally there was my record collection. Learning to play things by ear from records was a l---o---n---g - trial and error process. I wore my records (and a lot of needles) out---listening to songs over and over and over again-playing along with them. For years, I spent, literally five, six and some times ten and even twelve hours a day in my bedroom learning from guys like Angus Young (AC/DC), Randy Rhoads (Ozzy), Ace Frehley (KISS), Adrian Smith and Dave Murray (Iron Maiden), Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, Vivian Campbell (Dio/Whitsnake), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Neal Schon (Journey) Tom Scholtz (Boston), Warren DeMartini (RATT) and just a ton of other great players of the 1970S & 80s.

I rarely used tab, for me, learning from records was all about learning to use my ears -- to listen and then to recreate what I heard. Iike I said above, It was a l---o---n---g trial and error approach, but like I also said earlier, I was an addict.

I played in a lot of "Garage Bands". We put on nightly shows for the neighbor kids. We weren't focused enough to ever really get a solid gigging band together-but we made some killer music.

When I hit my twenties a lot of things changed in my life. When I was twenty-one I underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and that surgery left me legally blind--we can talk about that some time-- if you're curious about how much I can actually see. It's a fun chat.

I began college in 1989 and I managed to squeeze a 4 year degree into 6 years. I graduating from Johnson Bible College (Knoxville, TN) in 1995--with a Bachelor Degree in Bible and Preaching.

Leading Worship
I was ordained into the ministry that same year and served in various churches and in various roles as a pastor. I always found a way to incorporate my guitar playing in the ministry. I've led hundreds (perhaps a thousand or so) worship services with my acoustic. Leading worship is a great experience. It forces you to learn a lot of music on a regular basis and perform it. Leading worship isn't exactly the same as "performing" but it is playing in a live setting… so it's close.

Recording
In 2003 I discovered recording software. That opened awesome musical doors for me. Over time I built a studio in my home, affectionately called, "PB Studio" (i.e. "Pastor Brad Studio"). I also became a student of web design and built the Guitar Jams website. I launched Guitar Jams (www.guitarjams.net) in April of 2004. And from that day to this one, I have never stopped learning, stretching, recording and growing as a musician, a guitar teacher, a producer, and most importantly--as a person. I'm still that same guitar addict I was back in the early 1980s. I love rock, metal, blues and acoustic style guitar and I'm constantly looking for new licks to add to my lick vocabulary... new musical insights and new players to inspire me.

I love sharing all that I've learned and my passion for the guitar with my students!

I hope that helps you get to know me a little bit. I look forward to working with you and helping you reach your guitar playing goals! Feel free to ask me any questions you have. It's an honor to help you.

Blessings,
Brad.
pastorbrad@aol.com

The Basic Information:
Students take one-hour lessons - once per week -
here in my Altoona studio.

You do NOT need to purchase any materials. I will provide everything: Lesson sheets, tab, charts, audio files, etc.

You do NOT need to bring an amp -- just your
acoustic or electric guitar and a pic. If we need
an amp--I have one you can plug into :- ).

Rate: $20 per hour

I have some open spots on Thursdays and Fridays.
Email me today to check availability.

Email:
pastorbrad@aol.com