Lessons
Improve your playing and/or your guitar maintenance chops, with guitar lessons by Dan Holtz, a working luthier and guitar tech in Colchester, Vermont.
Why Choose Dan?
Iâve been playing since 1988. Over the years, Iâve played solo and in bands, and recorded at home and in studios. I can play the whole fretboard and improvise in any key. I also play a variety of other instruments and write songs. My skill set is perfect for beginning-to-intermediate players who want better technique, greater freedom and more confidence.
Iâm a patient, thorough teacher who enjoys learning how people learn. Rather than follow one system, I adapt lessons to your style. You will break a plateau and have new ideas to explore when weâre done. Itâs just inevitable.
In-Person or Online
In-Person
Take your lessons in my workshop. I have a variety of amps ready to rock. Itâs a comfy space where most folks really enjoy hanging out.
Online
I highly recommend connecting via Zoom. There are audio settings we can tweak to make playing in real-time sound better.
How Lessons Work
I offer short, focused lesson packages called flights: 3 or 5 lessons built around one goal. No monthly commitment, no open-ended enrollment, and no fixed time slot. It works around you.
â 1. Choose
See options below, or propose your own. I will adjust to fit your goals.
đ 2. Book
Pay once, then schedule around your life anytime within 60-90 days.
đ 3. Rock!
Finish having broken a plateau. Take another flight, or don't. Your call.
Pricing & Payment
Every lesson is 60 minutes, which is enough time to settle in and relax â not watch the clock. You pay for the entire flight up-front. I take all kinds of payment â cash, checks, cards, apps.
3-Lesson Flight $225
Buy up front, schedule three lessons around your availability. Use all three within 60 days.
$75 per lesson. 60 minutes each.
5-Lesson Flight $325
Buy up front, schedule five lessons around your availability. Use all five within 90 days.
$65 per lesson. 60 minutes each.
Trial Lesson (Optional) $50
Try me out before committing to a flight. Iâll assess your playing, you can assess my teaching style. Together we can work out where youâre stuck and what to work on.
30 minutes. No package required.
Suggested âFlight Pathsâ
If youâre not inspired by the goals below, please email me with your ideas.
đ§ DIY Setup & Care
Want to do more of your own maintenance? Bring your own guitar. Learn routine care, spot common problems, and practice setup adjustments. Weâll cover tools, supplies, what you can safely do yourself.
This is a unique learning opportunity!
đ Your First Song
Just starting? Learn to tune, change between a few useful chords, and play a song you chooseâwith a simple practice routine between lessons. Pick up basic guitar care along the way.
đ°ď¸ Returning Player
Been a while? Start with what you remember, not lesson one. Weâll check where you are, get a favorite song back under your fingers, and build a practice routine that fits your life.
đľ Learn a Song
Have a song youâve always wanted to play? Bring it in. Weâll find an arrangement that fits your level and work through the chords, rhythm, and tricky parts. Play for yourself or share it with others â your call.
đĽ Find Your Rhythm
Lose the beat or get stuck on one strum? Build steadier timing, learn a few useful strumming patterns, and practice keeping the groove through chord changes in a song you enjoy.
đď¸ Play AND Sing
Can you sing it or play it, but not both at once? Work on one or two songs, simplify the guitar part, and practice lining up the words with the rhythm. Build the parts together at a manageable pace. Start to separate your hands from your voice.
đŚ Beyond Pentatonic
Stuck in a box? Connect the scale shapes you already know, find notes that fit the chords, and build solos that sound like melodiesânot just patterns. Learn how to move the box, overlap boxes, and use all of the notes outside of the box.
đś Jam with Friends
Struggling to keep up? Learn to follow the chords, keep time, and play a complimentary rhythm parts that support the group. Start with a few common progressions. Choose five lessons to add some beginner lead guitar so you can take a solo.
đ¤ Perform with Feel
Do your songs sound the same from start to finish? Shape two or three songs with changes in volume, phrasing, and chord choices. Build contrast between sections and make each song feel more like your ownâat home or at an open mic.
âď¸ Improve Your Song
Written a song that isnât quite working? Bring it as it is. Weâll find what you want to keep and work on the parts that need helpâlyrics, melody, chords, or structure. Try out changes and shape a version that feels more like what you meant, without losing what makes it yours.
đ Write New Songs
Have a riff, a few words, or a melodyâbut no whole song? Start with that. Weâll build chords, melody, and lyrics around your idea, connect the sections, and work toward a complete song you can play. No songwriting experience needed, and you donât have to perform it for anyone else.
đź Alternate Tunings
Curious but not sure where to start? Explore tunings that fits songs or sounds you love. Learn how to spot chord shapes, find your way around the changed fretboard, and hear how the notes work together. Build toward choosingâor creatingâtunings for your own music.
đ Dial In Your Sound
Struggling with your sound? Work with your own guitars, amps, and pedals to create tones you love. Learn which controls matter, how they interact, and how to reliably recreate settings that work in any playing environment.