William Seiji Marsh Guitar Studio

Like so many others, I had an acoustic guitar sitting at my house that I didn’t know how to play, but badly wanted to.
I had good intentions, but wrongly assumed that I could just pick up the skills I needed to play by browsing through a few YouTube videos. I assumed that at the age of 28 I most definitely possessed an inherent talent for the guitar and learning would be a breeze. In reality, I was absolutely awful and my guitar sat unused for a better part of a year before I realized that I was never going to learn to play a single chord properly unless I found a teacher to guide me.
Bill is a fantastic teacher, to state it simply. He’s highly personable, communicative, and possesses a tremendous amount of patience. Each week I walk into Bill’s studio and tell him what I liked about the past week of practice and what I’ve really been struggling with. As a novice, my struggles are often very rudimentary, but Bill never treats my issues as though they are beneath him. He is always patient and comes up with helpful and interesting guitar exercises to help me master the elements I am struggling with.
I appreciate that lessons are designed for my unique needs at the time, rather than following a structured plan that dictates where I «should be» on a given date. I leave each lesson having learned something valuable that advances my skills.
I would highly recommend lessons with Bill for those of all skill-​levels.

I’ve only been taking lessons from William for two and a half months but can tell now that I will be a student for the foreseeable future. I am a life long (50+ years) hobbyist that wanted to get beyond the garage band level, maybe get the chops up to step up to a blues jam night. In the short time I’ve been working with William I can tell that this in fact is a possibility. Extremely talented and patient instructor with lessons geared to my interests and my pace. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone regardless of age or skill level.

I’ve been taking lessons from William for about 6 months now and I’m really enjoying it! William is a creative and resourceful person by nature. I feel he is genuinely passionate about music and the connection music facilitates between people.
He has a formal education in music which provides a sense of structure and method. However, he understands guitar players are generally cut from a different cloth. Unlike most instruments which start playing the very first notes by reading them, usually children song melodies such as Mary Had A Little Lamb or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, guitarists start with Smoke On The Water, ACDC, or some such iconic guitar riff. This really creates a musical gap between classically trained musicians and rock/​blues/​pop based guitarists.
Most of all Bill has reminded me that music is very democratic and it’s all about enjoying your personal journey. I have been playing since I was 16 and am about to turn 30. I am not a beginner but a pretty average player. I am happy I found Bill and I am confident with his guidance (and my honest hard work) I will get over this self taught plateau I felt like I’ve been in for the past 10+ years of playing.
Objectively, I am seeing results in improvising, my ears’ ability to interpret melody, and making sense of this hodgepodge of theory I’ve collaged together the past 15 years. This is huge! I’ve always hid behind rhythm playing. I dabbled in lead a little here and there but mostly shied away from expressing and improvising while jamming with others. I’m keeping time better and becoming more aware of song form which has really helped me jam with friends. All and all I can’t say enough good things about Bill. Go check him out at the Falcon Art Studio! His Studio is sick.

I was new to the Portland area and was lucky enough to find Bill as a beginning guitar teacher. Although I have only been working with him for a short time, I have seen significant improvement and am eager to see what is in store for the future.
Bill is a personable, easy-​going individual that translates very well into his teaching. I cannot recommend him enough!

Our daughter studied with Bill in Eugene for two years, stopping only because of his move to Portland. I cannot recommend him enough. He was patient, but challenging, always ensuring that she was getting a firm grounding in notation, not just «here’s a few chords-​be a rock star.»
If you’re a parent, a teen, or an adult looking for a teacher with a combination music degree, band experience, and patience-you’ve found him.

I’ve been working with Bill since 2007 and he’s consistently my top-​call guitarist. Aside from his sheer talent as a musician, he is extremely professional and easy to work with. As a fellow musician and teacher, I would recommend William Seiji Marsh without any reservation!

I have been taking lessons from Bill for about 6 months and have been very satisfied from the beginning. I am a beginning player and have enjoyed taking lessons from him. He is very good at providing explanation, practical guidance and encouragement. He is not only a skilled guitar player, but also a skilled teacher, skills which do not necessarily go hand-​in-​hand! He has been responsive to my interests, easy to schedule with and reliable. I would definitely recommend him.

Amazing instructor! Bill is not just a gifted teacher, but he is a practicing musician– which keeps it real for our son. Bill was able to tap into our son’s intrinsic motivation to practice, which is every parent’s dream.