Philosophy

My Philosophy

I have been a musician since the age of 6. Although I have had a few“teachers” along the way at different times in my life, my real teacher has been the music itself.  Obviously, our ears are the most important and personal mechanismwhen it comes to music. Musical knowledge should never supersede listening.  Along these lines, our musical taste is personal, but deserves the chance to evolve without being stifled by rules or close minded opinions.  In my young adult search for a jazz teacher, I never quite found what/who I was looking for because everyone had a “method” that never included self musical exploration or how to think about music.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me because I looked at music from a common sense point of view without inhibitions and sort of became, for my students, the teacher I was looking for. The following is my life’s understanding of music and how to play with it, have fun with it, and experiment with it and hopefully, how to think about it. Please check out the “writings” section to read more about my thoughts on music and teaching, and feel free to get in touch if you are interested in taking a lesson.

A different point of view…

The experience of playing and teaching has given Steve Giordano, jazz guitarist, a unique approach to giving lessons.

  • Lessons can be done in person, or via the web, as his multi-faceted approach has many different possibilities. Some non-traditional topics are The Art and Fun of Practicing, Ear Development, Connecting Theory to Music and How to Think about Music and Experiment. Steve can also respond to open ended questions and advice or even critique and comment on your music provided in digital or analog format.
  • As you’ll see in his testimonials he has impacted many students and colleagues.

Lessons Samples

In addition to reading the testimonials, you can also sample Steve’s teaching style through the posted E-Lessons (communication he has provided via email) and Videos.

Lesson Options

  • Skype Lessons
  • Personal Lesson

Pricing

Please contact Steve for additional pricing options:

Testimonials

As a former student of Steve’s, I have to honestly say that Steve is a true Artist and a very unique player as well as a person. I have always been a fan of both Steve’s concept and presentation of his musical approach. Steve took a path less traveled and worked with me on those seemingly impossible topics as feel, rhythm, and just general listening to what I was playing. Steve worked on sensitivity between playing with what was in my head as to really what was being sounded. Steve opened up a Zen way of looking at music.

I try to hear Steve as many times as I can possibly have him as a guest on my television show. It really is a selfish act on my part because I get a lesson every time I watch Steve and document this wonderful player/person. I have mentioned to many legends of

the guitar about Steve. Once, the great Jack Wilkins told me that he listened to Steve and loved his playing. How could you not like Steve’s playing anyway?

As a person, Steve made me laugh so hard that my belly hurt. His sense of humor was out of control. The older I get, I wonder why I encounter so few people like Steve Giordano.

I think that we could all take another lesson from Steve regardless of who we are or who we think that we have become.

Sincerely and with all honesty and respect,

-Bob Miles, guitarist and television host

Steve Giordano changed my life. The time I spent studying with him taught me to pursue my artistic vision with passion and integrity. As a guitarist, his mastery of the technique and vocabulary of instrument is equal to any of the big names active today including Pat Martino, Jimmy Bruno, and John Scofield. As a musician, his concept of melody, harmony, and phrasing are on par with Jim Hall, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins…I could drop names all afternoon. Steve’s playing is in a class by itself. No one sounds like him.

As a private teacher, I’ve found that I say “when I was studying with Steve Giordano…” to my students at least once a day. Years later I still find inspiration from his teaching methods. As a performer, when people come up to me between sets and comment on my phrasing or my vocabulary of unusual chord voicings I tell them about this guy in Philadelphia I had the good fortune to study under.

I’d recommend a lesson with Steve to ANY musician of any level of ability, regardless of instrument or level of international fame.

-Brennen Reece

I hate teachers but I love Steve Giordano. The most important ideal that he instilled in me was to trust my personal taste, and to let that guide my own music. Steve’s ideals are beautiful and pure, and his intolerance for pretense is fierce. I remember walking out of my lessons with Steve, looking at the trees that lined his street, and realizing that my understanding of music and of life were deepening at a fantastic rate. In addition to this, he is one of the kindest and compassionate men I have ever met.

-Evan Voytas

I often replay the tapes I made a few years ago of my lessons with Steve Giordano and I’m continually finding something of value in them. His teaching method was very honest and direct. In my experience, his emphasis was less on technique and more on expressing feeling, finding your own inner voice, and exploring the poetry of the melody.

-Mike Ciliberti

I had the pleasure of studying intensely with Steve for about 10 years. I learned more from him than from any other musical source. His approach is unique and inspiring. Steve is all about the ‘Art of Music’. And that simply is what you’re going to learn by studying with Steve.. the art of making music.

-Tony Miceli

Steve Giordano’s one of the greats – beyond just a jazz guitarist, he’s truly an artist and mentor with the utmost integrity.

Steve takes an impressionistic approach to his craft and conveys his forward thinking ideas with unprecedented ease. Whereas many jazz educators communicate in broad terms, Steve paints in subtle detail all the beauty & fragility with which the music can speak…and does so by example, addressing the tangibles of structure & time while encouraging the exploration of intangible elements that make jazz the true art form that it is.

I’ve left many a lesson with not only the kind of humility that encouraged further exploration, but the kind of confidence that provoked inspiration – the mark of a great educator.

-Rob Bonfiglio

Popular author Carlos Castaneda, describes the intense relationship with his spiritual teacher Don Juan (a Yaqui Indian Shaman) in one sentence, “Don Juan taught me how to see”. For me, a musician who had been through many teachers and had a head full of disconnected musical information and facts, “Steve Giordano taught me how to listen.”.

Steve emphasizes NOT to be concerned about memorizing all 20 Chord positions, all the scale positions, etc, and instead FIND the Chords and Notes that work by LISTENING. He showed me how to FEEL the music, instead of KNOWING what it is called. This is the stuff you take with you for the long haul. This is how you can be a unique musician. Any musical monkey can memorize and regurgitate information, but a real musician listens, and integrates intimately with his band mates.

As a teacher, Steve has the patience and care of a father showing his child how to do something new. He always gives 110% of his energy to the student. At first, I was amazed that he would give so much of himself. to me and the lesson. I never experienced this with previous teachers. But then I realized that this is exactly what you do when you are PASSIONATE about something. There is no “half way”. The lessons can be very intense, but always fun. And that is something that Steve always emphasizes, “Playing is Fun!!”

-Rich Tanzilli

I will always be extremely grateful for the privilege of studying with Steve Giordano. His teaching has opened so many musical doors and windows that I will be exploring for years to come. I find Steve’s teaching both refreshing and liberating because he is always guiding me to listen to myself and to follow the joy in music. Studying with Steve Giordano has been a life changing experience.

-Shannon Pelcher

I first met Steve Giordano as a young musician exploring new ideas. My lessons with Steve were intensive, fun, and very informative. They forced me to begin thinking in new and more open ways toward integrating music theory, improvisation, and creativity. Steve’s focus was comprehensive and thorough, and encouraged developing one’s style through personal exploration and insight.

-Steve Gummerman

Many of the essential experiences in music only truly occur when you are in the moment playing and yet so many teacher focus too much time on drills, licks, and exercises, (I mean don’t get me wrong we all got to woodshed, and learn the vocabulary) but eventually we must progress to the point that these things become second nature. Some how each week I seem to get better from essentially just playing tunes with Steve. He has been able to make sense of things that have been driving me nuts and also opening doors to things I never knew existed or never new could be so easy. His teaching has made be a better guitarist/composer/musician.

-Nick Catalino

Steve Giordano is more than a guitar teacher, he is truly a ‘jazz guru.’ Steve offers more than just guitar instruction. Rather than focusing on scales, lines, mechanics, etc…, Steve encourages students to find their own musical voice. The old adage ‘teach a man to fish…’ applies. Steve also explores with students not only how to become better instrumentalists, but how to communicate with other musicians in a creative and spontaneous way, an approach that is applicable not only to jazz, but to any music.

-Rick Lowenberg