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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Permalink SG101's Official Master Surf Guitar Instructor: Alex Anthony Faide

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From the news story:

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Surf Guitar 101 is extremely happy and honored to announce that Alex Anthony Faide, the lead guitarist of the highly-acclaimed modern surf band Los Twang! Marvels, has been named the official SG101 Master Surf Guitar Instructor! We encourage SG101 members looking to improve their playing to consider signing up for Skype lessons with Alex. You will get full access to his prodigious talents and massive knowledge, and will receive instruction unique in its focus specifically on surf/instro music.

Who is Alex Anthony Faide: Alex is one of THEE most talented and celebrated guitarists in all of surf music and almost certainly needs no introduction in our community, but just in case, here’s his brief bio: As a teenager and young adult Alex played in MANY bands in his native Buenos Aires, Argentina, but the defining period of his musical life came when he studied in - and eventually instructed for - Robert Fripp’s legendary and highly challenging Guitar Craft program from 1995 until 2000. Moving to Germany in 2000, he started Los Twang! Marvels in 2002, touring all over Europe and Latin America for the next decade, even appearing on Brazilian network TV. Los Twang! Marvels’ second album “Jungle of Twang” (2008) was voted by surf music fans #3 in the Top 101 Surf Revival (post-1980) albums, while “Sea of Glory,” the album’s opening track, was voted #2 in the Top 101 Surf Revival songs. Alex was also a professional session guitarist for much of his time in Germany, playing many different genres but specializing in rockabilly, rock’n’roll, country and ‘Americana’. He moved back to Buenos Aires, Argentina earlier this year (which is two hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time zone). Alex speaks fluent English.

A few words about the lessons directly from Alex: “The emphasis will be on the mechanics of playing guitar with a pick rather than theory (which can be easily studied elsewhere on the internet). We will work on the student getting better through a body of exercises and quality practice concepts. Some of these exercises may seem very simple on the surface, but are quite difficult at the proper intensity (determined by the student’s current abilities). The possibilities are endless, and all skill levels are welcome. (My coaching can also lean towards learning repertoire rather than particular techniques.) There will be a focus throughout the study on generating good guitar tone, and I can also aid in the search for the right gear, effects, accessories and general surf-music paraphernalia, as well as sounds and bands, old and new. The regular program of study would consist of (roughly) a lesson every two weeks, which should leave enough time for the student to practice and experiment using newly learned techniques. Particular requests and wishes are welcomed, naturally!”

How much: $45 for an hour of coaching/instruction. Alex is offering the first half-hour session for free, during which the student’s capabilities and needs can be assessed, and an appropriate program of study calibrated. Payment would be made through Paypal to alexanthonyfaide@hotmail.com

Testimonials: There have been three Surf Guitar 101 members who have taken Skype lessons with Alex and here is what they say about their experiences:

Noel Squitieri: "Alex Anthony Faide is a guitarist's guitarist. As a guitarist, he is thoughtful, powerful, sensitive, inventive, hard-working, musical, artistic, and dedicated. In a word, brilliant. As a guitar teacher, Alex is patient, diligent, kind, generous, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Alex has been my guitar teacher since March 2014. Despite some concerns, there really isn't a limitation to taking guitar lessons using Skype. I enthusiastically and without reservation recommend Alex to anyone looking to study guitar."

Jeremy DeHart (The Monterreys, ex-Aqualads): “I started taking lessons with Alex and he immediately corrected some fundamental issues with my guitar playing that has led to a better foundation for my tremolo picking and a more robust ability to produce a better tone. He is very concise and extremely knowledgeable about all areas of the guitar, and I can't recommend his instruction highly enough. He has fundamentally changed the way I approach the guitar and practicing, and it has vastly and quickly improved my capabilities as a guitarist.”

Ben Johnson (The Deadbeats, ex-The TomorrowMen): “I've only taken a few months' worth of lessons from Alex, but even just an introductory round with him has been hugely helpful and illuminating! Alex's self-admitted approach is to teach "how" to play rather than "what" to play, and so my focus with him has been more on technical exercises than songs, but everything I've learned has been deeply applicable to more musical pursuits - both in playing and writing. If you want to get better at playing the guitar, and want to really get to know the instrument better than you do, talk to Alex. His help has already introduced me to an array of important details I might have otherwise missed or ignored - things ranging from how to milk the most tone out of both your hands (yes, both matter!), to developing a much more musical feel for the entire fretboard. After a few months of work, I can feel that my left hand is more limber, with my fingers more independent of each other, and my right hand is more steady with a more confident attack. And, just as important, my ears are more open! Not only is Alex an incredible technical talent to help your fingers, he's also an astute and inspired musician with a perceptive emphasis on the feel of what you're playing and hearing. It's a very holistic approach to the guitar, and he does it well enough that it even cuts through the technological limitations of Skype. It's helped me greatly as a player, listener, and writer. And he knows enough to school just about anyone on all fronts - you're bound to learn something, you can't lose!”

The future: There are early plans to develop a packaged curriculum (in both text and video forms), a guitar study class aimed directly at the surf community, to be sponsored and hosted by SG101, and initially aimed at two areas: tremolo picking speed and scale dexterity enhancement. Stay tuned for further announcements.

What to do next: If you wish to take advantage of your first free lesson, contact Alex through email at alexanthonyfaide@hotmail.com, Facebook at www.facebook.com/alex.a.faide or Skype at instrofreak.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

For some discussions about taking lessons from Alex prior to this announcement, see this thread.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Congratulations to Alex!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Wow! How cool is that! I wish Alex and his students much success.

Note: Ben will always be a TomorrowMan as far as I'm concerned.

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

It's way cool! Do it!

I hope people will seriously consider the opportunity to take lessons with Alex. The testimonials aren't just hype, he's a great teacher with a LOT to teach. You won't become just a better surf guitarist, but a better guitarist in general.

a master guitar player $45 is cheep Guitar

Facebook pages theSupertones
or @ Timothy C Sullivan

I'm not clear, is that $45/lesson ($90/month)? Or is each lesson 1/2 hour which makes it $45/month?

https://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=9353f9155b5ff32e14c998495fd00da4&#!/rich.derksen.7

Pappa_Surf wrote:

I'm not clear, is that $45/lesson ($90/month)? Or is each lesson 1/2 hour which makes it $45/month?

If I read it correctly, I believe it is 45USD for a one hour lesson, twice a month. That equals 90USD/Month for two hours of instruction. But I'm sure a student may schedule a lesson every two weeks, like I try to.

The normal going rate around me here is 20-25USD per half-hour every week. So Alex's price is extraordinarily reasonable, considering he's an extraordinary guitarist and teacher.

I've found a one hour lesson every other week is far more effective, over-all, than a half-hour weekly lesson.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Nov 25, 2014 16:33:30

Noel wrote:

I've found a one hour lesson every other week is far more effective, over-all, than a half-hour weekly lesson.

I believe you; a bit longer window (for those with other lives) into which you can find time for some focused practice and more substantial gain from the follow-up lesson. You looked pretty confident in the last vid I saw.
Smile

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Not sure what to do with this. The videos are Flash and not in YouTube.

Alex doing some serious pickin' on Merle Travis' Cannonball Rag!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Feb 20, 2015 10:18:58

OMG Suicide I give up.

Ivan
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The Madeira Channel on YouTube

IvanP wrote:

OMG Suicide I give up.

I have a lesson shortly. I am NOT asking Alex to show me how to play this.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Feb 20, 2015 13:05:26

Noel wrote:

IvanP wrote:

OMG Suicide I give up.

I have a lesson shortly. I am NOT asking Alex to show me how to play this.

I did ask Alex how long it took him to learn it well enough to play it that fast. You don't wanna know. Worship

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Well, at least its good enough for the garden! Duh

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Noel wrote:

Not sure what to do with this. The videos are Flash and not in YouTube.

Alex doing some serious pickin' on Merle Travis' Cannonball Rag!

Wow!

You can use a VLC media player for all flash. It's a free download.

wfoguy wrote:

You can use a VLC media player for all flash. It's a free download.

Yeah, sorry to be so ambiguous. I meant, I didn't know which was the best thread to post it, or how to attach the video.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

"Warmin' up and cranking it for the next Dollypalooza aka Electrica Rooftop Party on the 28th!!!!" Says the video post caption...

Warmin up my arse! More like burnin' down the house. Friggin En Fuego!

Worship

Fady

El Mirage @ ReverbNation

I think I am going to try to take lessons with Mr Faide...
France his far from is home thought, I hope it would be doable.

http://noskons.bandcamp.com/

Last edited: Jul 02, 2015 14:33:39

Just wondering if Alex is still providing lessons? Is anyone else currently getting lessons with Alex? Thanks

'Surf Music Lasts Forever'

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