We've been lucky to have Chris Eliot as our keyboard instructor since November 2022, and I can't recommend him enough! Chris comes to our house, which makes it incredibly convenient for our busy family. He has an ability to connect with our kids (8 & almost 10) and makes learning fun. I appreciate how patient and encouraging he is. He tailors his lessons to match their interests, making each session enjoyable and productive. If you're looking to get your kids involved in music, I wholeheartedly recommend Chris. His passion for teaching and love for music shine through in every lesson. Thank you! read more

I'm on month 4 and my flamenco guitar and overall guitar skills jumped at least 500%. Not exaggerating. I've become a lot more confident in my ability to learn new songs, new techniques that I was not familiar with, and overall perspective on music as it pertains to patterns at a larger scale. I can now improvise / solo, which is a lot of fun. Keith has been instrumental (no pun intended) in my growth and his dynamic nature of teaching made it so it was always productive and fun as he would cater the lesson to my interests. 10/10 - Highly recommend! read more

Keith is great. I've been taking a lesson with him for a few months now. I just learned something amazing. I know how to find all major & minor chords along the fret of the guitar! He's patient and answers all questions. I enjoy the time learning guitar from him. read more

I highly recommend South County Studios. I am a beginner guitar student that started learning off the Internet and I quickly found that was just not cutting it and I needed in-person instruction. I spent some time searching for a suitable company/Instructor and came across South County Studios. When I contacted South County Studios, they took the time understanding the type of music I prefer, the level I was current at, my goals, etc. and I was connected with an incredibly talented instructor named Chris. The in-person lessons have exceeded my expectations - Chris is diligent, professional, experienced, and very patient with me. Chris understands my goals and caters the lessons that best suit me while maximizing my learning and skills. Chris has made this such an enjoyable journey and I look forward to lessons. read more

Chris and Keith are superb guitar instructors. Their love for music is contagious and it shows through their interaction with the student and their teaching style. My teen daughter has gradually become more and more excited about her lessons! Chris is currently teaching her to play the acoustic guitar. One day he brought an electric guitar and let her play it. She was hooked. She has decided she will transition to electric as soon as she can get one. These guys are patient, enthusiastic, flexible and great at positively reinforcing the student's achievements. Now I'm thinking about starting classes myself. read more

Chris is an outstanding teacher that I would highly recommend. He is very patient and teaches clearly, making it fun and easy to follow along. It's been a dream of mine to play guitar and I couldn't have chosen a better person to be my instructor. If you want to learn how to play this instrument the correct way, choose Chris!!! A++++ read more

My 8 year old son has been taking electric guitar lessons with Chris for nearly two years, and the progression has been incredible. Chris has been patient and willing to customize lessons to my son's musical tastes through book lessons, music videos, exposure to several styles of rock, and even pedal work. Chris even helped us pick out a new guitar for my son, and he has replaced strings, picked up a tuner, etc. along the way. We have recommended Chris to a couple of families with kids of similar ages, and their kids are taking lessons with him now. Chris is flexible, positive, and really gets a kick out of it when my son masters something challenging. He tries hard to meet my son where he is for that week/month and build on prior lessons without making lessons too rigid. We would recommend him to anyone wanting to get started playing the guitar regardless of experience level. read more

I have been taking guitar lessons with Chris for one year now and he is simply amazing. I was a beginner and from the start he made me feel comfortable with learning a new instrument. He is very patient and encouraging at the same time. He has taught me a number of different guitar styles as well as techniques and I can't believe how much I have learned in just one year, it's unbelievable! Also, Chris has been super flexible and accommodating during Covid-19 with the method that we do our practices. I really look forward to my lessons and feel that Chris has become not only my teacher but a friend. Thank you so much for making my dream to learn the guitar come true! read more

My 7-year-old son has been taking private guitar lessons with Chris for a little over a now. He has made a ton of progress and still enjoys the lessons. We love it. Chris is very knowledgeable and patient. He comes to our house, which is convenient, and he's flexible with our schedule. He's a good teacher and I have already recommended him to several of my son's friends. read more

Our 14-year-old son has been taking lessons with Chris for almost a year. Chris has been great. He's an amazing musician and an excellent teacher, always on time, very easy to communicate with and great with our son. Due to sports and school, many lessons had to be rescheduled and Chris was extremely flexible and always willing to find a good option. Our son is doing really well and enjoys his lessons. He is thrilled to be able to play songs of his choice, but is learning many styles from Chris. This has been such a positive experience so far and we're looking forward to seeing and hearing our son continue to progress. I would highly recommend Chris and South County Studios. read more

I've had a wonderful experience taking lessons with Chris. We started with piano, but switched to guitar when I decided I wanted to give it a try. Chris is a great teacher for both instruments, he is flexible in allowing me to try music I love, which really keeps me interested in improving. Highly recommended. read more

My son lives with me during the summer and this was the perfect studio for the flexibility we needed. Keith easily accommodated us for the time frame that Josh was able to take lessons. There were no sign up fees or long term contract to sign. This enticed us to arrange for lessons, but once we got to the studio and met Chris, we were really happy with our choice. Chris and my son hit it off from the start and even though he could only take 4 lessons, Chris taught him as much as he could in the short time they worked together. I am certain that Josh will continue with lessons after he returns home because of the great introduction that Chris provided him. Thanks to Keith and Chris, what great guys to work with! You can count on us contacting you again next summer. read more

I started taking guitar lessons with Chris in December 2016. From the very start, he was very accommodating with regards to my schedule and learning goals. His lessons incorporate book learning, weekly homework, and random songs from artists I regularly listen to. This makes the lessons not only fun, but challenging. I'm fully engaged in the process and couldn't be happier with my progression. Thank you Keith and Chris for a great experience! read more

I have been taking guitar lessons from Keith for about a year and wanted to provide some input for those considering taking lessons from him. To begin with Keith is very flexible in regards to lesson plan and will tailor lessons to what a student wants to learn. In my situation I was a self-taught guitar player prior to taking lessons from Keith. My goal was to learn music theory in order to improve my ability to create music as well as to improvise/solo. Over the past year Keith has been very helpful in tailoring lessons to improve my knowledge of music theory, which has enabled me to utilize scales and modes to improve my ability to improvise. Keith has also kept me motivated to continue to improve my sight-reading, which has enabled me to learn the structure of music well enough to notate other instruments such as drums, bass, strings, and piano. Lastly, when my 8 year-old son showed interest in learning guitar I turned to Keith, and my son is about six months into lessons and still enjoying learning new riffs, as well as how to sight-read music at his own pace. I would highly recommend Keith for those who are new to guitar playing or those who have reached a plateau and want to figure out how to continue to improve. Keith has proven to be able to tailor lessons for both types of guitarists based on my experience and that of my son. read more

I apologize if this is a double review. Still kind of new at this. I didn't see his business up here on Yelp so I thought I would add a review. I had heard of Keith through a coworker and decided to look up his reviews on Google. I found a few brief reviews that were very positive and honest. When I searched out his competition in the area I found a host of false reviews that were over-done and obviously written by a music teacher and not a hobbyist or student. I jumped in and I'm glad I did. I have a very interestng skill set when it comes to guitars. I am short on fundamentals, but have a great range styles at my disposal. I enjoy percussive playing, flemenco, blues, jazz and heavy metal. Go figure. Keith loved it from the get go. If you see his videos on his website, you'll figure it out that he is laid back and has fun with all kinds of music. Our focus has been on building a base in which I can graduate to real song writing. I feel like a child some days, but he provides a great material to help me drill it. I must stress that he provides a LOT of material that he has collected over his career in music. He especially likes using these scales and charts to help me with connecting the dots on music theory. You will graduate from a folder to a binder in less than a month. Thankfully Keith is not judgemental when I don't have time to practice. He encourages creativity and improvisation. He even took my electric guitar and spent hours dialing in an excellent setup on a guitar that was a mess. An ordeal I put myself in. I would have paid double what he charged me, and I tipped him accordingly. He does not create miracles. My results have been directly tied to my discipline and ability to set aside time to play. My experience over the past few months have been positive. Keith is very honest and has been flexible to say the least. If you want to learn, he is your man. read more

My "14" year old son has been taking "in home" electric guitar lessons with Chris for a couple of years now. From the very first lesson, Chris has been professional, kind, friendly and always on time. Chris knows how to speak with teens as well as with parents and he has always been accommodating to us. I would highly recommend Chris as a guitar instructor for a child or an adult. read more

My son has been taking lessons from Chris the last 3 months and we have been so pleased! My son looks forward to his lessons and is progressing very well. I love the structure to the lessons, that he's learning to read music, and there is a clear curriculum as well as flexibility to learn songs Ian chooses. I'd recommend South County Studios and Chris is particular to anyone! read more

I took guitar lessons with Keith this past summer, and I was very happy with the experience. I was only in the area for 3 months, so I knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to be able to take lessons for very long. Keith did such a great job helping me go from essentially no experience on guitar to proficient at the basics in a very short time. I've been a musician for over 12 years, and these lessons were as good as any I have ever had. The pricing is also reasonable. Highly recommend! read more

Took lessons from Keith here for about a year before Keith moved up north temporarily. Great philosophy as a teacher. He lets the student dictate the agenda, making helpful suggestions along the way to make sure that it's a useful agenda. This kept me interested. Instead of drilling me with theory (which he gladly would of if that's what I was interested in), he let me bring in songs I wanted to work on, he would help me with bits that id been writing, or we would just jam out a bit. He'd normally challenge me we'd work on something out of my comfort zone, be it theory or a new picking pattern or improvising, but he never forced it down my throat. It allowed me to really play guitar for the reason that initially made me pick it up. I would definitely recommend Keith and his studios. If you have a love for music, working with Keith will make you realize it fully. read more

Chris has been giving me in home guitar lessons for over three years now (part of my mid-life crisis) and my 9 year old son for 2 years. He even helped him prepare for the school talent show where my son and his friend performed a guitar duet. Chris is a great guy; passionate, knowledgeable and patient. He not only has the skills as a teacher but practical knowledge having an extensive performance background for both guitar and vocals and is able to not only teach music but music concepts. He is our guitar teacher and also a friend! If you need someone who is great with adults and kids, look no further. read more

South County Studios - from my review (John D); picture of my son and his friend for the school talent show that Chris helped them prepare for. - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

I've been taking lessons with Keith for about a year and have picked up a wealth of information. My timing, music theory, sight reading and technical ability have all improved. I highly recommend Keith and look forward to working with him in the future. read more

I've been taking guitar lessons from Keith for about 3 years now. It's been a great experience. Keith is an outstanding musician and an excellent teacher. He is versatile and can teach many different styles from blues to rock and even flamenco. I know my guitar playing is progressing nicely and I highly recommend Keith and South County Studios. read more

I have been taking lessons from Keith for over a year. First for acoustic guitar and then most recently for electric. I signed up for lessons the day after I purchased my acoustic. In ten months, through Keith's guidance and regular practice, I was able to get to the point of looking up songs and learning to play them on my own. I hope to get to the same level with my electric. However, due to my busier schedule, I have had to learn at a slower pace. Which thankfully he has been able to accommodate. I highly recommend Keith to anyone looking for personalized guitar lessons. read more

Highly recommend South County Studios in Laguna Niguel. At startup there is the option for either studio lessons at their location, or in-home lessons where they travel to you in South OC. Keith is a skilled musician and he is also great at teaching both kids and adults. I've heard great things about Chris also. Enjoyable and would definitely recommend! read more

I am an adult who has been taking lessons from Keith for about six months now, and he has been a great teacher. He is patient, knowledgeable, has a ton of resources, and is able to work with my ever so changing schedule. He writes down a "lesson plan" for each lesson so that I know precisely what to practice before the next session. He's also always on time and very communicative. read more

Instructor Chris does an excellent job with our two sons' lessons. Over the past year, the kids have grown in their love and knowledge of the guitar. read more

Keith is a great musician and teacher, I have been taking guitar lesson with him for the past year and it is a decision. I would definitely recommend Keith to my friends who want to learn guitar. read more

My son and I take lessons at home with Chris. He is professional, knowledgable and a lot of fun. I highly recommend lessons from Chris and South County Studios. read more