I've been working with Renzo for about 8 or so months, and it has been a great learning experience! He has helped me understand how to let go of apprehension in making music and playing guitar, and to be more in the moment musically. As an instructor he can adapt to your needs as they change... and can delve down to the nerdy music theory level or expand out to the feeling needed to express yourself. I would highly recommend getting some one-on-one time with him... it is well worth it! read more

Renzo is the best! Very supportive and encouraging and super fun to work with. I've been taking lessons with Renzo for over a year and I've learned a ton. He's so knowledgeable and really great at meeting you where your at and guiding you to where you want to go, tailoring lessons to your interests and skill level. I 10000% recommend taking lessons with Renzo! read more

Found Renzo on YouTube performing a guitar cover. As a producer he was exactly the local musician I was looking for. Before working with him, I went to see him perform live at The Chapel. As the lead guitar player for Le Vice. Once working on full productions, I ended up being really impressed with his bass guitar and drum grooves. We put some really good shimmer on our recordings with some basic EQ and compression, using Ableton Live on Day 1. From recording a single demo in Berkeley, to having a full EP streaming on Apple Music took about 9 months once Renzo joined the project. Give yourself about a month to really lock-in a full production when collaborating with Renzo. As he is pretty busy with corporate gigs. Bottom line he knows his way around the studio and will point you in the right direction if you really want to dive deeper into post production effects yourself as a mixing engineer. read more

I have been taking guitar lessons from Renzo every week for about a year now. I have been a professional musician (bands, session work, music licensing, a music teacher myself) for about 15 years and I have a degree in music theory, so I was very picky when it came to finding a music teacher. But Renzo has been truly able to help me begin to take my playing to the next level. Renzo has been able to improve my skills in rock, jazz, and world music styles, which is exactly what I wanted. He is actually able to teach me whatever I've asked to learn, no exceptions. In the last year this has ranged from Pat Metheny songs, finger-picking styles of Fleetwood Mac, rock solos of Van Halen, jazz standards and jazz voicings, latin-jazz and salsa montunos, John Frusciante-type voicings, funk rhythm/soloing, rockabilly stylings of Brian Setzer, Blackbird by the Beatles, and much more. Renzo is a world-class musician and a top-notch teacher and I feel incredibly fortunate to have found him. Thanks, Renzo!!! read more

Renzo is an engaging, supportive, charming teacher. It's refreshing to find someone so well-rounded (theory, improvisation, technique, reading). He's extremely skilled as a player in a wide range of styles, but what really matters as a teacher is Renzo's ability to listen, adapt, and engage his students. Lessons are exciting and entertaining - an hour often doesn't seem long enough! Renzo makes learning music fun, without sugar-coating the challenges involved. He'll push you if you need pushing... read more

Renzo is great. I've worked with him for nearly 6 months and have enjoyed significant progress. He's patient with my nerdpower learning style and does a great job of keeping me focussed on effective use of my time in session and out. I would happily recommend studying with Renzo. read more

I was new to guitar and now have been with Renzo for over a year and can't believe how enjoyable he has made learning. He is a great guy that I have recently intro'd to my company and have 8 people that are now huge fans and look forward to his weekly lessons. read more

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years now (self-taught). After only several sessions with Renzo, I already wish I had studied under him from the start. As the other reviews point out, Renzo has the rare quality of being both an amazing musician and an amazing teacher. He's organized and thorough. If you're considering getting guitar lessons, I highly recommend Renzo. read more

Renzo is great with kids. My 8 year old son has been taking lessons for over a year. Regular rock star!!!

Renzo is an exceptional guitar teacher. My 1.5 years (so far!) working with him have been pivotal in my development as a guitar player. Renzo helped me make the leap beyond knowledge of scales to playing over chords and beginning to compose music. He's been incredibly positive, encouraging, and also uncompromising in helping me to improve, and he's great at showing how all aspects of great guitar playing integrate: touch on the fretboard, playing in the pocket, phrasing, tone, arranging, recording and production. Highest possible recommendation. read more

I've been playing guitar for something like 25 years, and of those years I've done actual studying on the guitar for only about 5. I've taken many lessons from many different teachers, and I can say with absolute conviction that Renzo is the best guitar and music teacher I've ever had. Last year I was looking for a teacher to show me musical concepts using tunes by the original Mahavishnu Orchestra and Steve Vai as study materials. I contacted a handful of teachers via craigslist, all of whom had all the prerequisite credentials I was looking for (massive amounts of education from places like Berklee, MI, and other prestigious music schools...professional musician..etc), and Renzo was the only one who said "yeah, I can do that!", with the others either saying I had to bring it down a notch or, even worse, not replying at all! To make a long story shorter, I ultimately did get brought back down to earth when it came to my aspirations and short-term goals as a guitarist and musician, but what was great was that Renzo let me figure it out for myself...he let me walk right up to the 36th Chamber of Shaolin to get my ass beat and let me realize for myself that I needed a bunch more learning before I can truly grasp the powerful ideas and concepts of the music of the aforementioned masters. In the six or so months I took regular lessons from Renzo I learned A TON of stuff that I'm still working on and using to this day. The only things stopping me from taking lessons from him right now is time...I work 3 jobs and have a band I'm super active in...put that together and I just don't have the time to be able to work on all the rad stuff that Renzo packs into his lessons. Make no mistake, you will DEFINITELY get your money's worth with his lessons! I can't say enough praise for Renzo's vast knowledge and amazing teaching style. If you're thinking about learning guitar and/or making quantum leaps and bounds you didn't think was possible in a short period of time (alongside some work on your part, of course), go to Renzo! read more

Renzo's teaching style has given my guitar playing a renewed sense of energy and purpose that's been missing since my high school days. After playing for 18 years, I was nervous about taking lessons because of how diverse (I thought) my musical background and interests were. Renzo is extremely knowledgeable in a broad range of styles and techniques, and I'm still impressed with how fluidly he's able to handle my wild curiosities after studying with him for two years. His comfortable and intelligent approach to teaching guitar and recording techniques keeps me motivated week after week. read more