I have been a student of William for over 2 years. I consider myself an intermediate guitarist and William's knowledge of both music theory (he has a degree in jazz guitar from UofO) and practical experience as a working musician are invaluable. He developed exercises that focused on areas that would move me forward on the instrument. I have a much better understanding of what is going on when I play and my fluidity and comfort level have improved dramatically with his support. I highly recommend William for anyone who wants to progress further on their instrument. read more

Bill is a blast to learn with even as a beginner adult. He has deep musicianship and a love for the whole craft. Most importantly, he knows how to break down new skills into bite-sized components so you know what's essential and how to build upon it. As a beginner, this has helped me to avoid unnecessary frustration. I had been frustrated with 2 prior teachers as I would leave feeling defeated and like my head was spinning. Bill is the first teacher who doesn't flood me with excessive amounts of new skills each lesson and no knowledge of how to make each skill simple at first to grasp. With Bill, I leave lessons knowing there's something I have improved upon as well as knowing what skill I am working towards and how to isolate it for more focused work. Thanks Bill! read more

I have been taking guitar lessons from Bill for a few years now, and I could not recommend him highly enough. He is encouraging, insightful, kind, and very capable. I have never had an instructor as invested in tailoring lessons to what I am trying to learn and to what I am struggling with as he is. Much of our time together and much of his effort is spent crafting the best way for my practice to progress, with targeted practice suggestions, malleable lesson format/content, and very heartfelt emotional support. I have a thorny relationship with music that has made learning a challenge in the past (and present) and Bill makes me feel completely safe to learn at my speed, and make progress in the way that is healthiest for where I'm at. And I haven't even mentioned how insane his guitar skills are! I have seen him give several performances now in several different styles with numerous different musicians, and he is as dynamic and capable a performer as he is a teacher. I think it instills confidence in anyone to see that their teacher really knows what they're doing, and it is incredibly inspiring to know that I am learning from someone who is an obvious expert in what they do. Taking lessons with Bill has been one of the best choices I've made in my journey with music, let alone my journey with guitar. Anyone would be lucky to work with him! read more

Bill is the most talented guitarist that I've ever known and he an excellent and experienced teacher. Whatever your current ability, whatever your preferred genre, he's always ready to show you something new and interesting. read more

I am the band leader of The Junebugs and a full time professional musician, but whenever I need a tune up, or I feel like I am running out of musical ideas, I go see Bill Marsh. He has a wonderful way of hearing what I am trying to learn (even though I don't have the language), and then giving me the tools to tackle my next musical problem. At any level, Bill Marsh is going to give you something useful to push yourself as a musician. I would recommend him highly to any one of any skill level. read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

I can not say enough about how fortunate I feel to have taken guitar lessons with Bill Marsh! Before our first lesson, when I emailed Bill about lessons and told him that I didn't have a guitar yet, he gave me lots of advice on what and where to buy and even offered to meet me at guitar shops and help me find the guitar for me. Coming from zero musical experience, I was not sure that I was even capable of learning to play music. Bill proved me wrong right from my first lesson! He gave me lessons that I enjoyed and would even hand write lessons for me to take home. I appreciated this so much b/c watching him break down a song and write it out while we practiced, insured that I understood how to read the material to practice at home. Bill has a wonderful sense of enthusiasm for his craft and his students progress while also being very understanding and lighthearted. I loved that I could bring Bill a song I wanted to learn and he would be able to pick up the chords by ear and write it out for me. He would show me how to find the song online and practice that with me immediately which gave me the freedom and confidence to explore new songs on my own. Bill is a very kind and effective teacher that I recommend wholeheartedly. Thanks for everything Bill! read more

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. read more

Clear, friendly, patient, passionate, and extensively knowledgeable, Bill has been the best guitar instructor I have ever had-- without a doubt. I began taking lessons with Bill as an advanced level jazz guitarist. Bill was able to quickly assess the gaps in my knowledge and methodically build a foundation for better playing. Bill was able to artfully combine my musical interests with a challenging repertoire and exercises. For example, I felt I had a very strong foundation in music theory and a love for solo jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass. While other instructors had tried to dazzle me with their knowledge, and introduce even more advanced theory topics to me such as hexatonics or the modes of melodic minor, Bill saw that not all of my theoretical knowledge translated into real playing. He taught me how to play all of the triad inversions everywhere on the fretboard, and slowly added more chord extensions to the exercises. After a couple of months it was becoming increasingly easier to read a tune on sheet music and play a chord-solo over it! The knowledge of the fretboard the Bill imparted on me in this way also improved my soloing abilities. Bill taught me so much more and was able to keep the lessons both pleasant and challenging. If you want to improve as a musician, definitely check him out! read more

Bills been a great guitar instructor. I started with no experience and was quickly playing. Bill mixes in theory, drills, scale work etc in a way that I feel I am learning what I should but not stuck in boring repetition. Bill is eager to teach you your favorite songs, even if he has to learn them first. read more

I love working with Bill! I had put off starting guitar lessons because it felt daunting to try to find someone who could make an inherently uncomfortable process (being a total beginner at something!) less uncomfortable. I finally decided to give things a try with Bill after reading some of the reviews and I'm super glad I did. I really appreciate his personal warmth and good humor, in addition to his obvious musical expertise. His genuine enthusiasm and encouragement help to override my general sense of incompetence just enough to keep progressing, which is no small feat! Thanks, Bill ;) read more