Guitar and bass school · Biddeford, Maine
Guitar and bass lessons for teens and adults in a mill building by the river: four teachers, small rooms, a weekly schedule, and summer weeks for visitors who want a lesson a day.
The path
Guitar and bass share the path. You move on when you are ready, not on a clock.
Hold and tune a guitar or a bass
Play open chords and change between them
Keep a steady strum or a steady bass line
Read a chord chart and a tab
Your teacher moves you on when the chords change without a stop. Every student moves at their own pace.
Strum patterns and palm muting
Barre chords on the guitar
Short riffs you can play from memory
Bass lines that sit with a drummer
You move on when a riff stays steady for a whole song. Every student moves at their own pace.
Pentatonic and major scales across the neck
Bends, slides and hammer-ons
Build a solo from one short phrase
Pick or play fingerstyle, your choice
You and your teacher decide together when to move on. Every student moves at their own pace.
Count a band in and finish together
Play your part and listen to the others
Set up your own amp and cables
Join a Friday band lab
Your band lab coach talks it over with you after a show night. Every student moves at their own pace.
Write a verse and a chorus
Choose a tuning and an arrangement
Keep a rough take to practice from
Bring a song of your own to a band lab
There is no last step.
Sample levels.
Bass players follow the same steps with their own lines and exercises.
Summer
Here for a week or the whole season? Take a daily lesson for a week, or a weekly one until Labor Day.
One teacher and one steady time
For visitors who stay for the summer and for locals who want a regular time. One teacher, a practice room on your lesson day and a place in Friday's band lab if you want one.
First chords on a guitar or a bass
A lesson a day with one teacher and time in a practice room around it. Borrow a guitar or a bass, or bring your own.
Strum patterns, barre chords and a steady beat
For players who know a few open chords and want them to move. Friday ends with an open room for friends.
Scales, bends and short solos
A daily lesson on lead playing with Sterling, on electric guitar. Join the waitlist and we text you if a time opens.
Grooves and bass lines
For bass players of any level, and guitar players who want to learn what the bass is doing. Friday ends with a short play-through.
A band lab for visitors
A lesson and a rehearsal each day, and a Friday evening for friends and family. This week is full for the season.
Sample sessions.
Weeks and times can change. The enrollment page has the latest.
Every week
Four teachers, four rooms and a band room. Pick a day, then a teacher, and we match you at your placement visit.
Showing 14 of 14
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Arcadio Montemayor · Room 3
3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sterling Goodloe · Room 2
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Folk strings · Lowell Gunderson · Room 1
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Arcadio Montemayor · Room 3
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Folk strings · Lowell Gunderson · Room 1
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Acoustic · Cordelia Alsop · Room 1
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Sterling Goodloe · Band room
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Cordelia Alsop · Band room
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
Group classes and band labs have up to 8 students. Lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Summer times change; the enrollment page has the latest.
Teachers
You work with one teacher each week. Here is who plays what, and when each is in the building.
Owner. Acoustic guitar and songwriting
Cordelia opened Riff in a mill building and still teaches most days. She plays acoustic guitar and teaches fingerstyle, strumming and songwriting. In the building Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Electric guitar and bass
Sterling teaches electric guitar and bass, from first lines to lead playing, and coaches the Friday band lab for teens. In the building Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Classical and fingerstyle guitar
Arcadio teaches classical guitar and fingerstyle on a nylon-string guitar, for students who like to hear every note. In the building Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Banjo, mandolin and flatpicking
Lowell teaches banjo, mandolin and flatpicking, and plays tunes with students once they are ready to join in. In the building Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
In the rooms
What a week at Riff looks like up close.
Sample photos.
Students are teens from 13 and adults of every age. There is no upper limit.
No. Ask us whether a guitar or a bass is available to borrow for your lesson, or bring your own. Ask your teacher before you buy one, and see how tuition works for loans and other costs.
Start with the sound you want to make. At your placement visit a teacher listens to what you like and helps you choose, and you can change later.
A short visit with one of our teachers. You play or talk about what you want to play, a teacher listens, and we match you with a teacher and a weekly time. Nobody is graded.
Lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, once a week. Beginners usually start with 30. Your teacher suggests a length at your placement visit.
Yes. Take a daily lesson for a week, a few weeks, or a weekly lesson for the whole season. See the summer weeks and book the ones you want.
A placement visit takes about half an hour. A teacher listens, we talk, and you leave with a weekly time.