About Kyle Smith

If you are looking for beginner, intermediate/advanced, or jazz guitar lessons in Portland or online, I can help you!
Many students come to me wanting to:
Over the last decade of teaching lessons I've helped many students achieve these goals and more. No matter what you want to do with your guitar playing, I can help you do it.
Contact me now to learn more about how I can help you with your guitar lessons.
Many students come to me wanting to:
- Learn guitar from the ground up as a total beginner
- Play their favorite songs
- Improve on skills they already have and learn new techniques
- Write their own songs or start a band
- Learn to play jazz guitar
- Find out how to play solos and jam with other musicians
Over the last decade of teaching lessons I've helped many students achieve these goals and more. No matter what you want to do with your guitar playing, I can help you do it.
Contact me now to learn more about how I can help you with your guitar lessons.
About Kyle's Lessons
Over the years I've developed a systematic, flexible guitar lessons program that will help you build the fundamental skills you need to become a better guitar player, and make it easier for you to play your favorite songs.
While earning my masters degree in Jazz Pedagogy, I learned how to break down musical skills and ideas into their most basic parts so that I can help you learn guitar faster - no matter what style of music you want to play.
Your guitar lessons are customized to you, and what you want to do with your guitar playing. I'll help you develop the skills to make it easy for you to play your favorite music on the guitar.
Here are some of the things I can help you with in guitar lessons:
Contact me now to learn more about guitar lessons.
While earning my masters degree in Jazz Pedagogy, I learned how to break down musical skills and ideas into their most basic parts so that I can help you learn guitar faster - no matter what style of music you want to play.
Your guitar lessons are customized to you, and what you want to do with your guitar playing. I'll help you develop the skills to make it easy for you to play your favorite music on the guitar.
Here are some of the things I can help you with in guitar lessons:
- Learn to play your favorite songs
- Get started the right way from day one as a beginner
- Create your own guitar solos and learn how to improvise
- Build your own strumming patterns and rhythms
- Learn new skills and take your guitar playing to a new level
- Learn how to play jazz guitar in a practical, easy to understand way
- Write your own songs
- Learn to play rock, acoustic, country, blues, or other popular styles
- Use music theory to improve your guitar playing
- Read TAB and written music
Contact me now to learn more about guitar lessons.
Student Reviews
Here's what some of my students have to say:
I studied with Kyle for two years while in high school and preparing to enter a collegiate jazz studies degree track. The thing that stand out to me now looking back was Kyle's easiness to work with, clarity in teaching, and focus on the fundamentals.
While still in high school, Kyle's expert instruction helped me to prepare for auditions, stand out from my peers, and earn scholarships to attend several major universities. However, even after I finished studies with Kyle and started to study with my professors, I realized that the groundwork that Kyle had laid for me made learning new concepts far easier down the road.
I have been able to achieve highly and master advanced concepts while standing on the foundation that Kyle laid for me. I am now an award-winner in both the jazz and classical styles, successfully leading my own ensembles in professional work, hold the guitar chair of two professional big bands and am preparing to enter a master's program in jazz performance - I credit all of this in part to Kyle's influence on my playing in the earliest days of private study.
-Denen Koch
Whitworth University
Thanks again, Kyle, for a great introductory guitar series. It was just what I needed to get a solid start on basic skills and good guitar habits, and all in a fun way. You’ve given me loads of great material to master!
- Joe
More Student Reviews From Google Business
Kyle is a great teacher; knowledgeable, humble, and patient. I have had five lessons so far. He takes notes during the lessons and emails them to you so you can easily review and track your progress.
- Jacob
Kyle is a trained educator. He understands the importance of structure but also the musical desire to play unencumbered from strict rules.
He has he ability to take the student at his entry level of ability and help him build from that to a higher level of accomplishment. If you want to not only learn to play guitar but also actually study music and the guitar, Kyle is your guy.
- Wayne
I was a music major in college and after several years away from my guitar wanted to get into jazz guitar. In my previous improvising I felt stuck in "boxy" scale patterns.
Even after just a few weeks with Kyle I feel that the practice exercises and theory he has taught are the key to opening up the fretboard for me. His curriculum seems to have distilled the best learning techniques he has picked up over his years of experience and thus are a great way to take your playing to the next level quickly.
- Matt
I've been taking lessons with Kyle for a few months and I'm really enjoying it. He's done a great job catering to my learning style and teaching me things that actually apply to what I want to do with my guitar playing. I'm looking forward to continuing lessons with Kyle and getting better and better each week.
- Forrest
Very patient and talented teacher! His curriculum is better than anyone I've ever seen before. Best in town.
- Skylar
I've been taking lessons from Kyle for several months and have seen great progress. Kyle is very easy to work with and can adjust his lessons to suit your needs. If you're a beginning guitarist, I'd highly recommend Kyle.
- Sam
Kyle's a patient and skilled teacher. His 5 week program was really smooth & got me strummin' right away! 5 Stars!
- Michael
My son is five and began lessons with Kyle about two months ago. He absolutely loves it! Kyle is an extremely patient, understanding and knowledgable instructor. His rates are very affordable, too!
I'm so glad to have found someone who is willing to work slowly teaching my young child guitar, it isn't easy but he makes it look like it is. Our little family looks forward to many more lessons as our son progresses and grows with his craft. Thank you for making it happen!
- Ashley
I've been taking lessons from Kyle for almost two months and it has been wonderful. He's a great teacher that enjoys teaching guitar to his students. I started with his 5-week course and had to keep coming back because I enjoyed it so much.
His lessons are fun and informational and I feel like he's not just teaching me how to play the guitar but also how to LEARN to play the guitar. This allows me to maximize my practice time to get the greatest effect/improvement. I heartily recommend Kyle to anyone that wants to learn how to play guitar.
- Carey
I cannot give Kyle a good enough rating on here. I have been taking lessons from him for about 4 months now. I figured he had met his match with this 40 year old dog who is not prone to learning new tricks.
However, he has catered his lessons amazingly to me being left handed, having little practice time, and big ol' Hamburger Helper hands. He is calm, understanding, supportive, and always stays positive. I truly look forward to my weekly lesson.
- Harold
Kyle was very easy to work with meeting me at my very beginner level. Time flew fast in our 30 minute lessons, and after each one I left having learned something new to practice during the week.
His included book with information and exercises has been very helpful. I really appreciated the step by step approach to his teaching and focus on fundamentals.
- Reid
Kyle is a great guitar instructor! He really tries to understand what you want out of lessons and works with you to meet your needs and goals. He's a super nice guy and very easy to learn from. I enjoyed his lessons and my daughter is now taking them from him. Highly recommend his school.
- Craig
I just finished my first 5 week lessons, and wow! I have been beyond impressed with the results. Not only was Kyle flexible with the scheduling but the lessons are 30 minutes so it can fit into almost any busy schedule!
I look forward to continuing lessons, every week is such an improvement I couldn't imagine stopping now! If you are a beginner this is your guy!
- Gretchen
I have been taking lessons with Kyle for six months. I started as a complete beginner. I was immediately impressed by Kyle's flexibility and his willingness to personalize the lessons. We spend our time focusing on techniques that are either particularly interesting or particularly challenging for me.
In the past six months I have learned several chord patterns and scales, a few songs, and, most importantly, techniques for learning new song patterns and for maximizing the benefit of my practice time, so that I can improve my guitar playing markedly between lessons, on my own time.
The lessons are challenging and always progressive, but never frustrating, and Kyle takes the time to include relevant musical theory, explaining why the chords and scales are structured as they are. Each lesson builds on previous skills and concepts, allowing me to tackle more complex patterns without trouble and with a real purpose and understanding.
- Morgan
As a fellow teacher, I really appreciate Kyle’s committed attention to guiding the student through a progressive (and individually-designed) lesson plan.
He focuses on taking you through gradual, easy-to-follow steps so that you can connect the different ideas and lessons, so that you can see and understand what song writers and musicians are doing, so that little by little you can teach yourself.
And, he does this in – what at least for me – has been an accessible, easy to understand method for learning guitar. He focuses on the little details and explains the big picture so that you can understand all the workings of your instrument. I can’t recommend him enough!
- Dan
I've been taking lessons from Kyle for about 2 months now. I am almost 30 and I've never touched a guitar before. I wanted to learn something new. He did a great job of making me feel comfortable and forgiving of my beginner stage.
Now I hear myself improving every week. It's very satisfying. He is very flexible and focused on the way you want to learn and what kind of music you want to play. I will keep going to him until I don't need lessons anymore (read: forever).
- Kali