Ed Fuhrman profile picture

Ed Fuhrman

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

I've been playing guitar for 30 years. Opened my school "Ed Fuhrman Guitar Academy" in 1983. In 25 years of teaching I've had the privilege of instructing more than 5000 students. I have a unique approach to teaching. I don't use any books or music reading. The lessons are based on mastery of specialized techniques, along with ear training and the understanding of theory. It's a hands on approach to the instrument that allows the student to move forward quickly and easily. You'll be sounding like a pro in no time, and you'll have fun throughout the whole process. No boring books or charts allowed!!! :) All levels are taught and beginners are most welcome. ____________________________________________________________ I believe one of my strengths as a teacher is helping students overcome problems with their playing techniques. Most guitarists pick up bad habits along the way. Most of the time they don't even know they are bad habits. And of course, the more of these that you have, the harder it will be for you to play. I teach my students to streamline their playing techniques and to refine their abilities so that even the most difficult guitar lines can be played with relative ease. ____________________________________________________________ The problem with books and videos is that you can't ask them questions. And with an instrument as complex as the guitar, there are bound to be questions that will arise. Having a good qualified guitar teacher around can help you answer these questions. Does that teacher have to be me?? Well, I hope so!! :) But if you're unsure, you might want to take lessons from a few teachers and see which one you like the best. ____________________________________________________________ Looking for a good guitar teacher is not the same as shopping for a pair of jeans or some other retail item. If three different stores offer the same item for sale, a smart shopper will buy from the store with the lowest price. But choosing a guitar teacher this way would be downright stupid. Yet, you'd be surprised how many people call me for lessons and the first question they ask me is "how much is it?" ____________________________________________________________ It's impossible to judge the value of a service until you've experienced it at least once!! ____________________________________________________________ Most of my students tell me that I show them more in one lesson than they've learned in months of lessons with other teachers. So think about it... Sure, I'll bet you can find someone who only charges $30/hour for guitar lessons, but if you don't learn anything, you're throwing your money away. The price should be the last thing on your mind. Choose the teacher who will give you the most for your hard earned dollar. Hmmmm, I wonder who that could be?? ;-) Also, please remember if you contact me through myspace for lessons that you'll need to turn off the "private" setting on your profile -- otherwise I will not be able to respond to your email. Speaking of email, I can also be reached at my regular email address: [email protected] ____________________________________________________________ I played lead guitar for the heavy metal band Hades. Appeared on every Hades album except for the debut record "Resisting Success". Toured the US and Europe. ____________________________________________________________ I also played in a band called System Addict. We recorded 2 demos and 1 EP called "Sickness & Wealth". We played shows in the tri-state area from 1991-1995. ____________________________________________________________ In 2001 I started a new group called Ten Ton Truck. We recorded a 4 song demo in 2004. Played one show, then the singer quit the band unexpectedly in early 2005 and the group disbanded shortly thereafter. ____________________________________________________________ I'm not with any band at the moment, but I'd like to get Ten Ton Truck going again if I can find reliable and talented musicians with the right attitude.

My Interests

Guitar, Martial Arts(TaeKwonDo and HwaRangDo), Rare coin collecting, Chess.

I'd like to meet:

It's interesting hearing stories of how people got started in the teaching field. Although they are all unique, most teachers seem to have one thing in common. Most of us never really expected to become teachers. Here's my story:When I was growing up, I had thoughts of becoming a scientist or an engineer. As children we often fantasize about having some ultra important job that will change the world. When we get a little older, we start to realize that our natural gifts and talents tend to guide us into our particular field of interest or study. When I was around 9 years old, my parents bought a home computer. In the late 1970's, computers were very simplistic compared to what we have today. But to me, this device was nothing short of incredible. I took to it right away, and before long I was writing my own computer programs. I really started to get good at this, and I guess everyone just assumed that I would end up programming computers for a living.A few months after my 10th birthday I discovered my Aunt's old guitar in my Grandfather's attic. I was intrigued by the sound it made and I asked my parents if I could take some lessons. For the next two years I studied Classical guitar with a top local instructor. For some reason, I was becoming bored with the instrument. I would listen to songs on the radio and wonder why I couldn't play like those guys. That summer I decided to quit the guitar, and honestly I never intended to ever pick it up again. A few months later school started. On the first day of school I met a kid named Mark, and he was reading a guitar magazine. We struck up a conversation about the guitar and I told him how I had just quit playing because I was bored. He looked surprised at what I said to him and asked "how could you get bored with an instrument as cool as the guitar???" I told him that I was studying Classical guitar for two years and that I wasn't able to get any of the sounds that I was hearing guitarists get on the radio. He laughed and then said he had the solution to my problem. After school, Mark invited me to his house. He had two electric guitars. I had never played an electric guitar before. He sat down with me and showed me a few things he had learned on his own. I think they were some Rolling Stones and AC/DC riffs. Well, instantly I was hooked!! This was the sound I was looking for. Now I understood why my Classical guitar couldn't make these sounds.I asked Mark if he would sell me one of his electric guitars and a small amp so I could get started again. He agreed. I couldn't have been happier!!! From that point on, I found myself becoming more and more fascinated with the guitar. I would play for hours and hours and never get tired or bored. The sound of this instrument was addictive!! I started teaching myself by copying what I heard on my favorite albums. I would get together with other kids in the neighborhood who played and I would try and learn everything I could from them. Soon, I became known as "the kid who could play anything on the guitar". Of course this wasn't true, but because I practiced so much, I could play a lot of songs that the other kids didn't know. One day when I was 15 years old, a boy I knew from school approached me and asked if I could show him a song on the guitar. I told him I'd be more than happy to help him learn the song. A few days later he came to my house and I spent about 45 minutes with him showing him the parts of the song he was interested in. Afterwards, he gave me 5 dollars. I said "what's this for?" He said "well Ed, you spent almost an hour with me and I really appreciate your help with the song. I wouldn't feel right not giving you something for your time."Later that night, I started thinking about what had happened earlier. Someone just paid me 5 dollars for showing him how to play something on the guitar. Heck, it wasn't even that much work. In fact, I actually had fun doing it!! Hmmmm. I think I may have a brilliant idea here!!! I talked to my folks about my idea the next day. I asked my Mom how much it would cost to take out a small classified add in the local newspaper for guitar lessons. At that time, the paper was charging seven dollars for a three line classified ad. I figured I had just made $5 from giving that lesson, so most of the ad was already paid for. Two dollars more and I'd have my ad. So I decided to go through with my idea. The next week my classified ad came out. It read something like "Guitar Lessons - Rock,Blues and Heavy Metal. No music reading necessary. Call for more info" Well, at the end of that month I had 10 students. The rest is history!! I've been teaching ever since.

Music:

I listen to almost anything as long as it's quality music.

Heroes:

My parents -- for putting up with all my crap!!!

My Blog

Ten Ton Truck myspace profile now up and running!

Hey Everyone,I finally got around to setting up a myspace profile for my band Ten Ton Truck. Check it out and let me know what you think. It's a work in progress of course.Ed
Posted by Ed Fuhrman on Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:55:00 PST