*Guitar Lessons via Skype are fun, easy and convenient.  Enjoy your lesson in the comfort of your home, studio or office, save money on gas and avoid traffic with zero driving time - saving more precious time for practicing! 



*Read a recent NYTimes article about webcam music lessons.


There are just a few things you'll need to get started.  But before you make any purchases, please contact me to arrange the day, time and number of lessons you would like to sign up for.  My teaching schedule is limited, but I'll try my best to get a time that works for you.  


If you're skeptical about taking guitar lessons via Skype, I suggest signing up for one lesson to give it a try before committing to a whole month (provided you have all the equipment you need without making any special purchases).  This format for guitar lessons may not be for everyone.  Some students will still find a traditional, face-to-face music lesson is a better way for them to learn and progress.  


If Skype lessons are for you, I require that lessons are paid for one month in advance prior to the first lesson of the month.  My cancellation policy is the same as my traditional lessons:  A 24-hour cancellation notice is required in order to receive a credit for the following month. My only other requirement is that you practice.  There are no shortcuts to becoming a good guitarist.  Practicing works, period.  


Let's get started!


What you need:
- a computer with a built-in camera or an external webcam
- a microphone, either built-in or external 
- speakers, of course!
- a high speed internet connection (DSL or cable)
- Skype: FREE!  You DO NOT need Skype Premium. 
  Download the free version here:  www.skype.com



Sign Up Now



What students are saying:

"Playing Albeniz's Leyenda was a goal of mine since I was about 20 years old.  20+ years later, I saw Maria perform the piece and contacted her about lessons. She was extremely patient and able to impart difficult tremolo technique to me as an adult learner. Today, I can actually play the piece. We also work on Flamenco pieces and Flamenco technique has been creeping into much of the music I play. It's been a blessing to have such a knowledgeable, professional musician as my teacher for these past few years."  William Ullrich

"With her unique understanding of flamenco forms, rhythms, phrasing, techniques and history, Maria has been an invaluable help in my trying to learn this style. Also, her easy, relaxed teaching style and point-on observations of even the most subtle phrasing or technical issues allows her to articulate the intangibles of this complex form in a very simple, easy-to-understand way. Whether I'm looking for an analytical or technical approach, or just looking to sit back and play, I've found Maria's teaching style allows me to get just what I'm looking for and has made each lesson unique and also something to look forward to and to build on."  John Pezzulo

"I first started taking flamenco guitar lessons in college a long time ago.  I gave it up for other pursuits but started again a couple of years ago and was extremely fortunate to find a teacher of Maria's expertise and personality right here in the Capital District.  Maria is not only an excellent teacher and performer but also a terrific person with whom to just spend time.  My lessons have become not only effective learning experiences but a visit with a friend as well.  If anyone has an interest in learning flamenco guitar, I cannot imagine a finer "Maestra" than Maria Zemantauski."   Lee Rausch  

"I've been taking lessons with Maria for two years now. You couldn't ask for a kinder more  patient teacher, who has improved my guitar playing immensely."  Nick Dyer

“Like so many of her students and her fans, I stand in complete awe of Maria Zemantauski – her artistry, her virtuoso skills, her amazing compositions and her endlessly cheerful disposition. As a student with modest talent, who couldn’t read a note of music when I started taking lessons, I have always been so grateful that Maria took me on to study flamenco. After almost 11 years of instruction, I can read (some) music. I can (sometimes) count the complex “compás” (rhythms) of the many styles of flamenco. But none of that would have been possible without Maria’s endless patience for teaching. She has inspired me, myself a teacher, to be more patient with my own students. She never once made me feel like an idiot for studying a form of guitar that I adore but which is way beyond my natural ability. Indeed, the most telling example of Maria’s approach to teaching emerges from the way she kept me going in the summer 2002, when I was in chemotherapy treatment. I would arrive at a lesson barely able to lift my right arm but she would get me strumming nonetheless. Maria is a staunch believer that music is life itself, and she devotes herself to both. Without Maria and her music, and her friendship, my second novel, Seeing Red (named for her own CD by that title) would never have come to be. Like all of her students, I feel blessed to know her and to have had so much inspired and wonderful instruction from such a great soul.”   Claudia Ricci