Reputation
✨Tom is new on TeachMe.To. We still don't have a score or reviews to show. Every coach starts somewhere. Satisfaction is guaranteed, so you can book with confidence.
Frank
•Lessons taken: 1
Tom was my next door neighbor in the dorms during our freshman year at University of Illinois champagne Urbana At that time , I was taking guitar lessons from a full time music teacher in my hometown back in the Chicagoland area. I was trying to learn Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin songs primarily. Unfortunately, my guitar teacher at the time was a quite a bit older and didn't think much of the bands who's songs I wanted to learn. Therefore, he would have to go through the process of learning them over a few weeks and then teach them incorrectly One day I was studying for class and I heard my neighbor playing his acoustic six and 12 string guitars playing Grateful Dead, Cat Stevens, Neil Young and other late 60s hippie songs. Then he plugged in his electric guitars and I heard him play Cream, Hendrix and great Led Zeppelin songs like Ten Years Gone, Ramble On, Achilles Last Stand and other awesome Zeppelin tunes. I knocked on his door because my roommates wanted him to keep it down, but it was a perfect opportunity for me to ask him if he'd be interested in giving me lessons. I took a handful of lessons, but because we became such close friends, we ended up rooming together for the following 3 years. I had my own in house teacher who memorized a library of all the musicians I wanted to learn. To this day we still are friends, I am an avid guitar hobbyist collector. I owe my 30 years of playing and collecting to Tom. He's the best player I know when it comes to everything blues and blues based rock, r&b and amazing originals that represent his own unique style. If I ever have a question about a song, a chord I can't figure out, a particularly challenging solo, gear, proper EQ for recording or live playing he always shows me the difference between getting a good tone when by yourself versus getting a good tone that works in a mix so that various musicians in the band are staying in their own musical lane. He's at the point where he's a great player, teacher, a great guitar tech and teaches people how to set up their guitars just like toys expect if you dropped off your instrument with the luthiers and techs at a music repair shop. Finally he understands how to use different types of gear to get the most out of it. Too many people don't realize what certain amp, guitar and pedals combinations should be able to accomplish tone wise., He's a master of getting the best tone possible out of the gear that you have at your disposal. In my opinion, this makes him highly versatile and capable of benefiting players from a novice who has never picked up the instrument to a pro who plays live frequently or who is in the recording and having trouble getting the best tone to stand out in the mix without overwhelming the other instruments.
Scott
•Lessons taken: 1
Tom's the best teacher/coach I have ever had and that includes all my teachers K through 12 plus college professors and all of my coaches in sports. He teaches theory and songs contemporaneously, but you don't even realize it because you assume that's just how the song is taught properly. I started off as his buddy who just wanted to learn a few songs that I could play on my roommate's acoustic to impress party guests in college. It didn't take long for me to want to be recognized as a real guitar player. I stuck with it and to this day, almost 28 years later,, I still play. The ear training he incorporates into the lessons, for those who want to learn to develop the ability to play by ear, has enabled me to play any song that I want to. I am more interested in acoustic 70s singer song writers and modern Americana/country/acoustic rock songs. Tom will teach students whatever they are passionate about and doesn't have a teaching agenda. He customizes curriculums based on what beginners want to learn. He also teaches more advanced players what they need to focus on. What I mean is he help eliminate holes in their technique and musical vocabulary to take their playing in the direction they are already headed but polishes it so they can express themselves more effectively and honestly. Tom will take any student as far as the individual wants to go, whether campfire entertainer, to creative improvisational player to technical/chops shredder. He changes the lives of his students by giving them a true means of self expression, a real passion for music. I can only speak for myself, but there's never that awkward moment or buyer's remorse that is typical in far to many teacher student relationships where you just don't connect. As far as I can tell, he connects with people effortlessly because he doesn't judge other people's musical tastes and has a genuine enthusiasm to help students become who they want to become musically. He would rather teach a student who is true to himself/herself, than a student who is trying to impress others by playing what they want to hear. Anyone who is fortunate enough to study with Tom is lucky because he will give you all of his energy and make it about you. That is a very rare quality in a teacher as too many can't help but to unintentionally being their own self interest into the teacher student relationship.
Eric
•Lessons taken: 1
As a drummer in Tom's law school band, I always envied the guitar player or piano player. The reason is because they can make music by themselves bringing songs to life without a band. Because of the lack of ability to accomplish the goal of making music as a drummer or percussionist, I asked Tom to teach me a few specific songs. He was happy to oblige, but I would try to play them as he showed me and it wouldn't sound right. I was struggling to hold the chords, to get my fingers to do what I was asking them to mentally and so on. He took the time to watch me and then adjust my body from my posture, to the position of the guitar relative to my body, position my fingers in order to use proper leverage rather than using muscle tension to properly fret the individual notes and chords, how to hold the pick, the amount of pressure to apply to the strings while strumming. how to use the wrist for the right hand strumming and plucking notes, how to use the arm to adjust position or to play close to the bridge for a brighter sound or close to or over the neck to get a warmer sound. Understand, I never intended to be a guitar player and simply wanted to learn specific songs. Tom explained that the Pink Floyd, Neil Young and Rolling Stones songs I asked him to teach me were not for beginners. Of course, I was stubborn and was not interested in spending time learning basics. Nevertheless, he patiently showed me the songs in steps I could digest. He made sure I knew every detail necessary to play the parts accurately even though these songs were not typical of what he would teach someone who had never played guitar. This got me started on a guitar journey and I now spend more time on the guitar than I do playing drums (which I have played for over 30 years). I have since purchased a Fender Stratocaster and upgraded my acoustic. At this point, I have drums, guitars and a bass along with a recording interface and I have started to record my own songs. Tom comes over or face times me every few weeks to make sure my guitar parts are on point. There's no guitar player I know, and I know plenty, that I would rather have as a mentor than Tom. He is the type of guy that won't let you play below the level that he knows you are capable of playing.
Tom Mulroy
•Lessons taken: 1
Tom Pappas was my teacher during college and grad school. When I started lessons with Tom, I was at a roadblock where I could play open cowboy chords, power chords and barre chords. Tom could see that I had no training using scales and arpeggios. Therefore, he looked through my record collection and began suggesting songs that we could study together. Unbeknownst to me he was choosing songs that would serve as case studies in rhythm, harmony and melody. Tom taught me to play the songs note for note. The best part was while we were studying a particular tune, he would play certain simple 2 or 3 chord progressions and have me play the scale used in the song we were studying. We always started off with simple tunes and gradually progressed to more challenging ones. 4 years later, Tom would ask me to join his band in law school where we co-wrote 100% originals. Tom teaches each student what he or she needs to know to take his or her playing to the next level. Having said that, he doesn't force the student to attempt to achieve any goal that the student does not set for himself. The beauty of it is most students who sign up to learn a few songs to play for their friends get inspired after Tom shows them what's possible, that they end up wanting to become complete musicians
Piotr
•Lessons taken: 1
I've really enjoyed my lessons with Tom. Having played guitar and keyboards for a couple years at the time (2012), I was hoping for somebody to inspire me and help me climb the plateau. Tom really took the time to listen to me and help me get unstuck. We've jammed on blues rock classics and branched out into some jazz / fusion including harmony, chords, voice leading etc. Tom is an extremely versatile musician with many years of performing / teaching experience. He has the uncommon ability to explain complex topics in a simple, understandable way. It's clear to me that Tom truly loves music and genuinely loves helping students to express themselves. Can't wait to pick his brain some more regarding composition / arrangement, recording and playing with others. Feels so good and refreshing to learn from an absolute pro.
TP
Guitar with Tom P.New to TeachMe.To
