“John Stiver is an exceptional guitar teacher I’d recommend without hesitation. He goes far beyond technique, sharing the spirit and influences behind each genre. Our kids loved learning with him, and he’s just as inspiring for adults. He’s not just great for Vancouver, but truly one of the best anywhere.”
Lessons
LEARNING MADE SIMPLE
Become player you’ve always wanted to be. Get your feet wet if you’re a beginner, or take a deep dive as an intermediate or advanced player.
Built Around You
Everyone learns differently, and every guitarist has different goals, challenges, and ways of getting stuck. Your lessons are tailored to you — what you're trying to achieve, how you learn best, and what will make the biggest difference to your playing.
Whether you're just starting out, trying to break through a plateau, learning songs, improving your technique, or wanting to become a more confident and expressive player, we'll focus on the things that matter most to you.
Lessons combine a personalized approach with a clear, systematic method, helping you avoid aimless practice and turn your time with the guitar into meaningful progress.
Most importantly, playing guitar should be fun. This is a relaxed, encouraging environment where you can experiment, make mistakes, have those “aha” moments, and discover that you really can do this — with a little focused practice.
Your goals. Your pace. Your guitar. Your next step.
Individual 1hr weekly online guitar lessons
Songs
Chords & Strumming
Rhythm and Time
Improvisation Techniques
Phrasing
Music Theory
Scales and Arpeggios
Meet Your Instructor
John Stiver has been teaching guitar for over 20 years and has taught hundreds of people of all ages and abilities. He has students in cities all across North America. All styles from rock to blues, jazz, reggae and country. Lessons in electric bass and music theory are also available. He is an experienced online teacher in addition to in-person, and understands how to use the platform so that students get what they need to succeed. John studied music at Loyola University in New Orleans and Humber College in Toronto. He has been a professional musician for almost 40 years.
Beginner
Beginner
Advanced
Intermediate
“John has the uncommon combination of being a great guitarist and a patient and experienced teacher. He can switch genres and is adept at helping you find your musical voice.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the youngest students you will teach?
I recommend students should be at least 8 years old, but sometimes I will accept 7 year-olds if their listening skills are mature enough
How do I know what my ability level is?
It can be a grey area. We can pretty quickly figure it out and aside from my online courses which are structured to ability level, we won’t worry too much about labels
How much should I practice?
Usually 15 -30 mins most days will suffice. Consistency is the key to success, especially early on. If you want to practice more please do!
What if I’m not musically talented?
So much of it is just regular practice. Keeping with it always yields results
How are weekly lessons different from the guitar programs?
Weekly lessons are completely personalized. You bring whatever you're working on — a song, technique, improvisation, theory, or a particular challenge — and we'll tailor each lesson to what will help you most right now. There's no fixed curriculum, so you have the flexibility to change direction as your goals develop.
The guitar programs are structured learning journeys with a specific progression and outcome. Each week builds on the previous one, combining live personalized teaching with focused practice and supporting materials to take you through a complete development pathway.