Hans has earned a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance and composition from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA after attending the Musicians Institute Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, CA. He initially focused on teaching and coordinating jazz ensemble workshops – at first in Seattle at the Seattle Drum School of music and later, after 2001, in Hamburg and Berlin.
Having taught extensively in private lessons as well as coordinating and teaching adult/adolescent music ensemble classes, Hans has developed a real interest in curriculum and the implementation thereof. A deep understanding of music theory from his study of music composition has helped him profoundly with writing two instructional books on music improvisation. Hans is currently working on revisions of both his books (“Introductory Studies for the Improvising Guitarist” and “Bebop Improv Concepts”.
Hans Fahling has published two books on guitar improvisation and taught ensemble workshops for several years. He enjoys teaching great habits and beginning technique to young players and he can teach music lessons in both English and German. And by ‘young players’ he is referring to both children as well as beginning adults. Proper posture and good habits set the stage for a more fun and effortless playing experience. There is a ton of great literature out in the ether. But most of it targets the grown-up demographic and offers musical repertoire that often lacks appeal for children. Kids prefer to play melodies and studies that they can relate to, not Greensleeves right out of the gate. Hans uses a very well designed classical guitar series written by Jay Traylor, called “Classical Guitar for the Young”. For teaching great habits and technique, he prefers to use either the Christopher Parkening method or the series by Julio Sagreras.