(From Yelp...) I've been taking lessons with James for over a year now. When I started taking lessons, I was dismal. My main goal when I started private lessons was to improve my soloing ability. I had always heard that the only way to really learn how to solo is to take private lessons.

Taking lessons with James has improved my musical ability in all areas. I am much better versed in music theory, my rhythm playing has improved, and my soloing has improved greatly. My other musician friends have noticed a huge improvement in my ability since starting lessons.

James has taught me a number of different styles and techniques. He always has good answers for my questions, and is always able to help me out when I am struggling with something. He teaches you the right way to do things, so you don't end up treading water.

If you are considering taking guitar lessons in the loop or anywhere else, give Guitar Chicago a look.

(From Yelp...) If you're a spiteful jerk like I am, you'll instantly want to hate Jim for building this guitar empire and having what seems to be the coolest job in the whole world while the rest of us trudge through employee grievances (or pivot tables, or TPS reports, or whatever the flavor of your own personal work hell) on a day to day basis.

But I admit, he's pretty cool.

I started taking bass lessons about a year and a half ago. I'm one of those people who gets mad at the world if I'm not really good at something really fast and I also am prone to shooting myself in the foot long term if it means short term gratification. (Example:if playing with a pick is hard to do, I won't do it. Even if I know it will make me ten times faster and better down the road. I don't want to do it NOW.) Compound this with my needing to know WHY I'm doing something before I can do it and I've been told by others that I'm a challenge to teach. Not so for Jim- he has a wealth of patience with me (probably because he's also taught kids)! In fact, I liked him so much that I referred my husband and he has been taking lessons for about a year now as well. I was brand spanking new to the bass while my husband has been playing guitar for 15 years... Jim adapts to each of us perfectly which I think speaks volumes for his versatility whether you are a brand new student and have always wanted to try this or you are somebody experienced and feel like you hit a wall, or want to learn theory. Or just need that extra razzle dazzle.

This place has the perfect set up. Downtown at Michigan and Randolph, it's in a regular office building and you play guitar (or bass) into a mixer with headphones so as not to disturb the neighbors. They have a bunch of guitars there (I'm quite fond of the Hofner bass myself- so keep your greasy mitts off it) so if you work downtown all you have to do is trot over there for 1/2 an hour a week and you're on your way to rockstardom. I'm kicking myself that I didn't do this years ago- I could have been a Beatle by now dammit.

FYI there are two other guys that work there so you might get one of them. Jason subbed once for Jim and was very knowledgeable- I liked him a lot. The other guy I've never met. However, Jim assures me he hand picked these fellows out of a very large crop of applicants (think: best of the best; the shiniest apples on the tree) so I'd say you're pretty safe no matter what.