About Us
Why study with David Lopez, Guitar Instructor Rancho Santa Margarita CA?
David A. Lopez is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. His studies have well equipped him to provide a very high level of guitar and music instruction.
David, a Guitar Instructor in Rancho Santa Margarita CA, has successfully taught many aspiring guitarists in the South Orange County area for 25 years.
He also continues to perform at many different venues throughout Southern California. Many of David’s initial students from the late 90s are still playing guitar today. It has been his pleasure to pass on the gift of music and investing in his students’s success. Some of his students have successfully auditioned for school performance groups, church worship teams, the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), and the School of Rock. Many have also gone on to become recording artists, touring guitarists, and church worship team players and directors. Some have also gone on to become guitar instructors themselves.
The phrase “There’s No Success Without Successors” has always been at the forefront of David’s thinking as he instructs his guitar students.
After his first few years as a Guitar Instructor in Rancho Santa Margarita CA, David noticed that most students had a difficult time remembering where the notes are located on the guitar fretboard. As a reaction to this dilemma, David created apps that help rein-force knowledge of the guitar and bass guitar fretboard.
David has been where you’ve been in your learning process!
Beginning Guitar Years
He grew up watching his uncle’s band perform at family weddings and parties. Instead of watching from the floor, he would ask to sit on the stage with the band to experience the sounds up close.
David began taking guitar lessons at the age of 7.
His elementary school years involved playing in garage bands and playing for school productions.
In Jr High, he played in every talent show and was asked to play the bass guitar in the school orchestra’s performance of an ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) Medley.
Intermediate Guitar
In High School he auditioned for the school’s Stage Band. The Stage Band played for school events and backed up talent for the annual Talent Show. He continued taking lessons from a local a guitarist who taught him how to play Rock, R&B, and Funk. Also at this time, he began learning how to improvise guitar solos.
In his Senior year of High School, David began to study classical guitar to prepare for an audition to get into the music program at the University of California, Irvine.
David was accepted to the U.C. Irvine School of Fine Arts and graduated in 4 years.
While there, he participated in U.C. Irvine Classical Guitar Ensemble, Gospel Choir, and Jazz Ensemble.
Another opportunity that presented itself was being able to play for the U.C. Irvine Theatre Department. As a student musician in the “pit orchestra”, he had the opportunity to play along with musicians from the prestigious Orange County Pacific Symphony Orchestra.
The goal after graduation was to be a working guitar player in both studio and performance settings.
Advanced Guitar Years
When he graduated from college, he began working at a local Guitar Center. Working at Guitar Center required him to attend the annual NAMM Show held in Anaheim CA. This experience also enabled him to become familiar with the latest in “guitar technology” at that time.
During and after college, David played at a local church in Irvine where he met Jeremy Dalton, a highly regarded Christian Songwriter & Worship Director. Armed with a 4 track recorder, David began assisting in recording demo’s for Jeremy to submit to his record label. David would go on to record guitar on Jeremy’s album and tour with him at churches throughout the United States.
This opened the door to playing with other Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) Artists and Spanish Christian Music Artists.
In 1995, David was invited to play for Andre Crouch’s Mercy Tour in Europe. On this tour, the band appeared on the popular German broadcast, The Ohne Filter Show.
In 2000, David joined the Los Angeles Musicians Union, which brought many different playing opportunities as well. Through this connection, David began playing for weddings, gatherings and music therapy sessions for elderly patients.
Teaching
In the late 90s, while playing guitar different church, parents from the congregation would ask David if he could teach their children to play the guitar. This first small group of kids launched David toward guitar instruction. Soon after, a colleague from U.C. Irvine had taken a position as a worship leader at a small church in Rancho Santa Margarita,CA. He invited David to be the main guitarist for the worship team. The church grew rapidly because the congregation and visitors enjoyed the music so much. Shortly after, David then was asked to teach guitar lessons at the church’s private K-8 school. The teaching schedule combined with playing on Sundays brought him out to Rancho Santa Margarita CA at least 4 days a week.
As David’s business increased as a guitar instructor in Rancho Santa Margarita CA, he eventually moved his family to the area in 2006. David was also able to expanded his guitar playing opportunities in South Orange County as well.
In 2013, David began teaching online with the Google HelpOuts platform. This platform opened the opportunity to be an online guitar instructor anywhere in the world. The Google HelpOuts platform eventually ended in 2015.
In 2019-20, Covid restrictions necessitated moving all the guitar lessons to online only. Because of the Google Help Outs venture a few years earlier, we were ready to go on-line immediately.
After the Covid restrictions lifted, some parents and students preferred to continue with online lessons out of convenience.
Our preferred online platform is FaceTime which tends to have the least amount of latency. Zoom is also available if requested.
In 2023, 5 Diamond Music Services Inc. won an award for offering the best guitar instructor in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, David A. Lopez.
Currently, David has also been playing guitar for local theater productions throughout Orange County, CA.
David A. Lopez, Guitar Instructor Rancho Santa Margarita consistently continues to impress and encourage students time and time again with each and every lesson.
David can help you at whatever stage you are starting at because he’s been there. He can help you advance to your next level.
David is a trusted Guitar Instructor in Rancho Santa Margarita. We guarantee you will have a positive experience.
We welcome the opportunity to speak to you about learning guitar.
Call us today for a $1 Trial Lesson and assessment. It will be well worth it.
If you have any questions or would like to request a private lesson, contact us at:
949-933-5912
We look forward to hearing from you.