# Does Joe Satriani offer lessons to just anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094 "2007-02-28T23:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/1 "2007-02-28T23:07:09Z")
I mean, can I call his office and ask for lessons from him? If so, how much are they and what would be involved in setting up a lesson or ten from the master? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/2 "2007-02-28T23:11:39Z")
Why don’t you [ask him](http://www.satriani.com/2004/interact/) yourself? ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/3 "2007-03-01T00:34:42Z")
Nah, I don’t want to register, plus I read this: > [@](#): > > **Occasionally he’ll answer** and ask questions that are more spontaneous than appear in more formal areas of the web site. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/4 "2007-03-01T00:36:32Z")
That’s probably your answer, then. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/5 "2007-03-01T00:44:04Z")
Possibly. But I suspect there is a factual answer. I’m sure he either teaches the public, the private or not at all. It’s one of the three. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/6 "2007-03-01T00:51:27Z")
How about sending a message to [webmaster@satriani.com](mailto:webmaster@satriani.com), the contact email address given on the website? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/7 "2007-03-01T01:33:18Z")
As with most questions of this nature, I suspect the _real_ question is “how much?”. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/8 "2007-03-01T03:10:57Z")
[QUOTE=diggleblop] Nah, I don’t want to register. . . [/QUOTE] Well, I just registered and I’ll tell you if I find out. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/9 "2007-03-01T03:24:20Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] As with most questions of this nature, I suspect the _real_ question is “how much?”. [/QUOTE] I have contacted a local pro jazz guitarist about lessons and he charges $100/hour. He is very accomplished but not a nationally renowned act. [Robert Conti](http://www.robertconti.com/private_lessons.html) is a fabulous jazz player who is well known within jazz guitar circles but again, nothing like the name recognition of Joe Satriani. He charges upwards of $100/hour. Once I contacted Frank Vignola for lessons, another nationally known jazz player, and I think he was in the same ballpark. Many of the real big guys conduct occasional master classes, or maybe give private lessons to qualified students. I think Pat Martino does this around Philly, where he lives. Don’t know the cost. I’ll bet there have been top players that are very selective about students but don’t charge, just to advance the state of the art. Listen, there are huge numbers of monster professional and semi-pro players out there that teach and you would get a lot out of it for a lot less than you would have to pay for a session with Joe. That would be for a really stratospheric player. (Not that you aren’t–I have no way of knowing.) ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/10 "2007-03-01T13:29:09Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] How about sending a message to [webmaster@satriani.com](mailto:webmaster@satriani.com), the contact email address given on the website? [/QUOTE] Actually, I did do that. 🙂 [![](https://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/406738000_694340ea01_o.jpg) ](https://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/406738000_694340ea01_o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/11 "2007-03-01T16:50:21Z")
[hijack] And, don’t forget that Satriani may be a crappy teacher; playing ability and teaching ability do not always go hand in hand. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/12 "2007-03-01T17:04:21Z")
[QUOTE=Eonwe] [hijack] And, don’t forget that Satriani may be a crappy teacher; playing ability and teaching ability do not always go hand in hand. [/hijack] [/QUOTE] That is true but Satriani has had a couple of his students go quite far. Steve Vai and Kirk Hammet both took lessons from Satch. Satch also taught David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit) and Charlie Hunter. Considering that a good number of his students went on to do fairly well in the guitar world, the assumption that he is a good teacher wouldn’t be a bad one. Slee ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/13 "2007-03-01T17:32:14Z")
[QUOTE=sleestak] Considering that a good number of his students went on to do fairly well in the guitar world, the assumption that he is a good teacher wouldn’t be a bad one. [/QUOTE] That would be the cause and effect fallacy. Maybe Satch is just really good at picking his students. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/14 "2007-03-01T17:43:57Z")
I know that his students seem to really appreciate him, which is a much better sign. I read that Hammet said that during the recording of one of the earlier Metallic albums, his thought was “make Joe proud”. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/15 "2007-03-01T19:07:00Z")
[QUOTE=CookingWithGas] That would be the cause and effect fallacy. Maybe Satch is just really good at picking his students. [/QUOTE] It’s hard to say. The question we really have to ask is “How good are these people now compared to how good they were beforehand?” It’s difficult to speak about something as subjective as how good a guitarist is and stay in a completely logical realm. In my opinion, I imagine, despite that it uses this logical fallacy, that he is a good teacher. However, I also imagine that many of those guitarists would have gone on to have fairly successful careers without his tutelage; that is, they were likely already very good in their own right. Of course, this is just a WAG, but as was also said earlier, I’m sure he has certain skill requirements for his students, because it really is a waste of his time and your money if he’s going to be teaching you “the basics”. Chances are, unless you on or near the level of at least some of his students, he probably wouldn’t accept you unless you offer some unGodly amount of money (a few grand per hour?). In other words, what use would “just anyone” have for his teachings? Unless you’re a professional musician making enough money to afford his time, it just seems silly. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-joe-satriani-offer-lessons-to-just-anyone/394094/16 "2007-03-01T19:24:56Z")
[QUOTE=sleestak] That is true but Satriani has had a couple of his students go quite far. Steve Vai and Kirk Hammet both took lessons from Satch. Satch also taught David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry LaLonde (Primus), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit) and Charlie Hunter. Considering that a good number of his students went on to do fairly well in the guitar world, the assumption that he is a good teacher wouldn’t be a bad one. Slee [/QUOTE] Wow, didn’t know that. [QUOTE=CookingWithGas] That would be the cause and effect fallacy. Maybe Satch is just really good at picking his students. [/QUOTE] Sure, but then, baring any true way of objectively judging this sort of thing, a teacher is only as good (or as bad) as his/her students.