Coyote Joe Stevens

I offer lessons online and in person in Long Beach, or if you can catch me on the road. I was a largely self-taught guitar/banjo player before going to school, where I earned a Bachelor of Music from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, with a focus on guitar, voice, and music composition. Formal training gave me the theory behind what I was doing, and opened up a wider set of possibilities. Years of full time touring and recording albums helped me turn intuition and theory into practical skills. My goal is to help people play and create songs they love.   Rates $60 per lesson (about 45 minutes) $200 for four lessons (bulk rate) Sliding scale available — get in touch for more info   Beginners  During my self-taught years, I developed a lot of practical tricks to make playing easier—finding multiple ways to play a chord, convenient “plants” to move fewer fingers between cords that often go together. Songs have a structure that we all recognize, and when you understand how they're built they can be surprisingly easy to learn. Writing songs or playing your favorites can be fun, cathartic, and the best gift ever.   Intermediate and Aspiring Players and Songwriters  Do you want to understand the number system - the 4, the 5, the b7 chords? Interested in using multiple capos? Learning how to find the key of a song, how to communicate with other players, how to find a different voicing that suits the song/your voice/your playing best - these are skills that can grow your musicianship. Best practices for recording, dealing with live sound at venues, how to write/read charts if you don't read music, or if you are just looking to develop your skills further, I can help.   Banjo, Ukulele, Bass, Basic Mandolin I picked up these instruments along the way over my 30 years of playing. Learning how these instruments relate to the guitar helped me find my way around, and understanding the jobs they do in a group made me a more useful player. They also have their own unique vibe as solo accompaniment.  They can be great additions to a jam circle when everyone else has a guitar, they can also bring out different ideas in your songwriting, put a humorous or poignant spin on a cover tune, be easier on small or cranky hands, and some can travel more easily than a guitar.   Voice I was a choir kid, my mother was a choral conductor and both my parents were touring group singers and hired guns in LA in their day. We were a singing household; everybody sang as a practical matter, there was no distinction between “singers” and “non-singers”.  I carry this ethos with me. Singing is a deeply human activity, and everyone can participate meaningfully. Good technique can widen options and help avoid vocal damage, while confidence and connection bring out the unique sound that only comes from you.   For Trans Voices When I began my transition back in the early 2000's, there was little information on the effects of HRT on singing voices. My doctor even had me sign a waiver stating that I understood my singing voice might not be viable.. this was disconcerting; singing was central to my identity and my best coping mechanism. During transition my voice was unruly and unpredictable, and I had no certainty about where it was going or how long it would take.  I have learned SO much since then. I've talked to untold numbers of trans folks about their experience with singing, and a lot of great research has come out in the last 20 years. Drawing from my own transition experience and decades of singing, as well as my mother’s long career as a choral director and voice teacher, I help people reconnect with their voice wherever it is now. Some of this work is technical, much of it is emotional, and all of it is workable. Whether you’re early in transition, settling into a new vocal range, or many years in — FTM, MTF, somewhere in between, pursuing HRT or not — whether your goal is singing or adapting your speaking voice, there is a way forward.   Get in Touch!