the continuing adventures...
Shane Perlowin, born 1978, is a guitarist and composer residing in Asheville, North Carolina. He is an active live performer, both on solo guitar and with ensembles, and has released five albums with his experimental project Ahleuchatistas, which has albums out on John Zorn's Tzadik record label and Cuneiform Records. His debut solo album, The Vacancy in Every Verse, was self-released on his own independent label Open Letter Records.
Feel free to inquire about booking or lessons: sperlowin@gmail.com
On Teaching
Most music that we listen to combines aspects from multiple traditions. There is virtually no pure music, but there are pure elements that can be acquired as tools. And, simply, the more tools we have in our toolbox, the better job we will be able to do.
My philosophy as a teacher is based, in part, upon the principles of the late Brazilian educator and theorist Paulo Freire. From this perspective, education is most effective and empowering when it occurs as a conversation between “teacher-students” and “student-teachers” about a topic the two are mutually interested in. (In my vocation that topic is music and the guitar.) Education is not a process in which an all-knowing “expert” deposits knowledge into the ignorant and passive mind of the student. Rather, it is an exploration that we embark on together, as equals with a shared curiosity. Education is a dialogue, not a monologue. It is essential that the student participate in the development of the curriculum in order to fully realize his or her confidence and creativity. This is “student-centered” learning, and the benefits from this style of education spills over into all aspects of life.
My method for teaching children and beginners is to cultivate a joyful association with the instrument, while building a solid foundation from which the student can access and perform any style of music he or she may be drawn to. To achieve this we learn the notes of the guitar, sight-reading melody and chords, good technique, and songs, while introducing concepts of music theory. And we put this together the way one constructs a puzzle—one piece at a time until the larger picture reveals itself.
For the intermediate to advanced student, we work to fill any holes in our theoretical understanding in order to maximize our potential for writing and performing our own original music and becoming proficient in particular styles. According to the philosopher Susan Sontag, “Style is what is repeated.” This means that each style has a finite vocabulary and devices that distinguish it as such. Some styles of music are extensive and sophisticated, requiring years of study to master, and some are simpler, involving only a handful of chords and scales.
It is important to investigate the influences of our influences. Studying the music of particular artists and learning songs from the literature of a particular idiom (be it rock, jazz, classical, punk, blues, folk, klezmer, old time, bluegrass, death metal, whatever) will reveal recurring patterns within that style. Understanding these patterns is the key to learning the style. We become proficient in a style by learning what is repeated in it. We become artists by taking our acquired knowledge and skills and making them our own.