Nicholas Tuttle Guitar Studio

Hi!  I’m Nick.  Nick Tuttle. I play and teach music. For a job.  I know - super lucky.  Don’t be jealous. Come play with me!

I pretty much love every type of music, but whatever I am playing usually comes out a little bit Latin, like the accent when my mom speaks English (she’s from Colombia, which is the primary reason my hair is so pretty).  When I gig my guitar chooses the set list, usually some jazz and Latin selections, maybe some Radiohead, or some picks from every era of popular music from Chet Baker to Led Zeppelin, all with a whole lot of me mixed in.  I have a lot of guitars (it’s not a problem, who said it’s a problem) and they all have their own things to say, so if you come see me play, you’re in for a conversation between me and my guitar.

I’m a Gemini, so I believe in the balance between, well, everything, including between performance and teaching; each enhances and evolves the other for me.  I’ve done a lot of the studying thing with some fancy people (aka master level guitarists) at the College Conservatory of Music, NKU & Xavier.  And I’ve also done a lot of the practical experience thing, owning my own teaching studio since 1998 and gigging professionally as a solo guitarist and singer (did the band thing too; oh, the stories).

So that is me in a three paragraph nutshell.  I left out a bit. Hope to share some guitar time with you soon and we’ll fill in any gaps!

My dad taught me my first bit of guitar and introduced me to Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Cream. At the same time, my mom would speak to me in Spanish and played Julio Inglesias records, salsa, merengue, and boleros for me. This created a bit of a battle of identities when I first began playing guitar, but the end result was a fusion of those two sides and a style that reflects both.

Teaching Philosophy

The best compliment I ever received was not actually paid to me. I overheard a student say while discussing her lessons with a friend, 'Nick teaches me the way I need to be taught.' Any day a student feels that way is a day the teacher feels like he has done something right.

There is literally no wrong approach to learning music and I’m just here to help students walk in the direction that feels right and maybe suggest different paths to explore as we go along. Learning your favorite songs is as useful as delving into theory (you can totally do both!).  My students range from first time dabblers to professional musicians looking to expand skills and repertoire. Perk - playing guitar also doubles as self care! Common side effects include increased confidence, connection, sense of well-being, people automatically understanding how cool you are when you break out the guitar…there is no down side here.