Mark Wein

It’s been a while…

I used to post stuff every week.  Video lessons, blog posts, a podcast on iTunes and whatever else I could use to get the word out that I taught guitar and that I have something to share that you might want to pay for. By the time the 2014 Truefire.com “The Next Top Guitar Instructor” happened I was burnt out.  Toast. Over it.

When I started putting out video lessons on YouTube in 2007 the majority of the online content was of guitar teachers (or just random “dudes with guitars”) showing you how to play songs.  Some accurately, some not so much.  I carved out an early niche teaching lessons that covered practical and useful information and built an audience that actually made the whole thing worthwhile.  The paying Skype students (as well as the local “in person” students I had in my studio) that the lessons generated made it all worthwhile…the time producing the lessons, the time getting the word out on guitar forums and other social media platforms as they appeared, the time being lectured by internet “experts” and keyboard tough guys all while also running a brick and mortar music school, playing gigs and occasionally seeing my family.  At the end of the day, there is just never enough time.

 

Premier Music and my 1965 Chevy c10 truck. And the palm tree they never trimmed in front of our signage.
Premier Music and my 1965 Chevy c10 truck. And the palm tree they never trimmed in front of our signage.

 

By the time our lease on the studio was due to be renegotiated in 2015 my wife and I decided that the time we put into the business and the stress of employing 6-8 teachers and chasing customers for late payments and all of the other realities of being small business owners in the wake of the 2007 recession just wasn’t worth it anymore.  I was occasionally being offered teaching positions in local schools based on my reputation but because I had never finished my music degree I was never able to take advantage of the opportunities.  So we closed Premier Music and I went back to school, something that I thought I would never be able to do once I had to walk away from it in my early 20’s.

 

The Wein family in the wake of my Junior Recital in Jazz Guitar at Cal State University, Fullerton.
The Wein family in the wake of my Junior Recital in Jazz Guitar at Cal State University, Fullerton.

 

The last two years have been a lot of hard work but really fun, too.  The powers-that-be at my university decided that all of my prior music degree (I had earned an Associates Degree in Commercial Music back in 1992) was not worth keeping so they started me over.  I’ve sat through freshman music theory classes, had to work as an usher for the music production department, sang in the men’s choir and all manner of things that at age 48 I thought I would never have to do again.  I’ve spent a lot of time feeling like Rodney Dangerfield’s character in the movie “Back to School”.  And the general education classes…oh my.  I have one more year to finish my Bachelors of Music degree before I can start on my Master’s program.  It’s been a fantastic experience, if humbling.   Getting through a four-year degree program in three years while still trying to earn a living and not embarrass myself has been hard not only on me but a big challenge for my family, who have supported me in unbelievable fashion.  Ultimately even on the worst days I can’t help but think about how lucky I am in the biggest picture.

 

Performing with the CSUF Jazz Guitar Ensemble. A veritable herd of guitars.
Performing with the CSUF Jazz Guitar Ensemble. A veritable herd of guitars.

 

All of this “backstory” brings me to today.  My social media life has been in a holding pattern along with the rest of my career…my posting has been mostly in a sort of “don’t forget about me, I’ll be back!” mode.  The forum is still chugging along after ten years of Guitar Post of The Day, hot wings, NAMM shows, arguments about strat pickups and “real life” gatherings here in California, West Virginia, Maryland and pretty much anywhere two or three forum members might cross paths for a beer or a jam session.  I have a pretty large community of folks spread amongst the various social media worlds that I share dog pictures and jokes with as much as anything music related.  But now I feel ready to start writing and sharing again so I decided to revamp my personal website and give myself a schedule.

I am going to try posting a blog every Tuesday.  It might be a lesson or a gear demo or just something musical that has caught my attention that week.  Saturdays I’m going to have lessons either from my backlog of material or new video lessons that are short, to the point and are not going to stress me out to produce on a regular basis.

Instead of going out to the guitar forums and sharing what I’ve got every week I’m going to just put it out there on my various social media accounts – videos on YouTube and notifications on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Because I’m setting a schedule I can produce a batch of content at my leisure and just share it when folks expect it to show up. You can even automate this stuff to happen for you with some of the apps out there so I’m going to let the technology do the legwork for me.

I am setting up a Patreon account for folks who want to help support the cause in a general sense but there will also be paid live private video workshops each week for folks who pay a little more and I have plans for some other goodies once I get the ball rolling.  You can check out Patreon and get more information about that here: https://www.patreon.com/Markwein

So after all that, I’d like to invite you to subscribe for email updates (it will send you my posts automatically as they are published) and/or register for the site to comment on the posts if you have questions.  Or just keep an eye out on whatever corner of the social media world that you already know me on and check stuff out every once in a while.  I’m excited by this new endeavor and I’m hoping you all dig it!

Patreon!