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Friendly Frets Guitar Instruction Friendly Frets Guitar Instruction is the music studio of Gordon Tibbits located in Everett, Washington 98208. Gordon offers private music lessons on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and ukulele to students age 7 to adult. Beginning students are welcome.

The name "Friendly Frets" represents Gordon's philosophy that learning music should be kept fun, flexible, and oriented closely to the individual interests and needs of his students. Gordon has 36 years teaching experience and has helped many students learn how to play songs from a wide array of music styles. He offers students a supportive, organized, and comfortable learning environment. Please Note: Lessons are scheduled by appointment only.
Served areas
  • Everett, Mill Creek, Snohomish, Silver Lake, Lake Stevens
Business details
  • Year established: 2019
Highlights and features
  • Gordon has taught guitar for over 32 years.
  • Private music lessons for kids (starting at age 7), teens, and adults.
  • Beginning students are always welcome!
  • Gordon has experience working with intermediate and advanced level students on guitar and bass.
  • Acoustic Guitar Lessons
  • Electric Guitar Lessons
  • Electric Bass Lessons
  • Ukulele Lessons
  • Guitar, Ukulele, Bass
Payment methods
  • Cash
  • Checks
  • Mobile payments
Services
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
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Acoustic Guitar Lessons Gordon offers acoustic guitar lessons to beginning, intermediate, and even advanced students. Gordon helps students develop proper technique so they can become proficient playing chords and rhythms to songs of the student's choosing.
Electric Guitar lessons
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Electric Guitar lessons Gordon offers electric guitar lessons to beginning, intermediate, and advanced level students. Gordon works with students on developing proper technique and proficiency with chords, scales, rhythm, and soloing. Gordon's comfortable teaching a wide range of electric guitar styles ranging from classic rock, blues, jazz, metal, 1990's Seattle grunge, funk, R & B, and even some country. Students are encouraged to pick their own music and Gordon can complement their choices with music in his deep library of teaching songs.
Electric Bass Lessons
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Electric Bass Lessons Gordon offers electric bass lessons to beginning, intermediate level students. He helps students develop proper technique, become proficient with scales, and helps students learn signature bass lines from songs that reflect their stylistic interests. He also helps bassist develop proficiency with reading standard notation so they can continue to teach themselves new material. Gordon also helps bass students develop an understanding of harmony and how to play bass lines over chord changes and lead sheets.

He also tries to help students gain a conceptual understanding of how the bass complements the rest of the rhythm section in songs. Gordon is comfortable teaching rock, blues, jazz, and styles revolving around Rhythm and Blues.
Ukulele Lessons
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Ukulele Lessons The Ukulele is a great way to jump into learning stringed instruments. It is especially a very friendly instrument to younger students and can prepare them for future study of the guitar or other stringed instruments. Gordon helps his Ukulele students develop basic proficiency with scales and changing chords. He helps students apply them to songs that fall into their interests. Students will have the opportunity to learn songs that are associated with the Ukulele as well as any other major genre of music that suits their interest. Some students have learned video game themes, movie themes, and have played classic rock songs on the Ukulele.
People
Mr. Gordon Tibbits
Mr. Gordon Tibbits
Owner/Instructor
Gordon began teaching private music lessons in 1987 out of his Shoreline home. He transitioned to teaching at local music stores in Shoreline and eventually in Upstate New York. Recently, Gordon moved his teaching practice (formerly Kenmore Guitar Lessons) from the Kenmore area to help shorten his wife's commute to her recent job in downtown Everett.

When he is not teaching lessons Gordon performs with the Bavarian Beer Garden Band on guitar and vocals. He also fills in on guitar, bass, and vocals for local bands and area churches. Outside of music Gordon enjoys working out, biking, walking the neighborhood with his wife, hiking, reading, and keeping in touch with his adult children.

Visit: https://friendly-frets.com/about-2 for additional info on Gordon and his approach to teaching music.
Photos
Friendly Frets Lesson studio panoramic interior
Home studio exterior
Friendly Frets Round Logo
Gordon Tibbits w/ acoustic guitar
Videos
Friendly Frets Welcome Video
Friendly Frets Welcome Video
Meet Gordon Tibbits the owner and instructor of Friendly Frets Guitar Instruction. Gordon offers guitar, bass, and ukulele lessons through zoom conferencing. It can be challenging to find a private music instructor that is knowledgeable, affordable, and a good fit for yourself or your student. This video is intended to help you in your search by introducing you to Gordon and how he structures lessons at Friendly Frets. Gordon will share with you important facets surrounding his mission, the students he serves, and the way he structures his lessons. The 3-minute time investment in this video will provide you with the opportunity to meet Gordon and provide you with thumbnail overview of his personalized approach to helping students learn the guitar, bass, or ukulele. Please visit https://friendly-frets.com for more information on Gordon.
Reviews (24)
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Veronica Emmert
Aug 10, 2022
Gordon is a great communicator and has a teaching style that is flexible to our needs. He allows for learning any style music that is of interest while incorporating skills and music theory along the way. Taking lessons online has worked well for us as he has cameras to help with different views for demonstration purposes and we share lesson sheets through Google Drive which is well organized. So grateful to have such easy access to lessons in our busy life and for his flexibility in working with varied interests in music. We highly recommend him!
Michelle K.
Aug 10, 2022
My 9 year old daughter has been taking guitar lessons from Gordon virtually for the past four months. She has been able to go from a complete beginner, to picking songs and strumming chords in that time, all online. Gordon is patient, and he offers comprehensible explanations for difficult concepts. He is encouraging, and through his instruction, my daughter has found a love of the guitar. We are very happy with our experience at Friendly Frets Guitar Instruction.
Payton J.
Aug 10, 2022
I've worked with Gordon for a few years now and couldn't recommend it more. Even recently during our online sessions, it's an engaging, interactive experience where I always feel like I'm learning. Even if we're just learning some little 4-chord song, he always manages to connect it to the bigger picture, and often explains how and why the artist did what they did.

From the absolute basics like learning how to properly hold a guitar pick to more complex music theory, Friendly Frets offers a personable experience with hands-on education.
R.F.
Aug 10, 2022
Gordon Tibbits is an excellent guitar teacher. He is extremely helpful and patient with those new to the guitar. If you are looking to begin learning how to play from scratch, or have been playing for some time and want to hone your skills as a guitarist, you will not be disappointed here.
Wonda Emmert
Aug 10, 2022
"Gordon is a great communicator and has a teaching style that is flexible to our needs. He allows for learning any style music that is of interest while incorporating skills and music theory along the way. Taking lessons online has worked well for us as he has cameras to help with different views for demonstration purposes and we share lesson sheets through Google Drive which is well organized. So grateful to have such easy access to lessons in our busy life and for his flexibility in working with varied interests in music. We highly recommend him!"
Nico D.
Aug 10, 2022
"Gordon is a great guitar teacher. He is knowledgeable, flexible and patient. I have been learning a lot from him in such a short time. He is also very nice and understanding!"
Cheryl McChesney
Aug 10, 2022
"I came to Gordon as an adult student who was struggling to learn to play guitar. He was very patient with me and made learning fun, easy, and understandable! I had specific goals and he was very good at understanding those goals and helping me achieve those goals and much more. I now play over 200 songs confidently!"
Jeff Hazen
Aug 10, 2022
Gordon is an excellent instructor; all of the superlatives that get heaped onto everybody's favorite instructor definitely apply to him as well. However, where he really shines is in taking input from you as to what kind of guitar player you'd like to be, figuring out where your skills are, and then building the roadmap/plan to get you from here to there.

Of course he knows all of the theory, is an amazing player, will happily correct your bad habits and help your technique along, and has way more patience than mortals are supposed to possess, etc etc -- but the part where so many others fall short (making a personalized roadmap to becoming the kind of guitarist that you want to be) is where he excels.

Not only is he great with adults, but he's great with kids, too (my son has also been taking lessons from him for the past year+), and providing enough 'fun-for-them' content to keep them interested. I'd happily recommend him as not just an instructor, but a Teacher-with-a-capital-T to anyone, regardless of their current skill level.
Shannon McMaster
Aug 10, 2022
Our son has been taking lessons with Gordon for the last few years and we've seen huge growth in his ability. Gordon adapts the lessons to whatever Tyler is interested in at the moment and is always willing to try new things. When Gordon moved to his new place we were more than happy to follow him even though it was farther away because we knew we wouldn't find the same experience other places. We appreciate all the work Gordon does to make lessons fun and enjoyable for our son.
Noriko Kim
Aug 10, 2022
My son Tanner is 8 years old and he loves taking guitar lessons from teacher Gordon! Teacher Gordon is a really nice and kind teacher.! He always tries to follow my son's interests and teach songs that Tanner will enjoy playing on guitar with teacher Gordon during lessons. My son is so lucky to be able to take lessons with teacher Gordon! This is because teacher Gordon tries to keep lessons fun! This helps Tanner enjoy lessons and continue to make good progress on guitar!! Thank you Teacher Gordon!
Rebecca Houghton
Aug 10, 2022
After talking with Gordon about my 19 year old son who has autism and his interest in playing the electric guitar, he welcomed the opportunity. From the start, he made my son feel at ease as he was able to tap into his strengths as well as challenge him in a kind and considerate way. Jacob is having a wonderful time learning and Gordon has been an exceptional instructor!"
Sara Whalen
May 31, 2022
My 7 year old son loves his guitar lessons with Gordon! Gordon is very friendly, easy to work with, and my son has grown so much as a musician. Gordon even caters lessons towards my son's song interests, giving him a sense of pride and accomplishment. Thanks Gordon!
Payton Jones
Jun 22, 2021
I've worked with Gordon for a few years now and couldn't recommend it more. Even recently during our online sessions, it's an engaging, interactive experience where I always feel like I'm learning. Even if we're just learning some little 4-chord song, he always manages to connect it to the bigger picture, and often explains how and why the artist did what they did.

From the absolute basics like learning how to properly hold a guitar pick to more complex music theory, Friendly Frets offers a personable experience with hands-on education.
Michelle Kourouma
Jun 02, 2021
My 9 year old daughter has been taking guitar lessons from Gordon virtually for the past four months. She has been able to go from a complete beginner, to picking songs and strumming chords in that time, all online. Gordon is patient, and he offers comprehensible explanations for difficult concepts. He is encouraging, and through his instruction, my daughter has found a love of the guitar. We are very happy with our experience at Friendly Frets Guitar Instruction.
Prabhu Krishnaswamy
Nov 26, 2020
Gordon is an exceptional guitar tutor! My 10 year old son had learnt so much in such a short period of time with Gordon. As a complete beginner, he had a handful of lessons, and now he's reading tab, picking and strumming. I highly recommend Gordon as a tutor for anyone at any stage to learn or further their skill set on the guitar! He's simply the most talented guitar tutor i've ever met.!
Anita Conrad
Mar 24, 2020
He's amazing!! My 8 year old started taking lessons has year and Gordon has been the perfect fit for him. He's all the things you want in a great teacher, patient, kind, takes the time to teach in a clear way and is so organized!! We have loved having Gordon as an instructor and with we could give him a 10!! Thank you Gordon for giving my son the chance to learn in a fun way!
Nitters
Mar 24, 2020
If we had the option to give 10 stars we would! My 8 year old started seeing Gordon last year and I can't say enough amazing things about him. He's an amazing teacher, patient and organized. He is great at teaching my son in a simple way, when he's frustrated and makes learning fun! My son has grown so much with lesson's from Gordon and he's work driving from Kenmore to see him!
Kathy W.
Mar 02, 2020
My seven year old son is taking ukulele lessons from Gordon. We're so glad we found Friendly Frets! He understands how to work with a seven year old, and I'm seeing a lot of growth in my son's playing ability. Gordon is very knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. We're looking forward to many years of lessons ahead!
Kathy W.
Mar 02, 2020
My seven year old son is taking ukulele lessons from Gordon. We're so glad we found Friendly Frets! He understands how to work with a seven year old, and I'm seeing a lot of growth in my son's playing ability. Gordon is very knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. We're looking forward to many years of lessons ahead!
Edwin Halloran
Feb 24, 2020
Gordon was my teacher for about two years in the mid 90's. He was the best guitar teacher I've ever had. He encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with different types of music to help me better find, and understand the music I wanted to create. I couldn't recommend a better teacher!
Shannon McMaster
Jan 08, 2020
Our son has been taking lessons with Gordon for the last few years and we've seen huge growth in his ability. Gordon adapts the lessons to whatever Tyler is interested in at the moment and is always willing to try new things. When Gordon moved to his new place we were more than happy to follow him even though it was farther away because we knew we wouldn't find the same experience other places. We appreciate all the work Gordon does to make lessons fun and enjoyable for our son.
Noriko Kim
Jan 03, 2020
My son Tanner is 8 years old and he loves taking guitar lessons from teacher Gordon! Teacher Gordon is a really nice and kind teacher.! He always tries to follow my son's interests and teach songs that Tanner will enjoy playing on guitar with teacher Gordon during lessons. My son is so lucky to be able to take lessons with teacher Gordon! This is because teacher Gordon tries to keep lessons fun! This helps Tanner enjoy lessons and continue to make good progress on guitar! Thank you Teacher Gordon!
Nicolas Desantiago
Dec 24, 2019
Gordon is a great guitar teacher. He is knowledgeable, flexible and patient. I have been learning a lot from him in such a short time. He is also very nice and understanding!
Veronica Emmert
Dec 06, 2019
Gordon is a great communicator and has a teaching style that is flexible to our needs. He allows for learning any style music that is of interest while incorporating skills and music theory along the way. Taking lessons online has worked well for us as he has cameras to help with different views for demonstration purposes and we share lesson sheets through Google Drive which is well organized. So grateful to have such easy access to lessons in our busy life and for his flexibility in working with varied interests in music. We highly recommend him!