Full Circle Guitar with rosS Hamlin

Over the years my teaching approach has evolved into what I now call Full Circle Guitar. The idea is simply taking a mandala (circle), imagining the student in the center, isolating the eight areas I believe are the most important, and facilitating a growth process that can make a student into a well-rounded musical entity.

  • Listening
    jumping out of genre zones
    instrumental recognition
    musical form/pattern recognition
    developing "mixer ears"

  • Technique
    posture & ergonomics
    right and left hand independence & coordination
    breathing & warmups

  • Pedagogy
    method book(s)
    music reading & theory
    practice strategies
    chords, arpeggios, scales

  • Play
    improvisation, baffle techniques, sensory deprivation, visualization, inspiration from other art forms

  • Ear Training
    matching notes to hands, phrase exchanges, using the voice, melodic and rhythmic recognition, transcriptions

  • Musicality
    working with the element of time, balance, tone/timbre, articulation, dynamics, interplay

  • Repertoire
    learning from several genres and traditions, instrumental and/or vocal, memorization and performance

  • Positivity
    overcoming obstacles with patience, humor and understanding, nurturing self-growth through the discipline of music, becoming a better all-round communicator



I've taught from ages four to sixty six and really enjoy the perspectives I glean from different age groups. I also like to stretch my students' ears by exposing them to different players and styles of music that aren't so easy to encounter in day-to-day life. I have several mix CDs I've compiled and will often make listening assignments part of my curriculum.

The core equipment I require of students is simply a guitar and a desire to learn. In addition to various method books, other equipment I recommend acquiring include a metronome, a tuner (or pitch pipes or tuning fork) and some manuscript/tablature paper.

For more information please call 505.699.5470 and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have and hopefully get you plugged into my schedule. I can also be reached electronically. Thanks for reading this far and I look forward to hearing from you! :)