Do you offer lessons for complete beginners?

Absolutely. In fact, beginners have an advantage because they don't have any bad habits yet.

Do you teach adult students?

That's actually my specialty. I work primarily with adult learners, including many in their 60s and 70s. As far as I know, I'm the only guitar teacher in Arkansas who's studied how playing guitar improves cognitive function — which is especially valuable for my older clients.

What styles of music do you teach?

All styles. I grew up playing rock, metal, blues, country, fingerstyle, steel string guitar, singer-songwriter, etc. I also have two degrees in jazz guitar and formal training in classical. I teach everything from heavy metal to acoustic fingerstyle.

What types of instruments do you teach?

I teach all types of guitar — electric, acoustic, classical, and more. I also teach bass guitar, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, tenor guitar, dobro, and improvisation on any instrument.

Do I need to know how to read music?

Absolutely not. I've created my own curriculum based on how guitarists actually learn — primarily through tablature. But I can teach standard notation or any format you're most comfortable with.

Do you offer in-person or online lessons?

I only offer in-person lessons. Each lesson is 30 minutes long. Advanced students may be eligible for hour-long sessions, but that's something we'll discuss case by case.

What makes your teaching different from other instructors?

I've been doing this for 28 years. I wrote my own curriculum, called Street Guitar, and I'm the only teacher in Arkansas who's taught guitar at the university level and now teaches to the public full-time.

What's your background as a teacher?

I started teaching when I was 19 at Atomic Guitars in Little Rock, then at Saied Music in North Little Rock. I spent 19 years teaching guitar at four universities, was Creative Director at Little Rock Jams for 13 years, and I've been running my own lesson business for the last six years.

What is Guitar Wars and how does it relate to your teaching?

Guitar Wars is Arkansas' only and premier amateur guitar competition. I founded it as a nonprofit to give away guitars and lessons to underprivileged teens. I don't do traditional recitals, but Guitar Wars offers students a more exciting and rewarding way to perform — especially for those who want that outlet.

What kind of commitment do you expect from students?

I meet adult students where they are. I understand busy schedules and never pressure anyone beyond their limits. Teenagers are expected to practice about 30 minutes a day. Adults can often get by on three to four days a week — but like anything, the more you put in, the more you'll get out.

Beginner vs. Experienced: Navigating the Guitar Learning Curve in Little Rock

David Dunavant

Whether you are picking up a guitar for the first time or you’ve been “noodling” for twenty years, the path to mastery is rarely linear.

At Guitar Lessons with D avid Dunavant, I work with students at both ends of the spectrum. There is no “correct” starting point, only different trade-offs.

The Street Guitar curriculum is designed to meet you exactly where you are, installing professional mechanics and music literacy so you can move from “guy with a guitar” to musician.

Guitar Lessons for Beginners in Little Rock

If you have never played before, you possess a powerful advantage:

You have no bad habits to break.
In high-level guitar instruction, that clean slate is invaluable.

From day one, we install professional mechanics:

Ergonomic Posture: Hold the instrument correctly to avoid wrist and back strain (especially important for adult professionals).
Precision Fingering: Use minimal pressure and optimal fret placement for clean tone.
Synchronized Timing: Develop a strong internal clock before bad rhythm habits ever form.
Music Literacy Foundations: Learn how rhythm and pitch actually function so you’re not dependent on tabs forever.

The only real question for a beginner is whether the instrument becomes worth your time.

My role as one of the highest-rated private instructors in Central Arkansas is to ensure your effort produces visible results quickly, so momentum builds early.

Advanced Guitar Coaching for Experienced Players

If you’ve already been playing, we skip the “is this for me?” phase.

You’re already committed.

But most self-taught players hit what I call the YouTube Plateau a ceiling created by inefficient technique and incomplete theory.

Common plateaus include:

The Speed Ceiling: You physically can’t play faster because your picking mechanics are inefficient.
The Theory Gap: You can memorize songs but don’t understand chord function or improvisation.
Fretboard Blindness: You’re stuck inside one pentatonic box shape.
Dynamic Limitations: Tone and articulation never fully develop.

I don’t overwhelm you with lectures.

I perform a Technical Audit.

You play. I observe.

- We identify the mechanical bottlenecks.

- Then we fix them one variable at a time.

You are treated like a professional.

Because most of my students are.

Breaking Bad Guitar Habits: The Re-Tooling Phase

For experienced players, the first 90 days focus on refinement, not reinvention.

We:

Correct inefficient pick grip and motion

Rebuild alternate picking economy

Clarify fretboard mapping

Strengthen rhythmic subdivision

Fill theory gaps using real-world musical applications

My Master of Music background in jazz allows us to address harmony at a deeper level — without forcing you into classical repertoire unless you want it.

You get collegiate-level mechanics applied to the music you actually enjoy.

The First 90 Days for Beginners