Meet Brett Fenex
Lessons | Teachers | FAQ | Policies | Contact Us
Genres: All Genres
Instrument: Guitar
Specialties: Jazz, Rock, Folk, Fingerstyle
Available: Online Lessons only on Tues., Wed., and Thursdays
Contact: fenex@mindspring.com 707-479-2556
Book A Lesson
Lesson Rates
45 min : $45
60 min : $60
Meet Brett Fenex
How did you get started in music?
“I took piano lessons as a child, then everything changed when I heard the Beatles! After that it had to be guitar! I have been playing guitar now for 40 years.”
What artist inspired you when you were first learning to play?
“Along with the Beatles I loved the Rolling Stones, The Who, Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath (!) and Pink Floyd to name a few. And of course the good ol' Grateful Dead!”
What is your favorite song to play right now?
“My current favorite that i am working on is a Gypsy Jazz piece called Indifference that the great Django Reinhardt recorded. I will like it even better once I can actually play it!”
What is your favorite genre to play?
“I like most styles of music, though I gravitate toward jazz, rock , folk and fingerstyle. Anything that has a level of competence and an emotional connection is fine by me, regardless of the genre.”
What made you decide to start teaching?
“It's funny, my wife had been telling me for years that i should teach guitar but I never thought that I was good enough. One day while I was on the sales floor, a gal came into Bananas wanting to buy a guitar. She was about to retire and had always wanted to learn guitar so she bought a guitar from me and then she said 'OK now you teach me.' I said "I have never taught guitar, how can I teach you.?'
She said 'Well, you know more than me, so you teach me'! So, I gave her a lesson and I realized that I really do know quite a bit about playing guitar and not only that, I LOVED it! That was 18 years ago and I have been enjoying it ever since.”
What projects or bands are you involved in currently?
“ I have played in many bands over the years and in the 90's I played in a regionally popular alternative rock band called Animal Farm which may have made a go of it if not for excess and lack of focus. More recently now I play with Strange Daisies, a folky rocky outfit and West County Jazz Collective."
Do you have any fun tidbits or stories to share?
“Well at one of the many seedy dives that Animal Farm played, in we met an opening band that was just amazing called 'Cake'. We knew they were bound for greatness and we got them gigs opening for us in Sonoma and Marin Counties and they got us gigs opening for them in Sacramento where they hail from. Some months later I turn on the radio and lo and behold its Cake! I was so happy to hear it! those guys were great! One of a kind!”
What is the best advice you can give to a beginning player who is just starting?
“My best advice is to be persistent even though it hurts! Soon the pain in your fingers and ears will turn into music and you will have a lifetime of enjoyment at your fingertips.”
What is the best advice you would give to an established player?
“My advice that I constantly give to myself is to keep an open mind and open ears! And keep challenging yourself. Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected sources when we are looking in a different direction. I learn so much from my students that I am not sure who is teaching who.”
What is your "gigging" equipment and why?
"For my solo gigs doing acoustic finger-style and singer/songwriter stuff I play my Taylor 814CE which sounds like God's own guitar! For electric band gigs I play my Gibson ES335 straight into my '76 Fender Deluxe Reverb which sounds so good it makes me cry."
Need help booking a lesson? Email lessons@bananas.com or chat by text in bottom right hand corner of screen.