Guitar ~ Bass ~ Ukulele Lessons

Everett, Snohomish, Mill Creek, Bothell WA

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Welcome to Friendly Frets!

My name is Gordon Tibbits and I offer both in-person and online-zoom lessons on guitar, bass, and ukulele.  I’m very comfortable helping  kids, teens, and adults realize their musical potential while enjoying the experience of learning along the way.  

My lesson studio is located just North of Seattle Hill Road near the communities of Everett, Silver Lake, Mill Creek, Bothell, and Snohomish.

Teaching beginning students is my jam!  

If you are new to the guitar, bass, or ukulele you have come to the right place!  I enjoy working with beginning students who have little or no previous experience.  My approach to teaching is student focused and informed by 35 years of experience as a long-time music educator and musician.  Through lessons we will work together to develop the skills, concepts, and tools that will move you forward to having skills and proficiency on your chosen instrument.  

Intermediate/Advancing Students

Have you played music in years past and want to pick up where you have left off?  It’s never too late to learn new skills, concepts, and tools that will move your forward in your musical journey.  I can help you by assessing your current skills, interests, and goals.  Then together we can formulate specific goals and narrow in on the skill areas most pertinent for your success.  

Kids, Teens, Adults Welcome!

I start lessons with students as young as age 7.  My experience as a teacher and parent has helped me to better understand and appreciate the unique developmental markers and learning attributes of kids between ages 7-10, tweens, and teens.  I also very much enjoy working with adult students of all ages and walks of life.  

My Approach

My teaching practice is best described as student-focused, empathetic, encouraging, and oriented around the unique qualities, goals, and interests of each student I teach.  I have crafted a specific structure to my lessons for the sake of efficiency but can also be flexible enough to accommodate the immediate questions, concerns, and daily interests of my students.  

Music I Teach

My teaching practice accommodates a fairly wide range of music genres and styles and very much song oriented.  I have performed many types of music including rock, blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, folk, worship music, metal, rhythm and blues, indie rock, funk, and many other styles.  Please see my video “Music I Teach” to learn more about my music offerings.  

Additional Info:

  • Visit my Lessons page to find out how lessons work at Friendly Frets!
  • Please visit my About page for more info about my qualifications, experience, qualities, and skills.
  • Please visit my Lesson Policy page to learn how I structure lessons at Friendly Frets.
  • Register for Lessons if you are ready to start learning!
  • Contact me if you have additional questions about starting lessons, finding an instrument, or would like talk further about your specific needs, interests, and goals.
  • Please visit my FAQ page for answers to questions often asked by new students and their families.
  • The Friendly Frets Resource Page contains articles and free lesson material to help you get started learning.

Reviews

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!"
Rebecca Houghton
Rebecca HoughtonParent
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!
Noriko Kim
Noriko KimParent
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.
Shannon McMaster
Shannon McMasterParent
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.
Jeff Hazen
Jeff HazenParent
“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!”
Cheryl McChesney
Cheryl McChesneyStudent
“Gordon is a great guitar teacher. He is knowledgable, flexible and patient. I have been learning a lot from him in such a short time. He is also very nice and understanding!”
NICO DESANTIAGO
NICO DESANTIAGOStudent
“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!”
Wonda Emmert
Wonda EmmertOnline Student/Parent
“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!”
Edwin Halloran
Edwin HalloranStudent
“Gordon has been a wonderful find in the continuation of my musical journey. It hasn’t been easy trying to pick up a guitar later in life, but with Gordon’s patience, understanding, skill and knowledge he’s helped me find my own path through the highly rewarding hobby.”
Patrick Stevens
Patrick StevensStudent
“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 Williams
Kathy WilliamsParent
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. !!!
Prabhu K
Prabhu KParent
We can't say enough amazing things about Gordon! My 8 year old started taking lessons last year and he LOVES meeting with Gordon each week! Gordon is patient when my son gets frustrated and is so good at explaining things in a clear way. Gordon is extremely organized, creating files and music each week in my sons personal google file, which makes it so easy for him to get on and practice during the week. We commute to see him from Kenmore (YES, he's worth it) and recently we have been doing a few virtual zoom lessons, which have been amazing. Thank you Gordon!!
Anita C
Anita CParent
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.
Michelle Kourouma
Michelle KouroumaParent
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.
Payton J.
Payton J. Student
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.
R.F.
R.F.Student
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!
Sara WhelanParent
Mr. Gordon is an OUTSTANDING music teacher and an EXCEPTIONAL individual. Not only is he proficient in music, he is a very understanding teacher. He takes time to hear students' thoughts and encourages them to set reasonable goals. He is open to suggestions and is more than willing to make adjustments or additions based on parent and / student feedback. Everything in his studio is well organized and set up such that students are successful during lessons. The detailed notes that he provides in student folders (created in google drive) is an added bonus. This system ensures that students will never forget their books / loose sheets of music again. We love how he uses technology to provide the best experience for students. Our family greatly appreciates all the support that Mr. Gordon provides to our children in learning music. Anyone looking for a guitar / string instrument teacher, I would highly recommend Mr. Gordon and Friendly Frets!
Amritha Imandi
Amritha ImandiParent
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Friendly Frets Lesson Studio

Studio Location

5030 116th PL SE
Everett, WA 98208
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