Madison College Music Lessons: Production, Composition, Theory, DJ, and More

Raine Stern and Austin discussed Austin's breathing techniques and songwriting progress. Raine provided a chord progression for Austin to practice with in FL Studio and advised him on avoiding overthinking his breathing. They rescheduled the session for Monday due to Wi-Fi issues, and Austin will confirm his availability.

Raine Stern taught Antonio Ortiz how to tune his guitar using the Guitar Tuna app and introduced him to power chords. Antonio practiced finger placements, strumming techniques, and transitioning between power chord positions on the fretboard. Raine assigned Antonio the task of listing songs he enjoys for future lessons and will share a Google Drive folder with lesson materials.

Raine Stern worked with Nor Dabhs on a song, focusing on simplifying the rhythm and chord transitions. Nor practiced playing chords in time with a drum track, breaking the song into smaller sections. Raine created a custom drum track in Logic for Nor to practice with and assigned practicing the simplified version of the song, focusing on smooth chord transitions, before their next session.

Raine Stern instructed Anna Florczak on guitar techniques, including warm-up exercises, pull-offs, slides, alternate picking, and power chords, using the song "Carry On My Wayward Son" as a practical example. They focused on hand and finger positioning for optimal playing and injury prevention. Anna's next lesson was rescheduled, and she was encouraged to practice during her upcoming trip to Poland.

On July 8, 2025, Raine Stern taught Tanner Devlin a guitar lesson focusing on "Tennessee Whiskey." The lesson covered minor chord shapes, a specific strumming pattern, wrist technique, chord transitions (especially bar chords), and shape repetition on the fretboard. Raine introduced the song's first riff, involving open E and A strings with slides, and explained the chord progression between A and B minor. The lesson emphasized understanding chord shapes and memorization techniques.

Raine Stern worked with Nor Dabhs on developing a "smacking" guitar technique for percussive rhythm, focusing on hand position, wrist movement, and finger control. Nor practiced the rhythm and hand movements separately before combining them. They discussed scheduling shorter lessons and potentially working together outside the app.