All lesson options available both in-person and online. Send us a note or schedule a free consultation to get started.
Easy and Flexible
ModernTone Studios is open seven days a week and it’s really easy to schedule music lessons. Whether you learn in-person at our Lafayette, CA studio or online via video, manage your schedule from your laptop, desktop, phone or tablet. You can choose how and when you’d like your payments to go through and adjust your lesson times/frequency through our online system. Our dedicated studio coordinator is also available to help you with any scheduling needs.
Kick-Ass Studios
Learn like a pro where the pros play. Every room at ModernTone is acoustically treated, soundproofed, and optimized to inspire incredible performances – whether you’re an experienced player or a beginning music student. Play in a great-sounding space featuring hand-picked instruments, amps, and music accessories. Our ever-growing collection of gear is always available to you. Need help picking out a new instrument? We’re always down to talk about music, just ask!
Pro Teachers
Music is our love, our passion, and our trade. Learn music from teachers who play professionally and have decades of experience on stage and in the studio. When you take lessons with us at ModernTone, you’ll get our unique perspective on music, how to practice, and how to use your skills in the real world. We’ll create a custom lesson plan that includes your favorite songs, so you can reach your goals by learning the kind of music that excites you.
Local Community
Join ModernTone’s vibrant community of musicians located in the heart of the East Bay. Our students come from Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasant Hill, Concord, and all over the Bay Area. Get together with like-minded music lovers and form musical friendships in your neighborhood. Our music programs encourage you to play in a band, participate in recording sessions, and work with songwriters on original tunes.
Live Support
Do you need extra help with your practice routine? Stuck on some notes that aren’t quite clicking yet? Even between lessons, we’re here to help! Contact us by phone, text, direct message, or email for live support as you hone your new skills in-between lessons. If you have any scheduling difficulties, payment questions, or other issues, just hit us up. We always respond within 24 hours (usually way faster). We look forward to hearing from you.
Secret Ingredient
We just love music. There’s no other way to say it. From teaching, to recording, to passing on knowledge and learning new things ourselves – every day at ModernTone is an opportunity to immerse yourself in music of all styles. Sharing the gift of music is nothing short of a labor of love, which comes through in each and every lesson we teach. We can’t wait to collaborate with you and show you how to be the kind of musician you want to be. Let’s play!
Your Instructors
There’s a perfect music production teacher for you at ModernTone. Whether you’re just trying to record yourself, trying to become a professional producer/engineer, or anywhere in between, we’ll show you how to reach your goals. Each instructor personalizes lesson plans to meet you where you are as a music producer and push you to improve at your own pace, in your own time. Click or tap a photo below to get to know the pro who could change your life through audio.
Adam Hughes
Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for everything music
Chris Martsolf
Drummer, pianist, and music producer with a Music degree from UCSC and a passion for multiple genres
Jacob Light
Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer with 25 years experience. Founder, owner, musical director of ModernTone
Katherine Ayres
Composer, producer, pianist, and woodwind player with a master’s in music from the Peabody Institute
Production Lessons at ModernTone
You can take private music production lessons at any age, level, and understanding of music at ModernTone Studios. Choose between in-person sessions at our East Bay music studio or learn in the comfort of your own space through live remote production lessons. Wherever you want to be and however you want to learn, come unlock your full production potential. Whether you are a complete beginner, an intermediate producer, or an advanced home studio owner looking to go pro, we can help you take your recording and production skills to the next level.
For in-person music production lessons we’d love to have you at our newly-renovated studio in Lafayette, CA. You can easily reach us from Highway 24 and parking is super easy. We’re also less than a mile from Lafayette BART so you can even walk or cycle to your lessons. The location is perfect for anyone looking for music production lessons in Walnut Creek, Moraga, Orinda, Martinez, Alamo, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasant Hill, Concord and the greater Bay Area.
If remote learning is more your speed, try online music production lessons with ModernTone. Join hundreds of students who learn to record, produce, mix, and master music from anywhere. With our convenient remote learning system, connecting with your instructor is as easy as clicking a link on your phone or laptop. Join a live private music production lesson on any device and connect with your favorite instructor.
You’re new to recording and producing music and are curious about how to do it right. Let’s start where music and technology meet. When you learn music production you can turn musical ideas into something concrete. We’ll dive in by getting you familiar with your home recording setup and DAW. We’ll help you avoid the frustration of being confused by your gear by walking you through all the settings and features. We’ll discuss software keyboard shortcuts, basic music production concepts, and set you up for success. By the end of your first lesson you’ll be ready to start producing!
A great production starts with great music. Learn how to arrange, as well as structure a song in a variety of genres. We’ll work together on adding texture to your tracks and layer instruments. Your music production instructor will help you develop your ear so you can make better musical choices and harness your existing musical knowledge to craft tighter compositions that make a big impact. We can even use your music production lessons to give an existing track you’re working on added punch. If you’re still not sure about music production lessons – let’s get into the details of your DAW.
We know music production software can be intimidating, but you got this! Your instructor can guide you through the ins, outs, and shortcuts of your DAW, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, GarageBand, Reaper, and more. We can also teach you in Universal Audio’s Apollo environment, can recommend third-party plug-ins, synths, samples, loops, and more. If you prefer to use another DAW, that’s cool too – we’ll work with you in whatever one you feel most comfortable. The good news is, a good production is universal and the skills you’ll learn in lessons can be applied to any software environment. It’s also awesome to be able to work in multiple DAWs and understand different formats and workflows.
Learn the timeless recording and production techniques used to make your favorite albums. Let’s zero-in on the details that turn good productions into great ones, including microphone choice and placement, polar patterns, phasing, EQ, dynamics, distortion, saturation, comping, doubling and more. We’ll teach you how to capture the sound of different instruments and how to arrange the recorded tracks in your DAW like a pro.
If you’re into beat-making, synths, midi, sound design, and sampling, we’ll focus on taking your productions to the next level so you can stand out from the crowd. Learn how to work out of templates, chop up drums, find samples and libraries of sounds to support your tracks, and even create your own samples. We’ll talk about eq, compression, time-based effects, routing, and bussing so your mixes sound professional and ready for the world to hear.
Reviews
We are the highest rated music studio in the Bay Area and maintain a 5-star rating on Yelp, Facebook, Google and Thumbtack. Check out what our students have to say about their experience at ModernTone.
Schedule Lessons
STEP 1
BOOK
Choose your lesson from the list and pick a good day and time. You can even schedule recurring or multiple lessons and sync lesson times with your Google, iOS or Outlook calendar. Want to get some lessons for a friend or loved one? Private music lesson gift certificates are available here.
STEP 2
PAY
We accept all major credit and debit cards as well as PayPal. You can choose to pay as you go, buy multiple lessons in advance, or set up autopay – whichever works best.
STEP 3
PLAY
We’ll text you a couple of days before your lesson to remind you that it’s almost music time.
On lesson day, come to our studio in Lafayette or login to your remote music lessons from wherever. Your instructor will meet you right on time so you can dive into music right away. Before your lesson is up, we’ll make sure you have a handle on your practicing assignments and double check that you have everything you need to practice at home.
Have questions about anything? We’re here to help! Hit us up and we’ll figure it out together.
If you look at the schedule and don’t see a time that works, shoot us a note or give us a call. We’re usually able to find something that fits.
FAQ
While the studios are open every day of the week, we can’t all be there all the time. However, most of us are available for lessons on multiple days throughout the week. Our quick online booking process matches your schedule with your instructor’s availability and helps you find the best day and time for your lesson. Want to reserve that day and time every week? Click the “recurring” tab after choosing a day and time. Prefer to book a different date every time? Be our guest. You can even book multiple lessons in advance, each at a different day and time.
Your instrument, a notebook, and a will to rock and roll! A list of songs you like is also a great idea.
We sure can! Introducing you to new ideas, techniques, methods, scales and musical concepts, will help you break out of your rut and regain your long lost enthusiasm. In addition to that, we will make sure you improve gradually from week to week and help you establish a proper practicing regimen. We’ll teach you how to be meticulous about your playing and maybe even show you a secret trick or two ;)
You can definitely borrow, just make sure that you are free to keep it for a while because you will need it to practice at home between lessons. However, in the long run, it’s probably best to own your instrument.
Monthly Lesson Plans
Our monthly lesson plans are designed for committed students who take lessons regularly and would like to reserve the same day and time with their favorite instructor. Missed a lesson? Couldn’t make it this month? No worries! Your unused lessons roll-over from month to month so you will never be charged for lessons that you did not attend (just don’t forget to let us know 48 hours in advance).
Lesson Plans for Kids
While we strongly recommend 1-hour lessons for aspiring musicians of any age, we appreciate that some kids have a hard time focusing for a full hour, especially the younger ones. To help, we offer 30-min lessons for children under the age of 10.
Music Production Lessons Gift Certificate
Looking for a unique music gift that the aspiring musician in your life will love? Get them lessons with a professional music producer! Gift certificates are good for in-studio as well as online video lessons and are great for both current players and first timers.
More Info
ModernTone is located in the heart of downtown Lafayette at 1018-B Almanor Ln, Lafayette, CA 94549. We have a private parking lot and street parking is easy and plentiful. The studio’s location is right off the freeway so getting here from Walnut Creek, Orinda, Moraga, Martinez, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasant Hill and Concord is a fast and simple.
Lessons are $90 for a full hour and $55 for half-hour sessions. We recommend weekly lessons, but you are free to set the lesson frequency as you wish. We also offer monthly lesson plans designed for committed students who take lessons regularly. We respectfully request at least 24 hours notice for cancellations. No-shows and lessons cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.
- We believe in pushing our students to their full potential, but doing so in a positive, nurturing and encouraging way
- We believe that matching students with the right instructors help to form a better human connection between them and leads to better, happier students
- We believe that music should be learned in a soulful, inspiring, and comfortable environment, using hi-end professional gear.
Our teaching and recording studios have been built from the ground up with acoustics and soundproofing in mind. We designed the spaces to be ideal for music teaching and recording. We handpick all of our amps, instruments, and accessories, and pride ourselves with using high-quality equipment that is made in the USA.
Don’t take our word for it – read what our students have to say:
Let's Talk
Drop us a line and let us know what you are thinking. We typically respond in minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours when things are super busy.
