See what Joe says about
Online Lessons with Frank:

"I am writing this letter to thank you for all you have taught me over the years. Your teaching has brought my understanding of music to a level I never thought I could reach. Your method of teaching has enabled me to play with professionals. The songs you teach me always provide real time examples of the exercises we practice. More than just the method, your patience and inherent understanding of people and their individual needs as a student set you apart from any other teacher I have studied with. I can’t help but think of all the time you spent slowly working through my phrasing on Charlie Parker’s, "Confirmation". Apart from learning how to solo more effectively, one of the most valuable skills I have taken from you is rhythmic comping. Now when I view a chord chart I see it much differently and many of substituted chords that give that hip jazzy sound I have been searching for all these years just come naturally as if it were no more than a simple bar chord I mastered when I first started playing.

In the nearly five years we have worked together you have taught and are continuing to teach me jazz and effective improvisation. You have prepared me for solo, duet, trio and combo gigs. You play with me in my rock band and record on my albums bass, keys and guitar and whatever is necessary to make the song complete. You have given me invaluable tips on recording, signal purity, processing and production. You pass on nuggets of wisdom that you have accumulated over a lifetime of remarkable achievement; academic, professional, personal and otherwise. I am lucky to have the privilege to be your student. However, I feel even luckier to be your friend. I feel I have made a lifelong friend in you over the years we have studied. You found a way to simplify all the complexities and intricacies of music and harmony.

You said: 'A player has four choices: go up, go down, stay the same or play nothing'; simple yet profound. Players learning a complex approach to harmony for the first time tend to second guess themselves as they try new techniques at improvisation. You taught me the best way to overcome that natural players’ anxiety with the only rule in music: 'if it sounds good, its right'. Thank you for everything.