Biography

A Connecticut native, Grant Schinto began studying the trumpet in order to join the school band in 1976, and stuck with it all the way through the end of high school, in 1984. In that time he also got involved in many choirs, chorus ensembles and musical productions, with more than the occasional solo performance. But it was the guitar that Grant took to for pleasure in 1978 without ever looking back, giving his first guitar lesson a decade later, in 1988.  

Grant studied guitar for 7 years under the tutelage of John Gerardi, master protégé of the late Bebop Jazz great Sal Salvador (author of many well-known guitar instruction books) while residing in his home state of Connecticut. Grant’s music education, which emphasized theory, sight-reading, improvisation, performance, and technique contributed greatly to Grant’s diverse and eclectic approach not only to composing but teaching as well. Well versed in all popular styles including rock, blues, country, folk, pop, and jazz, Grant’s specialty is Classic Rock, pop and hard rock/heavy metal ranging from artists as diverse as Sarah McLachlan, The Beatles, Eric Johnson, Green Day, Queen, The Police, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones, among multiple dozens of others. 
 
Grant has taught over 1,700 hours of one-on-one private guitar lessons to students ranging from ages 6 to 60. All lessons are planned in advance and customized to meet the student’s needs and desires. All material and curriculum covered is monitored closely to avoid redundancy and to maximize efficiency. None of Grant’s students are ever asked, "Have we covered this topic yet?"  
 
Grant’s approach to teaching is simple: Give the student what they want while helping them learn what they NEED in order to grow and reach higher levels of gratification and achievement. Tap into their passion and lead them to an ability to learn to open doors for themselves. And constantly come up with new ways of teaching because not everyone learns the same way. There are some absolutes however. The amount of joy one gets from playing the guitar is directly related to how much work is put into learning how to play it. And you absolutely need to be in tune and know how to stay in key and keep proper time. “I never shame a student for not always doing all the work set in front of them, but it is my mission to always strongly encourage my students to be the best they can be and to reach their goals successfully and happily.” 

Although helping guitarists (especially lead guitarists) and those interested in writing music with the guitar break out of the occasional creative rut and develop their own style is Grant’s specialty, beginners are more than welcome to study with Grant. Grant has developed the EZ Tab method for small and young fingers, as well as the Super Easy/Easy/Standard Chord Technique Developer as part of his SMART FINGERS learning curriculum. To say Grant offers a variety of learning materials is an understatement. 

In the year 2000, Grant released his first CD, SIMPLE SONGS, a “classic rock guitar-laden” collection of 10 adult contemporary pop and rock originals. When his schedule permits, he also works as a session guitarist in the Nashville area.

In his spare time Grant works on his teaching books CREATIVE BREAKOUTS FOR LEAD GUTIARISTS, GUITAR PRACTICE SUPER STRUCTURES, as well as THE REASONBLY COMPREHENSIVE BOOK OF EVERY GUITAR SCALE UNDER THE SUN (And How to Use Them) and THE REASONBLY COMPREHENSIVE BOOK OF EVERY GUITAR CHORD UNDER THE SUN, (And How to Use Them), respectively.

Grant endorses Jguitar.com, a really cool site to help you figure out the name of virtually any scale or chord that you can think of.