***** Looking for a classical guitar teacher? Look no further. I started to study with Sulai during my college years at Indiana University where he was started the Guitar Department. His lessons went beyond the guitar and still impact me today as a player and professionally. As much as he is an incredible artist that has played all over the world, he is infinitely more than that as teacher. He excels at getting to the foundation of your playing and guiding you to develop into the player that you want to be.
After college, I lost touch and moved to the west cost, but continued to play. With the advent of Skype, I have been taking weekly lessons over the internet for the last 8 years and could not be happier.
You will be hard pressed to find a teacher of this caliber anywhere at any price. Please do yourself a favor and take a lesson or two. That was my initial plan of course and now 20 plus years later I am still taking weekly lessons. Clint C.
*****An excellent guitar teacher, player and human being. My experience with Sulai is that he is a mirror to what I am trying to do with the guitar, he helps me discover what I am doing, right and wrong. He is also willing to push me as far as I am willing to achieve on the guitar. I have been studying with Sulai for years now, and I am very grateful for having found such a guiding light for my art and my life. Steve S.
*****A lesson with Sulaiman Zai is like experiencing poetry juxtaposed with a frequent nod toward sensitive musical technique. His love of music is infectious and inspiring. I recommend Sulai to guitar students of all skill levels! George G.
***** Sulai is a fabulous guitar teacher. He is a fabulous music teacher -- and a good friend too. Sulai is a world-class player. In fact, he founded the guitar department at the world famous Jacob School of Music at Indiana University several years ago. I've taken years of lesson on various instruments from many teachers, and the thing about Sulai that makes him special is his approach towards life -- Buddhist-like -- and how this translates into his approach to teaching the guitar. He will teach you how to feel with the guitar, how to play it without it playing you. He will start from the first day teaching how it feels to be a virtuoso. The technical skills follow that -- and follow it quickly. He focuses on technique and far less on repertoire. He believes, correctly I think, that repertoire will easily accumulate if you have good technique. Sulai is a low-stress teacher, very patient, and loves to be challenged. I've been with him for four years, and even though I've recently moved out of town, I make it a point to travel to him a couple times a month for lessons. We augment that with periodic lessons over Skype. I highly recommend him. Timothy L.
***** I made the leap to take my first guitar lessons without knowing anything about the instrument when I was 36 years old. With Sulaiman's expertise and patience, I learned to read music and play classical guitar as a soloist, as part of an ensemble, and as part of several musical productions that were composed by Sulaiman so that each musicians parts were written to their level of expertise. This has been so much more than just a guitar studio. Sulaiman and his family welcomed me into a musical environment where I was often pushed outside of my comfort zone, but always felt safe going there. Sulaiman's musical knowledge, technical prowess, and ability to understand people come together in a somewhat unconventional guitar studio where I learn to be a musician and learn about myself in the process. Lori T.
Zai Ensemble's Oxygen Suite CD My first CD as a guitarist with my guitar professor and composer Sulaiman Zai. Tracked in one day and no edits. I have such admiration and respect for Sulai and consider myself so fortunate for all the time I spent with him and his family. Words that come to mind when I think of Sulai: genius, mentor, friend, teacher, spiritual, philosopher, sage, honest, respect, virtuoso, tone, accuracy, inovative, dynamics, technique, expressive. http://www.patrickeating.com/