Online students in 47 countries — and counting
Guitar, piano and ukulele — taught with the patience of a dojo and the ear of a working musician. I'm Ming Yao, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music, and I'll walk the path with you from your very first note.
初心 Shoshin — beginner's mind. It's the most respected rank in this dojo.
Every timezone, one dojo. Students log in from Sydney to São Paulo to Seoul — if you have a connection and an instrument, the door is open.
道 01 — The disciplines
Every lesson is built around a piece you genuinely want to play. Theory arrives when it makes something easier — never as homework for its own sake.
Acoustic, electric and nylon-string. From your first open chords to alternate picking, bends with real feel, comping over changes and true classical technique.
Keys for people who want to play, not merely pass. Two hands together, chord charts, sight-reading, and enough jazz voicings to surprise yourself.
Four strings, immediate reward. The shortest path from “I've never played anything” to “I played a whole song for my family.”
守破離 02 — The path
Every dojo teaches mastery in three movements. It works just as well for a guitar neck as it does for a sword — you learn the form, you bend the form, and finally you forget it.
Shu — follow the form
One way, done well. Posture, timing, clean chords, honest fundamentals. It's the least glamorous stage and the one that decides everything after it — so we make it sound good from week one.
Ha — break the form
Once the fundamentals are second nature, we start bending them. Your own phrasing, your own voicings, your own arrangement of a song everybody knows. This is where students start sounding like themselves.
Ri — leave the form
The rules sink below conscious thought and disappear. You stop managing your hands and start making music — improvising, writing, playing with other people without fear.
流 03 — The styles
Training at AIM meant learning to move between styles without flinching. It's the part I most enjoy teaching — the same six strings, six completely different accents.
Power chords, riff writing, palm muting, and the arrangement instincts that make a band sound like a band.
The twelve bar, phrasing that breathes, vibrato with intent, and how to say a great deal with three notes.
Extended chords, ii–V–I, walking bass lines, comping and improvising over changes without panic.
Down-picking stamina, tight rhythm playing, modes, sweeps and harmonised leads — built up safely.
Nylon-string discipline: right-hand tone production, rest and free strokes, posture, and real repertoire.
Turning the idea on your phone into a finished piece — structure, lyrics, demos and honest feedback.
Ming Yao — teaching since day one, still a student every week.
先生 04 — Your sensei
I trained at the Australian Institute of Music in Australia, where I spent my days doing what I'd been doing in my bedroom for years — except surrounded by people who pushed me to become fluent in styles I'd never touched.
That's why lessons here don't lock you into a single lane. One week we chase a metal riff, the next we voice a jazz chord, the next we slow a classical study down until your right hand behaves. It all feeds the same thing: playing music you're proud of.
These days my students log in from 47 countries — early mornings on one side of the world, late evenings on the other. Different accents, different taste in music, the same grin when a riff finally clicks.
No one is ever made to feel foolish in this dojo. Discipline, yes. Judgement, never.
入門 05 — Entering
Message me with your instrument, your rough level, and one song you'd love to play.
We meet, we play, I learn how you learn. No commitment and no sales pitch.
I map a route from where you are to what you want to play — with real music along the way.
The same time each week, notes after every session, and progress you can actually hear.
稽古 06 — Training
All lessons are one-to-one, online or in person. The same rate across guitar, piano and ukulele.
$XX
per 30 minutes
$XX
per 60 minutes
$XXX
10 × 60 minutes
Your first lesson is free. Sibling and family rates available — simply ask.
門下生 07 — From the dojo
I'd tried teaching myself guitar for two years and got nowhere. Six weeks with Ming Yao and I played a full song at my friend's birthday.
My daughter actually asks when her next lesson is. That never once happened with piano before.
I arrived wanting to shred and left also understanding jazz chords. He makes difficult things feel obvious.
Replace these with real student quotes once you have them.
問 08 — At the gate
No. Complete beginners are my favourite students, because everything is new and every week sounds like progress. You'll play something recognisable in your first lesson.
Genuinely, no. Adult beginners often move faster than children because they know exactly what they want to sound like. I teach students from 6 to 70 and beyond.
For practice at home, yes — but don't buy anything before we speak. Tell me your budget and I'll point you towards something that won't fight you.
Only if you want to. Plenty of my students work from tab, chord charts and their ears. If you're heading towards exams or session work, we'll build reading in properly.
Yes — and it's how most of the dojo trains. Online lessons work well for all three instruments. You'll need a stable connection and a way to point a camera at your hands.
Fifteen honest minutes a day beats two panicked hours the night before. In a dojo we call it 稽古 — keiko, steady practice. I'll always leave you with a plan that fits your actual week.
Absolutely — that's usually the plan. I'll build the technique in underneath, and you'll notice you improved without it ever feeling like a workbook.
Because learning an instrument rewards the same things martial arts do: showing up regularly, respecting the fundamentals, and being patient with yourself. The name is a reminder — not a dress code. Turn up as you are.
道場へ 09 — Begin
Tell me what you'd like to play. I'll reply within a day or two with times for your free first lesson.
Ming Yao · sensei
Usually replies within a few hours
Welcome to the dojo 🙏
Tell me which discipline you're after — guitar, piano or ukulele — and I'll arrange your free first lesson. Online students welcome from anywhere.
Online nowOpens WhatsApp · +61 423 905 395
Questions? Message me now — asking costs nothing.