About Me:
My name is James Leonard Petersen IV. I live in Chicago with my beautiful wife, our dog, cat, and a bearded dragon–who just so happens to be the inspiration behind the website’s logo.
When I’m not teaching, I spend most of my free time practicing guitar and studying music theory. I play in a variety of styles, including rock, jazz, and even classical. One of my favorite pastimes is enjoying a warm cup of coffee while working through a Bach lute suite. I’ve always had a deep interest in the guitar–and an especially nerdy fascination with scales and modes.
Recent picture of me, April 2025
Even when I’m spending time with my wife (now a bass player), we’re always playing Beatles songs or singing along with the radio. To say music is a big part of my life feels like an understatement.
My lovely wife Victoria and I, April 2025
I grew up in a small town in rural Illinois, spending a lot of my teenage years wondering if I’d ever amount to anything. I didn’t have many friends, so I spent most of my time playing Nirvana songs alone in my room–but without much discipline or motivation to really improve. After graduating high school in 2017, I started working at a convenience store.
Me recording music while in the U.K, February 2020
I dreamed of writing and recording my own music, which led to several years of self-producing and uploading songs online–including a year I spent in England dedicated to songwriting. I had a lot of fun doing it, but I began to realize that creativity alone wasn’t enough. My skills as a musician needed serious development.
When I returned to the U.S in 2020, I was engaged to be married and thinking seriously about the future. I decided it was time to grow–both personally and musically–so I went back to school. I earned my Associate of Arts at a local community college, then moved to Chicago to complete my Bachelor’s in Music at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Me (with very long hair) performing with the UIC Pop/Rock Ensemble, Fall 2023
Studying jazz guitar, music theory, and even music history at UIC was an incredibly rewarding experience. I never thought higher education was something for me, but it felt like I was meant to seek it. The biggest lesson I learned? Just how much I didn’t know. Many of the other guitarists–several years younger than me–were much more advanced in technique and musicianship.
I spent my lowest moments at university wondering where I had gone wrong. How do I wish I had been taught differently? How should I have been practicing instead? Music theory came naturally to me and that’s where I excelled. But I began to realize my biggest struggle was with fretboard fluency.
That realization was a big turning point for me. I started using flashcards and exercises to drill the notes of the fretboard. I worked hard on scales, arpeggios, and chord shapes. Eventually, I started seeing connections–how all these elements could be tied together visually and conceptually. Using scales as a lens, I began designing diagrams to help myself better understand the guitar. I thought these diagrams could be useful for others as well, and so Lizard Lessons was born.
My goal as a teacher is to share what I wish I had known all those years ago: how to practice with purpose, think visually, and truly understand the instrument. I believe that with the right tools and mindset, anyone can become the musician they want to be.
