Guitar Lessons

FAQ:

Do I need a guitar for guitar lessons?

Yes you do. For a young beginning student I’d suggest a Baby Taylor for an acoustic or a Fender starter pack for electric. Both are well made and will last until the student is a teenager.

Acoustic or electric?

Either. Just please purchase a good instrument. Having a cheap instrument that doesn’t stay in tune or just sounds bad can be very discouraging and frustrating to a beginner.

How long a guitar lesson should I take?

As long as you like. For the younger beginning student’s a weekly 30-minute guitar lesson is appropriate. For the more serious student a weekly one-hour guitar lesson or longer. The more you put into guitar lessons the more you will get out of it.

Do you make guitar lessons fun for the student?

Yes. We make it fun by having fun with the student on music that they enjoy!

What method do you teach?

Music for the guitar is taught typically by Rote. What that means is taught by demonstration, listening & repetition. Eventually we cover all subjects of music but at the start the guitar is taught by Rote.

How much should I practice?

As much as the student wants to. Inspiration is what is most valuable to the student. Introducing them to exciting music that will motivate them to practice, performing at a recital, showing the instructor how well they did that week or being prepared for a band recital are all great motivating factors. 15-minutes of inspired practice is much more effective than an hour of uninspired practice.

Guitar Lesson Subjects

Tuning The Guitar

Technique
Finger Exercises
Open Chords
Bar Chords
Power Chords
Scales – Major, Harmonic minor, Melodic Minor, Pentatonic
Chords & Arpeggios – Major, Minor, Sus2, Sus4, Diminished, Augmented, 7th chords, 9th, 13th, Polychords
Patterns
at various speeds using specific fingerings.

Sight Reading
Reading Tablature
Reading Treble & Bass Clef
Reading hands individually and together
with and without a metronome

Ear Training(Aural Skills)
Solfege
Sight Singing
Aural Recall
Transcription
Copycat

Music Theory
Intervals
Building Scales, Chords & Arpeggios
Modes
Harmonic Analysis

Repertoire
Learning songs you enjoy
Simple Melodies
Play & Sing
Classical Etudes & Pieces
Popular Songs
Reading Lead Sheets (Chord Charts)

Music History

Ensemble
Playing with the instructor
Playing in Bands

Composition
Basic Songwriting
Analysis

Recording

Performance Skills
Stage presence
Simple movement while playing
Emoting

Rhythm Skills
Playing in time
Accents
Coordination