General
Warm-up
This is an important part of the lesson and is there to make sure that your fingers and brain are both in gear for the lesson.
Correct Posture
I will make sure that you are as comfortable as possible and maintain a good posture right from the start.
Exercises
We can use exercises to target and improve any area of your playing.
Existing Songs / Music
We will work on your favourite songs as chosen by you. I can transcribe and simplify (if needed) pretty much any song that you like to make it accessible for you.
Guitar Grades
My students enjoy a 100% merit / distinction rate. If you are interested in taking grades, then I would be more than happy to make the process as easy for you as possible, therefore saving you time. See the Guitar Grades page for more information.
Handouts
With handouts you are able to continue practicing and learning in your own time between lessons. These include quality informative sheets, guitar tablature, sheet music, chord sheets and exercise sheets.
Guitar Maintenance
I will be happy to help you with anything to do with the maintenance of your instrument including tuning, string changing, cleaning, etc.
Accessories
I can introduce you to many interesting accessories and gadgets for the guitar including glass and steel slides, capo, e-bow, whammy bar, different plectrum sizes and materials, etc. Here are some of my recommended accessories.
FX
I can also introduce you to many interesting and wonderful effects that can alter your electric guitar sound. These include: distortion, chorus, flange, tremolo, delay, reverse delay, sweep echo, tape echo, wah wah, etc.
Questions?
Feel free to ask about anything to do with the lesson as we are going along. If you need help during the week when I am not there, please feel free to contact me with any queries.
Skills & Techniques
Memorisation
This is a great skill to have, as it enables you to remember often large passages of music without needing to look at the sheet music while playing.
Ear Tests
These simple and enjoyable games work wonders for developing your musical ear.
Timing
We will improve your timing and you will develop your musicianship when playing with another musician.
Playing Techniques
We will cover hammer-on & pull-offs, vibrato, sliding, bending, natural / pinch / artificial harmonics, legato, finger tapping, alternate & tremolo picking, sweep & economy picking, etc.
Improvisation
This is a great way for you to become more familiar with the scales that you are learning. It also develops your memorisation, internalisation and melody creation skills.
Sight Reading
If you prefer to learn by reading music, then we will develop your sight reading skill to a whole new level. You will be able to play through and learn pieces so quickly and without even necessarily knowing them previously!
Internalisation
The ability to internalise the music and hear it playing in your head. You will develop this skill as you progress through your lessons.
Playing with other musicians
Often during lessons we will play the music together. This is great for you because I can help you to grasp the music and through this, become comfortable when playing with other musicians.
Confidence
Your confidence and self belief will increase dramatically as you progress with your playing. See the 10 Benefits of Learning to Play the Guitar.
And so much more!
Music Theory
Scales
These are presented in a format that can easily be read and remembered visually. I will teach you the underlying scale formulas so that you can apply them to any key signature. Here's the C major scale to get you started.
Chord Structure
Once you understand this, you can create your own chords without the aid of huge chord dictionaries!
Chord Shapes
I use an effective technique for aiding your kinaesthetic or finger memory, so that the chord shapes are more quickly played at an automatic level.
Playing Techniques
We will cover hammer-on & pull-offs, vibrato, sliding, bending, natural / pinch / artificial harmonics, legato, finger tapping, alternate & tremolo picking, sweep & economy picking, etc.
Rhythm
I break it down and simplify rhythms by focusing on one little chunk at a time. I also incorporate a simple and easy-to-remember technique for getting the hang of playing these little chunks.
Chord Sequences
Here you will use the chords that you have learnt to form a chord sequence. This can also tie in with the songs that you would like to learn.
Arpeggios
We will cover various arpeggio shapes on the fretboard that will aid your understanding of chord structure. These can also be used with advanced picking techniques such as Sweep Picking.
Time Signatures
You will quickly come to understand any time signature, and play in odd time signatures as easily as 4/4!
Key Signatures
Through playing scales and chords, I will help you to understand the different key signatures.
Modulation
We will explore various ways of modulating from one key to another. This is great for when you are composing your own songs.
CAGED System
You will become aware of the fretboard as a whole, and understand how different chord shapes and fretboard patterns relate to each other.
Circle of 5ths
I can show you all of the different patterns and short-cuts when working with the circle of 5ths. This will make learning the relationships between keys, scales and chords so much easier!
