I teach acoustic and electric guitar lessons for students of all ages and abilities, held at Drumbank in Bristol.
The following areas are covered, I have a core curriculum which I use for beginners and to establish a solid grounding with people who have been playing for a while. As well as this I also branch into material that suits the individual student's taste to help people meet their personal goals and interests.
- Basic guitar chords
- Strumming/ picking patterns and styles
- Playing along with your favourite songs
- Major/ Minor scales and basic theory
- Beginning to improvise
- Playing in styles – rock, folk, blues, reggae, funk etc
To more advanced skills like:
- Control of the instrument - right and left hand technique, getting a good sound, time, dynamics, articulation, fingerboard knowledge.
- Aural skills - ear training, recommended listening, nomenclature.
- Knowledge of material - A theoretical knowledge of all material and various methods of organising this on the guitar or bass including: scales, modes, arpeggios, rhythm, key centers, chords, etc.
- Manipulation of material - applying what you know, improvising, limitation exercises, drills, melodic construction
- Effective Practicing - How to practice.
- Being more musical - Ideas to be more expressive.
Click here to see my syllabus page.
I have internet access at the teaching school and can download pdfs from subscriber databases such as Songsterr which can be printed off or emailed to your account. We also have a large selection of educational books and magazines. If you have a specific song you would like to learn I encourage you to bring it to the lesson.
Guitar Starter Packs
For beginners to electric guitar and bass, I would recommend this site if you wish to buy an electric guitar starter pack or bass guitar starter pack. The site offers the option to have the guitars professionally set-up for a good price, and I have found their guitar to be the best available to beginners. Many professional players in the US use these guitars on tour as cheap instruments that play well and sound great but aren't too pricey or sentimental to take on tour. There are literally hundreds of independent reviews online testifying to the quality of this brand.
The same site also sells acoustic guitar starter kit packages which are also great value.