The Beginning Courses are a challenge. I want to make sure you're stepping on a good foundation so you have great pavement for continuing into more advanced territory. And if you just want to play and aren't concerned with more advacned territory, I want you to WIN and have fun doing it.
I first explain all about the guitar, it's parts and the basic points of holding it, playing it and how you learn chords. I also have a Reading Course designed to dispel any misgivings about reading. By the end of the first Beginning course you should be able to pick up any basic book of sheet music and play through it. I teach you how to strum, how to finger pick and how to play in rhythm. I also teach you how to tune the guitar.
Videos are used throughout to assist you in the learning process. The advantage a real live, flesh and blood teacher has is he or she can SHOW it to you. And that's what I aim to do. The advantage of online lessons is you can go at your own pace, and still have ALL the data. Even more than if you studied with a teacher, as you might miss somethings along the way, through digressions and getting sidetracked by questions, etc. Questions are a GOOD thing! But sometimes in lessons, where time is limited, we can get off track!
Now I STILL want to hear from you. I want to have a email conversation to make sure you're doing fine.
There's another aspect to teaching and problems I've run into with students who want to leave or feel they just "have no talent" or aptitude for the guitar. These are the words or symbols that make up the subject of the guitar and music! I take great care to explain terms and even have a glossary at the top of the menus. I will be adding definitions as the website grows. Use it!
This is an example of a guitar grid that is used to explain chords, scales, notes, finger positions throughout these courses. The numbers are your fingers. The vertical lines are the strings of the guitar, of course. The dots represent the position on the guitar. There are Xs and and Os to explain where you're suppose to let the string ring out or not. I explain the three reasons why a string rings or sounds clipped or buzzy and how to fix it. I explain how to practice and what to look for and what NOT to do.
Many beginning guitar students have taken lessons before. Many never have. Many students rushed through and missed some basic points and information, the absence of which hung them up later and even forced them to put the guitar down. It's my belief that this impatience led to their failure. That watching how-to videos and getting your friend to show you things, which all very good and inspirational, motivational, leaves big fat holes. I'd never want to discourage you from those things. Learning songs you always wanted to learn is what puts the fun in guitar! But just know that can easily get you in to the deep end of the pool with no one to help or understand what happened.
I can also do live lessons via Skype or at my studio in person.
