Beginner To Advanced Intermediate Development

The following 3 stages are a guide to the learning Curriculum that is used to develop a student from having no musical experience to becoming an advanced intermediate musician. The structure is flexible and supports the majority of guitar styles that an individual wants to learn, responding to the musical direction they want to take and achieve.

Stage 1: Novice

Getting to know your guitar:

For absolute novices just holding the guitar can be a challenge, it can feel a bit weird having this bulky thing sat on your lap. The first lessons explores some straightforward exercises and tasks, which allows the student to become comfortable and familiar with the guitar:

• Positioning and how to hold the guitar
• Learning the strings
• String exercises
• Guitar Anatomy
• Learning how to hold a plectrum
• Introduction to Note values
• The first position
• Learning how to count and play
• Learning to read notes in Tablature; TAB
• Learn to play melodies starting simple to more complex
• Chromatic exercises and fret hand development
• Guitar Riffs
• Understanding rhythm, timing and the beat
• Tuning the guitar

Stage 2: Beginner to Lower Intermediate

Once a student has a grip of the basics, we move on to learning more complex pieces and musical development. The lessons will now become more responsive to the goals and aspirations of the student.

• Introduction to Chords
• Listening Skills
• 4 note chords / power chords
• The Open Chords
• Recognising major and minor chords
• Learning to how to change chords in time
• Strumming technique
• Beginner strumming songs
• Strumming techniques: Palm Muting
• Rhythmic techniques
• Split Barres and Rhythm changes
• Recognising chords in TAB
• Mixing Chords with riffs
• Building Chord knowledge and song repertoire
• Study of integrated melody and rhythm, two different approaches
• Learning the E and A string
• Introduction of Barre Chords
• Barre Chord Songs
• Self development and learning
• Dynamics
• 16^th notes, triplets and fast strumming

Stage 3: Lower Intermediate to Advanced Intermediate

By Stage 3 the student will become confident in there strumming, and knowledge of the fret board. They are no longer beginners and will be at an intermediate level. They will have the skills to discover and learn new songs for themselves Key skills are explored and developed to increase better playing and knowledge of the underpinning theory that structure music.

• Ear development and listening skills
• Transcribing songs
• Dyads and Double stops
• Creating rhythms
• Complex Rhythms
• Composing and song writing
• Introduction to Finger Picking
• Pentatonic Scales
• Major and minor triads; understanding chord structure
• Major and minor scales
• Harmonisation of major and minor scale
• Key changes
• Learning the fret board
• Intervals
• Introduction to guitar solos
• Phrasing and picking techniques
• Arpeggios
• Complex chords, Inversions and voicing
• Learning to improvise

If you have any questions regarding anything you have read, or your interested in taking up guitar lessons with me then you can contact me though the contact form provided!