Because lessons are tailored to each student, there are no hard and fast rules as to what will be taught, or even in what order. However, a general description as to the topics covered are listed below.
The same principle applies to songs. Those shown on this page are just examples. Students are encouraged to suggest songs that they would like to learn, and where possible, I will include these in the lessons.
Beginners
1.
Basic guitar chords, how to get clear sounds and how to practice
them.
2.
How to string and tune the guitar.
3.
Folk-Country strums in 4/4 and 3/4 time.
4.
Basic Theory:
- The
notes of the guitar fingerboard (Chromatic Scales)
- Key
Signatures
- Time Signatures
5.
Reading Music and Tablature:
- The
notes in the 1st position
- Tied
notes
- Rests
- Dotted
notes
- Sharps & flats
6.
How to change chords without stopping. Some examples of the songs you may learn:
House of the Rising Sun (The Animals)
Lay Down Sally (Eric Clapton)
Wonderful Tonite (Eric Clapton)
Hotel California (The Eagles)
Take it to the Limit (The Eagles)
Dumb (Nirvana)
Jesus Don't Want Me (Nirvana)
No Rain (Blind Melon)
Harvest (Neil Young)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Bad Moon Rising (CCR)
Dust in the Wind (Kansas)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
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Knockin'
on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
If I Had A Million Dollars (Barenaked Ladies)
Elderly Woman (Pearl Jam)
Runaway Train (Soul Asylum)
Mr. Jones (Counting Crows)
Wheat Kings (Tragically Hip)
Let it Be (Beatles)
Eight Days A Week (Beatles)
Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot)
Give
Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)
Wonderin'
Where The Lions Are (Bruce Cockburn)
Stand By Me (Ben E. King)
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Intermediate and Advanced
1. Rhythm Guitar
Techniques:
- Pick grip and tone
- Accenting
- Alternate picking
- Left hand and right hand mutes
- Sixteenth note rhythms
- Boogie beats, shuffles, roots, blues and rock grooves
- Syncopation
Songs
taught in the Rhythm Guitar section include:
Ahead
By A Century (Tragically Hip)
Boots
Or Hearts (Tragically Hip)
Life
By The Drop (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
All
Apologies (Nirvana)
Come
As You Are (Nirvana)
Lithium
(Nirvana)
Big
Gun (AC-DC)
Blue
Sky (Allman Brothers)
Brown
Sugar (Rolling Stones)
Bullet
With Butterfly Wings (Smashing Pumpkins)
Today
(Smashing Pumpkins)
Cinnamon
Girl (Neil Young)
Harvest
Moon (Neil Young)
Day
Tripper (Beatles)
Every
Breath You Take (Police)
Give
A Little Bit (Supertramp)
Give
Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman
Glycerine
(Bush)
Hey
Joe (Jimi Hendrix)
|
Wild
Thing (Jimi Hendrix)
Horse
With No Name (America)
House Of Dreams (Blue Rodeo)
Hurt So Good (John Mellencamp)
I’m Tore Down (Eric Clapton)
Lay Down Sally (Eric Clapton)
Learning To Fly (Tom Petty)
Mary Jane’s Last Dance (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Moondance (Van Morrison)
Pinball Wizard (The Who)
Satisfaction (Rolling Stones)
Shade (Silverchair)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Sulk (Radio Head)
Nice Dream (Radiohead)
Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream)
Tangerine (Led Zeppelin)
Wooden Ships (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
Wish
You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
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2.
Theory, Chording & Notation
Theory:
- Basic
Chromatic scales on each string
- Keys defined and explained
- Transposition of basic chord progressions
- Finding notes on the guitar
- Chord building
- Chord substitutions and extensions
- Relative keys
- Circle of 5th’s and chord cycles
- Simple Diatonic chord progressions and chord functions
- Minor key Diatonic Triads
- Harmonizing a melody with chords Chording:
- Basic open string chords
- Barre chords
- Power chords
- Arpeggios
- Riff based rhythms
Songs taught in the Chording section include a variety of Blues and
jazz standards such as:
Georgia
Everybody’s
Talkin’
Barrelhouse
Stormy
Monday
This
Masquerade
Don’t
Get Around Much Anymore
Satin
Doll
Black
Orpheus …and
many more
Music
Reading and Notation:
Exercises for learning to read are taught as well as the
following:
- Reading Rhythm Charts
- Flats and Sharps
- Grace Notes
- Quarter Note Triplets
- Slurs
- Note Values, Tied and Dotted Notes, Time Signatures
3.
Scales & Improvisation
This section involves theory and technique and the use
of prerecorded rhythm tracks for home study:
- The 3 note per string concept for scales
- Modes and how to use them…sample progressions
- Intervals and how to use them
- Major and Minor (Blues) Pentatonic scales
- Natural, Melodic and Harmonic Minor Scales
- Analyzing chord progressions and tunes for key areas
- Improvisational techniques (Hammers, Pulls, Slides, Bends, Harmonics, Vibrato)
- Connecting scales
- Position playing, phrasing, vintage 50’s licks
And much more…
The improvisation section also involves the learning of several prepared
solos and the following lead solos:
Hotel
California (Eagles)
All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix)
Money for Nothing (Dire Straits)
Something in the Way She Moves (Beatles)
Reeling in the Years (Steely Dan)
Keys to the Highway (Eric Clapton)
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Memphis
Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry)
Take It Easy (Eagles)
Wish
You Were Here (Pink Floyd) |
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