Learn Guitar With a Pro in Small Classes! Level 1 Mini Course, Ages 14-18

Welcome musicians and future musicians!

This 6-week class is for beginning guitar students who want to learn the basics of guitar playing in a small group of 3 or 4 students. I keep the classes small in order to give each student a lot of attention and answer everyone’s questions. We will do exercises that teach essential guitar skills and strengthen everyone’s understanding of the instrument. Every week we will learn new skills and build on what we have learned previously.

I ensure every student learns each skill before moving on. We learn in a no-stress environment so that everyone enjoys our time. 

While this Level 1 course is for beginners, students need to know how to tune their guitar prior to class so they can show up ready to learn. I teach a One-Day Beginner Guitar class that can help students with intro guitar, and that will definitely prepare you for this course. That class isn’t officially a prerequisite, but it would help for your student to hit the ground running!

Week 1: I will review the way each student holds their guitar as well as their wrist and finger positions to ensure they fix any bad habits. We will review the use of both a tuning app and a physical guitar tuner. We’ll discuss how to hold a pick properly and use it to play single notes. We will review the proper way to fret chords and learn several essential chords. 

Week 2: Review of posture, tuning, fretting technique, and how to hold/use a pick. I will introduce several more basic chords and how to move between them. Basic strumming techniques will be explained and modeled. Practice techniques will be demonstrated.

Week 3: Review of basic chords, pick technique, strumming, and practice techniques. Additional chords will be introduced, and we will practice more strategies for efficiently moving between chords. We will also learn several more strumming patterns, including upbeat and syncopated rhythms.

Week 4: Review of all chords, moving between them, and advanced strumming. We will discuss and practice alternate picking. Riffs will be introduced. Students will practice their 1st song intro and know the basic pattern by the end of class.

Week 5: Review alternate picking, riffs, and our 1st song. Student volunteers can play the new song intro and receive constructive feedback. We will begin to learn fingerpicking and practice playing with two and three fingers simultaneously. The class will work on a new song.

Week 6: Review fingerpicking basics and song #2. Student volunteers can play the new song and receive constructive feedback. We will introduce intra-chord movement while fingerpicking and also transitioning from one chord to another. I will introduce our 3rd song and students will practice it in class.

***If you do not see a time that works for you, please send me a message with a day and time that does!***