YOUR LEARNING PATH
I teach online guitar lessons, allowing you to learn to play in the comfort of your own home. If you live in Central New Hampshire then I also offer an option of one-to-one in-person lessons. Whichever option you choice, you don't have to worry about traveling to a studio at inconvenient times or fighting with traffic, I'll take care of all that.
Your course can focus on either acoustic or electric guitar, or even both. I can help you achieve your goals with whichever type of guitar you wish to learn on without you having to leave your home. Each grade will be accompanied by a detailed lesson workbooks and music so you can study in between lessons. And talking of music, I focus on actual guitar playing rather than music theory. I will introduce bits and pieces of theory along the way as it is important, but I’m not going to swamp you with unnecessary theory. I carefully balance it out so that you will gain the knowledge you need to progress in your guitar journey rather than taking unnecessary academic lessons. Throughout your course, the emphasis will be on you learning techniques and playing songs so that you learn by actually playing and having fun.
BEGINNER’S 3-LEVEL GUITAR TUITION SYSTEM:
This 3-level system provides a fun, structured, and effective approach to learning how to play guitar. But why am I offering a grade system rather than just continuous ongoing lessons? Easy, I want you to follow a well-structured path toward your goals rather than just take random lessons here and there that won't help you in the long run. Because of this, I've divided all the information you need into three distinct and separate courses so that you have the option to take a break between them and consolidate all the valuable knowledge you've acquired before you move on to another course. Each grade contains several individual modules that are divided into lessons. Here's what your guitar journey will look like:
BEGINNERS GUITAR COURSE GRADE 1
Grade 1 - This first grade is designed to quickstart Your Guitar Journey. You'll learn a great deal of information including:
🎸 How to pick the guitar strings,
🎸Basic strumming patterns,
🎸How to change chords quickly,
🎸How to tune your guitar,
🎸How to use a capo,
🎸How to read guitar tablature
🎸The basics of rhythm,
🎸Scales and arpeggios
🎸Understanding musical notes and time signatures
And most importantly you will learn the essential open chords that beginners need to start playing right away, as well as a whole bunch of classic songs and riffs that you'll have fun playing to friends and family!
Without the basics you'll acquire from this Grade 1 course, your guitar journey will become far more challenging than it needs to be! Don't allow that to happen!
BEGINNERS GUITAR COURSE GRADE 2
Grade 2 - Now you're really going to start rocking your guitar! You'll learn even more including:
🎸More advanced strumming techniques,
🎸A lot more chords to enhance your playing,
🎸An introduction to pentatonic and major scales,
🎸How to avoid unwanted string noise,
🎸Your first lead guitar techniques,
🎸An introduction to fingerstyle guitar playing,
🎸Rock power chords,
🎸Blues guitar rhythm techniques,
🎸Easy blues improvisation.
This will enable you to play most of your favorite songs using open chords. If you've tried playing before and have struggled with playing the F chord then I have ways to help you. In this grade you'll get to explore popular Rock guitar techniques and get started with using power chords, learn how to play fingerstyle, and learn some fun 12-bar blues guitar rhythms. I'm confident that you will have a lot of fun in this grade, and most importantly, by the end of Grade 2, you will be playing your guitar with confidence!
BEGINNERS GUITAR COURSE GRADE 3
Grade 3 - Your final Beginner Grade on your path to becoming an intermediate-level guitarist!
In this grade, you will fortify your new guitar skills and advance further with specific styles. Your Grade 3 course includes:
🎸How to practice guitar effectively,
🎸Learn even more chords and how to adapt chords on the fly,
🎸How to link guitar chords using scales,
🎸How to use the whole of the fretboard using a capo,
🎸How to adjust your guitar tone,
🎸How to transcribe songs,
🎸How to play Rolling chords,
🎸How to play melodies,
🎸How to play easy triads,
🎸Thumb and finger strumming,
🎸Legato techniques,
🎸An introduction to solo blues playing,
🎸How to play triad chips,
🎸Fingerstyle patterns,
🎸Chords in keys,
🎸How to escape standard tuning and play in open tunings,
🎸Further scale work,
🎸Double strumming,
🎸Vibrato.
By the time you complete Grade 3 you will have come such a long way! This grade will definitely fortify your skills and advance you further with specific guitar styles. You’ll get to delve deeper into fingerstyle guitar and add even more chord shapes to make your playing even more interesting. And the most important thing is after completing Grade 3 you will be an Intermediate guitar player. 👏
Songs
My courses are very much song-based. As important as scales are, no one wants to listen to you play scales, they are more interested in hearing you play music, so the emphasis of my courses is for you to learn by playing actual songs. But are you going to sound like the Eagles or Rolling Stones from the get-go? No! For a start, there is more than one person in each band. And second, you are just starting out. I’ll simplify each song that you play, but the songs are selected carefully so that you can revisit them as time goes on, adding embellishments, melodies, etc so that step by step, you will play them more like the original artist intended. But everything in time, it’s all about starting simple.
Here are a few short ‘tasters’ of songs that we’ll look at during the course. For the song Wish You Were Here we’ll start simply with just the intro, but then revisit it in time to add to it. The other three are songs that we’ll look at towards the end of the beginner’s course.
These videos are not about me showing off…and I don’t! They are recorded without backing tracks and so are very basic. And are completely unedited, apart from adding a logo. They are filmed in one go so they are ‘warts and all’. And they are kept very simple as if demonstrating.
A (very) abridged and simplified beginners version of The Rolling Stone's You Can't Always Get What You Want. Taken from the Grade 3 section on alternate tunings.
An abridged and simplified beginner's version of David Gilmour's/Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Taken from the Grade 2 course.
A short tune demonstrating intermixing some bluesy licks and riffs. Taken from the Grade 3 course.
Albatross by Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac. Taken from the Grade 3 course.
“Embrace the journey of discovering your musical story. Let it unfold naturally, just like a beautiful riff playing out. Let every chord resonate with the promise of evolution.”
FAQs
I've added a list of Frequently Asked Questions below, along with my thoughts on each. Hopefully, I've answered any questions you may have but if not then feel free to reach out to me and I'll be happy to help you out.
Thank you!
WHAT KIND OF GUITAR SHOULD I BUY?
I'm really sorry but I can't tell you what the right guitar is for you! It’s a very personal decision and what would be a good guitar for one person may not be for another. View your guitar as being your connection to the world of music. You need to love it and love the look of it. You need to enjoy holding it and relish how it feels and how it sounds. For this reason, I recommend you go to a store to try as many guitars as you can. Try playing guitars with different shapes, see what feels good to you!
But here’s some advice, try to avoid becoming a brand snob as you do not need to buy the most expensive guitar; cost does not necessarily equate to sounding good. The guitar I play most of the time is the cheapest guitar I own, and I have received many compliments on how good it sounds. I remember reading an article written by Brian May’s guitar tech (sorry, I can’t remember his name but I’ll add a credit if I find out) who said Brian can pick up a $100 guitar and make it sound like a $10,000 guitar. The tech on the other hand could pick up a $10,000 guitar and make it sound like a $100 guitar! So remember, a lot of the sound, and the tone comes from your fingers.
The last point that I would like to make is the importance of having your guitar set up for you by a good luthier, as a cheaper guitar with a good setup will always outperform an expensive guitar that is poorly set up!
WHAT DO I NEED TO START TAKING GUITAR LESSONS?
You will obviously need to possess a guitar, electric, acoustic or classical, whatever you prefer. Besides that, you will need a capo and a few picks (I recommend thin picks, but we’ll discuss the picks and capo options during our first lesson). I will also provide you with a comprehensive workbook at the beginning of each course, which I have to make an additional charge for. But that is all you will need.
I CAN’T SEEM TO PLAY BARRE CHORDS, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
The key to playing barre chords is to build the muscles up in your fretting hand, especially the one between your thumb and your index finger. To do that, I recommend you keep your thumb on the back of your guitar neck when playing open chords!
Now, having said that, I don’t expect beginners to play barre chords straight away. In fact I don’t really teach them until the intermediate level, although on saying that there is a quick introduction to simple barre chords towards the end of Grade 3. The reason behind this is that it takes time to build up those muscles, which you can be doing throughout most of the beginner course.
DO I NEED TO PRACTICE IN BETWEEN LESSONS?
Absolutely! Guitar playing relies on muscle memory, which means you need to practice the right way and regularly. If you don’t practice then you will find it extremely difficult to make progress quickly. After each lesson, you will receive a practice schedule that is not too time-consuming, but it will enable you to practice the right way so that you can make progress quickly. Consistent daily practice is the key to learning and getting better at any musical instrument. Here are a few starting points for how often to practice.
🎸Beginner Grade 1 course: 20 minutes per day 4 weekly sessions.
🎸Beginner Grade 2 course: 30 minutes per day 4 weekly sessions.
🎸Beginner Grade 3 course: 30-60 minutes per day 4 weekly sessions.
It is far better to practice consistently over multiple days every day rather than have one long marathon practice session every few days. 20 minutes of daily practice 4 days a week yields better results than one long 2-hour practice session once a week.
AM I TOO OLD TO LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR?
Absolutely not! Playing songs is fun, and everyone deserves to have a little fun, especially so if you have any form of stress in your life. Guitar playing is a great way to de-stress! But if your goal is to be the next Eric Clapton and play in arenas full of fans then I suggest you don’t leave it too late in life to learn how to play, but for the rest of us mere mortals, start at any age and have fun!
BUT ISN’T IT CHEAPER TO DO AN ONLINE COURSE OR WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS?
It can be, but the key word here is cheaper rather than better. Yes, you can spend less on tuition, and there are a vast amount of great videos online, particularly on YouTube. But if you aren’t careful, you’ll bounce from one video to another, learning a little here and there, but in a non-structured way that prevents you from really progressing to a higher level. Some online instructors offer structured courses, but they generally charge for those, so it may not necessarily be cheaper in the long run. Plus, having one-to-one instruction provides you with the benefit of having an instructor beside you who can spot issues and help you through them, and of course, be there to help you as you need. So try not to discount the value of personal instruction.
WHY DO YOU OFFER SET COURSES WHEN OTHER TEACHERS OFFER WEEKLY LESSONS?
If you wish to study just about any subject under the sun you would purchase a dedicated course. But music seems to be different, instruction is offered on an open-ended basis with an outcome that is just hoped for rather than aimed at. Why do that? My suggestion is to have a particular goal, such as completing Grade 1, and aiming for it and knowing when you’ve achieved it. And then when you’re ready, aim for stage 2. I’ve been through open-ended instruction and, at least from my perspective, there was never a feeling of achievement. Instead, I felt like a donkey following a carrot and never getting to where I wanted to go.
DO YOU OFFER INTERMEDIATE COURSES?
I’m working on that at the moment, and aim to launch an intermediate course later in 2024, which I anticipate will also have three grades. The Beginner’s course provides you with a good guitar knowledge foundation, but from there you should plan out what you want your future guitar journey to look like.
My Intermediate courses are likely to focus on barre chord work, rhythm, the scales you need for lead guitar playing, and a good chunk of blues playing, with a little rock and folk thrown in. If that’s the type of music that you’re into then my Intermediate course could be ideal for you. But if your interests lie elsewhere, such as in classical guitar, Jazz, Metal, etc. then it may not be for you, although I’m sure you’ll be able to find other instructors who have the necessary skills to help you advance in your preferred direction.
WILL YOU OFFER ADVANCED COURSES?
No, I don’t and I’m unlikely to. At the advanced level, I suggest you take a look at some of the courses available on Truefire.com. Yes, they are online courses rather than one-to-one courses, which I do not recommend at the beginner level. But once you reach the Intermediate or Advanced level then I recommend you take a look at their courses as they are offered by some of the best guitarists in the world, players such as Mike Dawes, Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Vai, and Orianthi to name just a few! That’s where I go to obtain more advanced courses.