The most important thing is: 'What do you want?'  We will find that out in the beginning of our lessons - and I will keep checking in on that during the course of our lessons. 

 

To achieve your aims and play the music you want to play, I will give you the tools you need. All you need to do is to practise and enjoy the sound of your great instrument. I will always try to teach you basics and technique as much as possible in the context of a musical piece that you want to play. At times it is inavoidable to to practise certain techniques on their own. 

 

And now some topics we will cover: 

 

LEVEL I :

 

- Your favourite guitar songs that you always wanted to play. 

 

- technique: right hand fingerstyle, left hand technique, posture, alternate picking / strumming 

 

- Basics of the guitar  ( chord strumming and picking - alternate, finger style, plectrum/pick, thumb, first position notes, bar chords ) 

 

- Reading Music: WHY? To read music is especially for guitarists a helpful tool to understand their own instrument. Besides of course the usual benefits: ability to play with other musicians, write for them, write down your own compositions, being able to read music. 'Isn't it hard???' - Don't worry it's not, even I learned it..... and I learned it late! I've developped some great ways of learninng and teaching it without causing my students a too hard life.  
 

- Chords and single notes

 

- Improvisation, guitar soloing. 

 

- Songwriting

 

- The blues

 

LEVEL II :

 

- different rhythms and grooves (reggae, funk, samba / bossa nova, swing, gypsy jazz rhythms)

 

- soloing and jamming in different styles and feels)

 

- arranging and producing your compositions and songs

 

- playing more repertoire and more advanced repertoire

 

ADVANCED LEVEL I : 

 

- cover all the areas of the fretboard ( learn all the main fingerings for the major and minor scales & triads / arpeggios )

 

- seventh chords, 9th chords, and other higher structure chords

 

- jazz blues

 

- combining walking bass and chords

 

- advanced harmony and theory

 

- Lead sheet reading and playing

 

 

- ADVANCED LEVEL II: 

 

- solo transcriptons

 

- joe pass style soloing,  playing on the changes

 

- jazz comping 

 

- jazz voicings

 

- different soloing concepts

 

 

ADVANCED LEVEL III:

 

- bebop style soloing 

 

- more jazz voicings

 

- melody chord arrangements (writing your own ones)

 

- advanced rhythmic vocabulary