Adult Guitar Lessons
Why Learn to Play the Guitar as an Adult?
Apart from it looks cool and some people have found fame and fortune through playing the guitar, could there be other reasons?
Thankfully, yes! Learning the guitar has so many other rewards that justify the time and effort it takes to become a competent musician. We all have different goals in music which include:
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Looking for a new hobby
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Wanting to play songs we love
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Improving our level
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Joining a band to play in front of people
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Making it our career!
Which One are You?
In terms of where you start as a novice, it doesn't matter as everybody starts at the same place - at the beginning! It may look easy when your guitar hero is playing, but you can guarantee that he or she has spent countless hours getting to the level that they have achieved regardless of their natural ability.
Essentially, there are three main types of guitar:
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Classical
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Acoustic
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Electric
Classical Guitar
This form of guitar has got or nylon strings and has been in its present form since around the 18th century and is played acoustically. Famous players have included Segovia, John Williams and Julian Bream but I should point out at this stage that I don't teach classical guitar but there are many fine tutors in and around the Cardiff and valleys areas.
Acoustic Guitar
A derivative of the classical guitar which uses steel strings and is available in sizes from 1/2 dreadnought up to jumbo size and 12 string. Although termed as 'acoustic' guitar, many sizes are fitted with a pick-up and internal electronics which can be plugged into an amplifier. Famous players include Joni Mitchell, Richard Thompson, Adrian Legg, Tommy Emmanuel and Paul Simon.
Electric Guitar
This form of guitar has been responsible for the birth of the 'Guitar Hero' with so many variations available in terms of design, components, playability and mechanics. As the sound is produced electromagnetically through 'pick-ups', the sound can be contoured and shaped by means of the amplifier and the legion of different effects which can be applied to sound through digital effects via foot pedals or software.
Where Does This Leave You as a Budding Guitar Player?
It really comes down to your ambition and budget. Everyone wants to own a Gibson Les Paul or a Martin but until you develop your dexterity and appreciation of the nuances of music and the way guitars both sound and play - will you really know the difference? Your guitar teacher will help you.
Be Realistic
Be realistic with your aims and budgets as they will both no doubt change as you literally get to grips with learning to play the guitar. It's not a race and you will be surprised as to how your musical tastes may change as you understand how harmony works and how it is applied and utilised through the many genres of music that feature the guitar.
What Would the Guitar Lessons Include?
Nailing down the essentials to ensure your technique is sound would be where we'd start. If you get the basics right, it enables you to progress at a measured rate but without a solid foundation, you risk becoming frustrated and the chances are that you will give up. We would start with:
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Posture
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How to hold a plectrum
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Tuning a guitar
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Re-stringing a guitar
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Learn to read Tab & chord charts
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Open chord positions
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Strumming patterns
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Counting rhythm
These are the absolute fundamentals of learning to play the guitar and will put you into good stead as you move on with your musical education.
What About More Advanced Lesson Content?
Having secured the basics and you have a clearer sight of what you would like to achieve playing the guitar, the learning field opens up into paths which will depend on your tastes and preferred goals and your guitar teacher will be keen to push you on. For an acoustic player, you may want to concentrate on finger-picking and more complicated chords while an electric guitar player may want to learn how to improvise over chord progressions. There is so much to learn but here's an outline of what the different routes could consist of:
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Work out a disciplined practise schedule and itinerary
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Develop a deep understanding of rhythm & timing (using a metronome)
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Notes on the fretboard and positions
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Harmony (chord structure, scales, arpeggios, modes) & Theory
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Barre chords
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Ear-training
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Finger-picking
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Improvisation/Soloing
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Composition
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The use of digital & analogue effects
The lessons can be tailored around your particular tastes in music. the fundamentals and rudiments of guitar playing will be inter-woven around the songs, riffs, musical, passages, chord progressions etc that we will learn so it all becomes wholly relevant and therefore easier to remember. You are free to be as focussed as you think practice time will allow but if you want to be competent guitar player, I would suggest that you try to play at least 20 minutes a day with a structured practice session outline.
20 minutes a day is better than 1 hour+ every two days. Like most things in life you reap what you sow and by investing a short amount of time every day, it won't be long before you are playing along to those songs that you once thought were well out of reach.
Learning via the Rockschool Syllabus
Although most students prefer to learn at a leisurely pace, you can choose to follow the Rockschool syllabus for acoustic or electric guitar attaining grades one through to eight. For whose thinking of following a degree in music, grades qualify for UCAS points.
Guitar Lesson Prices
£16 - Half an Hour (Individually) | £22 ea - Half an Hour (Two people)
£24 - Full Hour (Individually) | £30 ea - Full Hour (Two people)
These rates are for lessons taught from my home. Home visits are possible but subject to availability, address & subsequent costing.
What they say...
"I had tried learning guitar online but felt I wasn't making any progress. A friend recommended Dave to me and it makes such a difference getting good quality one-to-one tuition with an experienced teacher. Dave makes learning an enjoyable experience, he is a very knowledgeable, patient tutor who has inspired me to have confidence in my own ability and I look forward to improving my playing each week. I would definitely recommend.."