Online Skype Guitar Lessons

Live Online 1:1 Guitar Lessons using Skype via a Webcam

Why learn to play the guitar live online?

Personalised online Skype guitars lessons are the answer to anyone who’s looking for one to one music tuition without having to leave their homes. Online music lessons are gaining in popularity, much of it due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

What is Skype?

Quite simply, it’s a free app (software application) that allows me to communicate via a PC screen with other online users. By using a webcam, you can see and speak to another person using the same software which is obviously ideal for teaching. I will send you a link to prompt the lesson - you press, and away we go! I can also use Facebook or Zoom as an alternative.

What do I need to have to be able to take the lessons?

Through these extraordinary times, many children and adults are having to find more ways of keeping occupied until things get back to normal so learning to play the guitar may well be on the list of things to do when ‘I get time’. What would you need to be taught online? You would need to have the following:

PC, Tablet or Notebook
Built-in or standalone webcam
Acoustic guitar or electric guitar with amplifier
Guitar tuner (your guitar should ideally be in tune before the lesson starts)
Pen and paper to make notes
Plectrum (if applicable)
Good quality broadband connection
A regular time slot
A desire to learn!

What genres do you teach?

You’re free to learn to play Rock | Metal | Blues | Folk | Funk | Indie | Jazz | Reggae | Country | Soul | R&B etc. styles which may include both plectrum and finger-picking techniques. Online lessons will never wholly replace face-to-face tuition but it’s a different kettle of fish from trying to learn from pre-recorded online lessons which do not take into account your skill level, learning speed, technical failings or any other failings that an experienced tutor can spot quickly and rectify so you don’t get despondent from a lack of perceived progress because you don’t know where you’re going wrong.

What playing level do I need to be to start?

Lessons are designed for the total beginner up to the more advanced players and are designed to keep you interested so you feel you are progressing. There will be a mixture of the essential facets of guitar playing such as technique, rhythm, timing, reading TAB or manuscript, improvisation etc. but we’ll always be focussing on the genre/s of guitar-based music that inspired you to look at this website page.

What age do you teach from?

Because of the teaching medium, I feel that age 11 upwards tends to support the concentration levels needed to communicate through Skype interaction but if you think your child may be able to engage through online lessons – please let me know.

The Rockschool Graded Syllabus : Grades I - VIII

For those who would like to learn around a more formal accredited guitar learning structure, the Rockschool grades run from l through to VIII for both acoustic and electric guitar and include all the fundamentals required to become a competent guitar player. Unfortunately, the current Coronavirus pandemic has stopped all formal examinations but these can hopefully be undertaken when the situation has improved.

If I don’t want to follow the Rockschool syllabus, what do the lessons consist of?

For those who would like to play just for fun, or to improve or to just take up a new hobby, my lessons will consist of the following:

Ascertaining what level you are at
Ensuring your technique improves exponentially
Exposing you to the most simple ‘open’ chords to more complex chords
Exploring how important timing and rhythm are
Understanding how harmony works
Learning enough theory so can incorporate it into your unique playing style
Structuring your practice time
Learning to enjoy the whole process!

What else do you provide?

I am DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked through the Welsh Rugby Union as I’m a big rugby fan and spend a lot of time dealing with the development and marketing of mini & junior rugby so my credentials and reputation are out there in the public spotlight. Apart from Rockschool syllabus books (which you are required to purchase yourselves), I will supply all learning notes, chords, scales, progressions etc in PDF or JPEG formats so you can easily open them on your computer.

When do you teach?

I can teach through the day, evenings and weekends for the most part but I would, of course, have to sync diaries for a mutually convenient time slot.