- Learn parts of the electric and acoustic guitar - Guitar posture - String names and numbers - Essential accessories for your guitar - Chord diagrams - Open G chord - Basic down strumming.
- How to tune your guitar - Basics of using a pick - Open Cadd9 chord - Changing between two chords - How to practice effectively.
- The fretboard map - G-Major Scale - Notes on the Fretboard - Open D chord - Changing between three Chords.
- Strumming eight notes - Reading tablature - Learn how to read rhythms - Building major and minor triad chords.
- Learn some Songs using what you've learned! - Mixed rhythm STRUM - Learn to read simple chord charts - Learn another G-major scale - Use the major scale to improvise.
- Learn a three chord song using three major chords - Diminished and augmented triad chords - Revisit chords, scales, and strumming patterns and learn the most effective way to master them.
Group Guitar I - IV
FREE use of Music Makers Instruments during class.
Small Group Classes
Small Group Classes
Beginner Guitar
Guitar I
In this eight-week course we will guide you through the fundamental lessons that are essential to get you started making music on your acoustic or electric guitar. This course will start with instruction on the basics of guitar playing such as how to hold it, how to strum it, string names, tuning, and other practice and performance techniques essential to making music. The course will also provide lessons in music theory that will cover basic chords and scales to help you start playing your favorite songs in no time.
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Guitar II
This eight-week course builds on the foundation created in Guitar I. With our trusty guitar in hand, and theory in mind, we are ready to use what we have learned and begin to build a larger knowledge of chords, scales, and strumming patterns which will allow us to play more songs and make more music!
Read More »- Expand your chord library through learning new music - Begin to look at songs with four chord changes that use both major and minor chords - Learn Mixed rhythm strumming patterns - Learn tips on how to make the chord changes smooth - Explore the C-major scale.
- Review C-major scale and its relationship to the G-major scale for an introduction into how musical key centers work - Introduction to mini barre chords by learning the F major chord - Learn a NEW song
- Using a song you have learned, learn how to finger pick - Learn to read basic standard notation
- Introduction to Major barre chords!
- Play awesome rock progressions with Barre chords - Power chords! - The minor scale! Basic improvisation using the minor scale
- Minor barre chords! - Bluesy Chord progression using Minor Barre chords - A rock song using Power Chords - How to Palm Mute and play dynamically.
- Putting it all together - take a look at what you have learned and how to continue to develop your playing by building on the fundamentals you have developed in Guitar I & II
Guitar III
Guitar III is where you will take your playing to the next level! After developing the fundamentals in Guitar I & II you are ready to gain a greater understanding of playing guitar that will prepare you to tackle your favorite songs! In this eight week course we will continue to add to our library of musical knowledge by adding more advanced chords, scales, picking patterns, and rhythmic ideas. Students will also learn what a guitar riff is and begin to look at some classic guitar riffs that will take our rhythm guitar playing to the next level.
Read More »- Advanced Barre Chords - Seventh Chords - New power chords - The blues - Standard blues accompaniment riff and its variation. THE HOUSE IS A ROCKIN!
- Strumming a mix of chords and single notes Hotel California
- A look at Stairway to heaven - Introduction to Arpeggios
- Applying a Finger Picking patterns to Stairway to heaven - Using your pick and fingers at the same time!
- What is a guitar riff? - Learn the most legendary guitar riffs of all time - Learn riffs by Slash and Ozzy Ozbourne that left their marks on the world of guitar - Dive in to these awesome riffs that will give your fingers a work out as you learn to understand how these rock riffs were written - Understand how the Major and Minor scales are related and how they are used to build these and other guitar riffs.
- The art of transcription - Learn how to learn your favorite songs by ear - Learn to use software that helps you transcribe - Utilize your music theory along with your ear to transcribe - Write down your transcription using Tab, Standard Notation, and Chord Charts
- Put all you have learned together - Review all the concepts covered in Guitar III - Take a look at what it takes to start playing with a band - Learn how to keep learning guitar after you complete the class.
Guitar IV
Students are often perplexed by scales, modes, arpeggios, and the other tools that are used for improvisation. Eight weeks of Guitar IV breaks through this barrier. These classes will give you an introduction to the tools that will get you playing lead guitar in no time! In this course you will continue to build on your rhythmic concepts, but now we turn it up a notch and really learn how to improvise a solo. Students will learn the major scale modes, spending the most time on the most commonly used modes. After learning the modes we will dive into a couple of scales that will really add some flare to your solos. Once the scales are under your fingers students will learn how to create solos that are musical and do not sound like a practice routine.
Read More »- Major and Minor scales in all 12 keys - Picking (Up, Down, Alternate, and economy).
- The modes of the major scale - playing legato - Hammer-ons - Pull-offs - Slides
- More Modes of the major scale - Harmonies that correspond to each mode - Arpeggios and sweep picking!
- Minor and Major Pentatonic Scales - The blues notes! - Bending notes - Hammer-ons, Pull-Offs applied to Pentatonic and Blues scales - Classic lead licks played by the greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King, Jeff Beck and other guitar legends.
- Modes of the Pentatonic and Blues Scales - playing scales the whole length of the guitar neck - soloing tricks - Tapping!
- Putting it all together! - How to build phrases and create solos using the tools you have learned - How to not sound like you are practicing scales when you solo - learn to develop a motive or idea.
