Guitar Teachers - what is your approach?

Littlejonny

I’ve been teaching guitar professionally for about 15 years. It’s been a long learning curve and sometimes I think I’ve cracked it, and sometimes I realise how far I have to go. 

I work in school with children aged from 6 - 13, but have taught older teenagers and young adults as well. 

In school, we (there are 3 other guitar teachers) tend to start them on classical, with rest stroke technique, reading notation and often then move over to electric after a couple of years, at which point they generally start reading tab and trying to play with a plectrum.

I’d be interested to know what approach other teachers here take, and if any teach in schools? What do you think about starting on classical vs steel string, fingers vs pick, reading vs tab etc?

Danny1969

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

guitarjack66

I look forward to this and the views of other tutors. I am a pretty old pupil and didn't even play until the age of 52 so I am fascinated by the depth of knowledge of most teachers of music. Let alone their playing ability. 

Littlejonny

Danny1969 said:

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

Regarding reading - it’s hard justify not teaching reading in a school scenario, I understand the vast majority of guitar players don’t read, but it seems a bit limiting to skip it. 

I have to admit a couple of my students only read tab, but they’re also the ones who struggle with finding notes on the guitar. The tab enables you in one respect and disables you in others. 

I often get called on to do reading gigs, pit work etc. and I don’t think I could get by with my memory alone, with the amount of music I have to get through at work. So I find reading super useful, but understand that it’s not necessary if you’re aiming for rock stardom!

interesting about hybrid picking - I did try that for a while with beginners. Are you therefore teaching this on 1/2 size nylon string classical guitars?

i Agree that note location is crucial…

hollywoodrox

Danny1969 said:

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

I thought no fret numbers might be a bit harsh at first but it makes great sense ,especially if you can name the string  eg hammer the G to G# note on the B string  & you would soon remember where all the notes are ,especially if you practised going through the cycle of 4ths on each string .
a jolly good approach ,even though I do like my tab lol 

Lestratcaster

This is my 15th year of teaching too though I don't teach in schools. Not enough engagement time for pupils who have to leave their own lessons during the school day for 20 minutes to learn nothing.

I always work with the learner's musical tastes. So if they're into pop folk music like Ed Sheeran or the crap in the charts chances are its acoustic guitar and capo'd, with open chord shapes with a steady 4/4 beat. Simple chord charts showing the length of chords are done for those though most either don't use it as they know the tune well enough to play it from memory or don't actually use it as they either don't want to slow themselves down or just don't know how to follow it.

If its older teenagers into rock bands then its obviously electric guitar, power chords and all the rock playing techniques like power chord playing, palm mutes and rhythm.

The assumption one should start on acoustic then go to electric is bullshit. Just go with what you feel comfortable with and can see yourself playing every day. Of course there are differences but you don't have to follow one route.

I usually ask them for their favourite artists and songs they might like to play then match it with those. They usually fall into categories so I can use the same songs with several learners. The main goal at the beginning is to get them playing songs they like and recognise. Then further down the line some will want to delve into the theory world and start understanding what they're playing.

A small portion do the graded exams which saves me lesson planning time as the syllabus is already written but its quite strict and regimented and most get to grade 5 then get bored and quit.

I've never ever taught anyone to read music (as in dots on the staves) as I don't think its needed. I think its more important to train the ear to hear sounds and what's good. Not one of my learners come here for lessons to be a pro. Just enjoyment. If they can play a song THEY chose they're happy enough.

Evo

Danny1969 said:

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

If you don’t allow tab and don’t teach reading, how do you notate?

I have to admit, I don’t have a set “approach”. My main focus is to ensure that my students leave their lesson a better player than when they arrived. I’m a big believer in just jumping in at the deep end and learning what you want to be playing as soon as possible. I want to make sure that I maintain their interest in the instrument as much as I can.

I can usually find a riff or a melody somewhere in an artist’s back catalogue that’s suitable for a beginner. 

As for technique, I teach what’s necessary when it’s relevant. So hybrid picking, legato, finger style, economy picking, alternate picking…they’re all useful so if they’re the right thing to use then I teach it. 

Danny1969

Evo said:

Danny1969 said:

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

If you don’t allow tab and don’t teach reading, how do you notate?

I have to admit, I don’t have a set “approach”. My main focus is to ensure that my students leave their lesson a better player than when they arrived. I’m a big believer in just jumping in at the deep end and learning what you want to be playing as soon as possible. I want to make sure that I maintain their interest in the instrument as much as I can.

I can usually find a riff or a melody somewhere in an artist’s back catalogue that’s suitable for a beginner. 

As for technique, I teach what’s necessary when it’s relevant. So hybrid picking, legato, finger style, economy picking, alternate picking…they’re all useful so if they’re the right thing to use then I teach it. 

I don't notate anything, there's no paperwork at all really. If there's a piece that they need to practice then I get them to record it as a video of me playing it so they can see the correct position and the correct fingering I want them to do. 

The first thing I want them to do is get excited about playing the guitar. So the first lessons will be showing them where to put their fingers and how to anchor the picking arm. This stage is all about getting them hooked because that's the only thing that makes them practice. This can be hard for younger kids as they are used to the relatively easy path to success playing video games. The guitar is a hard instrument to learn and painful on their fingers to begin with so only those with a real desire to play tend to get anywhere. 

Teaching tuning is easier now, they all got tuners on their phones.  Once I have shown them a few riffs then we get into learning the fretboard. From then on we talk about notes. 
Once they know where the notes are we get into the maths of music, learning how to build a major and minor scale and then start expressing everything as intervals. Now here I find the young kids are better at this than the older people. They have the ability to learn quickly. Once they understand intervals they can see how changing the intervals leads to a different mode and we are then into modes. 

I have had some kids who's parents were more into them learning the guitar than they were. They can be challenging. Covid got me out of teaching some of them luckily. I've also been lucky ... I started teaching one kid at 13 and by 16 he was so good we stopped lessons, having completed his GCSE with almost top marks for theory and top mark for performance. Kids like him are few and far between though. 

I couldn't teach full time, a few lessons a week is enough for me but it's nice to know you can take on more when other music revenue dries up. 

Brad

My approach is probably very similar to @Evo ;

People learn in different ways and at different rates, there is no one size fits all approach so for me, it's important to be flexible and adaptable depending on the situation and the student(s) in question.

As a minimum though, I do try to get a good grounding with basic open position chords, simple single note melodies and riffs but in a student centred way. 

Regarding music notation, that can be a bit of a contentious issue. For me, I judge it case by case. Some students it would just turn them off (like it would've done me), some need a little playing time in the fingers first, others really thrive off it if their brains are wired that way. As part of music curriculum in high schools, they may need to read or they'll get left behind in class/band rehearsals. Or if a student is very serious about wanting to play professionally, then I'd definitely advocate learning to read as there's plenty of work I'd have missed out on if i didn't (and I'm not a great reader by any stretch!) That being said, I've taken over students who had been having lessons for a number of years, working through a particular book, yet just couldn't play anything. For as worthwhile learning notation can be, it really can be a cop out on the part of the teacher too.

One thing I've learnt to be comfortable with, is not to expect too much from them or myself. Even the smallest improvement is progress and it all adds up. As long the student has a positive, enjoyable experience in a lesson with the guitar/music, that's a successful lesson in my opinion.

Evo

I’d say probably 90% of my teaching is guitar tab (or chord/rhythm charts)

That’s because 90% of music out there for guitarists is written in guitar tab. Things have moved on slightly with apps and learning subscriptions, but I’d still say that by far the most common place my students find anything is ultimate guitar even after all these years. 

Most of my students aren’t interested in music as a career or into their higher education, those that are will get a reasonable grounding in standard notation but what they choose to do with it after that is up to them. 

fastonebaz

Let's face it, we all started learning guitar originally because we didn't know how to talk to girls.

guitarjack66

fastonebaz said:

Let's face it, we all started learning guitar originally because we didn't know how to talk to girls.

That's interesting as I started learning the guitar in middle age to avoid talking to one!

Littlejonny

Danny1969 said:

Evo said:

Danny1969 said:

I don't teach in schools ... too regimented time wise but I have taught kids from 8 to 15 as well as adults. For the youngest I start them off on nylon as it's easier on their fingers. Older kids tend to be focussed on electric from the start so we get straight in that. 
I teach hybrid picking from the get go. Not popular I know amongst other teachers but it's the best way to play the guitar in my opinion so it seems pointless to teach them normal plectrum style THEN have to introduce hybrid picking later ...might as well get to it from the start. 

I don't allow any tab or even any reference to fret numbers. I teach them the notes on the fretboard and then we do everything in notes.

I don't teach reading because for what my pupils want to do it's just not that useful. Most of them want to start a band, gig covers, write songs and basically be rock stars. Reading doesn't tend to play a part in any of this. In fact you wouldn't be able to read music in any of the gigs I do ... the lights are flashing, you have to move around .. you can't just stand still with a light on the score unless you are a keyboard player really.
Even in the studio doing session work I've never found reading to be necessary. All the original material I've played on has no score, being written quite often by people who can write a good song but have very little awareness of theory or even what key they are in. It's generally been a  case of listen to it, chart it Nashville style and improvise. You come up with a part rather than read a part. 

There are other situations where reading would be useful though, pit work in the theatres ... proper muso stuff doing film music or something ... 

If you don’t allow tab and don’t teach reading, how do you notate?

I have to admit, I don’t have a set “approach”. My main focus is to ensure that my students leave their lesson a better player than when they arrived. I’m a big believer in just jumping in at the deep end and learning what you want to be playing as soon as possible. I want to make sure that I maintain their interest in the instrument as much as I can.

I can usually find a riff or a melody somewhere in an artist’s back catalogue that’s suitable for a beginner. 

As for technique, I teach what’s necessary when it’s relevant. So hybrid picking, legato, finger style, economy picking, alternate picking…they’re all useful so if they’re the right thing to use then I teach it. 

I don't notate anything, there's no paperwork at all really. If there's a piece that they need to practice then I get them to record it as a video of me playing it so they can see the correct position and the correct fingering I want them to do. 

The first thing I want them to do is get excited about playing the guitar. So the first lessons will be showing them where to put their fingers and how to anchor the picking arm. This stage is all about getting them hooked because that's the only thing that makes them practice. This can be hard for younger kids as they are used to the relatively easy path to success playing video games. The guitar is a hard instrument to learn and painful on their fingers to begin with so only those with a real desire to play tend to get anywhere. 

Teaching tuning is easier now, they all got tuners on their phones.  Once I have shown them a few riffs then we get into learning the fretboard. From then on we talk about notes. 
Once they know where the notes are we get into the maths of music, learning how to build a major and minor scale and then start expressing everything as intervals. Now here I find the young kids are better at this than the older people. They have the ability to learn quickly. Once they understand intervals they can see how changing the intervals leads to a different mode and we are then into modes. 

I have had some kids who's parents were more into them learning the guitar than they were. They can be challenging. Covid got me out of teaching some of them luckily. I've also been lucky ... I started teaching one kid at 13 and by 16 he was so good we stopped lessons, having completed his GCSE with almost top marks for theory and top mark for performance. Kids like him are few and far between though. 

I couldn't teach full time, a few lessons a week is enough for me but it's nice to know you can take on more when other music revenue dries up. 

Brad said:

My approach is probably very similar to @Evo ;;

People learn in different ways and at different rates, there is no one size fits all approach so for me, it's important to be flexible and adaptable depending on the situation and the student(s) in question.

As a minimum though, I do try to get a good grounding with basic open position chords, simple single note melodies and riffs but in a student centred way. 

Regarding music notation, that can be a bit of a contentious issue. For me, I judge it case by case. Some students it would just turn them off (like it would've done me), some need a little playing time in the fingers first, others really thrive off it if their brains are wired that way. As part of music curriculum in high schools, they may need to read or they'll get left behind in class/band rehearsals. Or if a student is very serious about wanting to play professionally, then I'd definitely advocate learning to read as there's plenty of work I'd have missed out on if i didn't (and I'm not a great reader by any stretch!) That being said, I've taken over students who had been having lessons for a number of years, working through a particular book, yet just couldn't play anything. For as worthwhile learning notation can be, it really can be a cop out on the part of the teacher too.

One thing I've learnt to be comfortable with, is not to expect too much from them or myself. Even the smallest improvement is progress and it all adds up. As long the student has a positive, enjoyable experience in a lesson with the guitar/music, that's a successful lesson in my opinion.

That’s interesting- I’ve never considered teaching reading a cop out. Can you further explain what you mean?

Littlejonny

Ok. Another question - pupil comes to you…wants to learn ‘guitar’ ie no specific style. You ask them what type of music they like and they say ‘I don’t really listen to much music’ or ‘anything’. What’s the first thing you teach them?

Brad

Littlejonny said:

That’s interesting- I’ve never considered teaching reading a cop out. Can you further explain what you mean?

When it's done with no consideration to what might be right for the student at that time. Just plonk a book in front of a student and work through it, just letting the book do all the work so to speak. It's a great way of not having to think about what to teach someone, whilst being ''seen'' to be teaching. 

I have encountered a fair few casualties of this over the years, even with students that have been preparing for grade exams too. There is no understanding of any underlying concepts going on in the music or any really simple things that can help them execute a passage or piece of music successfully. To see a student struggle with something they’ve been working on for so long, and then I explain that it’s “really just based around a D major chord” there’s either a lightbulb moment or a complete blank reaction. 

Brad

Littlejonny said:

Ok. Another question - pupil comes to you…wants to learn ‘guitar’ ie no specific style. You ask them what type of music they like and they say ‘I don’t really listen to much music’ or ‘anything’. What’s the first thing you teach them?

They definitely go straight to notation

Brad

To answer properly, that’s always a tough situation to find ourselves in. I still go with my usual approach, as even though they might not listen to music, they are still receptive to learning. I just gear it towards things they can recognise, simple melodies, theme tunes etc to start with and gradually try and spark something that might interest them musically. 

Evo

Littlejonny said:

Ok. Another question - pupil comes to you…wants to learn ‘guitar’ ie no specific style. You ask them what type of music they like and they say ‘I don’t really listen to much music’ or ‘anything’. What’s the first thing you teach them?

Usually a movie theme. 

Hedwig’s theme from Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, James Bond, 

If they aren’t into movies or TV, I move onto video games (super mario, Zelda, halo…you get the idea). 

Music is everywhere, it’s just a case of drilling until you find their interest and then figuring out where the music is. 

allen

Littlejonny said:

Ok. Another question - pupil comes to you…wants to learn ‘guitar’ ie no specific style. You ask them what type of music they like and they say ‘I don’t really listen to much music’ or ‘anything’. What’s the first thing you teach them?

Go and listen to led zep iv

and don't come back if it doesn't move you :-)

Seriously, the guitar isn't an end in itself, it's the music...although to be fair it's easy to get carried away and forget that.

allen

I'm not a guitar teacher, but have taught both of my kids to play. 

They wanted fast results and they wanted to sing songs that they knew.

Kid 1 started on Riptide
Kid 2 started on Achey Breaky Heart - that one is only 2 chords. She is averse to practice or any work and it took about 2 evenings. 

They both commented that they couldn't understand how their friends who learned guitar at school had been doing it for ages, but still couldn't play a song! To me, that's everything that's wrong with school music.

fastonebaz

Legend has it, the first song Chuck Norries learnt on guitar was Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce.