Lessons can be requested for either Half hour at £18, or for one hour at £25.
Block bookings with discount available.
Lessons can be either conducted in your own home or I can accommodate in either Wallsend (North tyneside) or Pegswood (Morpeth).
All styles covered.
One on one tuiition or group classes available.
Beginners
Children
Children from the ages of 7 – 12 are normally advised to have only a half hour lesson. I have found in my experience that children respond well during this time frame and any longer will result in fatigue or restlessness reducing eagerness to learn.
For younger children there are variety of books that I use at my discretion to help them develop the basic skills needed to progress. These skills include:
- Fret board Knowledge
- Basic notation
- Basic comprehension of timing
- Right hand picking / strumming techniques
- Repertoire of easy to learn recognisable tunes
Teenagers & Adults
From 12 Upwards, the student’s individual tastes will be taken into consideration.
For a raw beginner, the development of basic chords and strumming / rhythm patterns will be the main point of focus. These tools will then be put into practical application by learning well know, easy to play songs. These songs will be both requested by the student as well as recommended by myself.
At this stage the student will then be encouraged to play along with the original recordings of the songs. This is can be done quite early, in as little as two to four weeks depending on the amount of practice put in by the student.
As the student's repertoire of songs grow, the student will then be taught the theory relevant to what they are playing to enhance understanding of how the chords and melodies are created and utilised in the piece. This knowledge and understanding helps the students to learn and soak up new songs at a faster rate as well as giving them the appropriate tools to help develop their own creativity with regards to their own composition and improvisation.
Intermediate
Students who progress to an intermediate level will gradually be taught more advanced songs and pieces that will be a little more challenging physically and theoretically. To help the student deal with the more technically challenging material, the student will be taught how to practice a variety of different chord and scale exercises relevant to the piece in question. These exercises Will develop left / right hand accuracy, Stamina and efficiency as well as the appropriate theory.
Also at this stage the student can begin to improvise his/her own guitar solos using the technique and theory taught. This stage can be highly rewarding and opens the doors to creativity leading the student to develop and create their own unique style and approach.
Advanced
By the time the student reaches the advanced stage, the student will be able to employ a huge wealth of techniques such as Legato, Tapping, sweep picking and alternate picking ( depending on personal preference). The student will be able to use any of these techniques within the music that they play. And advanced students will continue to learn more advanced pieces as well as continuing to develop their individual technique to high standards.
Students will also be encouraged to look in to different styles outside of their comfort zone. By looking at different styles the student can obtain a wide variety of new techniques and theory that the student can learn to incorporate into their own style, helping them to carve a unique edge into their own playing style.
Group Lessons
Group classes are available for a two hour lesson every week that will run for 5 weeks at a time. This group of five lessons costs £35 per person and takes place within the adult learning centre at Ashington High School.
The group classes are friendly and fun and the same group has been attending for two years now. In that time We have covered songs from the likes of The eagles, Clapton, Hendrix, The Doors, Oasis, Bob Marley and much much more. The class Members all have a good rapport with each other and always open to new songs and ideas regardless of style or genre.
Within the class we all learn to play and strum along, improvise and jam together as well as learning about theory and composition.
As the class members are regularly exposed to different artists, some of my class students have developed the taste for a variety of different styles that they have not been exposed to before therefore enhancing their appreciation of a wider range of musical styles.
Some of my students from my group have moved on to 1 on 1 tuition. Although Group tuition is a great way to learn and has many benefits, 1 on 1 tuition can provide a deeper and more detailed approach to learning as the individuals specific needs can be more easily be addressed and catered for.