Guitar For Beginners

This course is suitable for complete beginners. No other experience is necessary, just a desire to try out a fun & simple, yet versatile musical instrument. The course will be taught in the context of pop, rock & blues.
Ability to read music is not required.

The course is a practical introduction to playing the Acoustic Guitar . We will cover posture, hand positions, tuning the guitar and basic guitar technique including strumming and simple chord shapes, whilst learning a repertoire of songs in various styles.
As we progress through the course you can expect to learn more advanced techniques such as simple fingerpicking and melody playing. Reading chord charts and making simple notation will also be introduced to aid the learning of songs. All of this will be done in a supportive group environment.

Towards the end of the course you will have the opportunity to perform what you have learnt.
What you should be able to do by the end of the course:
- Play the songs and exercises as recommended by the tutor, solo or in an ensemble
- Demonstrate good technique and posture
- Refer to a range of chords
- Read a chord chart and understand chord symbols for Guitar
- Demonstrate an understanding of simple chord relationships
- Tune the Acoustic Guitar
- Demonstrate a developed confidence with singing and playing simultaneously

The teaching and learning methods we use on the course:
- Demonstrations and tutor feedback
- Multimedia resources - video/audio etc
- Practical exercises
- Group discussions

How we assess your progress on the course:
- Constructive feedback, one-to-one and in groups

What extra study/practice we expect you to do outside the class:
- Practice recommended songs
- Optional exercises to aid further progression
- Further listening and viewing encouraged

It is essential that you bring your acoustic guitar: classical style nylon string guitar or steel string acoustic are equally suitable. You can also bring an electric guitar although no amplification will be provided. There are plenty of usable and affordable guitar on the market, but anything priced around £100 should be a decent instrument. You'll also need a notebook and pencil.
Also recommended: a chromatic tuner and a capo suitable for your guitar.

Students can progress onto the Guitar Improvers course, which covers more advanced techniques and methods.
There is detailed information in Reception about all our courses at the Mary Ward Centre.
Information about other learning opportunities can be obtained from Learn Direct: www.learndirect.co.uk and from the following websites: www.floodlight.co.uk; www.hotcourses.com; www.citylit.ac.uk; www.wmcollege.ac.uk; www.morleycollege.ac.uk