Where are guitar lessons held?
The room for Guitar Lessons is upstairs at 83C Hardy Street, Nelson (View map & get directions)
How much do lessons cost?
Private lessons are $30 per half hour lesson and group lessons are $20 per half hour lesson. Lessons are invoiced for the full term and must be paid in full before lessons begin. Paying the invoice confirms your booking and a position in a class.
How many lessons per term?
There are normally 10 lessons per school term, although some classes may vary from 8 to 9 weeks. You are expected to signup for the full term. There are no lessons over the school holidays.
Does age and ability matter?
I am willing to teach anyone who is interested in playing guitar, no matter what age for private guitar lessons. Kids group lessons have an age limit of 6-12 years, Teen groups 13-18 and the adult group lessons 19+.
Do I need my own guitar?
Yes you will need your own guitar to take lessons with and to practice and play with at home.
Where should I buy a guitar?
I recommend going into any local music shop and finding a guitar that you like the look and feel of, and for the price you want to spend. Kids may require a 3/4 size guitar. I also recommend a steel string guitar. It can be a good idea to get a decent guitar that will last without needing to upgrade at a later stage. Check out the Guitar Buying Tips or buy a guitar from our recommended guitar packages.
How often should I take lessons?
Lessons are held weekly and require booking for a term, or remaining weeks of a term. It is recommended that you practice often at home to ensure that improvement will be made.
Can I stop lessons and get a refund?
Lessons that are paid for are expected to be taken for the full term, no refunds can be given. The empty lesson spot would need to be advertised again. If taking private lessons then one lesson per term can be credited to the next term.
Are there school holidays?
Yes, lessons run during the weeks of the school terms so no lessons will be on during school holidays.
What will be taught?
Students are given lesson sheets & taught all about:
- Tuning methods
- Open chords & advanced barre chords
- Strumming patterns
- Finger picking patterns & techniques
- The music theory you need to know for guitar
- Reading guitar tablature and notation
- Scales for jamming and exercises
- How to write songs & songwriting tips
- Your favourite songs
+ more essential skills!
Top 10 Essential Guitar Tips for the Beginner
For beginners, learning the acoustic guitar can be a challenging process that is often accompanied with many disappointments. However, here are some tried and tested tips that’ll give the budding guitarist a relatively bump free learning experience.
- Find a guitar that fits your size. It is important to feel physically comfortable with the instrument you are playing. This helps create a connection between you and the guitar which will make the learning process easier and more enjoyable.
- When you’re just starting out, it’s recommended that you master pick holding. If you get the habit early on, it becomes way easier in the long run. People I know who did it this way ended up being extremely good players, more so than the average guy.
- Learn to self tune your guitar. After all, you will not always be playing in the presence of your coach. Knowing how to tune your guitar is the most basic and essential skill for any learner. You could start by learning how to use a digital tuner and then move on to just using your ears.
- When playing, it’s a pretty good idea to keep your fingers and palms clean and dry. This provides better grip and will cause less wear on your strings.
- Always have good posture, especially so when you’re just starting out. Good posture gives you stability, comfort and confidence. This, in turn, helps you to strum and change chords better.
- Change your guitar strings regularly. The tensile strength within guitar strings is what determines the quality of the tunes played. Therefore, learn to change the strings by yourself and do this regularly.
- Use a capo; this is a clamp that you use to modify the tensile strength of your guitar strings. If your guitar does not have this tool, then you need to buy one as soon as possible. You can also learn to tune your guitar using the capo from online lessons.
- Do not be discouraged by the calluses. Calluses are painful spots in the fingertips that occur in beginners. This happens because the skin around the fingertips rubs against the rough strings so often that it causes wear and tear. This is inevitable. Instead of feeling annoyed, you should feel a sense of achievement when you see these calluses. It just means you’ve been practicing a lot lately.
- Be one with music theory; a good grounding in theory classes is what will prepare you to be a professional player.
- Get a good teacher. Period. I cannot stress how important this is, you must get a good teacher. It is as they say; you can only be as good as your teacher. The choice of a teacher is therefore one of the most significant decisions that you will make in your guitar playing j
