How to Teach Guitar
Start with the CAGED system., Find popular songs that use the chords you teach., Keep your lessons simple., Focus on technique over theory., Maintain flexibility., Emphasize practice between sessions., Provide exercises for improving finger strength.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Start with the CAGED system.
The "CAGED" system is a set of five simple, open chords that are easy for beginning guitar students to learn.
These common chords don't require complex finger movements and appear in a variety of songs.Do a search online, and you can find plenty of free resources to help you get started in this system, including chord charts and teaching tips and tricks.
The CAGED system includes the chords C, A, Am, G, E, Em, D, and Dm.
These chords have relatively simple shapes that are easy to learn and transition between.
Once your students have these chords down along with a few basic strumming patterns, they should be able to play thousands of songs.
Structure each lesson around a chord or two, and making a simple transition. -
Step 2: Find popular songs that use the chords you teach.
Many students want to learn how to play guitar so that they can play their favorite songs.
Try to pick a variety of songs in different genres so your students can learn something with which they're already familiar.For example, you may want to find a classic rock song and a country or folk song that uses the chords taught in each of your lessons.
If you can find several, your students can pick the songs that most appeal to them.
Many songs also have simplified, beginner versions that you can use to motivate your students and make them feel like they're making progress.
Seek these out especially for students who mention favorite songs they've always wanted to play.
Inspire confidence – don't simply tell them that the song they want to play is "too hard" or "too complex." You also can use the recordings of those songs to get your students up to speed.
Once they learn the chords and how to transition between chords smoothly, they can practice playing along with the recording. , A limited number of well-defined targets is much easier for beginning students to understand.
If you give them too much with each lesson, they may become overwhelmed and abandon their lessons.Decide early on what level of students you want to teach, and develop methods for teaching students at that level.
How you teach beginning students will differ from how you would teach intermediate or advanced students.
If your ultimate goal is to keep students for a long time and have them progress in their musicianship and handling of the instrument, you need to be able to identify when you need to step up your teaching methods to match their progress.
This is something you'll learn to pick up intuitively with practice. , To play any instrument well, a musician must have a handle on both theory and technique.
In your first lessons with a beginner, include a light introduction to theory, but work on building their physical capability to play the instrument before you worry too much about it in your lessons.You can briefly explain the theory behind the focus of each lesson (the chords you're teaching, or the strumming pattern being used), but leave it at that unless the student expresses an interest in learning more.
Keep in mind that even if the student is interested, too much technique at first can be overwhelming – especially to an anxious student who just wants to start playing already.
At the same time, a good bit of theory may be comforting to students who have been classically trained in another instrument, such as piano or violin, because they can fit the guitar into the musical understanding they already have. , Particularly if you are giving private lessons to individual students, your curriculum should have flexibility so it can be tailored to each student's personal goals and skill level.
Not everyone will learn at the same pace.You may want to create a questionnaire for your students to fill out before their lessons start.
Include questions that will allow you to learn each student's general musical background and any experience trying to play the guitar.
You also want to get an idea of the types of music they like and their goals for learning guitar.
These questionnaires can help you better tailor the lessons to each individual student.
For example, if a student's goal is to be able to play a certain song, you can identify the chords in that song and start there.
Some students will appreciate a lot of theory and practicing scales early on, before moving to actual songs.
Other students will get frustrated with this.
The questionnaire and conversation with your students can help you identify how they will be happiest with their lessons. , Your students aren't going to learn to play guitar if all they do is show up to their sessions and then leave their guitar in its case all week.
Finger positions and strumming patterns will only become natural with repetition.For students that aren't very self-motivated or self-directed, you might want to provide them with a basic practice schedule.
List the things you've gone over in the lesson, and leave space for them to place a check mark after each thing for each day they practice it.
At the beginning of each lesson, briefly go over what was covered in the last lesson.
If the student was given a song to play for practice, ask them to play it for you so you can evaluate their progress.
If your students fail to practice, start a dialogue to find out why.
Be open and understanding.
If they have something else going on in their life that is preventing them from making a commitment to practicing, you may want to allow them to postpone their lessons until their schedule loosens up a bit. , Beginning guitarists are going to have difficulty moving their fingers with speed and agility.
This is especially true for those who've never played any other stringed instrument.You typically can find a number of finger-strengthening exercises online.
Many are geared specifically for students beginning to learn guitar.
Look for exercises that focus on building finger muscles and spreading the fingers.
Even students who have played other instruments may need to strengthen their pinky fingers, which often don't get worked as much with other instruments as they do with guitar.
The stronger the student's fingers get, the easier they will find it to move more quickly and accurately on the fret board. -
Step 3: Keep your lessons simple.
-
Step 4: Focus on technique over theory.
-
Step 5: Maintain flexibility.
-
Step 6: Emphasize practice between sessions.
-
Step 7: Provide exercises for improving finger strength.
Detailed Guide
The "CAGED" system is a set of five simple, open chords that are easy for beginning guitar students to learn.
These common chords don't require complex finger movements and appear in a variety of songs.Do a search online, and you can find plenty of free resources to help you get started in this system, including chord charts and teaching tips and tricks.
The CAGED system includes the chords C, A, Am, G, E, Em, D, and Dm.
These chords have relatively simple shapes that are easy to learn and transition between.
Once your students have these chords down along with a few basic strumming patterns, they should be able to play thousands of songs.
Structure each lesson around a chord or two, and making a simple transition.
Many students want to learn how to play guitar so that they can play their favorite songs.
Try to pick a variety of songs in different genres so your students can learn something with which they're already familiar.For example, you may want to find a classic rock song and a country or folk song that uses the chords taught in each of your lessons.
If you can find several, your students can pick the songs that most appeal to them.
Many songs also have simplified, beginner versions that you can use to motivate your students and make them feel like they're making progress.
Seek these out especially for students who mention favorite songs they've always wanted to play.
Inspire confidence – don't simply tell them that the song they want to play is "too hard" or "too complex." You also can use the recordings of those songs to get your students up to speed.
Once they learn the chords and how to transition between chords smoothly, they can practice playing along with the recording. , A limited number of well-defined targets is much easier for beginning students to understand.
If you give them too much with each lesson, they may become overwhelmed and abandon their lessons.Decide early on what level of students you want to teach, and develop methods for teaching students at that level.
How you teach beginning students will differ from how you would teach intermediate or advanced students.
If your ultimate goal is to keep students for a long time and have them progress in their musicianship and handling of the instrument, you need to be able to identify when you need to step up your teaching methods to match their progress.
This is something you'll learn to pick up intuitively with practice. , To play any instrument well, a musician must have a handle on both theory and technique.
In your first lessons with a beginner, include a light introduction to theory, but work on building their physical capability to play the instrument before you worry too much about it in your lessons.You can briefly explain the theory behind the focus of each lesson (the chords you're teaching, or the strumming pattern being used), but leave it at that unless the student expresses an interest in learning more.
Keep in mind that even if the student is interested, too much technique at first can be overwhelming – especially to an anxious student who just wants to start playing already.
At the same time, a good bit of theory may be comforting to students who have been classically trained in another instrument, such as piano or violin, because they can fit the guitar into the musical understanding they already have. , Particularly if you are giving private lessons to individual students, your curriculum should have flexibility so it can be tailored to each student's personal goals and skill level.
Not everyone will learn at the same pace.You may want to create a questionnaire for your students to fill out before their lessons start.
Include questions that will allow you to learn each student's general musical background and any experience trying to play the guitar.
You also want to get an idea of the types of music they like and their goals for learning guitar.
These questionnaires can help you better tailor the lessons to each individual student.
For example, if a student's goal is to be able to play a certain song, you can identify the chords in that song and start there.
Some students will appreciate a lot of theory and practicing scales early on, before moving to actual songs.
Other students will get frustrated with this.
The questionnaire and conversation with your students can help you identify how they will be happiest with their lessons. , Your students aren't going to learn to play guitar if all they do is show up to their sessions and then leave their guitar in its case all week.
Finger positions and strumming patterns will only become natural with repetition.For students that aren't very self-motivated or self-directed, you might want to provide them with a basic practice schedule.
List the things you've gone over in the lesson, and leave space for them to place a check mark after each thing for each day they practice it.
At the beginning of each lesson, briefly go over what was covered in the last lesson.
If the student was given a song to play for practice, ask them to play it for you so you can evaluate their progress.
If your students fail to practice, start a dialogue to find out why.
Be open and understanding.
If they have something else going on in their life that is preventing them from making a commitment to practicing, you may want to allow them to postpone their lessons until their schedule loosens up a bit. , Beginning guitarists are going to have difficulty moving their fingers with speed and agility.
This is especially true for those who've never played any other stringed instrument.You typically can find a number of finger-strengthening exercises online.
Many are geared specifically for students beginning to learn guitar.
Look for exercises that focus on building finger muscles and spreading the fingers.
Even students who have played other instruments may need to strengthen their pinky fingers, which often don't get worked as much with other instruments as they do with guitar.
The stronger the student's fingers get, the easier they will find it to move more quickly and accurately on the fret board.
About the Author
Pamela Harvey
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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