Beginning students need to learn how to play specific tones (notes) for specific lengths of time. It makes sense for students to learn the basics or reading music because slowly and progressively, they learn to identify and then play each note in time, in the context of real music. Students also are also exposed to the history of music which is unconsciously absorbed in their ears and hands as they play each new piece.
Learning to play one note at a time prepares students to play more than one note at a time, or a chord. Chords demand good eye and hand coordination as well as a good understanding of rhythm and time. (A song doesn't really sound familiar until the correct chords and the correct rhythm are being played.)
Many students are interested in jamming with other musicians. That's where scales and theory become useful tools. If person has a basic understanding of music theory, she/he can figure out which scales can be played over a specific chord progression. Scales and chord progressions are studied in beginning music theory classes.
Tablature is a system of notation that is designed specifically for guitarists. It can be helpful because unlike some instruments, like the piano, many of the notes on the guitar can be played in several different places on the neck. (I think the average note can be played about 2.8 different places, but it depends on the length of the neck.) Tablature tells guitarists where to play the music, but most of the time it does not show the rhythm. If the rhythm is shown, it is unintelligible to people who have not studied standard music notation.
Each teacher has a unique way of presenting, explaining and applying the fundamentals to the music that you want to play. Of course, many teachers do not teach the fundamentals of music, and those teachers have a lot of excuses to explain why they do not teach them. More often than not, teachers who do not teach the fundamentals of music do not know them well enough themselves.
Becoming a Good Guitar Player in 3 Years
One of the most common questions that prospective students ask me is, "How long will it take me to get good?" There are simply too many variables to answer that question. It depends on a person's desire, practice habits, intelligence, coordination, previous musical experience, along with many other considerations.
But let's say that a student has a strong desire to play the guitar, the self-discipline to practice each day, a fairly high intelligence, good coordination and has listened to lots of good music throughout her/his life. Let's also say that this person's learning style perfectly matches my teaching style. I could predict that that person could be a good guitar player in about 3 years.
Year One Skills:
• Reading Standard Music Notation in Open Position
• All Open Position Chords
• One Minor Pentatonic Scale Pattern and One Major Scale Pattern
• Chromatic Scale Theory
• Note Names on the "E" and "A" Strings
• Power Chords, Major and Minor Barre Chords with "E" and "A" String Roots
Year One Student Application: After 2-3 months of private study and practice, the student joins a Guitar Club and plays at weekly jam sessions. The student also learns songs from online videos and from friends in the Guitar Club. The student plays every day for an hour or so and practices about 10-40 minutes a day.
Year Two Skills:
• Apply Reading Standard Music Notation in Open Position to Jazz and Classical Pieces
• All 5 Minor Pentatonic and Major Scale Patterns, in different keys
• Dom. 7th, Major 7th, Minor 7th, Diminished, Half-Diminished, Dom. 9 and b9 Chords
• Major Scale, Chord and Major Scale Harmonization Theory
• The "C-A-G-E-D" System: All Major 7th, Dom. 7th and minor 7th in all 5 Positions
Year Two Student Application: The student attends the Guitar Club's weekly jam sessions and periodically brings tunes that she/he has written-out for the group. The student joins the school Jazz Band and may also start her/his own small group to play cover tunes and original music.
Year Three Skills:
• Reading Standard Music Notation in Different Positions
• Altered and Extended Chords
• Jazz Chord/Melodies and Chord/Solos
• Improvisation: Scales, Function/Note Name Identification, Ear Training, Transcription
• The Theory of Modes, Other Minor Scales (Modes and Harmonization)
Year Three Student Application: The student is leading some of the Guitar Club jam sessions, soloing in the school jazz band, performing in rock/blues/jazz bands, composing music and teaching other beginning students how to play the guitar.
I had a teacher who once told me that he could teach someone everything she/he needed to know about music in a year. I agree that the knowledge can be passed on very quickly, but I think it takes more time for students to really absorb the concepts. I feel that my plan works well for many students, as long as the student recognizes that it is her/his responsibility to use the skills they learn in real playing situations.
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