Blogs as lesson journals

I use lesson journals for most of my teaching. This consists of a written summary of the lesson with notes about areas for the student to focus on during the week. I also have a copy on hand so I can keep track of progress. This works reasonably well but students often seem to overlook some (all?) of the points and come back the following week with not much real focused practise done. 

Inspired by some companies offering a web-based alternative to the paper lesson journal, I have set up a blog for one of my students (hi Logan) to test how this will work. The blog is open only to myself and the student/parents so there are no privacy concerns, and will consist of a blog entry for each lesson, as well as links to useful resources. The student/parents are able to make comments on the post in order to communicate with me. They can follow links to an online metronome, inspiring videos on YouTube, and I have also inserted a countdown to his annual assessment. Ultimately I would also like to post my own instructional videos online to cover specific aspects of technique, allowing student/parents to see in detail how they can approach a technical/musical problem. 

As web-based tools become more powerful in the months/years to come I imagine that the possibilities  on offer will only increase. I will write again in the future to let you know how things are working out and of any new tools I have found. I would love to hear if you have any ideas so please feel free to comment. 

Guitar Pedagogy

I have spent a lot of time recently thinking about how I teach guitar and how it can be done better. I have trawled the web, online bookstores and libraries in search of new ideas to improve my teaching practise. All of the materials I have found relate to classical guitar pedagogy. I find this curious as I assume most guitarists these days are not training in the classical form but rather various plectrum styles including rock, jazz, country, etc. Whilst trained as a classical guitarist myself, I prefer to include a broader base when teaching young students. This includes both classical (fingerstyle) and plectrum technique, reading of standard notation and tablature, and composition/improvisation. This is well beyond the scope of any existing writings on guitar pedagogy that I am aware of.

I did find one particularly useful website from the European Guitar Teachers Association. This organisation would be particularly useful to guitar teachers in Europe but those outside of the area still have access to a range of articles written by various guitar/music educators from around the world. These articles cover such topics as aesthetics, composers, repertoire, examination systems, improvisation, luthiers, technique, and teaching. I have only just begun to look into the articles myself and have found them to be just what I need to expand (or reinforce) my knowledge of current thought in guitar pedagogy.  I hope you get a chance to check out the site for yourself.

Extreme chord playing

For this post I would like to look at some resources I have been working with recently to improve my own playing. While they may be suitable for advanced students, these books are not for the feint hearted. All three books are focused entirely on chord playing (from a jazz perspective).

Two of the three books come from the late jazz guitarist Ted Greene. Chord Chemistry and Modern Chord Progressions are Greene's companion chord texts. Chord Chemistry reads like an applied theory course for guitar, starting with the basics and moving very quickly through some advanced concepts (polytonal chords, substitutions, voice leading). Modern Chord Progressions is a lexicon of harmonic possibilities, taking common chord progressions (e.g. I/iii/IV/V) and working these through 100s of variations in a range of keys. Both of these books were first published in the 1970s and their look is a little dated (hand-written diagrams) but it is worth overlooking this for the quality of materials.

Voice Leading for Guitar by John Thomas comes from the Berklee Press series (published 2002) and can be likened to a 'modern' take on Modern Chord Progressions. The book begins with a brief look at chord theory (with an emphasis on voice leading) before moving on to a thorough exploration of the II/V/I progression (249 variations in the one key for major alone). After working through major and minor progressions the book applies this chord knowledge with some 'practice tunes' before finishing up with a chapter on advanced chordal concepts. 

While there is some overlap of material in the books by Greene and Thomas, I would suggest that all three are useful for players looking to improve their chord playing. Not only should they aid in your understanding of the theory of chord playing, they will also force you to explore new (and hopefully useful) sounds on the guitar that you may never have stumbled across on your own (unless you have a lot of spare time).       

 

Reading rhythm right

A major weakness of many guitarists (new and experienced) is their inability to read written music, in particular rhythm. While most students cannot avoid having to grapple with reading the pitch (in the absence of TAB), many use their ears to avoid having to read the rhythm. This is due in some part to the large range of method books and sheet music that come with CDs. 

I have found that this weakness can be overcome reasonably quickly in older or more experienced students through the use of sequenced rhythm exercises (no pitch). These allow the student to focus on the rhythm without the worry about where to find the note on the guitar. I primarily use two books for this purpose. Modern Reading Text in 4/4 and Odd Time Reading Text by Bellson & Breines. 

At the most basic level, the exercises from this book can be clapped or played with a single note on guitar. This would be accompanied often with a metronome and/or the student counting the rhythm as they play. As students become more familiar with a rhythmic concept I may expand the exercise to include a set melody or chord progression, allowing the student to test their mastery of the material. I also use the materials in the books purely as improvisation exercises as they force the player to adapt their material (scales, arpeggios, melodic cells, etc.) to fit the given rhythm.     

These texts are not great for guitarists looking to teach themselves how to read rhythm. They may be used by players who have basic reading skills (minims, crotchets, quavers and semiquavers in both notes and rests) and are looking to develop these skills with a carefully arranged series of exercises, slowly building in difficulty. The books are quite dry so make sure you take a look inside the book before you buy. I understand that there are a number of newer books on the market of a similar nature and I will let you know what I think when I have a chance to check them out.   

Best guitar method?

As a guitar teacher, my most important resources are the books I use to guide students through the various stages of learning. The initial method book is the foremost of these. Such a book needs to move new players through an appropriate learning sequence, while spending enough time on each new concept to develop a firm foundation in the basics. 

I have used many different beginner method books over the years and hope to one day write my own... but until I get around to it I am pleased to have found one that works for me (and my students). The Guitar Method series from Hal Leonard seems to have things 'just right'. Consisting of three volumes, it is designed to take players from scratch through to a stage where reading skills (standard notation, tablature and chord symbols) and techniques (plectrum and fingerstyle) are sufficiently developed that they can choose from a wide range of subsequent books and music. 

The music contained in the books is a combination of well-known favourites and catchy purpose-written tunes. The accompanying CD contains quality backing tracks, often at two different speeds, and in a range of appropriate styles. I suspect my students might sometimes think I'm a little crazy with how excited I get about these tracks but if they had to listen to the same tunes day-after-day, week-after-week (and so on) then they might begin to understand.

I have used these books with students of varying ages and find they are suitable for ages 7 and up. Younger students or those who prefer to take things slowly will need to supplement the materials in these books with other pieces as the pace is quite fast in the early stages. 

The Guitar Method series would also be an appropriate tool for aspiring self-taught guitarists. With the clarity in which new ideas and techniques are introduced, most people should be able to negotiate their way from front cover to rear (although the resulting technique may shock technical purists - get a teacher). 

Here is a link to the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition: Books & CD's 1, 2 and 3 on Amazon. Use the Search Inside! function to get an idea about the book's early pages and a list of pieces. If you know of a better guitar method book I would love to hear about it. 

Why am I here?

Why am I here? What do I hope to achieve with this blog? I run a guitar program at a boys' school in Sydney involving around 130 students and two guitar ensembles. I am constantly on the lookout for new and exciting ways to teach the guitar. As well as gaining inspiration from the other guitar teachers at my school, I have collaborated with guitar educators from other 'guitar' schools in the area.

As I broadened my search for ideas I decided to look for guitar blogs from other teachers. It may just be my inexperience in this area, but I was unable to find any blogs of this nature. I decided that now was the time to stop hiding away in the teaching studio and begin to open up my thoughts to the world. I hope that other guitar teachers will find this blog useful and that through it I may be able to discover an online community of guitar educators, eager to share their experiences. 

My initial plan is to outline some of the resources that I use in teaching the guitar, including websites and books. As I become more comfortable with the format I expect to take more time to comment on guitar education more broadly. I hope you find something new that you can use in your own practice.