The Basement School of Guitar and Vocals

BEGINNING GUITAR LEVEL 1

Course Scope:

This course is designed for students with no previous guitar experience. Students will receive guidance and direction in solving problems related to playing the guitar at a beginning level and will learn many of the different styles, skills and techniques required to become a successful guitarist. Areas of concentration include: correct posture, note reading, aural skills, flat-picking, singing songs, rhythmic patterns, chord study, finger-picking styles, musical forms, improvisation and performing experiences.

Course Goals:

1. To develop correct posture and hand position
2. To identify the parts of the guitar
3. To demonstrate the proper tuning of the guitar by pitch matching
4. To understand the history and origin of the guitar
5. To learn basic fundamentals of musical notation
6. To learn basic chords and single notes in first position
7. To learn proper strumming, finger style and flat picking techniques and accompaniments
8. To become aware of career opportunities
9. To participate in performance and evaluation of music
10. To demonstrate basic notating skills
11. perform using correct sitting posture and appropriate hand positions
12. play a sixteen measure melody composed with eighth notes at a moderate tempo using alternate picking
13. play on all six strings in first position
14. play melodies in the keys C, Am, G, Em, D, Bm, F and Dm
15. play major, minor and dominant seventh chords in first position in the keys of C, G, D, A, Am, E, & Em
16. strum rhythms to include whole, half, quarter and eighth notes including simple syncopation
17. play power chords using roots on open sixth, fifth and fourth strings
18. read and understand symbols indicating up and down strokes
19. play arpeggios in a finger-picking style as an accompaniment
20. identify and name the parts of the guitar
21. identify basic musical symbols
22. tune the guitar by pitch matching