A Structured Approach to Tuition
James is always focused on working with his students to really understand their musical goals; this enables him to then be able to guide them to play the music they are really passionate about and to make the lessons fun and engaging. He finds it works well to have a portion of the lesson which is pupil led in terms of its content, which then James can use as a framework for introducing technical material required to underpin that particular piece.
James really cares about providing a well-rounded musical education which allows people to develop their musical skills and in his years of experience has found the most successful framework for including all the elements. For example, a player may be able to produce fast scale patterns on the guitar but if they have not developed their musical ear, they will be unable to achieve effective mastery of the instrument. In the learning of an instrument, all areas must be worked on, for example it is important to include technique, improvisation, aural (ear) training, musicianship and listening.
Some of the key areas that are focused on during lessons are described in more detail below:
Learning songs and developing repertoire
Lessons are very much focused on learning songs that inspire the student to develop their musical skills. Often students will put forward their own ideas in terms of the music that they enjoy listening to and it is usually straightforward to find or transcribe an appropriate version for their ability level. James will always gently open up the students’ musical range by using his own eclectic collection of songs in the styles of Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Finger-style, Country, Jazz, Latin, Classical, Metal & Fusion. It is invaluable for students to be exposed to this wide range of music in developing their own musicality and style.
Click the link below to view a PDF example of a pop song guitar intro transcribed by James specifically for his intermediate students:
Technique
Developing good technical facility on the guitar is crucial for being able to progress properly. Understanding how to use good technique from an early stage is important in eliminating bad habits which can often prove time consuming and difficult to eliminate at a later stage. Initially, one to one guitar lessons provide valuable feedback from the teacher which enables the student to hold the guitar correctly with good posture whilst working on proper co-ordination between the two hands. Good technique from the outset will also eliminate the development of stress related injuries that can appear later on such as RSI (repetitive strain injury) in tendons. Excellent technical fluency will be invaluable for intermediate and advanced players who are looking to master more difficult technical pieces. Part of every lesson will be dedicated to improving an appropriate level of technique.
Click the following links to view some examples of rock guitar technical studies for intermediate and advanced students. You can hear the audio of all the examples using the audio player immediately below each link:
A (I) and D (IV) Arpeggio Study
G (I) and C (IV) Arpeggio Study
Music Theory
Every practicing musician will need to know a certain level of music theory to be able to play their instrument. Music theory provides the framework upon which people can understand the connection between melody, harmony and rhythm and how it is intellectually processed when analysing or performing music. Learning theory in a structured environment will help students to understand the relationship between chords as well as how to improvise fluently and confidently over any harmonic structure. When musicians communicate, they will use music theory as a way to express themselves so they can be properly understood, so whether the student is learning songs for performance, or learning to read music or learning to write their own music, a good grounding in music theory will always be necessary. James has a strong understanding of how to assess what music theory elements are going to be useful for each individual student in helping them progress in their chosen style(s). It is a crucial part of the process that anything that is learnt from a theoretical standpoint can be immediately put into practice and understood from a practical point of view.
Click the link below to view a 6 page PDF example of the professional teaching materials used for reinforcing the major scale sounds for intermediate and advanced students:
Major Scale Family Neck Diagrams
Ear Training, Audiation & Visualisation
Ear training often is an overlooked area of musical development for many musicians, and consequently can frequently be a reason for intermediate and advanced players to stall in their progress. Traditionally students will be taught how to recognise intervals and chords by listening to them, however often the learning does not progress beyond this point. For a musician to be completely connected to what they are playing, they need to be able to hear the sounds they want to play in their head and be able to visualise how to play those sounds on their instrument. Therefore, James takes a very structured approach to learning the important skills of audiation (singing or playing what you hear) and visualisation of the guitar neck. The goal is to have the ability to fluently and confidently play musical ideas by playing what you hear in your head rather than resorting to playing scale patterns that make little musical sense.
Reading Music
Being able to read music will have major benefits for the practicing musician. Guitar is a slightly special case when it comes to the reading of music due to the invention of tablature. Tablature essentially gives the guitarist an easy way to see where exactly to put the fingers on the guitar neck without the need to be able to read the traditional musical stave. It is quite common therefore, for guitarists to only learn how to read tablature. Tablature is extremely useful for the guitar because there can often be many variations of how to play the same notes and it won’t always be immediately obvious what the optimum fingering is. Whether a musician only learns how to read tablature or the traditional stave, it is really crucial that the student learns how to read rhythm notation in the traditional manner. Tablature may assist in specifying what notes need to be played, but they give no indication of what rhythm to use or when to play them.
Learning to read music to a basic level of fluency will allow a musician to progress quicker due to the fact that they can learn different musical styles quickly from sheet music, and aids the memorisation process since the mind can easily categorise certain rhythmic phrases in a more structured fashion. For musicians who learn multiple instruments, the ability to read music is instantly transferable and will aid in the quick progression on a new instrument. For musicians who perform in bands or aspire to work in the music industry, the ability to read music will be an essential skill that they will need to master.
Transcribing
For intermediate and advanced students, developing the skill of transcribing music will play an important part in their development. Transcribing music essentially involves listening to what you hear and possessing the ability to write it down in traditional music notation and/or tablature. It’s great fun to transcribe songs that you like by ear, and this really helps with listening skills, reading skills and ear training. For students that have the goal of performing live, transcribing will also be an essential skill that they will need when it comes to learning repertoire. Transcribing music can sometimes be challenging for musicians who are still developing their musical ear and therefore James takes a comprehensive step by step approach to helping students to develop this skill systematically.
Improvisation & Composition
Many students who learn guitar have the goal of being able to write their own music or to be able to improvise fluently. Whether students play rock, pop or jazz or any of the other modern styles, the ability to play with other musicians and improvise is an essential skill. Improvisation is, in its essence, a fast and immediate form of composition and the two are inextricably linked. Composition and improvisation can often be potentially difficult for beginners and James takes time to analyse the student’s repertoire in terms of the music theory that underpins the structure of the music. This allows the student to really understand what composers may be thinking when they develop their musical ideas and provides a framework upon which the student can start to develop their own compositions. Composition and improvisation are really helped by a sound knowledge of music theory as well as a focus on developing a good musical repertoire. James has a particular interest in integrating all the elements of the student’s musical education to allow them to become a well-rounded musician in every sense.