guitar workshop concept - long

Subject: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 08 May 03 - 06:08 PM

I'm one of the many self-taught hacks out here playing guitar. When I was 14, I wanted to play the guitar and sound like those ragtimey fingerpickers on my Dad's folk and blues records, so I bought a used Piece O' Crap acoustic guitar and a chord book (with my paper route money) and started playing.

The sorts of music that interest(ed) me – swing, blues, folk, different pop music forms from about 1925 to about 1975 – tend to lean heavily on a few core sets of chords. I taught myself to hear & play the patterns. Over the years I've learned the basics of music theory & composition, and taken a few piano and guitar lessons, but mostly I lean on my ear and an intuitive grasp of chord structure and melodic patterns. These days I'm an intermediate to advanced fingerstyle player/vocalist (depending on who's listening).

Have also taken on guitar students now and then teaching in a mainstream sort of way, but realized that the way I teach guitar is not the way I learned guitar. So when an opportunity to teach a workshop came up recently I tried to think of an approach or method that's more like my own experience.

So this is an experiment. I'd like to know what you folk-folks think of the roughed-in curriculum described below. Have you taught or learned in a similar way? What works? What doesn't work?

Absolute Basics Acoustic Guitar Workshop:
The goal of the 2-hour workshop is to give participants enough introductory basics to tune the guitar, listen for & start playing basic chord patterns in popular and folk music, learn a bit o' basic strumming, and enjoy playing the guitar. Workshoppers will learn to:

1. Tune guitar to Open D – D/A/D/F#/A/D (I want a tuning that's obvious – you strum it open and it's a major chord! - and can be used to create simple chords building from the D Major scale.

2. Play some basic 2-finger & barre chords patterns so that they're introduced to D, Em, F#m, G, A & A7 and Bm. I'll probably refer to these chords in only number terms with D as 1st chord, etc. in order to support the next section of the workshop.

3. Listen to basic chord patterns found in folk, country and popular music – my thought here is that along with technical aspects of guitar playing, participants can start building/exploring a bit of musical intuition. We'll put down the guitars for a while and listen to something like the following on CDs:
~ 1/4/5 Blues Chord Pattern – basically a 12-bar blues; examples could be Jimmie Rodger's Train Whistle Blues, Bo Diddley's Before You Accuse Me
~ 1/4/5 Pop Chord Pattern – Young Rascal's Good Lovin', McCoy's Sloopie
~ 1/6m/4/5 Pop Pattern – Everly Bros' Dream, Dream, Dream, Then You Can Tell Me Good-Bye; the bridges on both of these tunes present some common patterns as well
~ couple of other standard chord patterns

4. Play some of the chord patterns introduced in the previous section. Intro to 3 songs working with simple chord charts.

5. Strum 4 beats to a measure. Concepts of off-beat and on-beat.

6. a short review of:
~ elements of combining your guitar with singing
~ use of the capo
~ finger and hand care

Each participant must bring along a 6-string acoustic guitar. Materials received by workshop participants include a full-scale pitch pipe, tuning instructions using the pitch pipe, a set of basic chord charts, and 3 songs with words and chords.

Could provide more detail, but this should give you enough of the concept to work with. I'd appreciate any friendly support and/or criticism for this rough draft. Workshops are scheduled for late-May & early-June. I'm screening out people who're looking to build on other lessons, chord books, etc. as they'll likely not get much out of the workshop.

Thanks!

- Merritt


"It's all one big note." - Frank Zappa

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 08 May 03 - 06:32 PM

Merritt,

Looks good.

But based on my own varied teaching experience, calling this an outline for a 2-hour workshop is wildly optimistic. If you get true beginners, it could take the better part of two hours just to get everybody (more or less)in tune.

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 08 May 03 - 07:50 PM

Russ,

I'm an adult educator in my other life, but looking over the outline you're right. I'll scale it back.

Thanks!

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: smokeyjoe
Date: 08 May 03 - 11:24 PM

Looks real good Merritt. Something else you might want to add to your lesson: try to find things that appeal to the student. A good way to get, and keep people into something is to find out what direction they want to take their playing in. Oh yeah, and don't forget to stress the idea that music is supposed to be enjoyable. Too many beginners quickly lose sight of that concept.
Good luck

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 08 May 03 - 11:47 PM

Smokey Joe,

Excellent recommendations. I'll use 'em!

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 09 May 03 - 04:22 AM

You might want to look at the thread Hamish started last year: Guitar Workshops - guidelines

Mick

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 09 May 03 - 05:47 AM

Merritt--

I'd sign up, if I didn't already play! It sounds great. I'm not sure why you're calling it "long", though--that would make me think of something more like the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, which lasts for a week!

Something you might want to think about would be seeing if a local music store rents guitars, and offering that as an option: the student could either make arrangements directly with the store or--if you could find some way of making sure you didn't lose money--could "subrent" from you. You might then pick up some people who "always wanted to learn guitar" but don't yet have one. (Who knows, the store might even give you a commission if one of your students goes back there and buys a guitar!)

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 09 May 03 - 11:13 AM

You guys are great! I'm really learning a lot here!

Mark, bouncing off your "Aloha," one of the tunes I thought I'd pick for them to introduce the musical universes found in Open D tuning is He'eia. With only 2 chords (the way I play it) it's as simple or complex as you want it to be. I want to convey the idea that altho' there's value to eventually learning and using different tunings, every basic tuning contains worlds of pleasure and interpretation.

Oh, and the "long" reference was to my opening piece for the thread; it goes on for a while.

- Merritt


"It's all one big note." - Frank Zappa

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 09 May 03 - 04:23 PM

Merrit - I learned much the same as you did. And have taught a tiny bit in the past. Not all people learn quickly, or want to learn. I'd agree with Russ, what you're planning to offer is admirable, but, for beginners, would cover at least three 2-hour sessions.

You might do a hand-out on tuning techniques at the beginning and then spend a quick 10 minutes getting them all tuned to your guitar, otherwise, as Russ says, you'll be tuning all period.

I am also wondering - although I can see it would make instant music - if it's wise to start a bunch of rank beginners off in an open tuning, instead of the standard ? It's OK for your workshop, but when they go off to play with friends and find their chords don't look or sound quite the same, it's gonna mess with their minds.

Remember, it took you (and me, and others) 20 to 30 years to learn a lot of this stuff. You can't re-impart it all in two hours. What you probably can teach them is the fun and magic of making music with one or two or three chords, strumming along with you. A lot of the beginners I've run across take a couple of months to hear where a chord change should go. Good luck, it sounds like fun!

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 09 May 03 - 07:54 PM

Hi Merritt, good idea for a thread. Here are some of my reactions:

1. What you have is definitely more than two hours worth of material, even for one-on-one
teaching. Is there any way you can make the teaching time longer, rather than the
curriculum shorter?

2. I think the idea of teaching them to think of chords as 1, 4, 5 etc. from the very
beginning is excellent, as is pointing out the common progressions. I wish I'd known earlier
that each song isn't a whole new thing to learn.

3. Another thing that I think would be good to introduce near the beginning is some ear
playing - just to demystify it a little. Once they know a 1 and 5 chord in some key, ask them
to mess around a bit and see if they can play "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" or
"Skip to My Lou" by ear - many of them will pleasantly surprise themselves. Once they have
a 1, 4, and 5 in some key, ask them to try teaching themselves Amazing Grace (tell them
which chord to start on, and tell them that the only options are G, C, and D or whatever).

4. I share Les' scepticism about the open D tuning - it would be fine during the workshop,
but would mess them up when they try talking with other novices, or getting key changes
by watching hands, or using almost any other instructional material.

If you want them to be able to play a song after 15 minutes of study (which they would
probably find very encouraging), I'd suggest you start with baby versions of
standard-tuning chords. If someone asks me to teach them to play something at a party or
something like that, I always start with baby C and baby G (each chord has only one finger
down when strumming only the top 3 strings), then a 1-5 song they can play with those.
Then, a normal D chord (perhaps still just strumming 3 strings to avoid confusion) to do a
1-4-5 song. Then they're hooked and you can show them the full version of those chords,
and go on from there.

Marion

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 09 May 03 - 08:13 PM

Here's another thought, based on what you said you'd like to teach... maybe a good workshop for you to teach would be "Practical theory for beginning guitarists". It would be geared towards people who already some chords and some songs. You could introduce the concept of 1,4,5 chords and so on, and show some of the common progressions explaining why they're the same progression even if in different keys. You could explain the math behind capo use, and the concept of moving barre chords, and things like how dominant seventh chords lead back to the 1 chord.

I think a lot of people start on guitar the way I started: by learning a bunch of chords simply as memorized hand shapes, then learning chord progression for individual songs from books. The kind of basic theoretical introduction I just described can open a lot of doors for figuring out songs on your own, and being able to figure out other chords from the ones you know, and knowing how to tell other people what your capo is doing to the key.

Good luck, Marion

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 10 May 03 - 01:44 AM

I am really appreciating all these thoughtful suggestions! Over the next week I'm developing materials and trying out pieces of the curriculum (already somewhat modified) on human volunteers.

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Gavin
Date: 10 May 03 - 04:14 AM

Hi Merrit - I "got landed" with something similar, in the same situation as you, self-taught etc etc.

But my group of real beginners is a half-hour a week through the year - which makes it a bit easier!

Anyway, I'm doing it again next year so I've started putting together all my stuff in some sort of logical order - most of my real beginners really liked the idea of putting coloured spots (from any stationery shop) on the fretboard to help them find chord fingerings in the beginning. Heresy? True - but if it works, I'll not complain. And if they practice enough, the dots soon wear off!!!!!!!!

If you like the idea, have a look at chord colours.

All best - Gavin

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Frankham
Date: 10 May 03 - 12:05 PM

Merritt,

I think your course proposals are good but the guitar is such a versatile instrument that it means there are all kinds of interests.
Zero in on what you like to teach, and develop that. If you do classes or workshops, it's important to define your parameters. Is it blues? country? jazz? trad folk? be specific. Then scale back as everyone has suggested.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: M.Ted
Date: 10 May 03 - 12:46 PM

You've got a year's worth of lessons there, not two hours

Ditch the D tuning--for the reasons listed above--Also, as per Frank's comment--make up your mind what kind of music you are going to teach and make part of the name of the workshop, such as
"Folk Ballads with Guitar, for the Musically Challenged" or "Blues Guitar for Wannabees"--You'll have less trouble if people are not disappointed to find you are not teaching "Limp Biscuit" --

Also, I'd focus on teaching one simple chord progression in an easy key--if you have five or six people who are beginners, it's going to be all you can manage to get their all fingers pointed in the same direction at the same time in just two hours--

Tune their guitars! If you don't, you'll have no time to teach at all--with luck, they may stay in tune for at least a couple weeks after the workshop--in any event, make sure they have a pitchpipe to tune and a written review sheet that help them to re-create your lesson at home--

Forget the idea of giving them an overview--teach them something tangible that they will retain, and that they can build on(and show their family and friends when they get home)--if you try to do too much, you'll overwhelm them(beginners are easily overwhelmed) and accomplish nothing.

I taught beginners classes for a quite a few years, and it isn't easy--good luck!

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Mudlark
Date: 10 May 03 - 04:04 PM

I'm a self-taught plonker, but over the years have informally taught a lot of people to play for their own amusement. I, too, agree re open tuning (tho that's a class I'd like to take myself!)...not only can they not play with beginner friends but they are also out of luck with all the many song books out there with chords, chord patterns, etc. which, if they have any interest at all, they will head for.

I also agree on overview. If they are true beginners they are already overwhelmed by the fact that within minutes their fingertips feel as if they'd been blowtorched, so they need to get into playing to keep them interested. I try to start everybody off on a two-chord--Em and Am--song. They are relatively easy chords to play using all, or almost all the strings, and they sound gorgeous, even on cheap guitars.
And if it's something like Drunken Sailor even if they don't know it it's easy to learn (I know there's another chord in there but you can do wi/out it).

Excellent suggestion above re naming class also, so students are already predisposed to learn what you are teaching. If folk, for instance, it wouldnt hurt to be able to offer a few song books that contain both words and chords/chord patterns (how I learned most of the chords I play) so they can flip thru on their own and try out stuff and build up calluses w/o too much grief.

How many students are you planning on teaching at a time?

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: KateG
Date: 10 May 03 - 04:24 PM

Actually, I'd like to take the course as proposed...but I'm not a beginner. I started out like Marion did, learning chords as hand shapes and memorizing songs from books. No ear training, no sense of common chord progressions, and as for hearing chord changes, forget it...I associated chords with words.

I came back to the guitar after a thirty-year hiatus via the mountain dulcimer. Somehow, playing the dulcimer, which is a diatonic instrument, has helped me understand and hear the relationships between melody and harmony and I am working hard to figure out how to make it work on the guitar. It's coming, but it's slow. So let me know when and where you'll be teaching!

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: s&r
Date: 10 May 03 - 04:44 PM

We've taught for a long time - the content of every lesson we've given has been as much determined by the learner as by us. However much your learner tries, he can't acqire physical skills quickly. Nerves and muscles need development.

Pick something easy - write it down in any accepted method - name parts, explain how to get the information off the page, give the learner ten minutes to try it then swap notes.

Non standard tunings are difficult for learners because the availability of supplemetary teaching materials from lebraries etc, after the lesson is sparse

But good luck, and if it works tell us

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 10 May 03 - 04:50 PM

By the way, Merritt, what do you mean by "elements of combining guitar with singing"?

Marion

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 10 May 03 - 05:00 PM

In my many years of teaching I can safely say, that the open D tuning and even (horror of horrors) the small four string plectrum guitar, have allowed at least seven or eight of my students to begin playing at all.

I once spoke to another Toronto Teacher about how he handled those folks who simply had no ability or co-ordination whatsoever to learn. His reply was. "So they don't learn, Rick. You can't teach EVERYONE to play." I've managed to show most (not all) of those folks how to have a lot of fun with the guitar. One of our Mudcat friends now uses open D and G exclusively and knows a TONNE of guitar. He played regular tuning for thirty years and still could not change chords fast enough for even the slowest of songs. When needed, The D tuning is a Godsend to me.

Rick

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Frankham
Date: 10 May 03 - 06:14 PM

Hi Merritt,

In the Absolute Basics department, changing two chords will probably be all they will be able to handle along with a simple two-chord song for the first lesson. Using the open D is a can of worms. It would be better to concentrate on the chords "everyone" uses.

Barre chords are difficult for anyone. I often cheat on them on steel string guitars by using my thumb over the top of the sixth and sometimes fifth string.

Working the I, IV and V7 chords is a good idea. Lots of three-chord songs would reinforce this concept.

Allow lots of time for re-inforcement of what they've learned. Review a lot.

In terms of music theory, it's best to apply it to a song immediately. By itself, music theory is totally confusing to non-musicians. It makes no sense unless you "do" it. What I do is have the students transposed I, IV and V7 into as many keys as they can using those chords which are acessible to them such as in the keys of E, A, D, G, C.

Start off by singing with strumming (nothing fancy) right off. If they can strum a quarter note in two-four or four-four time, that's all you can ask for at first. What I do is introduce the chords but print up any chord charts in numerals or (Nashville symbols). Only diff here is I,IV, V7 is standard music theory where Nashville is 1, 4, 57. I don't like using the arabic numbers for the chords because a 57 is confusing where a V7 isn't. The arabic numbers tell which bass notes to play such as V7/5 (a V7 chord with the fifth in the bass). The 7 is a kind of chord, not a position of the chord. For example, a V7b9b5 chord which used in jazz would be weird if written 57b9b5.

Using the capo is part of the process of transposition. You might write out a capo chart. The key of C could be written as 3A. Capo third fret and play in A. Or 8E. E can be 4C. A can be 5E. D can be 5A or 2C.

Care of the hands? OK. Why not?

It's better to start with if they learn to use electronic tuners and develop their ear that way. It may seem like "cheating" but eventually they will be able to hear the pitches. One of the best ways to develop tuning the guitar is to have them sing the pitches that they are tuning. E,A,D,G,B,E. It doesn't matter is they are in a different octave then the singer sings.

The most important thing you can do is play along with the students.

Also, if it's possible I would recommend that you teach different levels at the same time.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Frankham
Date: 10 May 03 - 06:16 PM

Rick,

I love the idea of four-string instruments. I think it's a great way to get started. And there's versatility there in selecting lots of great chords in jazz and pop.

Frank

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 10 May 03 - 07:56 PM

I agree about the 4-string instruments, too...here in Hawaii, we call them ukuleles! But I'll tell you, as often as I hear everybody say, "Hey, if you can play guitar, the uke is easy, because it's tuned just like the top 4 strings on the guitar"--it doesn't help me one bit. I can't just tell my fingers to pretend the other two strings are there: I have to learn a whole new set of finger positions. So I'm a somewhat competent guitar player, and a rank beginner on the uke. But it's fun!

By the way, Merritt, I don't know that song you mentioned. But considering that our local Borders has two huge racks devoted just to Hawaiian music, that's not surprising.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 11 May 03 - 04:25 PM

I'm very grateful for all this quality input and experience. Some of it is already incorporated into an improved workshop design.

To answer a couple of questions - the first workshop will be held the evening of Tuesday, May 20, 2003. The same workshop will be repeated on Sunday, June 1, 2003 in the early afternoon. The location is in northeast Wisconsin near the City of Green Bay. Anyone who wants registration, location, etc. details just e-mail me at [e-mail]

Mark, I first heard He'eia on the Ohana album (Ohana means "family") album by Dennis Kamakahi via Internet Radio Hawaii -

http://hotspotshawaii.com/irhpages/irhlive.html.

Kamakahi sings and plays guitar on this tune and is accompanied by his son, David, on ukulele. Since beginning a few months ago to play rhythm and fingerstyle guitar for a music group that plays songs from all over the South Pacific, a door's opened to a whole world of music and culture that's new to me.

- Merritt


"It's all one big note." - Frank Zappa

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Hamish
Date: 12 May 03 - 08:15 AM

Hi. Hamish here from the previous thread which MCP has already linked to.

Is this a one-off workshop? Do you know how many people and of what abilities you'll have attending?

You'll find that you can get through loads if you've a small group, but there's an inverse and logarithmic ratio of numbers against material. As soon as there's a wide range of abilities it means you either ignore some of them or can only skate over the bits which are of major relevance to each of them.

You need to be flexible in your approach and sensitive to their needs/wants/abilities.

I'd seriously avoid major re-tuning during a workshop: the open-D and standard EADGBE combination you seem to suggest, Merritt, sounds like asking for trouble!

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Marion
Date: 12 May 03 - 11:47 AM

Rick, I understand the notion of using open tuning as a "remedy" for someone who's struggling - but you wouldn't start someone off with it before you knew anything about how they'd do with standard tuning, would you?

Marion

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 12 May 03 - 11:56 AM

Hamish,

Just to be clear. I'm using Open D as the only tuning in the workshop. We won't be using EADGBE at all, altho' folks above give some good reasons for using this tuning instead. Everyone who signs up for the session will be aware of the opportunities and limitations of starting in Open D.

YOur point about the diversity of the group is well taken, one I experience regularly in my worklife as a teacher/facilitator. I'll just have to see who shows up.

Thanks again for all these recommendations and red flags.

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: M.Ted
Date: 12 May 03 - 02:34 PM

So actually, if you are teaching the Dennis Kamakahi tune, you will be teaching slack-key guitar--

According to his liner notes, Dennis plays "He'eia" on 6 string in "C Mauna Loa Tuning (C-G-E-G-A-E)", only tuned down a full step to Bb (Bb-F-D-F-G-D)--seems like it would loose a lot of the flavor in D tuning--

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 12 May 03 - 10:29 PM

Yeah, I've got those liner notes too. As noted above, am offering He'eia as an introductory sample of what one can do with Open D vs. teaching the tune. That said, am pretty well convinced by comments above and early guinea pig responses that it's better to let the students dig right in at the beginning of the session.

He'eia, with it's simple melody and 1/5 chord structure, works nicely in Open D, dropped D, dropped A, open G. Slightly different flavors on each. I've never tried C Mauna Loa tuning, but, whatever flavor Kamakahi's using sounds nice to me.

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Merritt
Date: 13 May 03 - 11:11 AM

Down with the flu this morning, so am reviewing all the helpful comments people have made. In the process, noticed Marion's question about "combining guitar with singing" This is one of those items I only want to spend a couple of minutes on in order to introduce a couple of ideas:

1) encourage people to start singing and humming along with their playing as soon as it feels a bit comfortable and

2) option of recording their 4-beats-to-a-measure guitar playing on, say, "Skip to My Lou" and singing along with that.

Over the years I've watched people really struggle to integrate singing with their playing after they already know how to play competently and, in some cases, very well.

- Merritt

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: GUEST,Robin Beasley
Date: 13 Aug 04 - 02:09 PM

I am looking for a guitar player that played with my husband who's name was Mark Cohen, but he also went by the name of Mark West.

We have been looking all over for this person.

My husband's name is Barth Beasley if you are that Mark could you please reply to this emai

[e-mail]
his website is www.barthbeasley.com in which you can also reply.

Thank you for your time

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: death by whisky
Date: 13 Aug 04 - 06:49 PM

I'm an outrach worker in a family centre.Iwas asked to cover the summer camp,with a music workshop.It was short notice. I asked the kids to access the shrek website,identify thier favourite song. Then we went to a lyrics website.We ended up singing the Ricy Martin song.Livin le vida loca( i think),from that to grease songs,and my new plan for the year includes a music workshop once a week.Im takin it from thier perspective.I m also starting an Internet access project for adults and recommending they have a look at the mudcat as an examle of a supportive website.Sorry for any thread creep but seemed like a good time.

Subject: RE: guitar workshop concept - long
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 28 Aug 04 - 08:49 PM

Sorry, Robin, it's not me. Already answered your email, but I just recently found out about this thread. Good luck finding him.

Aloha,
Mark