Mr Nick, I started teaching about 12 weeks ago and now have 14 weekly students. It's cool, but teaching beginners is harder than you'd think.

I tend to start off writing down the little rhyme to help remember the EBGDAE standard tuning, and writing out basic open chords, leaving out B and F cause they're not open! If the kid is a quick learner or their friend has taught them 2 chords at school or something like that, then they probably get some dominant 7ths written down in the first lesson too.

By the following week, if they've practised and made good progress I have them choose their favourite chord, and make a rhythm with it, so I can start teaching them to control the guitar with both hands.

So doing that kind of thing can take up 3-4 lessons on average. With that done, I spend a lesson on basic guitar theory, ie, what the notes are at each fret on both E strings, and which fret number is represented by each dot on the 'board. That can take 45 minutes, so in the 6th lesson you can teach them a single-octave major and single-octave pentatonic scale.

In the 7th it's probably a good time to show them how to re-string, so in the 6th you either tell them to buy a pack of Ernie Ball or D'Addario 9-42's, or you tell them you'll get some, and you'll do that the following week.

With that done, you can start teaching them the 5 pentatonic positions, how to make transitions between each position, and how to shift the whole system depending on the key you're in. I teach scales by pattern-recognition rather than by note and key signature cause it's far, far easier for them to understand, and requires no theory.

That's a very basic summary of how my average student gets on.....each one will be different, some will be very good at picking it up and some will be thick as shit. You will find with some kids that you have to go into great depth analysing the way they hold the pick - the right hand is the hardest to get working properly, and you often find yourself constantly telling them to keep their hand relaxed, only hold the pick between thumb and forefinger and let the pick do the work, otherwise they'll break strings.

Don't show them the cool tricks, sweeps, tapping, trem pulls, flicks and dive-bombs unless you get the sense they are not in the mood for learning and are a little disinterested. That's the time to give them a brief glimpse of what a guitar can be used for, and will hook them into paying attention again!

hope that helps! Also, if anyone rings up and says, in a slightly encertain tone, as if they feel they are really being a hassle, "do you teach bass?" say "yes I can teach bass. It's not my first instrument so I cant teach the super advanced techniques, but the basics are exectly the same". bass teaching is fun cause all the hurdles are completely different, and it really makes you think differently as a guitar-player. Good luck, have fun, and if you don't mind me asking, how much are you charging? if you don't want to answer that I understand! hehe

OCPS470..thanks for the advice. i had thought of the playing position a little while after i posted, like thumb position and holding the plectrum and that. 3 simple chords, E,D and A in open positions as an intro to the caged system, as thats the first thing i did with my guitar teacher years ago. if i get anmy more problems and/or questions..i'll give you a shout.

Stevee T

Zen an Eruption is a release of excruciating pressure, it may be solid, liquid or gaseous, it may be verbal, mineral, cellular or facial......

An eruption may be born in fire, earth, water or..... thought.

Stevee T

Jazzy

Are you a golfer?

Zinc...if I have a moment I'll search some of the articles that I might have read...see if I can find it!

=================================================

Time to go horseback riding.. Kids have a day off, hope it does not rain +5C, too warm for February in Canada what is going on???

One morning a husband took a pair of underwear out of the drawer.

"What the ? ? ?" he said to himself as a little "dust" cloud appeared when he shook them out.

"April," he hollered into the bathroom, "why did you put talcum powder in my underwear?"

Stevee T

Zinc, things grow well in April...........

mikesb

WORDS WOMEN USE

FINE

This is the word women use to end an argument when you are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES

If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

NOTHING

This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"

GO AHEAD

This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it !

LOUD SIGH

This is not actual ly a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"

THAT'S OKAY This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say you're welcome.

Stevee T:Good Morning t y chief

Jazzy- are you a big Kashmir fan? I LOVE those guys, but very rarely can i find someone in america who even knows what i am talking about... which one are you listening to?

962-hope all of your computer problems have straightened themselves out, they can be so maddening!

Slanshroom- lol on the pic... yeah i think there was a lot of talent running through the Lee family.... and being compared to brandon is not a bad thing ;) hope you have a good week...

havent been feeling so good the last few days so i spent yesterday on the couch having a Kevin Smith-athon... I had never seen "an evening with" before and OMG funny hearing some of his stories... then clerks, mallrats, and dogma... fun... much more fun than seeing the pats win again...

Anyway, hope all in Satchland have an amazing week!

M A R L E N E

T E