For most people learning to play, the acoustic guitar is a natural first choice. There are two main families: the classical (nylon-string) guitar and the steel-string (western) guitar. Which one suits you best is something we can happily decide together, usually it comes down to taste and budget. And if you’d rather start on electric right away? That’s no problem at all.
The acoustic guitar might just be the handiest instrument in the world. Together with the piano it’s the most-played instrument on earth, and for good reason. You can take it anywhere, it’s perfect for accompanying your singing, and you can perform complete pieces on it, solo or in a group, from classical to blues, pop, rock and jazz. Add a pickup and you can solo with it in a band too.
What you’ll learn
In lessons we build a relaxed, fluent technique around repertoire you actually enjoy:
- Strumming and chords, the most-used guitar chords, rhythm and strumming patterns.
- Fingerstyle & fingerpicking, thumb-and-fingers playing, running bass patterns, modern percussive techniques.
- Soloing and melody, from simple melodies to improvisation.
- Song accompaniment, backing yourself while you sing.
Right-hand techniques
The left hand works much the same across styles; the right hand is where the variety lives. We explore classical technique (playing with all fingers), modern fingerstyle (in the tradition of Tommy Emmanuel) and pick playing, from bluegrass flatpicking to gypsy jazz.
Don’t have a guitar yet? I’m glad to help you choose the right one, and rental is also possible.