I have signed up to teach for this company. I sent in my resume, had a phone interview, filled out an extensive application and participated in a a webinar so far. They explained that it took a few weeks to receive referrals from them.
It appears that this organization is professionally run and nation-wide Does anyone else have any experience with them? I’d be interested.
http://takelessons.com/
This is an app for jamming or practicing your licks. Like many lite and free versions, it’s very limited. It will play a two chord progression (8 beats) with funk guitar and drums. It will loop the progression and you can pick from 12 samples, but only two will loop.
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The instructions are clear and the app is easy to use. A future update will feature speed control!
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This app will teach you tro recognize intervals. It’s a good tool for training the ear, has great instructions and is easy to use.
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The lessons are progressive, starting with unison and whole step tones. After you complete a lesson and test on it successfully, you go on to another. Lessons also cover minor second, minor and major third, tritone, perfect fourth and fifth, minor and major sixth and octave intervals.
I like this app for teaching but the full version costs $7.99 so I probably won’t buy it.
Intervals Tutor Free will test your ability to identify intervals by playing two tones separately or together. If they are played seperately, you are asked if the order is ascending or descending. These intervals are presented:
Unison
Major second
Minor third
Major third
Perfect fourth
Perfect fifth
Major Sixth
Octave
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After you identify the interval you are shown the correct answer and the two tones are displayed on a staff . There is a resume button if your test is interrupted.
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The app will keep score and give results and areas of improvement after 15 tries.
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This app will help you practice your ear training and can be upgraded to the full version with more intervals.
This app will not teach you to identify intervals, it will let you practice the ones listed above.
I like this app and will use it to introduce intervals to my guitar students. It’s easy to use and has the game element in the results.
This is a great little app, but it costs $18.99 so get the lite version for free. If you don’t read music and/or don’t have basic music theory down, this app is not for you. The app assumes an understanding of scales, intervals and chords.
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As you can see from the screenshots, there are learn, practice and test modes. The learn mode is very light on information, which is ok because the focus here is on listening and identifying intervals and chords. The lite version is not a bad starting point for someone at the beginning level, but don’t rely on this app to teach you ear training. It can be used for practice, though.
But I have some questions that I posted on the author’s blog. Does the full version feature inversions? Do all the scales and chords use D as the tonic?
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If the answer is yes to one or both, the app is less valuable as a practice tool.
If the paid version has adequate examples of chords, especially triads, in at least first inversion that would add more credibility. Equally important would be the use of other keys, at least the most commonly used keys.
The lite version is very limited, but still worth checking out.
The My Guitar app is very simple. An image of a guitar with three areas on the neck that, when touched, allow the user to strum G, C and D. Em is strummed without touching an area.
This app would be fine for someone who plays very little guitar or just wants to hear how the G, em, C and D chords sound. No other chords are featured. Strummed sounds are delayed so it’s very difficult to strum rhythms.
ITunes reviewers mostly agree the app is too limited to be of use as a learning tool.
There are no instructions in the app. Go to the app store (iTunes) for these.
The app does have some nice graphics.
You can play, with or without distortion, electric or acoustic instruments that appear in colors. Left handed setup can be selected.
This free app, from Inner Four, is very simple. You tap a string to hear the tone. Its interface is good looking, but it gives no visual information; you just listen and match tones. You can select standard, drop D and half-step down modes.
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If you want to practice your blues licks, this free but limited app is useful.
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When you open the app the screen shows drums and bass on/off switches so you can choose what will play back. To the right are circles that show what has been selected in the lower pane. The lower pan let’s you choose the key, tempo(bpm), number of turnarounds (repeats) and chord queue. The queue allows you to alter the progression a little.
After you’ve chosen your setup, press start. The screen changes to the orange and blue circle page shown above. If you don’t have a guitar or other instrument, touching the circles generates tones (blues scale). The playback starts automatically and pressing stop will take you back to the setup screen. If you touch the little i in the right upper corner of this screen, you are taken to an explanation of the blues scale relative to the circles.
This free app is not even worth downloading. When you shake your device, it sometimes plays a riff. That’s it’
This app will let you strum the major, minor, seventh and minor seventh chords in any key. You can also “pick” individual strings. To change keys you have to quit the app, open iPhone settings, locate the iJam icon, tap it and change the chords. You can use any three chords.
You’ll want to read the support instructions at
www.apsof.com
screenshot
If you like video podcasts, you’ll find dozens for free on iTunes. Here is partial list:
Beginning Guitar 101
Dolphin Street Guitar
Learning Guitar Now
Lick Library
Beginner Guitar Lessons
Gibson Guitar
Guitar Theory
These are well-done with good production values. Some cover the basics and others are for the advanced or intermediate player.
You can download them to your computer, iPod or iPhone for use in the studio.
They range from a couple of minutes to several minutes long.
You can read reviews on each podcast before downloading it.
Several students and friends have asked me to make gift certificates so that they can give them to friends or family members who want to learn guitar. They are easy to make. I made this one with Word using an invoice template that came with the program. It works well for birthdays and other holidays.
Here it is.
After getting my iPhone in August, I began finding ways to use it to manage and teach students. Because it plays video and audio, and because of the applications available, it’s been a very useful aid. Here are some ways I have found to use it:
1. It has a direct connection to YouTube, which has thousands (?) of instructional videos on playing guitar. I have found some that are quite good, and bookmarked them for later use or reference.
2. When a student wants to learn a song I don’t know, I can download the song from iTunes. Sometimes I can even do it during the lesson if there is a wi-fi connection.
3. I can also download tablature.
4. I can store Finale music files on my iPhone. I create them on my computer, then transfer them to the iPhone.
5. I have a tuner application.
6. There are several guitar applications available from iTunes.
7. Use the iPhone to call and email students.
8. Google maps lets me find the locations I need. I go to the student’s home for the lessons.
If anyone else has ways to use the iPhone (or other phones or ?) I’d be interested
Every guitarist should be able to use several strums and picking patterns. I have organized some very useful ones into a text document available here.
Meters include 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8; simple, compound and complex strums, arpeggio and travis picks are shown in tablature style.
You can use these patterns to play real songs. With these examples, practice with the A-D-A-E-A chord progression.
Do you know how many people received a guitar for Christmas? I don’t know either, but, trust me, there are thousands.
A few tips:
Now is a great time to advertise your services
Offer a starter package of lessons. Some people don’t want to commit to an ongoing lesson schedule, but will sign up if the lessons end in a specified time frame. This way, they feel that they can get a proper start
Offer accessories with your lesson package: some picks, a tuner, a capo or method book to sweeten the deal
Schools are a great resource for finding students. Contact the music teacher(s) and let them know about you. These teachers are asked often about referrals to private teachers
Contact you local classical guitar society. Even if you don’t play or teach classical, many classical aficionados like to play other styles
I hope some of these ideas are useful.
I’ve only used the free version, but this appears to be a handy tool for music teacher with private students. It’s easy to set up and user-friendly, and contains many features for scheduling, billing and making reports. Use it to manage your studio.
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/
I am using GarageBand to make CD’s for my students. Here are a couple of examples.
One of my students is learning to improvise using the Dorian scale. Since it’s better to have some music to improvise with, I made a CD with accompaniment so he can practice while listening. The cuts I made for him include rhythm guitar, bass and drums. I also record the cuts at slow and fast speeds. When he practices, he can hear what it sounds like in a band setting, rather than just his guitar by itself. GarageBand contains many loops of guitar, bass and drum riffs (some of which can be edited). You just drag and drop them onto a layout, copy and paste to turn one riff into an ostinato, export your work into iTunes, then make a CD. If there is any interest, I can post an example.
With a class I’m teaching, I record the accompaniment for the songs I am teaching so that the students get a feel for playing in an band. I usually don’t make copies for them; I just use them in class. I’ve found them to be motivational. Students must keep a steady beat and tempo.
Let’s use this forum to share information and techniques. How do you get students? How do you keep them? Where/when do you give your lessons? What kinds of materials do you use to help your students learn?
These are just a few of the things we can help each other with. After teaching guitar students for over thirty years, I have learned a few things that will benefit newcomers to the field. I’m sure each of you can contribute your unique experience also.
Star is a program that hires artists to direct after-school programs. One of them is RockStar.
I just had my interview in Oxnard. Ken, the program director, is a super guy with great ideas. He’s hiring people for 13 elementary and 3 middle schools. $25 an hour. You set your hours (between 2 and 6 p.m.) and pick your school.
It looks interesting and I’ll have more to say about it later. Guitar teachers, this might be something to investigate because you can teach a class and make contact with students/parents who are interested in guitar.
Click here to download my podcast about ways to get more students from the public schools. You’ll find several good ways to create a demand for your services.
Teachers, do you have podcasts you would like to put on this blog? It’s easy. Just email them to me and I will upload them to the server and link them. I would like to hear some good podcasts of lessons, ideas, songs, whatever!
iTunes has some great podcasts for guitar players and learners, some with video. I’m now reviewing one called “Beginning Guitar 101″ which looks promising. There are many more.
Tablature provides the student with a graphical representation of music. In most cases students will need to know how the song should sound in advance. It’s easy to learn to read, and there are thousands of tabbed songs available on the internet. Many rock and popular songs are only available in tablature.
These links go to tablature site, not other links.
Chordie
Guitar Notes
Guitaretab(pop-ups)
Four good reasons to learn to read music >>>Only music notation shows the correct rythym and timing of a song >>>Music readers are better all-around musicians >>>Many good songs are only available in notation >>>Music readers have power Compare…a non-music reader is like a race car driver who can’t fix a car. Useful links Finale Notepad (notation Software) Anvil Studio Bucket ‘O Tab (tablature software) Canzona Notecard Software <a Jorge Guillen’s Site Music Site CTV
The internet is a good place to find resources that will help you progress. Learn to read music and tablature. Reading music will take much longer, but will pay off in benefits. How can one become a musician without reading music? You can find luthiers, guitar makers and sellers, which will give you an idea of how much your next guitar will cost.
