The Caversham Guitar School syllabus

Students will learn a range of skills and knowledge that will set them up for a lifelong enjoyment as a musician. They'll be a focus on classical technique on classical guitars covering contemporary and classical repertoire. Classical training is the perfect basis for all musical aspirations because it is highly transferrable to other styles and instruments.

Reading music is a valuable skill to learn at a young age but it is commonly overlooked by self-taught rock guitarists.  Learning to play the guitar without the ability to read music can be a limiting factor for musicians with broad aspirations. Although I can play and teach electric rock guitar, it will be a secondary focus.

• Inspiration, motivation and aspiration

• Buying, caring for, maintaining and tuning the guitar

• Effective learning

  • Planning a targeted routine

  • Incremental exercises to build technique and knowledge

  • Relaxation and breaks

  • Using a metronome

  • Self-analysis and constructive self-criticism

• Technique

  • Strokes

    • Rest stroke (apoyando)

    • Free stroke (tirando)

  • Different strumming techniques employing thumb and fingers

  • Pulgar Indice Medio Anular (PIMA) finger system

  • Tremolo

  • Plectrum playing is not usually part of classical training but it can be useful

    • Alternate picking

    • Economy picking

• Caversham Guitar School library

  • We have a large collection of great books and sheet music to lend and work from. Mostly acquired from Oxfam. 

• Typical guitar motifs

  • Rhythmic patterns

  • Alternating root and 5th bass notes

  • Travis picking

  • Walking basslines

• Reading music

  • Reading treble clef and rhythm notation

    • Explanation

    • Exercises

      • Highly effective reading drills using flash cards

      • Learning via notating with pencil and blank staff paper

      • Counting out loud exercises

    • Recommended mobile apps including our own app

    • Tips

      • How practicing scales and triads help reading music

      • Recognising scalar and chordal patterns

      • Rhythmic exercises that can be done anywhere without a guitar

  • Tablature

    • Intentionally a secondary focus to encourage strong ready skills, it can be valuable as a learning aid in some circumstances

• Chords

  • Open chords

    • E shape chords, A shape chords, D shape chords, C shape chords, G shape chords 

  • Barre chords

    • F etc.

  • The value of the CAGED system

  • Extended harmony

    • 7ths, 9ths, 13ths etc.

  • Flamenco

    • Phrygian dominant, flat-9th chords...

    • Compas

• Music theory

  • Importance and value

  • Rules and creativity

  • Chords and harmony

  • Scales

    • Modes

    • Construction

      • Using the tetrachord

      • Visualising scales everywhere on the fretboard

  • Harmonised scales

  • Voice leading

    • Common notes

    • Scalewise and chromatic movement

  • Effective tips

    • Learning bass clef, learning all key signatures effortlessly etc.

• Fretboard knowledge

  • Arpeggios

    • 3 octave arpeggios

    • Major 7th, minor 7th, augmented 7th, diminished 7th and their inversions from different positions

  • Various approaches to mapping the fretboard using visual patterns

    • Constructing scales and chords

• Ear training

  • How different chords sound especially in context

  • Intervals

• Performance

  • Popular music

    • Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Taylor Swift...

  • Classical music

    • Spanish romance

    • J.S. Bach, Cello Suite No1 (BWV 1007)

    • ...

  • Jazz

    • Autumn Leaves

    • Improvisation

• Jazz

  • 251s

  • Chord tones, chromaticism, enclosures...

  • Constructing bass lines

  • Joe Pass chord melody style

• Arranging for guitar

• Transcribing

• Ear training

• Live performance

• Harnessing the power of the internet

• Other instruments

  • Basic piano/keyboard skills are invaluable even for guitar players for many reasons

• Advanced rhythmic techniques

  • Using fingers and thumbs on the guitar's body e.g. flamenco doble-golpe rhythm