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Modern Method For Guitar Volume 1 Duets
To develop students music reading skills we play duet pieces together to ensure that they’ve learnt their part while developing independent counting/timing. For these duets I like to use the pieces from Modern Method For Guitar Volume 1 by William Leavitt.
However since being in lockdown and teaching online Zoom guitar
lessons we’ve been unable to play in time due to the video conferencing delay.So to resolve this time delay issue I created a series of YouTube
videos for the duet pieces from Modern Method For Guitar. In the videos both
parts are played together then separately so if you have the book you can play
along with either part. Read More -
Song Writing – Why Neil Finn Beats Paul Kelly
When comparing these two great Australian/New
Zealand songwriters Neil Finns beats out a better tune than Paul Kelly for me.
Not to say that Paul Kelly sucks but I prefer to listen to Neil Finns songs
whether they be from Split Enz, Crowded House or his solo career.Why Neil Finn? The big reason is that when compared to Paul Kelly his music is much more interesting due to more complex and surprising melodies and chord progressions. Paul Kelly’s strengths come from his lyrics that make him a great storyteller however he generally uses fairly simple harmonic content/chords in his songs. Read More
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AMEB CPM Guitar Vs Rockschool Guitar Exams
In Australia the AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) offers 2 types of exams for guitar students (apart from classical guitar), CPM (Contemporary Popular Music) and Rockschool. Students wanting to sit exams need to make a choice between the two syllabuses. Sitting guitar exams creates goals for students helping them to learn technical/aural skills, music theory and develop a repertoire. This article is written to help guitarists choose an exam format that would suit them best. 1
AMEB CPM has 4 levels called Steps while Rockschool has 7 grades. While there are less levels in CPM these exams cover more topics requiring more study and practice for the student. Read More
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5 Tips To Play Guitar With Small Hands
One of the most common challenges that youngsters and adults are sharing is playing the guitar with small hands. It can be very frustrating not to be able to reach proper finger placements, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.
We can all agree that almost all of the great guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Satriani, Steve Vai, etc. share a common trait: large hands. We can’t deny the fact that the large hands rule the guitar world.
So, small hands are most definitely a problem if you want to play the guitar. Luckily, there’s always a solution for every problem. There is no need for giving up on your dreams or switching to another instrument.
First of all, you need a little motivation. Read More -
Day In The Life Of A Guitar Teacher
Here is a typical day in my life as a guitar/bass guitar teacher in Melbourne. After getting up at the crack of noon (not really it’s about 9am!) I go cycling to keep fit and healthy. Otherwise I just spend all day with my butt on a chair practicing, teaching or working on the computer.
After my morning ride and breakfast I spend my free time until my first afternoon student arrives doing admin, lesson preparation, housework, walking the dog and of course practicing.
Currently I am practicing 20 songs for an upcoming acoustic duo gig with Deuawd. I use a Boss RC-20XL looper pedal to create rhythm guitar parts when I solo in certain songs and it’s also a great practice tool to help work on guitar solos and timing in general. Read More
