I like to go over the very basics such as correct posture, hand position, etc. It’s important for me to find out what the student expects to get from the lesson, and other pertinent information such as the kind of music they enjoy so I’m able to tailor lessons to what the student wants to learn! Then we’ll try out a couple easy chords and single note melodies to give them something to work on for the week. Finally, we’ll go over relevant materials to purchase (lesson books, sheet music, etc.) for future lessons.
Lessons extending past the first couple months will see the student learning most, if not all, of the open chords on a guitar. We will have practiced Melodie’s that utilize every string in open position. We may be moving onto second position (then further and further up the neck). We’ll be learning different strumming and picking patterns in the right hand. The further we go in lessons will see the student beginning to learn more and more advanced guitar techniques.
The 4th through 10th lessons vary quite a bit depending on the student’s learning speed (and practice routine). Typically, we’ll be trying to get to the point of covering single note melodies across all six strings, but it’s okay if we’re not to that point yet. I would like to have worked through a complete song with simple chords and perhaps be working on a second with a new chord or two. For me, it’s very important that we are working at the student’s comfortable pace and not moving too fast (or too slow). So all of this is highly variable.
After 2-3 lessons, a student can expect to be working on a couple of different things. We’ll be familiarizing ourselves with the guitar by playing some single note melodies on the highest couple strings. If the student feels ready, I also like to be working on a song of their choosing with simple chord progressions. To me, it’s very important to get the student working on songs as quickly as possible, especially songs they enjoy, as this will provide the student something fun and familiar to make lessons and the guitar more engaging!