Pennyland Music Guitar & Bass Tuition

Adult Guitar and Bass Guitar Tuition ...

I offer two alternative approaches to teaching guitar or bass for adults. The nature of the course content covered is not suitable for young children and so guitar or bass lessons are available to students 15 years of age and older. The first approach and by far the most popular is for students who simply want to learn for fun so they can play along with their friends and their favourite music and the second addresses the needs of those wishing to obtain their music theory exam grades. Which is the best way forward? It simply depends what you want to get out of your lessons. For the first, the "social guitar" approach, Pennyland Music offers a Guitar and Bass Guitar course called “Learning HOW to Play Guitar” with the emphasis very much on the HOW. As beginners learn some simple basics of music, they begin to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it rather than learn to play parrot-fashion from tabs on the internet. They start to learn and understand how to make up chord sequences to songs and how to make up guitar riffs or bass runs just like the professionals. For those who have already been playing for some time, it provides a logically structured framework to help them understand and advance. But for those who aspire to obtaining their examination grades and sit practical and theory exams (the second approach described above), the lessons are augmented to cover the Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT) and London College of Music (LCM) Popular Music syllabus to prepare for these exams. The RGT offers a wealth of quality handbooks covering the LCM exam syllabus and students are advised at the appropriate time which of these they might like to buy to help optimise their potential and achievements in the exams.

How long do lessons last and much do they cost?
Lessons are normally on a one-to-one and last for an hour at a cost £30 per lesson. Occasionally two people want to have a lesson together in which case the lesson fee is £45 to cover both people. All handouts for the Pennyland Music course are provided free of charge. Students will buy their own RGT examination handbooks either directly from the RGT – or alternatively these can be obtained through Pennyland Music.

How long will it take to learn?
That one’s a bit more difficult. It depends how determined you are, how hard you try and how good you really want to be.

Initially, students have one lesson at the normal rate to see if they like the teaching style and content. If so and if a slot is available, they are given a regular lesson slot which is every 3 weeks. Lessons are given at Pennyland Music Studio, Pennyland, Milton Keynes and are paid for on the day. No advance payments. No minimum commitment.

As part of the course (and included in the price), students are given sections of my Guitar Learning Manual plus a DVD packed with a wealth of information and exercises to help them progress. Much of the teaching involves use of a PC and a powerful but simple-to-use audio editing program plus many audio files to help accelerate progress. For those who do not use a pc, the teaching is adapted accordingly.

Students are expected to bring their own guitar to their lessons, but if on occasion they cannot, they can use one of the guitars here in the Studio. There is no need to bring an amplifier - there are several in the studio.

If you want like to know more about how the course is structured, please follow this link: Guitar Course Content.