CURRICULUM

You are going to increase your guitar skills very rapidly at Quarter Bend! While each student’s learning experience and focus will be individualized, below is an overview by skill level of what students can expect to learn:

Beginners

  • Guitar Anatomy
  • Tuning
  • Changing Strings
  • Instrument Care
  • Note Reading in 1st Position
  • Effective Guitar Practice
  • Isolated Right Hand Exercises
  • Basic Dynamics on Guitar
  • Basic Ear Training- Major vs Minor
  • Transcribing Simple Melodies
  • 1st Position Major/ Minor Chords
  • Movable Major/Minor Chords
  • Triad Inversions
  • Diatonic Chords
  • Transposing with a Capo
  • Basic Rhythm
  • Meter
  • Key Signatures
  • Tablature
  • Basic Improv
  • Simple Songwriting on Guitar
  • Major Scales in 1st and 7th Position
  • Minor Scales in 1st and 7th Position
  • Pentatonic Scales in 5th and 8th Positions
  • Music Theory Intro: Intervals, Scale Formulas, Enharmonic Pitches
  • Learning Popular Songs of Student’s Choice

Intermediate

  • Tuning with Harmonics
  • Bends, Slides, Hammers, Pull-offs
  • Guitar Soloing Fundamentals
  • Ear Training- Intervals
  • Learning to Play and Transcribe by Ear
  • Dotted Rhythms
  • Compound Meter
  • Scale Degrees
  • Triads and Inversions II
  • Sweep Picking Triads
  • Maj 7, min 7, Dom7, min7b5
  • Improv
  • Basic Phrasing
  • Articulation
  • Common Guitar Harmonies and Duets
  • Basic Chord Analysis
  • Circle of Fifths
  • Transposing
  • Understanding  and Hearing Basic Chord Progressions
  • Movable Scales
  • Song Structure
  • Song Transcription
  • Understanding Rock Guitar Music
  • Basic Composition
  • Major 7/Minor 7/Dominant 7th inversion
  • Blues Scales
  • Song Form
  • Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales
  • Fretboard Mapping
  • Economy Picking
  • Expanded Practice Techniques
  • Improv
  • Sus Chords
  • Borrowed Chords
  • Intro to Classical Guitar Techniques (Finger Picking)
  • Country/Bluegrass Basics (Travis Picking)
  • Basic Effects
  • Intro to Home Recording
  • Using Above Techniques to Learn Popular Songs of Student’s Choosing

Advanced

  • Basic Repairs
  • Right Hand Tapping
  • 7th and 9th Chord Arpeggios
  • Modes of the Major Scale
  • Modes of the Harmononic Minor
  • Modes of the Melodic Scale
  • Sweep Picking
  • Classical Guitar Literature
  • Right Hand Flamenco Techniques
  • Arranging Other Instrumental Pieces for Solo Guitar (i.e. Piano, Violin, etc.)
  • Composition
  • Jazz Theory and Harmony
  • Altered Chords/ tension chords (b9/#11)
  • Borrowing Chords and Modulation
  • Chord Substitution
  • Exotic Scales
  • World Music Overview
  • Recording Techniques
  • Stage Presence
  • Marketing and Booking
  • Simplifying Your Rig
  • Transcribing
  • Advanced Songwriting, Recording, and Production
  • Arranging for Ensembles
  • Odd Time Signatures
  • Expanding Guitar Practice Techniques
  • Advanced Theory
  • Making Dissonance Your Friend
  • Advanced Guitar Improvisation
  • Phrasing Ornmaments
  • Interval Ear Training
  • Basic Electronics-Fixing Broken Cables, Changing Pots, and Modifying Pedals