Like most teachers, my students vary in both age and ability. Each lesson must cater to the individual needs of each student, In an effort to support this diversity, I have developed a 3-fold approach to teaching that I believe will support any instrument. So far I have applied it successfully to guitar, bass, and mandolin. The three components are:

1) Harmony - This varies from a beginner learning three notes on a string, to discussing how chords are made from scales, voice leading, and chord tensions with higher level students.

2) Rhythm - The subdivision of the beat, using quarter notes as the standard, rests, and different time signatures, anticipations, and tempo and the effect they can have on the feel of a song. Once again, the level of the learner determines the depth of the subject.

3) Technique - How to hold your instrument, finger and hand position, scale patterns, chording options. Basically, how to find the notes you want, and the most efficient/comfortable way to play them. I don't worry about this one too much. As hand strength and flexibility varies, I find it best to let students sort things out for themselves, and correct or suggest as necessary.

I begin each lesson with two goals in mind. The first goal is that the student enjoys learning and playing music. The second is that they leave a little bit smarter than they arrived. Some days, it seems the biggest part of my job is rehabilitating classical piano students. Mention the circle of fifths, even in passing, and they grow pale and break out in a cold sweat ... Music should be something to enjoy, not fear. On my advertising I state that, " ... The focus is on helping students set and reach reasonable goals, and to become comfortable and confident musicians. Diversity and creativity are encouraged." As far as I'm concerned, the fundamentals of attitude are as important as the fundamentals of music.

A typical lesson for a beginning student, age 8, would go like this:

Listening Game (5 minutes max.) Calling it a game makes students more receptive than calling it Ear Training. I hold my guitar upright on my lap, strings facing me. I play a single open string, and ask the student to play the same string. Over a period of weeks, I will progress to intervals and harmony using only open strings. This is a simple exercise, and it helps students build confidence in their listening abilities. The next step is playing chords in the open position and getting the students to identify them as major or minor. This can be expanded to include 7th chords (major or minor) as well. The idea with this one is to keep it challenging, but always allow opportunities for success. I want my students to develop confidence in what they hear, and their ability to reproduce it on their instrument.

Review of Last Week's Lesson and Questions (5-10 minutes) A quick check to see if they even practiced. I used to take it for granted that students practiced. Silly, silly me!

New Material (10-15 minutes) Let's take a look at Ode to Joy. Let's assume the student is fairly confident in reading music, and all pertinent notes, rests and rhythms have been taught previous to this lesson.

1) Harmony

Name That Note: Point to each note and have the student name it. Usually, I go along the first line as if we were playing it, and jump around on the second line, just to avoid being predictable. This is a great technique when first learning sharps and flats.

You can also ask for its position on the fretboard, (e.g., 3rd fret, 2nd string).

2) Rhythm

Count and Clap: Have the student count aloud, "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" while they clap on the beats where they will be playing a note. Do this a couple of times if they are a bit shaky on timing.

Have the student tap their foot, (or use a metronome), and say the note name on the beats that they will be playing.

3) Technique

I don't want students getting too hung up on "right finger, right place" neurosis. I tell them that as long as they have the right notes covered, it doesn't matter which finger they use. It's not a bad idea to point to the note and have the student tell you where it is located on the staff and what finger they would use to play it. This can be worked into the Name That Note game. When the complexity of the music demands fussier fingering, then we will get more in-depth.

The whole point of approaching a piece of music in this manner is to reduce the anxiety. My theory is that a large chunk of that anxiety comes from the brain having to deal with seeing, hearing, counting, and moving fingers all at the same time. By isolating these processes and warming up on them one at a time, they become more familiar and the grey matter doesn't go into panic mode, quite so quickly. The player is more relaxed and is familiar with the piece, and much more likely to experience success.

At this point, get the student to play through the piece. Note where they are having difficulty and when they are done, point it out, and ask them why they had difficulty there and what they could do to improve it. This is where it might be appropriate to make suggestions for hand placement and fingerings. I would also isolate problem measures, and just have the student focus on that measure. A neat thing to do is to point out that the two lines in this piece are almost identical. I use opportunities like this to show them that they don't need to use a lot of notes to write great music. It can also stifle some anxiety if you can encourage students to look at a piece of music and identify repeated sections or phrases. Suddenly, 6 rows of dots and sticks become 3 rows of dots and sticks that get repeated, and there are only 6 different notes used! Looks like a lot less work now, doesn't it?

By breaking music down into Harmony, Rhythm, and Technique, students are able to focus and build strength and confidence in each area, yet still see how they fit together to play a whole piece of music. Using this method can also show where a students' weaknesses lie, and will aid you in formulating a lesson plan and a teaching approach in which to strengthen them. Before long, you will see whether it's recognizing notes or understanding rhythms that are causing reading problems. If Name that Note and Count and Clap go smooth as silk, but the playing suffers, it's likely that fingering and technique need work. I've noticed that a lot of people assume that learning is hard. It might be hard work at times, but it doesn't have to be hard.

More on Guitar by Trevor Mcpherson