Latest updates and news

New lesson material: Common scales used in blues

/in /by

A new lesson plan has been added to the Lesson Materials Section to help your student learn to improvise using scales suitable for blues. Most students find it easy to learn how to play the blues and enjoy the fact that they can get a great blues sound using a few simple scales. The lesson plan will help you guide the student through how to pick out the right scale that fits with the key and which notes to focus on.

If your student wants to learn about the blues or simply wants to be able to jam with other musicians, this lesson plan will help them achieve it.

Access the lesson here: BLU-02 Common Scales Used in Blues

More lesson plans on the blues and other scales are available in the Lesson Materials Section here.

New lesson material: The 12 Bar Blues Shuffle

/in /by

A new lesson series has been created to help you teach your student about the blues. This lesson series will introduce topics such as blues improvisation, jamming, licks, rhythm and more.

The first lesson available in the blues series is on the 12 bar blues shuffle. This is a great way to introduce your student to the blues and it teaches them important theory as well as how to apply it. The 12 bar blues shuffle is used in countless blues jams and songs. If your student learns this then they will immediately be able to start jamming with other players.

Access the lesson here: BLU-03 12 Bar Blues Shuffle

More lessons on the blues will be available over time and there are many other related lesson plans available in the Lesson Materials Section here.

New lesson material: The Major Scale and Key Signatures

/in /by

A new lesson plan has been added to the Lesson Materials Section covering the major scale and key signatures. Many guitar teachers use the circle of fifths as a way of explaining how key signatures work and how the major scales are all related. This resource takes a different approach and has been found to be more effective in teaching students the basic theory behind scales. The included lesson instructions will guide you through the lesson and cover all the important points.

Even if you have a limited understanding of music theory this lesson plan will explain everything clearly for you and your student.

Access the resource here: MTH-07 Major Scales and Key Signatures

There are more lesson plans available on the major scale in the Lesson Materials Section here.

Live and Teach Guitar now on Google Plus

/in /by

We're now on Google Plus and we'll be using it to share useful teaching tips and advice, ideas you can use in your lessons, links to relevant teaching materials and tools, updates on this site and more.

You can contact us on Google Plus with any questions you have about teaching guitar and we'll help you out. It's also a good way to stay up to date with new materials here as we will post every time a new lesson has been created.

Check us out on Google Plus here: Live and Teach Guitar on Google Plus

New lesson material: The Major Scale

/in /by

A new lesson plan has been added to the Lesson Materials Section on the Major Scale. This lesson plan will help you teach the Major Scale to your students in a very simple and clear way. The lesson will introduce the important points without going into any technical theory that the student won't understand yet. The lesson will also teach the student to figure out the notes in any Major Scale on the guitar. This application of the theory in a useful way will help the student understand why music theory is worth learning.

Access the lesson here: MTH-01 Music Theory

More lesson plans are available in the Lesson Materials Section here.

New lesson material: Three string sweep picking exercises

/in /by

A new lesson plan is available to help you teach your student sweep picking. The exercises will introduce simple arpeggios across three strings. These exercises are very simple to allow your student to focus on perfecting the technique. After they learn to play these exercises then they start looking at more complicated arpeggio shapes or they can start learning arpeggios across more than three strings.

The included lesson plan explains the technique but you can also use TEC-06 Sweep Picking to teach the technique. Using both lesson plans together will give you enough resources to teach it effectively.

Access the lesson material here: EXE-09 Three String Sweep Picking Exercises

More exercises and lesson plans are available in the Lesson Materials Section.

New lesson material: DADGAD Tuning

/in /by

A new resource has been included in the Lesson Materials Section on DADGAD Tuning. DADGAD (pronounced dad-gad) is a popular tuning due to the Dsus4 chord it creates across the open strings. DADGAD can be found in a wide range of styles including Celtic music. It is also sometimes used in rock and can be found in quite a few Led Zeppelin songs. The tuning is similar to Drop D with the difference being the 1st and 2nd strings are also tuned down a whole tone.

Access the resource here: TUN-05 DADGAD Tuning

There are other resources on alternate tunings available in the Lesson Materials Section here.

New lesson material: Sweep Picking

/in /by

Sweep picking can be an exciting technique when applied in the right way. Many guitarists use sweep picking with such perfect technique that it appears to be simple to learn when students see it. Many of your students will ask about sweep picking and will want to learn it. This lesson plan will help you introduce the technique to your student. It uses simple exercises and the student can clearly see how to develop the skills behind the technique.

The included instructions with the material will help you explain the technique in simple terms. The simple exercises are easy to explain and your student can learn the fundamentals in no time. If your student wants to be able to sweep pick like Yngwie Malmsteen (or any other guitar hero) that uses the technique, this lesson plan will help you teach it.

Access the lesson here: TEC-06 Sweep Picking

More lesson plans on various techniques are available in the Lesson Materials Section here.

New business guide: Income Trackers

/in /by

A new guide has been added to the Business Guides Section to help you keep track of your income. As a guitar teacher it's important you keep records of money you receive from students. If you have a student who keeps forgetting to pay you, an income tracker is essential to make sure you don't lose track of how much money they owe you! It can also help you discover which students are prompt with payment and earn you the most money.

The income trackers are simple to fill out and you don't need to know anything about accounting to use them. You simple write the date, student name, and amount paid. You can put comments in if you wish but it's as simple as that. If you're just starting out as a guitar teacher download the tracker and use it from the start and you'll avoid a lot of issues many tutors fall for.

Access the guide here: BAC-02 Income Trackers

More helpful business resources are available in the Business Guides Section here.

New lesson material: Four note legato exercises

/in /by

A new lesson plan has been added to the Lesson Materials Section on four note legato exercises. These exercises will help your student increase the strength in their fingers and help them apply legato in their playing. The exercises are very similar to the two and three note legato exercises so if your student can play those exercises they won't have trouble learning these. The included lesson instructions will help you explain the exercises to your student.

Access the lesson here: EXE-08 Four Note Legato

The other lesson plans on legato exercises can be found in the Lesson Materials Section here.