Elements of guitar instruction with Gene Bourque
Modern acoustic guitar method encompasses many elements and techniques. Today's ever-changing technological world of music allows players to take the acoustic guitar in directions that were impossible or extremely daunting only a few short years ago.
Musical tastes and interests are more varied than ever, too, so modern players need many "tools" to succeed at navigating their way down a chosen musical road. This is why I teach many concepts related to the acoustic guitar. Here are a few.
Musical tastes and interests are more varied than ever, too, so modern players need many "tools" to succeed at navigating their way down a chosen musical road. This is why I teach many concepts related to the acoustic guitar. Here are a few.
- Strumming techniques to accompany voice and/or other instruments
- Right hand finger-style playing, covering both traditional and modern genres - finger style is my specialty!
- Music theory directly related to chord construction, substitution and song writing
- Reading studies
- Improvisation (lead guitar), both chordal and single note
- Ear training - learn to recognize musical structure and play "by ear" chords and single note lines
- Ensemble technique
My studio in West Falmouth, Massachusetts
"It's something I've always wanted to do!"
People decide to play the guitar for many reasons. Perhaps you have a friend or a relative who plays and the satisfaction they get from it is obvious - and enviable. Maybe you played an instrument years ago and then put it down and now you want to recapture the joy of making music. Or the reason may be much deeper - a need to challenge one's self with an activity that may have previously seemed unattainable.
No matter the reason, one wish is shared by all players regardless of their age or level of experience: that playing the guitar will be a way to express themselves in a positive way. Over the many years I've taught I've never forgotten this simple but deeply felt desire.
One of the most important parts of my job as a guitar instructor is to determine what my students expect from their lessons, as quickly as possible. The next step is to tailor the way information will be presented to the needs, expectations and motivation of the student. There is really no way to do this using a cut-and-dried course of study. We all learn at different speeds! I use parts of many standard guitar methods and many of my own innovations and try to move my students along as quickly as possible, but never with the result of peripheral knowledge and half-learned concepts. All my lessons are meticulously planned on a TOTALLY INDIVIDUAL BASIS. No matter how simple or difficult a piece of music may be, no one benefits from a teacher whose musical philosophy is: "Well, that's good enough.... "