Looking for acoustic guitar lessons in Edinburgh? I offer tuition in traditional folk accompaniment and fingerpicking or fingerstyle guitar playing. Online lessons available during lockdown.
I provide acoustic guitar lessons in Edinburgh, Scotland. This page describes the different styles that I specialize in and gives information on what to expect from a guitar lesson. There are also some videos and audio files, in which you can see/hear examples of the different styles of playing. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions.
Folk guitar accompaniment
This is the kind of playing you might hear at sessions or ceilidh dances where the guitarist provides chordal and rhythmic accompaniment for the melody players or a singer. During guitar lessons we would work on developing:
- Rhythm hand technique, use of a plectrum for strumming and picking
- Fretting hand strength
- Knowledge of the guitar neck and chord positions
- A repertoire of tunes you can accompany or lead by picking out on the guitar
- Techniques to help you play and sing at the same time
Da Lounge Bar/The Shores of Lough Gowna (Annlaug Børsheim/Trad) – Played by Rachel Walker and Michael Starkey
Fingerpicking or fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle playing is heard in lots of different kinds of music. Guitar players use thumb and fingers independently in order to play each string individually (compared to strumming). This allows complex patterns to be built up combining melody, chords, bass lines, harmony and rhythm. During lessons we would work on developing:
- Rhythm/picking hand position and technique, using each digit independently
- Fretting hand strength
- Knowledge of the guitar neck and chord positions
- A repertoire of pieces that progress your technical skills
- Arrangements of your favourite songs or tunes
What to expect from guitar lessons
You do not need to have any prior experience, knowledge of musical theory or ability to read music in order to be able to play the guitar! We can go at whatever pace best suits you and I encourage learning by ear. To help with this I like to send students audio recordings and guitar tablature to support practice at home. If you’re unfamiliar with tablature we can go through how it works together.
What instrument should I bring?
If you’re unsure what instrument you should bring along please get in touch using the contact form and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.
Lesson cancellation policy
Please note that once we have agreed on a date/time for a lesson I will consider it booked in the diary. If you wish to cancel a booked lesson (unless in exceptional circumstances) and we cannot find a suitable alternative slot in the same week, I still require full payment for the lesson. Thanks for your understanding.
Get in touch…..
If you’re interested in trying guitar lessons please get in touch using the contact form or directly at [email protected]. Or have a look around the site for more information about me, banjo lessons and links to some of the projects I’m involved with.