7 Types of Guitar Lessons: Part 1, Introduction; Classical

7 TYPES of GUITAR LESSONS, Part One
by Rick Cittar

As a professional music instructor with many years experience, I have often counseled prospective students about what they can expect when they begin to learn the guitar. If the student has an idea of a style of music or a favorite artist they would like to emulate, it helps me describe a course of study that will result in success.

I can break down my experience in the study of the instrument into 7 types of guitar lessons that will answer most questions about what to expect. I can also adapt the technical aspects for children’s guitar lessons, and left-handed guitar lessons as well.

7 Types of Guitar Lessons

Classical
American Finger Style
Acoustic/Folk
Blues
Rock
Metal
Jazz

Classical

The traditional classical guitar is symmetrical in form, and has the neck joining the body at the twelfth fret. It uses nylon strings and has beautiful balanced tone that enables it to sound like a small orchestra. There is a tremendous body of literature for the classical guitar, and many beginning pieces sound fantastic, though they are fairly easy to play.

Some good examples are the traditional English tune, “Greensleeves”, which has a number of arrangements in print, and The Beatles song, “Blackbird”. There are also many beautiful easy pieces, such as Aguado’s “Waltz in G”, Giuliani’s “Country Dance”, and Sor’s “Allegretto”.

The study of the classical guitar requires the development of the fingers of the dominant (right) hand. They are dedo pulgar (thumb), dedo indice (index), dedo mediano (middle), and dedo anular (ring), referred to as p, i, m, a, respectively. Traditional study involves learning to read music notation, and a constant, well-regulated practice schedule, to insure proper technical progress.