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Sample Syllabi for a Guitar Course
Greg Scheer
greg@gregscheer.com

As praise bands become more ubiquitous in modern worship, it is important for worship leaders to understand the guitar. The best way for non-guitarists to learn the capabilities and limitations of the instrument is to learn to play it. This one-credit crash course teaches the fundamentals of guitar-playing to those with little or no experience.

I had some reservations about choosing a textbook called Guitar for Dummies, but it was the best choice for the situation. Many guitar methods concentrate on learning to read melodies as a prelude to the classical guitar style of playing. However, guitarists in praise bands and other pop music styles focus on playing chords, which is the approach Phillips and Chappell take. They start by teaching simple chords by “family” (I, IV, V, vi in a given key) and then move on to more advanced topics like finger-picking, strum-patterns and playing melodies. It is a satisfying approach because students are able to play a few songs quickly and then slowly add new techniques.

Though the course is intended for novices, there are usually a number of students who already have quite a bit of experience with the guitar. To help compensate for this difference in abilities I pair more experienced players with novices for the semester, giving the new players extra help and keeping the more experienced players from becoming bored. I also scale all assignments depending on the student's skill level. For instance, while the novice learns a song with G, C and D chords, the more advanced players learn the same song using a finger-picking pattern.

To build confidence I quickly apply what they've learned in the book to simple praise songs they can play together as a class. By the end of the semester they've learned a dozen simple praise songs that they can lead at the guitar (albeit quite slowly in some cases). I even had one class lead “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” in chapel at the end of one semester!

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Course Objective:

The student will learn the rudiments of guitar playing, including open and barre chords, strumming and picking patterns, and basic music and tablature reading. The course will provide the student with the skills necessary to accompany singing at the guitar and give a solid foundation for future growth in guitar playing.

Required Text:
            Phillips, Mark and Jon Chappell, Guitar for Dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books, 1998.

            Note: The tests and exam will have both written and playing components.

CLASS SCHEDULE

1. Introduction to Guitar Class
               Syllabus; Tuning, Posture, E Chord
               Read: Introduction and Chapter 1-3
   
2. A Family Chords
               Read: 41-45
               Practice: Kumbaya, p54
   
3. D and G Family Chords
               Read: 45-49
               Practice: Swing Low, p55; Auld Lang Syne, p56
   
4. C Family Chords & The “Oldies” Progression
               Read: 49-52; 58-59
               Practice: Michael Row, p57; Oldies in C & G
   
5. Test #1
   
6. Music Reading
               Read: 323-332
   
7. Tablature, Left-Hand Fingering, Picking
               Read: 61-67
               Practice: Little Brown Jug, p68; Smokey, p69
   
8. Review
               Practice: Swanee River, p70
   
9. Test #2
   
10. Dominant 7 Chords
                Read: 71-74; 84-85
                Practice: Over the River, p81
                            12 Bar Blues, p84 (extra credit for writing and singing lyrics)
    
11. Minor and Major 7 Chords
                Read: 75-77
                Practice: It's Raining, p82; Oh Susanna, p83
    
12. E Barre Chords
                Read: 105-113
                Practice: All examples shown in text
    
13. A Barre and Power Chords
                Read: 113-124
                Practice: We Wish You a Merry Christmas, p126
    
14. Test #3
    
15. Fingerstyle
                Read: 209-224
                Practice: The 2 Patterns on p215; The Lullaby Pattern;
                            and Simple Thumb-Brush
    
16. Final Exam