How I Teach Acoustic Guitar
How I Teach Acoustic Guitar
Lots of people just want to be able to strum chords and sing some songs. I think of this type of guitar playing as "coffee house guitar", or "campfire guitar". I've been in plenty of cool acoustic guitar jams next to a bonfire along the bank of the Susquehanna river.
When I teach acoustic guitar I start with a few simple chords and simple strum patterns. Most classic rock/folk/campfire songs can be played with just three or four chords. Usually after the first lesson the student goes away with a song that he or she can practice.
If you're a beginner it takes at least a few weeks of good practice before you get things (chord changes and strum patterns) working smoothly. It also takes a couple of weeks before you develop callouses on your finger tips. At first it just plain hurts to press those guitar strings down right.
Once you learn about a dozen basic chords, and four or five strum patterns, there are literally hundreds of songs you'll be able to play.