Shane Counter
Guitar Coach
To be able to tune a guitar
To be able to name the parts of a guitar
To be able to name the 12 musical notes and identify them on a guitar
To be able to play 7 major chords in the 'open' position
To be able to play the 'E major' scale on any string and know the interval formula for deriving the notes for any major scale
To have been taught the basic theory of how chords are built
To be able to interpret basic TAB (Tablature notation) and other graphical representations of the fretboard
To be able to use the CAGED system to find and name chords across the fretboard
To be able to play a basic 12-bar blues chord progression
To be able to apply a variety of strumming patterns in time with a metronome or click track
To have a basic understanding of 4/4 time signatures, Quarter notes, Eighth notes, Sixteenth notes
To be able to play all the 'Natural' Major, Minor and Dominant 7th Chords in the 'open' position
To understand the 'Relative Minor' relationship and appreciate the tonal characteristics of Major versus Minor chords
To be able to 'Harmonise' the major scale and identify the 'Key Centre'
To be able to play the 'E minor' scale on any string and know the interval formula for deriving the notes for any minor scale
To be able to play 6 Moveable Barre Chord shapes
To be able to play 2 Moveable Pentatonic Scale shapes
To understand the theory of how 'colour' chords (Dominant 7th, Major 6th, Dominant 9th) are built and how to substitute them in 12-bar progressions
To be able to use the CAGED system to find and name chord inversions (Major and Minor)
To be able to use 'Slash' chords in the context of a riff or song
To have an understanding of how 'suspended' chords are formed and how they can be applied to riffs and chord sequences
To be able to play a variety of add9 chords based on the main triad shapes and barre chords
To be able to play 5 Moveable Major Pentatonic Scale shapes
To be able to play 5 Moveable Minor Pentatonic Scale shapes
To have been introduced to fundamental lead guitar techniques such as vibrato, hammer-ons, pull-offs, string bending and string dampening
To have been introduced to fundamental lead guitar techniques in the context of improvised Pentatonic soloing
Course Objectives
Everyone learns in different ways and everyone learns at a different pace - their own - but please see below to get a sense of what you can expect to get from each set of 5 modules with the appropriate commitment to practice and application.