A New Way To Use Guitar Charts in Lessons

Music teachers have a habit of over relying on the use of guitar charts in their lessons, and although this can lead to some quick short term results, in the long run it is depriving the student of crucial ear training and feel for the instrument.

Just showing people charts is too visual, it does not help them develop a good ear for the music and feel for where their fingers need to go to play certain notes. Instead a good way to plan guitar chart lessons is to use the charts to show people intervals and then have them play the intervals in combinations which make chords.

In this fashion, you are forcing a student to develop their ear, and also giving them a more creative and flexible view of the instrument. This may not be the best strategy for people who want to just quickly learn a few songs, but it is a good thing to do for people who really want to get into improvising and composing on guitar.

When people can put intervals together to make chords and scales, they will have a much better understanding of music theory as well as how things should and can sound. All of this will make them better players, though it may just take a little more time than the people looking at charts and memorizing patterns. However, the results in the end will be worth it.