Take creative, personalized guitar lessons with a SUNY Purchase alum focused on progress and expression.

The Student and Tutor focused on guitar fundamentals, including proper instrument tuning and practicing D, A, and G major chords. They worked on smooth chord transitions, learned a new rhythmic strumming pattern, and began applying these to a song's intro and verse. Homework was assigned to continue practicing the learned chords and the new alternate picking technique, alongside writing down the song's chord sequence.

Student and Tutor continued their guitar lesson, focusing on advanced scale exercises and fretboard navigation. They worked on identifying complex chords within a song, discussing music theory concepts like the circle of fourths and dissonance. Homework included practicing new scale patterns, additional chords in the circle of fourths, and a specific song section with a metronome.

The Student and Tutor reviewed the Student's recent experience playing bass with a drummer and discussed strategies for balancing technical perfection with musical enjoyment. They then collaboratively practiced learning a new song, AC/DC's "Long Way to the Top," focusing on interpreting bass tabs, understanding rhythm, and applying techniques like "hammer-ons." For follow-up, the Student will practice the new song, paying attention to tempo and musicality.

The Student and Tutor practiced the melody for "Can't Help Falling in Love" on the guitar, focusing on specific finger positions and melodic phrases. To assist with practicing along to the song, the Tutor introduced a browser extension to slow down audio. The Student also briefly reviewed D and A major chords, and was assigned to practice the full song melody using the new tool, as well as continue chord practice.

The Student and Tutor reviewed bass guitar techniques, focusing on rhythmic accuracy through metronome practice and visual aids. They assessed the Student's progress on several songs, confirming proficiency in some while identifying specific transitions and sections in others, such as "Dreams," for further work. The session also introduced advanced bass line variations, including passing notes, and concluded with a detailed breakdown and initial practice of a song's bridge, planning to resume this section next time.

The session focused on Guitar, with the Student working on rhythm exercises, breaking down a song using slowed-down audio, and practicing note identification. They discussed effective practice methods for difficult song sections and strategies for gradually increasing playing speed with a metronome. For homework, the Student was assigned to practice B flat and E flat note identification and continue speed training up to 95 BPM.