Uptempo Music Lessons

Hello and welcome to Uptempo Music Lessons for September 2024!

My name is Ed and I teach in person, or via Skype or Zoom, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, vocal and ukulele lessons, beginners to advanced.

I have been teaching music for over 35 years, and I teach many styles such as pop, rock, jazz, blues, and country for ages 8 and up.

If you would prefer lessons online over Skype or Zoom, you can find me as “UptempoMusic.”

The outline below will give you an idea what you will learn from me if you take guitar lessons.

If at any point you feel like you want to book a lesson, look up and to the right and click on “Book Your Lesson Now.”

Beginner

My beginner guitar classes look a lot like this.

You will learn:

• the parts of the guitar

• how to tune the guitar

• basic open chords such as major, minor, dom7

• strumming patterns and how to invent them yourself

• basic songs to strum

• how to practice effectively

• natural notes on each string

• barre chord exercise

• fingerpicking patterns

• alternate picking with plectrum

• how to accompany others

• warm up exercises

• basic 5 note scales

• how to read tabulature

• how to read music notation (if you prefer)

and much more if you’re a keener!

Intermediate

You will learn:

• basic diatonic theory/relationships

• how chords are named

• triad chord barre chord shapes CAGED system

• picking exercises for speed and accuracy

• fret hand exercises for speed and longevity

• 5 position scale patterns for pentatonic/blues, major/minor

• intervals and related exercises 3^rd, 3rds inverted, 4ths, 4ths inverted etc.

• arpeggio patterns for improvising

• techniques like string muting, palm muting, pick harmonics,

  vibrato, slides, string bending, tapping, sweep and economy picking, natural

  harmonics, hybrid picking etc.

• songs and solos that use the above techniques and scales

• common chord progressions

• theme/variation for improvising

• eartraining to improve ability to pick songs off recordings

• all the notes on the fretboard

• swing feel, triplets, odd note groupings

• how to count 4/4 and compound times

Advanced

You will learn:

• diatonic and non diatonic harmony using 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths extensions

• major, minor and composite cadence charts – awesome for songwriting

• how to create mixed mode chord progressions and arpeggio patterns

• scale, chord, arpeggio relationships

• chord subsitution, arpeggio subsitution

• advanced diatonic and non diatonic sequences

• closed, drop 2 and drop 3 chord voicings and inversions

• home chords for memorizing tensions 9/11/13

• economy picked scales and arpeggios and patterns

• sweep picking triads, 7^th 9^th 11^th 13^th arpeggios

  via subsitutions

• quartal harmony

• symmetrical scales and uses

• compositional techniques like deceptive cadence

  parallelism, equal division of the octave

• voice leading chords

• eartraining via interval, chord and time figure

  recognition

• how to transcribe solos and songs

• transcribed solos by your favorite guitarists

My lessons are customized as every student has different reasons for wanting to take a lesson. Some people want to learn how to play their favorite songs, or learn how to improvise, maybe learn how to read music, or perhaps understand how music theory works. Others might need help preparing for their entrance exams for college and university programs. I can help with all that and more.

I have a system of teaching that breaks down the information for each student helping the students learn and remember this information easier.

My rates are very competitive, and I offer several price points with flexible hours.

If you are interested in seeing my teaching style, please have a look around the site.

There are many free lessons on the “Music Blog” page including video, tabulature, and notation to get you started.

To book a lesson, please click on the book now button, or contact me using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

Thanks for checking out my site and hope to talk to you soon!