One of the questions I get asked the most by new guitar teachers is what to teach in the first lesson.
Over the year I’ve tried out lots of different first lesson ideas and looked at what a lot of other guitar sites recommend as the first lesson.
And by far the lesson below gets the best response from my students.
So here it is…
I split the lesson into four short sections.
Section One – Introduction to the guitar
This covers just the basics they need to know to play a note.
What the strings and fretboard are and how to hold a plectrum.
I’d get them to try playing a few notes themselves to practise.
Section Two – How to read Tab.
This is vital so that you can give your student resources to take away with them. Don’t expect them to remember everything.
I really quickly explain how tab works and how it applies to the fretboard.
Then I give them some tab reading exercises to practise with.
Section Three – Basic Finger Exercises
These are extremely basic!
Just playing 1st, 2nd,3rd and 4th fret one string a time.
I give them this for two reasons.
One to practise reading tab.
Two to get them use to using all 4 fingers.
Section Four, The Grand Finale – Easy Riffs On One String
I start with Smoke On The Water, it’s a cliché but a classic!
Everyone loves to play this song.
For some this will be enough but if they pick it up quickly I’ve got some other one string riffs to have a go at.
And that’s it!
Lesson one done, and it gets a great response!
The main reason is that you get a student to leave their first lesson playing something they know.
A proper song that they can play and other people will recognise!
You get one chance to teach that first lesson so you need to make sure your student leaves the lesson happy.
The other reason it works so well is because how it is structured.
Each section builds on the last to get them to be able to play Smoke On The Water.
And I only teach them what they need to learn.
I don’t overwhelm and confuse them!
That is very important
So when you are planning your first lesson make sure that…
They will leave playing a recognisable song
And that you don’t over teach and baffle them
What do you teach in your first lesson? I’d be interested to know.
What to talk more about teaching guitar? Get in touch
Jack