by Glen McCarthy | Dec 8, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
When a student has an instrument in their hands, they want to use it! Making unwanted sound at inappropriate times can be distracting. A student might noodle out of embarrassment or to show off. One important rule to establish right away is “NO NOODLING!” How do you...
by Glen McCarthy | Dec 2, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Stories, Success Stories, Tips + Tricks
We’ve all been there. You’re trying to teach an important new concept to your guitar class….and little Jimmy can’t keep his hands off the guitar while you’re talking! Well…. it’s little Jimmy….along with Fred, Wanda, and Gladys. It’s a classroom epidemic! To be fair…I...
by Glen McCarthy | Dec 1, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
It is the beginning of the year and the stream of paperwork and returned forms is starting to pile up on your desk. How can you keep track of it? In my guitar classes students must return a student data sheet, a student parent agreement, an instrumental rental...
by Glen McCarthy | Nov 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Forearm Placement in Pick-style vs. Fingerstyle What are the differences in forearm placement in pick style vs. fingerstyle? Think about this. 1. Forearm position is largely the same for pick style and fingerstyle. 2. The difference is the angle the hand is in...
by Glen McCarthy | Nov 24, 2013 | Classroom, Education, Principles, Tips + Tricks
Tune UP to the reference note. By tightening the tuning key you prevent the string from slipping. If the pitch of the string is higher than the reference pitch, lower the string just below the reference pitch and then tighten it up to match the tuning track. This is...
by Glen McCarthy | Nov 17, 2013 | Classroom, Education, News, Tips + Tricks
Most guitar students have not belonged to anything bigger than themselves until guitar class. Few guitar students have the experience of being on a football team, being in scouts, etc. The guitar class is often the first exposure to teamwork and belonging to something...
