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Acoustic Guitar Lessons

Learn to play a fun mix of Music -
Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Celtic...
Serving Youth & Families Since 1996

Pierre Jacques Pleau - Musician & Teaching Artist

Private &/or Family Duo 30 min. lessons

Weekly lessons are held year round
Ages 9-Adult - Beginners Welcome!
NBAPS - North Branch, MN, USA
CCS - Cambridge, MN, USA
‘Mobile’ MN (your location)

Fun Options for Family & Friends

Duo Lessons: Parent/child, Grandparent/grandchild or siblings...  Take a 30 min duo lesson on the same kind of instrument (example: guitar).
 
Private Lessons: Take 30 min. private lessons back to back with a friend or family member (example: 1 guitar & 1 fiddle) and spend part of the time jamming together!

What Students Need to bring to Lessons:

Acoustic Steel String Folk Guitar
(see more info below about choosing a guitar)
Medium weight guitar picks
Book:  Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method 1
Electronic guitar tuner (clip on)
 
The Acoustic Folk Guitar has steel strings and is used for playing country, bluegrass & folk music…  (There are also Acoustic/Electric Folk Guitars, which can be plugged into an amp for performing but also sound good without being plugged in.)
 
Guitar Recommendations:
 
For ages 9-12:  Size ¾ Acoustic Folk Guitar with extra light steel strings for ease of playing. 
For ages 13-Adult size ¾ or a mini/travel Acoustic Folk Guitar for ease of playing and taking with you!
 
If you already have a guitar but don’t know which kind it is, look at the headstock and compare it to the photos below.
The second photo is the head stock of the Classical/Spanish Acoustic Guitar which has nylon strings and is used for playing Spanish & classical music…  It has a wider fret board than an Acoustic Folk Guitar, which can make it harder for youth and beginners to play. 
 
Note:  For Lessons students need to have their own good sounding playable Acoustic Folk Guitar in order to make the most of their lessons and also for their own enjoyment of playing at home…

Music Books/methods used:

Alfred’s Basic Guitar Method 1:

Americana, Classical, Rock ’n’ Roll,
Folk, Musicals & Country
Book includes:  left hand fingering & picking exercises, note reading basics, bass string rhythms, rock rhythms, boogie style rhythms, simple 3 & 4 string chords, strumming patterns and a fun mix of songs to pick &/or strum:
Beautiful Brown Eyes, Alouette, Aura Lee, Ode to Joy, Down in the Valley, Oh Susanna, Good Night Ladies, Daisy Bell, Laughing Polka, The Yellow Rose of Texas, The Blue Danube Waltz, Can-Can, She’ll Be Coming’ ‘Round the Mountain, Happy Birthday to You, Pachelbel’s Canon, Over the Rainbow, Amazing Grace, Minuet (Bach), Buffalo Gals, La Bamba, Auld Lang Syne, Singin’ in the Rain, Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver) and more…

Flatpicking Guitar Songs:

Folk/Bluegrass
Book includes:  Picking/Strumming patterns, how to play notes in the following ways - hammer on, pull off, slide and bend.  The book also includes chord charts, standard notation and TABs for easy reading.  
Learn 3 songs with the Carter style of playing the guitar by hitting the melody with the bass notes and strumming:  Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Wildwood Flower and Home Sweet Home.  Flatpicking Songs (playing mostly melody notes rather than strumming chords.)  Cripple Creek, Red Haired Boy, Nine Pound Hammer, Black Mountain Rag, Salt River…

Fiddle Students or
Friends/Family Members of Fiddle Students

For students who are also learning to play the Fiddle/Violin or who have a family member or friend who is learning to play the fiddle, they can learn how to play backup rhythm &/or flatpick songs on the guitar from the following book series:

American Fiddle Method

Americana, Appalachian, Bluegrass, Cajun, Celtic, French-Canadian & Irish…
Angelina Baker, Crawdad Song, Bonaparte’s Retreat, Girl I Left Behind Me, Southwind, Red Haired Boy, Turkey in the Straw, Liberty, Arkansas Traveler, St. Anne’s Reel, Fisher’s Hornpipe, Star of the County Down, Westphalia Waltz, Ragtime Annie, and many more!!!
• Guitar Lessons include ‘Jamming’ with, mandolin, ukulele &/or fiddle accompaniment.
• As students progress they can sign-up for ‘Jam Camps.’
• Students who are interested in performing, can audition to perform music at festivals.

"Have more Questions?"

Take a fun easygoing Intro Lesson to find out more about an Instrument!
Instrument provided upon request for the Intro Lesson - dependent on availability
Q:  “What do students learn beyond playing songs?”
A:  “In order to learn to play the Guitar like a pro (achieve great sound), there are a number of skills that are focused on during lessons:
  • Good form and posture
  • Left hand guitar hold/position (for ease of playing and visual effect)
  • Excellent right hand pick hold (classic hold for agility - freedom of movement)
  • Intonation Success! (Learn the secret techniques for making each note ring!)
  • Rhythm! (Learn how to tap out the rhythm to keep time while playing the guitar as well as how to play in time with other instruments)
  • The Guitar learning method uses the aural music tradition of ‘Listen, Watch & Play!’ as well as standard music notation with ‘Tabs’ for easy reading!
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