Lesson 1 of 38GuitarBeginner

Welcome to the online course

1:33

James Barratt welcomes you to the Grade 1 guitar course and explains how it works - performances, piece analysis, technical exercises and improvisation - so you get the most from it.

Part of the courseRockschool Guitar Grade 138 lessons (2h 32m)

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What's in the course

38 lessons (2h 32m) · 1 free

- 01. Welcome to the online course
  You are here
  1:33
- 02. Meet Stuart Ryan
  1:52
- 03. Meet Marcus Bonfanti
  2:12
- 01. Get Off
  1:15
- 02. Umbrabella
  1:10
- 03. Just Don't Know
  1:18
- 04. Kraus Country
  Free lesson
  1:20
- 05. ICAUFO
  1:15
- 06. Fab Stomp
  1:08
- 01. Get Off
  7:06
- 02. Umbrabella
  7:19
- 03. Just Don't Know
  9:08
- 04. Kraus Country
  8:36
- 05. ICAUFO
  9:49
- 06. Fab Stomp
  10:24
- 01. Intro to technical exercises
  2:44
- 02. Tech advice (early grades)
  3:10
- 03. Group A: Scales
  1:54
- 04. Group B: Chords
  1:51
- 01. How to hold guitar and pick
  3:47
- 02. Picking hand position
  2:22
- 03. Fretting hand position
  2:44
- 04. Alternate picking
  3:08
- 05. Legato (hammer-ons & pull-offs)
  5:29
- 06. Barre chords
  6:15
- 07. Vibrato
  7:37
- 01. Intro to Approaches to improvisation
  1:00
- 02. Getting started with improvisation
  9:22
- 03. Improvising using chord tones
  10:18
- 04. Assignment: Finding chord tones
  4:05
- 05. Adding rhythmic interest to your solos
  4:11
- 06. Assignment: Improvising over a chord change
  2:52
- 07. Challenge: Submit your improv
  0:24
- 08. Rhythmic improv & comping
  9:55
- 01. Sight reading tips
  1:51
- 01. Course outro
  0:32
- 02. About Rockschool exams
  0:30
- 03. Preparing for your Rockschool exam
  1:28

Lesson transcript

Welcome to the Course!

Hey guys, welcome to the course. You've made a great choice!

Important Information

A few things before you get started:

Course Materials:
- There's a lot of information you can gain from this course without owning a Rock School book. It's not essential.
- However, I would highly recommend getting a book if you're looking to dive deep into the performance pieces.
- You will have access to all the transcriptions.
- Particularly, if you're interested in booking yourself in for a graded exam, having your own book will be absolutely essential for you to sit the exam.

Course Structure

The course is divided into a few sections:

Performance of Each Piece:
- Followed by an analysis of the piece which covers:
  - Technique
  - Structure
  - Ways we can develop and improvise in designated sections.
Technical Exercises:
- A run-through of all the technical exercises at your grade.
Improvisation and Creativity:
- An approach to improvisation including:
  - Melodic and rhythmic comping improvisation.
  - This can be really useful for improvisation beyond the Rock School syllabus and for creating solos within pieces.
Additional Materials:
- You'll find lots of additional downloadable materials, PDFs, and examples to help you progress further.