Module 01 Music: The Universal Language
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Define and recognize the basic elements of music.
• Differentiate between the three basic types of guitars.
• Identify basic parts of the guitar.
• Describe basic guitar care and maintenance.
• Understand basic history of the guitar.
• Understand and describe practice principles and techniques.
• Hold the guitar using proper positioning.
• Describe the universal principles of the three basic positions.
• Hold the guitar pick correctly
• Perform basic strumming and plucking techniques.
• Hold down the strings with the left-hand fingers using proper form.
Module 02 Making Music on the Guitar
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Use the classical position to hold the guitar.
• Use your right-hand fingers to play a free-stroke pattern.
• Use your left-hand fingers to play notes on the first string.
• Play an arrangement of a classical guitar piece.
• Play a left-hand pattern using all of your fingers
• Use a guitar pick to play notes on the first string.
• Read and interpret fretboard diagrams.
• Strum the E major, E minor, and E dominant seventh chords.
• Use three types of strums: thumb sweep, brush strum, and pick strum.
• Identify the chord quality of major, minor, and dominant 7th chords by sound.
• Read and interpret guitar tablature.
• Notate guitar tablature.
• Play an E minor pentatonic scale, ascending and descending.
• Read a scale using both tablature and a fretboard diagram.
• Understand and define improvisation.
• Create an improvised solo using the E minor pentatonic scale.
• Evaluate your own performance on the guitar.
Module 03 Strumming Chord Accompaniment
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Identify and form chord shapes.
• Diagnose and fix unclear chord tones.
• Practice chord changes effectively.
• Identify chords by listening (Em, A7, D, Am, E7, G, D7, C, G7.
• Use alternate left-hand fingering for the Em and A7 chords.
• Learn strategies for strumming fewer than six strings.
• Strum basic chord progressions to accompany songs (Em-A7, D-A7, Am-E7, G-D7, C-G7).
• Use a guide finger.
Module 04 Reading Guitar Music: Treble Strings
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Describe fundamental concepts of music notation.
• Identify basic symbols used in music notation.
• Play basic rhythm values on an open string.
• Identify natural note names and their location on the fretboard.
• Read and play music on the treble strings using standard music notation.
• Use strategies for learning to play a new piece of music.
• Read and play pick-up notes and ties using standard music notation.
• Recognize pick-up notes and ties in music you hear.
• Translate melodies written in standard notation into tablature.
Module 05 Beginning Music Theory
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Identify half-step and whole-step intervals on the fretboard.
• Identify half-step and whole-step intervals in standard music notation.
• Identify half-step and whole-step intervals by listening.
• Identify and play sharped notes and flatted notes on the guitar.
• Understand the major scale interval pattern.
• Play a G major scale.
• Use strategies for correcting errors in a piece of music.
• Play a piece of music that is based on the notes of a G major scale.
• Compose a piece of music using standard music notation.
Module 06 Reading Guitar Music: Bass Strings
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Read and play music on the bass strings using standard music notation.
• Understand and recognize basic form in music.
• Play a piece of music using AABA form.
• Understand eighth notes and eighth rests.
• Play studies and music using eighth notes.
• Know the name and location of the natural notes in first position.
• Play music using all natural notes in first position.
Module 07 Guitar Ensembles
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• Describe the basics of practicing and performing in an ensemble.
• Perform each part of guitar duet arrangements featuring melody and countermelody, melody
and chords, and melody and bass line.
• Identify and analyze significant musical events within ensemble compositions.
• Make evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of ensemble performances.
• Recognize the key signatures of C, G, D, and A.
• Identify scale degrees using function names.
• Understand how triads and seventh chords are built in the keys of C major, G major, and D major
• Identify primary chords in the keys of C major, G major, and D major.
• Strum an accompaniment using the primary chords in the keys of G major and D major.
• Play the “E” and “A” blues scales and the A minor pentatonic scale.
• Understand swing rhythm.
• Create blues licks.
• Improvise a blues solo using the A blues scale.
Module 8 The Guitar in American Music
After completing this module, you will be able to:
• List ways music can impact society.
• List various styles of music.
• Conduct an interview.
• Understand the origins of bluegrass, rock, and jazz music.
• Play common bluegrass and rock licks (or riffs) on the guitar.
• Play a common jazz chord progression on the guitar.
• Understand basic techniques used in jazz improvisation.
• Perform a piece of guitar music demonstrating many skills learned in this course.
