What does a Guitar Teacher do?

A guitar teacher trains people to play an acoustic, electric or bass guitar. Guitar teachers give group and private music lessons to beginning, intermediate and advanced guitar players. They might work in music schools, conduct provide lessons at their own music studios or travel to people's homes to teach. Some teachers are employed by others, and many of them work for themselves. Some people who teach guitar do it as their primary occupation, others are professional musicians who teach to earn extra income, and some teach guitar to earn extra money outside of another, unrelated job.

Some guitar teachers provide a comprehensive learning experience for students, teaching the basics of a variety of music styles such as classical, blues, popular, folk and others. Other guitar teachers specialize in teaching students specific styles. Some teachers will specialize in training a certain level of student, such as beginners, intermediate or advanced, and other teachers will work with a variety of levels. Sometimes the level of students that a guitar teacher instructs is driven by his or her own experience level.

Guitar teachers who work with beginning players might start out discussing things such as music theory and correct playing techniques. They explain the parts of the guitar, how to hold it and how to tune it. The beginner's guitar teacher also teaches how to read notes, how to play simple guitar chords and how to pick and strum. They help beginning students bring together what they have learned in simple songs.

A guitar teacher working with intermediate students, who typically have the basics down, might focus his or her training on particular music styles. For example, if the student is interested in blues, the guitar teacher might delve into the 12-bar progression, which is a foundation for many blues tunes. The instructor might introduce intermediate rock students to power chords and how to use an amplifier.

Guitar teachers working with advanced students might help them create their own compositions. They might recommend ways students can incorporate different styles into their playing to add freshness and interest. For example, the guitar instructor might help a country player learn faster, heavy metal picking techniques. Sometimes instead of instructing advanced students on new techniques, the teacher helps them refine their playing, such as introducing methods for increasing dexterity for right-hand classical playing. Instructors of intermediate and advanced students might also get involved in arranging musical performances.

Music isn't static, and successful guitar teachers stay up to date on new styles and techniques. Some take lessons themselves with more experienced players. They might work with more experience instructors in a particular style or delve into a variety of styles to incorporate into their own music.