Guitar for Beginners 3

Elevate your guitar playing with a deeper understanding of music theory and more advanced techniques.

In this four-week course, you'll learn a structured approach to improving your skills on guitar. You'll learn how to construct and play seventh, slash (also known as compound chords or inversions), and extended chords, expanding your repertoire and versatility on the instrument. The course also explores movable pentatonic scales, enabling you to improvise over any major key song.

The course is structured around weekly instructional topics, discussions, and practical exercises, and balances work with scales, melody, and harmony. You'll apply what you learn to classical and contemporary pieces from artists like Beethoven, Bach, Nina Simone, The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, Pixies, and others of your choice. You will also learn specific tools like the circle of fifths and how to add bass lines to your playing, both of which give you tools to write your own songs or create new arrangements.

By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to play more sophisticated guitar pieces and have a deeper understanding of the theory behind your music.

What you will learn:

✔ Play major and minor pentatonic scales in three octaves using sliding patterns
✔ Use the formulas for constructing dominant 7, minor 7, major 7, slash, and extended chords, and play these chords to enhance your repertoire
✔ Apply the circle of fifths to find chords in any key and create chord progressions
✔ Play classical and contemporary pieces and create original riffs and melodies

Join us and learn guitar online!

Prerequisite skills:

Completion of Guitar for Beginners 2, or equivalent knowledge and/or experience.

What you need to participate:

Computer or mobile device with Internet. Internet speed must be at least 1.5Mbps download and 800Kbps upload. For students using a mobile device, download the Canvas mobile app and select “Interlochen Online” as your school.
Electric guitar with an amp and 1/4" cable or an acoustic guitar
Guitar picks
Tuner (free option)
Metronome (free option)

How the course works:

Interlochen Online courses are designed to be inspiring and flexible with weekly learning units that combine video segments and guided instruction that you can complete on your own schedule during the week. You will interact regularly with your teacher and peers inside the learning environment.

You can also participate in an optional weekly hour-long video class meeting, where you can learn from the teacher and interact with your classmates in real-time. At the beginning of the course, you will complete a survey indicating your preferred times for the class meeting. The teacher will make every best effort to identify a meeting time that works for everyone. The teacher will also post recordings of the meetings and you can view them when it is convenient.

The goal is that you walk away not only with practical skills and friendships but that you are inspired and motivated to pursue your art and realize your potential.