The Tutor - Chris Cropp

Chris has a degree in music technology and grade 8 with distinction in acoustic guitar. He oversees the construction of all material for the Rock Star Academy Rock n Pop school where children between the ages of 6 and 14 are taught to play guitar, drums and keys. He has an impressive knowledge of music theory and uses it to develop lessons that are logical and progressive.

Synopsis

The Let’s Play Guitar course has been developed especially for children. The course uses familiar melodies and enjoyable exercises to teach good technique. Whether you are an absolute beginner or already know a bit this course will help improve your playing and give you skills to enjoy your instrument.

Course Structure

This course is time released to make sure you have enough time to practice each lesson before moving on.

1. Understanding Tab (Learn to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
2. Posture (Learn to play Old Macdonald)
3. Fretting Hand Finger Placement (Learn to play I'm A Little Teapot)
4. Plucking the String (Learn to play Incy Wincy Spider)
5. Plucking Hand Position (Learn to play Row Row Row Your Boat)
6. Fretting Hand Position (Learn to play The Grand Old Duke of York)
7. String Tone (Learn to play Bah Bah Black Sheep)
8. Fretting Hand Finger Positioning (Learn to play Yankee Doodle)
9. Timing/Rhythm (Learn to play Humpty Dumpty)
10. Skills Recap (Learn to play Rock a Bye Baby)

The Tutor - Stretton Payne

Stretton has spent a career working with guitars starting as boy learning to play on a beat-up old classical acoustic guitar. With success playing his own original music in bands up and down the country Stretton crafted his own style of guitar playing. After studying a Mathematic degree in 1997 Stretton went on to create the Stretton Payne guitar brand and designed and specified the range of guitars.

Synopsis

With many years experience of playing, making and teaching guitar, Stretton brings a simple no nonsense course of lessons to Rock Star Academy. Starting with your first 2 chords Stretton gives a demonstration and the guitar tablature so that you can play straight away. He teaches all the common chords, major, minor, seventh and bar chords before moving on to playing full songs and finger picking.

In the beginner course Stretton takes things back to basics with a ‘hands on approach’ to playing guitar. Feeling that it’s important to pick the guitar up and make some noise rather than go through lots of theory, Stretton structures the course so that you are straight into playing chords and working towards your first song.

Course Structure

This course is time released to make sure you have enough time to practice each lesson before moving on.

Getting Started - Getting to know your guitar and how to tune the guitar.

1. Understanding chord diagrams and finger position, playing your first 2 chords
2. Playing 2 popular open scales based on your first 2 chords
3. 3 of the most commonly used chords and a finger gym excersise to help with co-ordination of the fingers
4. 3 open scales based on the chords you have learnt
5. Minor chords, how to turn a major into a minor chord and continueing finger excercises
6. A look at 7th chords with the usual diagrams and video demonstration also more finger gym excersises
7. Stringing a few chords together to play songs
8. Harder chords with instruction on the hand position and introducing the Barre (bar) chord
9. The most popular shape of barre chords, learning the shape and how to use it anywhere on the guitar
10. Essential barre chord shape using 2 fingers to cover multiple strings and learning the minor barre chord
11. Playing songs using a mix of the chords you have learnt to get the sound of popular songs

The Tutor - Stretton Payne

Stretton has spent a career working with guitars starting as boy learning to play on a beat-up old classical acoustic guitar. With success playing his own original music in bands up and down the country Stretton crafted his own style of guitar playing. After studying a Mathematic degree in 1997 Stretton went on to create the Stretton Payne guitar brand and designed and specified the range of guitars.

Synopsis

In the intermediate course Stretton focuses on a ‘playing songs’ theme introducing fingerpicking and some cool finger gym exercises to really help train the muscle memory in the hands. The course also introduces lead guitar technique covering scales and arpeggios in various forms.

Course Structure

This course is time released to make sure you have enough time to practice each lesson before moving on.

1. Introduction to finger picking
2. Finger picking a full song
3. Four chord finger picking rotation
4. Finger picking power chords running up and down the neck
5. Stumming power chords
6. Using power chords to play 12 bar blue
7. A cool finger picking song to learn
8. Finger picking higher up the fretboard using a blues style rotation
9. Guitar solos, a look at 2 simple guitar solos that fit over the same chord pattern
10. Major Scale C, Phyrigan, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, Ionian, Dorian
11. Major Scale E, Phyrigan, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, Ionian, Dorian
12. Major Pentatonic Scales
13. Minor Pentatonic Scales
14. Blues Pentatonic Scales
15. A Form - Major Arpeggio
16. A Form - Minor Arpeggio
17. C Form - Major Arpeggio
18. C Form - Minor Arpeggio
19. E Form - Major Arpeggio
20. E Form - Minor Arpeggio

The Tutor - Nigel Jones

So I have been playing guitar since I was 12, which is now over 20 years. I’m a qualified guitar teacher with over 10 years experience, a member of the RGT. I have given lessons in schools and colleges across the UK, I have taught 1000s of guitar players in groups and one to one lessons; I’ve had many students get distinctions in grades. I’m now bringing my knowledge of guitar and experience of teaching to Rock Star Academy. I hope you enjoy my lessons…

Synopsis

In the Zero to Hero intermediate guitar course you will gain knowledge on core skills, music theory and putting that into real music. It will make you understand the connection between theory and practical and how this will continue to make you a better guitar player. You will cover demanding lead techniques and bigger extended chords; you’ll learn how to keep these skills under control and in time. This course will develop you as a musician and push you. The course is designed around grade 4 and 5 players but will help fill in any blanks for players that may have holes in their knowledge at any level. The course is designed to be interactive so you can improvise over chord patterns that are played.

Course Structure

This course is time released to make sure you have enough time to practice each lesson before moving on.

1. Intro (A look at what the course is all about)
2. The Chromatic Order (Overview)
3. Notes under your fingers (Knowing your way around the fretboard)
4. Talking notes not numbers (Testing yourself and using your knowledge)
5. What is a Chord (A look at what a chord is in its most basic form)
6. Finding Chords (Finding major, minor and power chords in barre position)
7. Extended Chords (Using extended chords and sus chords)
8. 7th Chords (Bigger chord family)
9. Playing in key (A guide to how music keys work)
10. Using Rhythm (Time signatures and playing ‘in time’)
11. Chord Patterns (5 different chord patterns to have a go at, using all the chords so far)
12. Putting it together (Bigger chord patterns and full songs)
13. Pentatonic Power (A look at 5 shapes of the Pentatonic scale)
14. Major Scales (A look at different Major shapes)
15. Minor Scales (A look at different Minor shapes)
16. Soloing in Key (Using scales so far to play in different keys)
17. Technique tricks (Looking at lead techniques)
18. Your lick bag (Building your own style)
19. Timing is everything (Playing lead ‘in time’)
20. Practice Routine (Making sure you practice your licks in the best way possible)
21. Putting it all together (Putting all the lead elements together)
22. Soloing over chords (Using Pentatonic’s to solo)
23. Soloing over chords extended (Using Majors and Minors to solo)
24. Ripping it up! (5 different patterns to solo over)

The Tutor - Jack Jordan

As a semi-professional musician, I play guitar, perform and record regularly in various groups and ensembles across the country.

I have been playing the Guitar and studying music for 11 years. In this time I have gained a vast amount of experience and knowledge not only about the guitar its self but also within the music industry, through Composing, arranging, recording, performing and touring with groups and artists across the country.

In 2007 I became the “LIQUIDISCO” Best Guitarist, a national music competition where I beat off over 4000 other guitar players voted for by representatives of LAG guitars. During the same year, I as part of a group won the Ukskills gold award in popular music, and the UMF (university music fest.) First prize award, both again voted for industry Professionals.

Synopsis

Jack has put together a series of guitar master classes. He covers a wide variety of guitar techniques including dorian sweep picking and two hand tapping licks. He has designed a guitar legends play like series where he teaches to play in the style of Kirk Hammet, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Slash. He also covers a wide variety of guitar tricks from making your guitar sound like an elephant to slide hybrid picking. These lessons are not for the feint hearted and should pose a challenge even to the most accomplished of guitarists.

Course Structure

1. Advanced Warmup
   Tapping Lick
   Dorian Sweep Lick
   Sweep Lick
   Pentatonic Legato
   Aeolian Alternate
   2 Hand Tapping Lick
   Diminished Arpeggio
   E Minor Full Neck
   Slide Hybrid Picking

1. Hammer On Pull Off I
   Hammer On Pull Off II
   Hammer On Pull Off III

1. Natural Harmonics
   Artificial Harmonics I
   Artificial Harmonics II

1. Guitar Pick Scrape
   Guitar Motorbike
   Guitar Elephant
   Guitar Car Horn
   Dive Bomb

1. Play Like Kirk Hammet 1
   Play Like Kirk Hammet 2
   Play Like Kirk Hammet 3
   Play Like Kirk Hammet 4
   Play Like Steve Vai 1
   Play Like Steve Vai 2
   Play Like Steve Vai 3
   Play Like Steve Vai 4
   Play Like Steve Vai 5
   Play Like Steve Vai 6
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 1
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 2
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 3
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 4
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 5
   Play Like Yngwie Malmsteen 6
   Play Like Slash 1
   Play Like Slash 2
   Play Like Slash 3
   Play Like Slash 4

1. Blues 12 Bar Power Chords
   Blues 12 Bar Dominant 7th Chords
   Blues Minor Pentatonic Scale
   Blue String Bending 1
   Blue String Bending 2
   Blue String Bending 3

1. Country Banjo Roll
   Country Chicken Picking

1. Jazz Harmonised Progression
   Jazz Chords

1. All the E's
   Alternate Picking
   Rhythm Rock n Roll
   Major Minor Scales
   Vibrato
   Slide
   String Bending
   Pedaling
   Rhythm Crochets