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Monmouthshire Community Learning / Guitar and Ukulele for beginners

Guitar and Ukulele for beginners

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 Tutor: Janet Whiteman

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is for complete beginners. It is for playing for pleasure – you will not be expected to learn musical notation!

We will begin with simple chords: playing to accompany a variety of songs from pop, rock, folk, children’s songs.  Later, even some jazz numbers.

We will look at various strumming styles and move on to some picking styles. Later will come the possibility of learning some very simple classical pieces.

PRE-REQUISITES:

No prior knowledge required!

OUTCOMES:

Very soon you should be able to play a huge variety of songs with the first four chords we will be learning.  (And even more songs as we progress!)

ANY MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT REQUIRED BY STUDENTS:

You will need:

A ukulele or guitar. Ukuleles come in three sizes: Soprano: the smallest; Concert: the next size up; Tenor: slightly larger than the concert.
(If you’re a man you might prefer a concert or tenor ukulele).

A music stand and an A4 loose-leaf folder.  You will be provided with song sheets, etc. and you will need a loose-leaf folder to keep them in.

 

MEET THE TUTOR: Janet Whiteman 

I have been teaching guitar (folk, finger-picking and beginners’ classical) since the late 1970s and I have taught ukulele (folk, finger-picking and some beginners’ classical pieces) since 2014.  I also lead the U3A Ukulele Group (we call ourselves “Offa’s Tykes”): each Summer and Christmas we take out a new set of songs to a variety of groups in and around Chepstow.  I have played in folk bands and ceilidh bands (where I played mandolin) for many years and am currently a member of a ukulele foursome called “Big Bad Woof”.

It is never too late to learn an instrument – I bought my first guitar at the age of 21 and taught myself to play it – and I have never looked back.  I play guitar, ukulele, mandolin, (piano if no-one’s listening!) and am trying to improve my violin playing – though I won‘t be teaching that instrument any time soon!

Music has given me a lot of pleasure all my life, and I enjoy teaching this and hopefully spreading this pleasure to more people who may not have tried to play an instrument before.