Acoustic Guitar Resources
On this page you will find required materials for lessons on acoustic guitar here at Promethean Studios and various other resources for the acoustic guitar as well. The resources on this page are specifically for the acoustic guitar, more generic resources (metronomes, music stores, recording studios) are listed here. At the time this information was entered, all links worked and products listed were available. For information purposes only; we won't post resources when we know there might be any sort of problem with a product, business, or person listed but please checkout the reliability, appropriateness, and reputation of any resource you plan to use. If you have any additional questions, please ask your instructor or email us at askus@dallasmusiclessons.com.
For Lessons:
An acoustic g uitar in fair condition. Your instructor can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments.
Mitchell MD300S - @ $150
Laguna LG300CE Solid-Top Acoustic-Electric Guitar - $450
3 ring binderwith loose-leaf paper and pockets for holding handouts.
Pencil. Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
Manuscript paper (music paper, staff paper). For assignments and written exercises. Go to Music and Tab paper at www.dallasmusiclessons.com, and there's over 120 kinds of music and tab paper you can use for whatever you need. Download all you want and your friends can, too.
256 Meg flash drive (or larger). To record your lesson. When you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give your instructor a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. Also, if you'd like to record some of your practices, you can record go to http://www.audio-tool.net/ and download their free computer-based recording program. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
Metronome. Korg Ma-30 (a Promethean Best Buy), Korg TM-40, Planet Waves PW-CT-08, or Boss TU-80 or better. Use the metronome for everything possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer. A SUBSTITUTE: A little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings is more fun than a metronome. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
Sheet music for 5 pieces of your choice, within these guide lines: 1) No songs where violence, drugs, cursing, or sex figure largely, 2) No songs where what you like about the song is how hard it is – for now. Just pick songs you think are cool. The least expensive way to do this is to buy a book with a mix of different artists and bands you like. Of course, you can buy individual sheets of music for your songs. Your instructor will have you work on different styles and artists, so that you don't become a clone of some other musician. P/V/G arrangements.
Be careful not to get instructional material (for songs), and TAB-only (internet) or words-with-chords should only be used only very occasionally, because there's no way to know how long any of the notes or chords last. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. If you have recordings of these songs, that's great and very useful, but not required.
2 Dunlop Nylon (gray) .88 thickness picks. This specific pick is what all beginning and intermediate students will use for at least the 1st year, to develop the best basic technique. Different picks do different things well; this pick is well balanced for many techniques.
Strings: Light gauge. Gore Elixir and Martin Marquis are good brands.
Guitar strap (preferably leather). Regardless of the material of the strap, it must grip the back and not slide, so the left hand develops the greatest skill. Develop your ear and become a great musician.
Tuning fork(or a piano or keyboard) Preferably E. This is to learn to tune your guitar. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your guitar), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear to its fullest.
Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music. Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.
Lead students will eventually require accompaniment tapes (jam tracks) and a lick book to develop ad libbing skills.
More acoustic guitar resources:
Amps
UltraSound AG-15 15W 1x8 Acoustic Guitar Combo Amp
Guitar repair
Cory Hopkins, hopkinscory@gmail.com, Our own awesome Cory can fix up your ax.
www.DFWguitars.com, DFW guitars, 972-689-0483, David Underwood. dave@dfwguitars.com
Brian Paul Guitars, 4661 Westgrove Dr, Addison, TX 75001, 972-248-1868.
Fretworks, Kit Harper, 972-664-0145, 906 Business Pkwy., Richardson, TX 75081.
Dan McCarthy, Universal Rehearsal, 9150 Markville, 214-724-2789. M-F, 10-5pm.
Crisler Guitar Repair, 1818 N. 1-35 E, Suite 105, Carrollton, TX – 972-242-4050 – Roger Crisler. Authorized Taylor repair.
Gary Smith, Richardson, TX. 972-690-0418, Chris's recommendation – guitar work and set up, great work, nice guy. Authorized Taylor repair.
Sky guitars, Denton. 940-387-2637. erik@skyguitars.com
Improvising and Play-alongs
http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com - Guitar Backing Tracks.com. Several thousand songs with various parts missing, entire guitar parts, lead solos, and vocals, in different styles and different combinations.
Strings
http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/
For more information about classes and our teaching philosophy, click the buttons on the left. All the pictures on this website are of our students and instructors.
Acoustic Guitar Resources
On this page you will find required materials for lessons on acoustic guitar here at Promethean Studios and various other resources for the acoustic guitar as well. The resources on this page are specifically for the acoustic guitar, more generic resources (metronomes, music stores, recording studios) are listed here. At the time this information was entered, all links worked and products listed were available. For information purposes only; we won't post resources when we know there might be any sort of problem with a product, business, or person listed but please checkout the reliability, appropriateness, and reputation of any resource you plan to use. If you have any additional questions, please ask your instructor or email us at askus@dallasmusiclessons.com.
For Lessons:
An acoustic g uitar in fair condition. Your instructor can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments.
Mitchell MD300S - @ $150
Laguna LG300CE Solid-Top Acoustic-Electric Guitar - $450
3 ring binderwith loose-leaf paper and pockets for holding handouts.
Pencil. Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
Manuscript paper (music paper, staff paper). For assignments and written exercises. Go to Music and Tab paper at www.dallasmusiclessons.com, and there's over 120 kinds of music and tab paper you can use for whatever you need. Download all you want and your friends can, too.
256 Meg flash drive (or larger). To record your lesson. When you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give your instructor a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. Also, if you'd like to record some of your practices, you can record go to http://www.audio-tool.net/ and download their free computer-based recording program. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
Metronome. Korg Ma-30 (a Promethean Best Buy), Korg TM-40, Planet Waves PW-CT-08, or Boss TU-80 or better. Use the metronome for everything possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer. A SUBSTITUTE: A little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings is more fun than a metronome. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
Sheet music for 5 pieces of your choice, within these guide lines: 1) No songs where violence, drugs, cursing, or sex figure largely, 2) No songs where what you like about the song is how hard it is – for now. Just pick songs you think are cool. The least expensive way to do this is to buy a book with a mix of different artists and bands you like. Of course, you can buy individual sheets of music for your songs. Your instructor will have you work on different styles and artists, so that you don't become a clone of some other musician. P/V/G arrangements.
Be careful not to get instructional material (for songs), and TAB-only (internet) or words-with-chords should only be used only very occasionally, because there's no way to know how long any of the notes or chords last. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. If you have recordings of these songs, that's great and very useful, but not required.
2 Dunlop Nylon (gray) .88 thickness picks. This specific pick is what all beginning and intermediate students will use for at least the 1st year, to develop the best basic technique. Different picks do different things well; this pick is well balanced for many techniques.
Strings: Light gauge. Gore Elixir and Martin Marquis are good brands.
Guitar strap (preferably leather). Regardless of the material of the strap, it must grip the back and not slide, so the left hand develops the greatest skill. Develop your ear and become a great musician.
Tuning fork(or a piano or keyboard) Preferably E. This is to learn to tune your guitar. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your guitar), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear to its fullest.
Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music. Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.
Lead students will eventually require accompaniment tapes (jam tracks) and a lick book to develop ad libbing skills.
More acoustic guitar resources:
Amps
UltraSound AG-15 15W 1x8 Acoustic Guitar Combo Amp
Guitar repair
Cory Hopkins, hopkinscory@gmail.com, Our own awesome Cory can fix up your ax.
www.DFWguitars.com, DFW guitars, 972-689-0483, David Underwood. dave@dfwguitars.com
Brian Paul Guitars, 4661 Westgrove Dr, Addison, TX 75001, 972-248-1868.
Fretworks, Kit Harper, 972-664-0145, 906 Business Pkwy., Richardson, TX 75081.
Dan McCarthy, Universal Rehearsal, 9150 Markville, 214-724-2789. M-F, 10-5pm.
Crisler Guitar Repair, 1818 N. 1-35 E, Suite 105, Carrollton, TX – 972-242-4050 – Roger Crisler. Authorized Taylor repair.
Gary Smith, Richardson, TX. 972-690-0418, Chris's recommendation – guitar work and set up, great work, nice guy. Authorized Taylor repair.
Sky guitars, Denton. 940-387-2637. erik@skyguitars.com
Improvising and Play-alongs
http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com - Guitar Backing Tracks.com. Several thousand songs with various parts missing, entire guitar parts, lead solos, and vocals, in different styles and different combinations.
Strings
