Acoustic Guitar Classes
| These group classes are 10 weeks except where noted. |
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Class Schedule :: How to Sign Up
 Beginning Acoustic Guitar
Section 1 - Mondays 8-9pm - TBA
Section 2 - Tuesdays 6-7pm - TBA
Section 3 - Wednesdays 7-8pm - Brian Gire
Section 4 - Saturdays 9:30-10:30am - Janak Ramachandran
@ Lennon (SOMA) - Tuesdays 9-10pm - Janak Ramachandran
Class members will learn to play basic chords and to play songs in both folk and rock styles. Also covered: tuning, guitar care, and basic strums. No prerequisites, but an acoustic guitar is required.
Cost: $205
Acoustic Guitar II
Section 1 - Mondays 6-7pm - Mark Schuh
Section 2 - Mondays 7-8pm - Chris Haugen
Section 3 - Mondays 8-9pm - Janak Ramachandran
Section 4 - Tuesdays 7-8pm - Kent Brown
Section 5 - Tuesdays 7-8pm - Mark Schuh
Section 6 - Wednesdays 9-10pm - Kent Brown
Section 7 - Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm - Brian Gire
Section 8 - Thursdays 8:30-9:30pm - Brian Gire
Section 9 - Saturdays 10:30-11:30am - Janak Ramachandran
@ Lennon (SOMA) - Tuesdays 7-8pm - Janak Ramachandran
Acoustic Guitar III
Section 1 - Mondays 6-7pm - Brian Gire
Section 2 - Mondays 6-7pm - Janak Ramachandran
Section 3 - Wednesdays 8:30-9:30pm - Janak Ramachandran
Section 4 - Thursdays 7-8pm - Kent Brown
Section 5 - Saturdays 11:30 am-12:30pm - Janak Ramachandran
@ Lennon (SOMA) - Tuesdays 6-7pm - Janak Ramachandran
Acoustic Guitar IV
Section 1 - Mondays 6-7pm - Kent Brown
Section 2 - Wednesdays 8-9pm - Kent Brown
Section 3 - Saturdays 12:30-1:30pm - Janak Ramachandran
Acoustic Guitar V
Section 1 - Mondays 7-8pm - Mark Schuh
Section 2 - Thursdays 6-7pm - Kent Brown
@ Lennon (SOMA) – Tuesdays 8-9pm - Janak Ramachandran
Acoustic Guitar VI
Section 1 - Mondays 6-7pm - Chris Haugen
Section 2 - Tuesdays 8-9pm - Mark Schuh
Section 3 - Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm - Brian Gire
Acoustic Guitar VII
Wednesdays 6-7pm - Kent Brown
Acoustic Guitar VIII
Tuesdays 6-7pm - Kent Brown
Acoustic Guitar IX
Tuesdays 8-9pm - Kent Brown
Acoustic Guitar XI
Thursdays 8-9pm - Kent Brown
For those with Beginning Guitar or a few months' playing experience, Acoustic Guitar II covers more songs and skills, including basic fingerpicking. In Acoustic Guitar III, you'll continue working on songs with an emphasis on more advanced chords. Acoustic Guitar IV and up will expand your song repertoire and skills using both rhythm and fingerstyle playing and work on bar chords.
Cost: $205
More information about Acoustic Guitar levels
Songs of The Beatles
Tuesdays 7-8pm - Bill Spooner
If you can play bar chords you're ready for this fest of some truly fab-ulous tunes. Singing will be encouraged! Repeat customers welcome.
Cost: $205
The Country Side of Rock
Tuesdays 8-9pm - Bill Spooner
This new class will explore songs ranging from Johnny Cash to Wilco and from the Eagles to Lucinda Williams. Includes work on adding fills and runs to your chordal accompaniment.
Cost: $205
Guitar Workshop for Songwriters with Bill Spooner
Tuesdays TBA
This class will work with songwriters on improving their accompaniment skills and polishing their songs. Students present original material in class, then receive suggestions for making their guitar playing better support the song. Bring out the best in your work!
Cost: $205
Acoustic Jam
Mondays 8-9pm
Steve Gardner
Have fun playing with others! In a relaxed setting, you'll learn and play through tunes from folk, bluegrass, Celtic and rock traditions. You can take solos and sing if you’d like, or just play rhythm with the group. Open to players of guitar, mandolin, fiddle, Dobro and bass.
Cost: $205
Jazz Chords In Rock Music
Wednesdays 8:30-9:30pm
Mark Schuh
Interested in increasing your chord vocabulary? Steely Dan seamlessly intertwined jazz chords into powerful rock songs. Using examples from the Dan, plus Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder and others, this class will get you playing slash chords, extensions and jazz voicings. Includes some study of solos, too. Students should be able to play the major scale and be able to play barre chords easily.
Cost: $205
Music and Chord Theory Classes for Guitar - See THEORY and MORE
After School Guitar Classes - See KIDS and TEENS
More information about Acoustic Guitar levels
This information should give you a close idea of what level is best for you, but please confirm your placement at your interview, or by speaking with the Program Director if you're already a student. When we refer to length of time played below, we are talking about regular and continuous practice. Many players who have played for years, but on and off, may still find one of these classes appropriate for their level.
Beginning Acoustic Guitar is a square one beginner class. We assume you know no chords, nothing about tuning and holding the guitar, and nothing about music. If you have started some on your own, the first few weeks may be review.
Most people have been playing three-to-six months going into Acoustic Guitar II. You should know eight-to-12 chords. Most people are still struggling to play the four-string (non-bar) F chord cleanly and easily. Nobody knows bar chords. Some chord changes are easy, some will be made slowly and not in time. Usually there are a half dozen songs that you can play from beginning to end, though not all easily. No fingerpicking experience is required.
Most people have been playing six months to a year going into Acoustic Guitar III. You should know 15 or more chords, and most of the chord changes should be made without much hesitation. You may or may not have started learning bar chords. You may or may not have learned some fingerpicking. You will definitely learn both in this class.
For all of these classes there is no requirement to read standard music notation. Many teachers use guitar tablature, which is easily learned if you don't already know it. |
Electric Guitar Classes
| These group classes are 10 weeks except where noted. |
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Class Schedule :: How to Sign Up
[photo by: Julie Bernstein]
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Beginning Electric Guitar
Wednesdays 6-7pm
Mike Rao
Learn how to tune your guitar, how to play chords, power chords and progressions, plus different rhythmplaying styles. Includes an intro to pentatonic scales and the blues.
Cost: $205
Electric Guitar II
Mondays 8-9pm - Brian Gire
Electric Guitar III
Wednesdays 7-8pm - Mike Rao
Electric Guitar IV
Wednesdays 8-9pm - Mike Rao
Electric Guitar XVII
Thursdays 7:30-9pm - Mike Rao
Electric Guitar II includes soloing over blues progressions, more sophisticated rhythm playing and chord knowledge. Other Electric Guitar sections focus on lead playing, scales, note-bending and licks. After the initial interview, you may meet with an instructor to be placed in an appropriate section.
Cost: $205 (plus $17 placement/tutorial if needed)
$300 for Electric Guitar XVII
Blues Guitar with Johnny Nitro @ Lennon (SOMA)
Wednesdays 8:30-9:30pm
Learn the signature riffs of such blues greats as Albert King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughn. You'll also explore techniques to improve and vary your tone. You should be comfortable playing pentatonic scales and know the basic 12-bar blues form.
Cost: $205
Blues/Jazz Improvisation @ Lenon (SOMA)
Thursdays 6:30-8pm
Jim Peterson
Using the blues as a starting point, this class will lead you into multiple worlds of jazz soloing. You'll become familiar with ii-V-I chord changes, modal playing and different ways to approach improvisation using licks, scales and arpeggios. You should be comfortable with pentatonic and diatonic scales in this mostly playing class for all instruments.
Cost: $300
Band Workshops
Student bands organized by the school. Groups arrange and play songs by a variety of artists and groups, and at the end of the session perform live in a San Francisco club.
Workshop Schedule
Music and Chord Theory Classes for Guitar - See THEORY and MORE
After School Guitar Classes - See KIDS and TEENS
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