G4 GUITAR TEACHERS

TESTIMONIALS

Guitar Teachers Working Together

G4GUITAR is a growing network of guitar teachers with  locations across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA & Japan.

G4GUITAR Teachers have full access to the G4GUITAR METHOD  teacher training resources which aids teachers in working with students from as young as 4 years to adults of all ages.

The G4GUITAR METHOD is a tested and proven system for learning guitar that is based on the 7 Essential Skills of guitar. We also incorporate benchmarks via levels. There is a Junior and Senior program as well as additional materials for the young beginner. AMEB exams are also an option.

FIND A G4 GUITAR TEACHER IN YOUR AREA

“Firstly, let me congratulate G4Guitar Schools for always having excellent teachers. You always have the best teachers.  Thank you.” Jane Altomonte (Lane Cove)

    LOCATIONS 

AUSTRALIA & NZ

Sorted by Postcode

NSW

Sydney City 2000

Darlinghurst 2010

Waterloo 2017

Alexandria 2020

Bronte 2024

Bondi 2026

Dover Heights 2030

Randwick 2031

Kingsford 2032

Kensington 2033

Maroubra 2035

Leichhardt 2040

Newtown 2042

Five Dock 2046

Northbridge 2063

Mermaid Beach 2065

Lane Cove 2066

Gordon 2072

Wahroonga 2076

Neutral Bay 2089

Cremorne 2090

Manly Vale 2093

Dee Why 2099

Narrabeen 2101

Warriewood 2102

Gladesville 2111

Ryde 2112

Dundas 2117

Carlingford 2118

Croydon Park 2133

Burwood 2134

North Strathfield 2137

Parramatta 2150

Castle Hill 2154

Lansvale 2166

Cartwright 2168

Marrickville 2204

Revesby 2212

Kogarah 2217

Hurstville 2220

Narara 2250

Killarney Vale 2261

Tighes Hill 2297

Grants Beach 2445

Lismore 2480

Nowra 2541

Gilead 2560

Emu Plains 2750

Wilberforce 2756

Hazelbrook 2779

VICTORIA

Brunswick West 3055

Reservoir 3073

Doncaster East 3109

Glen Waverley

East Geelong 3219

Sunbury 3429

Alexandra

Endeavour Hills

Narre Warren

Bittern 3918

Cranbourne 3977

QUEENSLAND

Kippa Ring  4021

Gaythorne 4051

Indooroopilly 4068

Highgate Hill 4101

Runcorn 4113

Greenslopes 4120

Murarrie 4172

Manly West 4179

Beenleigh 4207

Maudsland 4210

Nerang

Burleigh Waters 4226

Reedy Creek 4228

Hattonvale 4341

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Modbury 5092

Willaston 5118

Huntfield Heights 5163

Strathablyn 5255

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Stratton 6056

Marangaroo 6064

Ellenbrook 6069

Fremantle 6160

NEW ZEALND

Nelson

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ADULTS

TEENS

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KIDS

What is Deliberate practice?

The term 'Deliberate Practice' can at first seem a little confusing because one would assume all practice is deliberate right? Apparently not. Firstly deliberate practice is now a recognised term and the most prominent researcher on the subject is Professor Anders Ericsson of Florida State University in the USA. Ericsson and his team have focused on the question of what makes people great. They wanted to know what makes a Tiger Woods or a Michael Jordon. I think most guitarists want to know what makes a John Petrucci or a Steve Vai or a Steve Morse or a Paco Pena. Well the conclusion is Deliberate Practice.

Here is a quote from a Fortune article entitled 'Secrets of greatness' 'The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what the researchers call "deliberate practice." It's activity that's explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results and involves high levels of repetition.'

Lets apply it to guitar (of course) to help gain a better understanding of the real meaning of deliberate practice. Most researchers agree that to earn the title of a master in almost any field takes around 10,000 hours of practice. But as we all know just strumming a guitar for 3 hours a day on your lounge for 10 years won't necessarily make you a master guitar player. The practice has to be focus and goal oriented. In other words 'deliberate'. Just going through the motions is not enough. In fact if every practice session you did was well planned with both a short term and long term goal you will almost certainly reach mastery if you are prepared to do it everyday for several hours for around 10 years or in some cases less. The researchers agree that no one masters anything without hard work. Ericsson quotes, "Elite performers in many diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly the same amount every day, including weekends."

After more than 20 years of teaching guitar I have found that natural talent usually only separates beginners. Those with a natural talent may shine during the beginner stages often because they have a good musical ear from perhaps from watching/listening to a family member or friend practicing at a young age. This natural talent advantage however diminishes over time and deliberate practice becomes the deciding factor.

Here is a quote form Will Smith (Actor) in a interview a few years ago. “I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. I’ve viewed myself as slightly above average in talent. And where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping? I’m working. While the other guy’s eatin’? I’m working. While the other guy’s making love, I mean, I’m making love, too. But I’m working really hard at it,” he tells Kroft, laughing.

Conclusion: If you want to be great its really has little to do with talent. One of the great guitarists of all time was Django Reinhardt and he only had 2 and a half fingers. The G4 GUITAR METHOD focuses on one single objective. Getting students to practice with a clear goal in mind. i.e. Deliberate practice.

How long does it take to learn guitar?

When you begin guitar the whole process of learning can seem very mysterious. The most common question I get from beginner guitar students is 'How long will it take to learn?' This is a reasonable question. When I get on a plane to fly somewhere my first question is 'How long will it take?' The difference with the plane trip is it is passive. I don't need to do anything. I will arrive at the same time as the pilot. The pilot determines my time of arrival. In the case of learning guitar the student largely determines the time of arrival and the teacher is more like a navigator ensuring you stay on course.

The first determining factor in a student's time of arrival is knowing the destination. The student must have a clear goal or outcome in mind. The best way to do this is to write down a list of songs you hope to one day play. At G4 GUITAR we call this the ULTIMATE SONG LIST. You can get a free copy from our downloads by joining our MEMBER SITE.

The next determining factor is speed. In my early years of teaching I found overwhelming number of students learning guitar were not really sure about why they were really learning guitar. Without a clear reason there is nothing driving you to practice. I began asking questions like 'Why did you originally decide to take up guitar?' Here is a list of responses I recall;

1. 1.I was inspired by a great concert, guitarist or song
   

2. 2.A friend is learning
   

3. 3.My parents wanted me to learn an instrument
   

4. 4.A sibling was once learning but gave up so there was a guitar in the house
   

5. 5.I needed a hobby other than watching TV
   

6. 6.Want to inspire my children to play music
   

7. 7.Seemed like the cool thing to do
   

8. 8.The game 'Guitar Hero' inspired me
   

9. 9.Was watching Youtube and came across some easy lessons
   

10. 10.I was given the guitar as a gift so I thought I'd better learn
    

Now as you can see most of the reasons are not exactly compelling. I personally do not see guitar as a passive hobby. A passive hobby to me means movie watching or stamp collecting. Guitar requires daily practice and a certain level of discipline. If your motivation to learn is because you needed a hobby other than watching TV then you are unlikely to have the drive that will push you to consistently practice an hour or more a day.

The first stage of learning guitar can be fun and exciting as you put some basic chords together but then comes the first hurdle. It may be a chord or a picking pattern that just seems impossible. It is at this point that many give up or worse yet they just shy away from the hurdles and stick with what they know. For many this the F chord or bar chords or reading music.

The trick is to take the hurdles head on. When I was 14 years old I remember having to play on stage for the first time in front of my whole school. I was so terrified that for weeks I was trying to plan how I was going to get out of it. Problem was the teacher was knew it and made sure there was no way I was going to back out. So about a week before I resolved myself to the fact that I was not going to escape what seemed like a fate worse than death. I took the hurdle head on and practice for hours everyday. On the night I had to perform I was still extremely nervous but also quietly confident.

Starting from 4 years old

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