Licensed Guitar Teacher Surbiton, Kingston, London

Accredited Guitar Tuition in Surbiton, Kingston, London

WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE A QUALIFIED GUITAR INSTRUCTOR?

Anyone could call themselves a guitar tutor without having qualifications. Some unqualified instructors may avoid using standard music notation and instead use demonstration alone or may advocate only the use of tablature (a pictorial representation of strings and frets).

Tab' has some use because it requires no knowledge of the basics of music. However, some who start this way may get confused when they attempt to progress to learn normal music notation, as used by other instrumentalists. The confusion possibly arises because tab players become used to seeing the tab grid of six horizontal lines (representing the six strings) instead of the five lines of a stave as used in standard music notation - ignoring the extra ledger lines.

Musicianship is a life-long learning skill, which depends on good foundations at the outset. Knowledge requires to be assimilated gradually and layered on a solid basis. Therefore, if you are considering guitar lessons for yourself or your child, please take the time to find a dedicated and qualified teacher.

Qualified instructors/teachers in GB will usually have a diploma accreditation beginning with the letter 'L' which stands for Licentiate (teacher's or performer's), which neans LICENSED.

For example: LTCL = Licentiate of Trinity College of Music London, LGSM = Licentiate of Guildhall School of Music, LRAM = Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music, and so on. There are also instructors/teachers with degrees in music e.g. B.Mus, D.Mus (doctorate) or perhaps with a degree plus PGCE (post graduate certificate in education).

There will of course be many guitar teachers (and performers) who don't have formal qualifications, but who are nonetheless highly proficient teachers. However, this highlights an important question...

How can a beginner student or parent seeking a teacher tell the difference between a good unqualified teacher and a bad unqualified teacher?

Qualifications alone do not necessarily imply a good teacher but may help in narrowing the field of choice.

I think the best teachers will have a natural affinity for teaching, have ample knowledge and experience of teaching and performing in many situations, and ideally, have sacrificed the time to study for (and acquired) a teaching accreditation.

Genuine recommendations from current or ex-students may also be helpful when choosing a teacher.

Don't be afraid to ask what qualifications the instructor has. A bona-fide instructor would be happy to let you know.

Pros and cons of Music Notation versus Tablature

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