About our Instructional Materials

The single biggest driving force behind the creation of Community Guitar Resources has been our own need for high quality instructional materials designed for this kind of group work with adult guitarists. Again and again, our experience working with groups has led to two conclusions:

1. That the kind of instructional materials we have needed simply did not exist.
2. That producing those materials for use solely at the local level required a commitment of time, energy and money that made no economic sense.

Knowing that every other potential community guitar teacher faced this same situation, we set out to create written and recorded materials that anticipate and satisfy the needs we all have when we take on group instruction of this kind. Here's what you can expect from Community Guitar Resources' instructional materials:

Songs suitable for jamming, according to the class level.

The first ingredient of a satisfying community music-making experience is the right song. There is a lot of music in the world that is great in performance - or even for a sing along - but that will bring a typical jam crashing down around it. The songs featured in our instructional materials have withstood the test of time and provided the fuel for countless jams. What makes these songs work? In general terms, what it often boils down to is that the song is straightforward enough to allow for spontaneous participation by entry-level players, but interesting enough to invite adaptation and improvisation by more skilled musicians. Allowing for occasional exceptions to each of these rules, here are some of the specific qualities we look for in the songs we arrange for group use:

• Straightforward or common chord progressions.
• Clear melodies that lend themselves well to being played as leads and possibly harmonized.
• Short song structures that allow the lead to move from player to player - even at slower tempos - at a pretty good clip.
• A proven track record. Classics that are still covered by contemporary artists are best.

Multiple rhythm and lead guitar parts at varying levels of difficulty.

Even within a multi-level program such as ours, every group of students is going to include players who differ in terms of their ability, commitment and available time for practice. This presents what is perhaps the biggest difference between group and individual instruction, and one of the clearest challenges for teachers. Our instructional materials anticipate this challenge by offering multiple rhythm and guitar parts for each song. Generally speaking, there will be one relatively simple rhythm and lead part that will allow anyone who has made a modest effort to participate, assuming the level is appropriate for them. Other rhythm parts and leads offer engaging material for those with more time and/or ability. This allows everyone to stay engaged at a level and pace appropriate for them.

Songs representing an eclectic mix of styles.

One of the main reasons for the incredible popularity of the guitar is that it can be adapted for use in so many different styles of music. Three of these make up the core of our repertoire: Flatpicking, Blues, and various Swing traditions. Even if we left it at that, Community Guitar participants would have a remarkably diverse set of skills and songs to draw from. But for the sheer love of great music we can't help but include other genres as well including Celtic, folk, and acoustic rock stylings.

Recordings that both demonstrate parts and allow for play-along.

At different points in the learning process, students may want to isolate an individual rhythm or lead part to learn or, alternately, they may simply want a jam track to back them up. Our recordings allow for both. The recordings are particularly useful for students on those weeks that they miss class... a not uncommon occurrence in these busy times.

Minimal page turns.

One of the real-life challenges that students face when juggling multiple guitar parts is purely logistical. If the various rhythm and lead parts are presented in a book on non-facing pages or on seperate, unbound sheets of paper, they are constantly distracted by the flipping, finding and falling of pages. To avoid this, whenever possible all the basic rhythm and lead guitar parts for a song are presented on one side of a single, wide-format sheet of heavy paper for easy viewing and handling.

Technical and theoretical studies integrated into the learning of songs.

Players want to play, so Community Guitar class time is primarily devoted to doing just that, especially at Levels 1 through 3. But every song presents its purely technical challenges and every song can be used as a vehicle to deepen one's understanding of the fingerboard or music theory. Our instructional materials offer a variety of opportunities for teachers to incorporate these technical and theoretical studies into their lessons as they see fit.

Creative teachers have always found a way to make due with whatever materials were available. But having the right tool in hand can make the difference between a constant struggle and a creative, rewarding project. If your project, like ours, is to help your guitar students build the skills and relationships that will serve them for a lifetime of community musicmaking, we think our educational materials provide you with the best tools on the market.

You can only put these tools to use, however, if you have pulled together a group of students to work with. In that department too, we can help. Here's how:

• About our marketing materials