In Touch With Guitar is now available.

Orders can be placed at: 

• jackie@musiciansinfocus.org
• Techno-vision. 
• The Bristol Spanish Guitar Centre where you can also place an order by telephone on 0117 9420479 

Breaking away from the techniques of traditional music education

In Touch with Guitar is an audio tutor for classical guitarists. I wrote it with visually impaired players in mind, but it has been used with great success by sighted learners who wish to be free from the constraints of the written score. I wanted to communicate all of the information one would find on a score, such as dynamics, fingering and expressive direction in an aural format. In Touch with Guitar develops this idea to include theoretical teaching, aural training, technique, chords, songs, practical information, music to be played along with the CD, contacts and a wide range of repertoire. The course progresses with each piece introducing a new principle whilst consolidating skills already learned. Each section or piece can be repeated as many times as a player wishes, giving the student control over the pace of learning. Central to the teaching philosophy is that the student should have a clear aural knowledge of the sound to be aimed at, rather like the techniques used in the Suzuki Method. Disk 5 has performances of all repertoire used in the tutor. The course can be studied alone, but also makes a fantastic resource for teachers. It is resource designed for a long term learning process.Learners who may enjoy In Touch With Guitar might be those who -

• find reading and applying technique challenging
• prefer to learn by ear
• find notation difficult
• have a visual impairment, dyslexia or a learning difficulty

Players can also prepare for their practise by listening to the course away from the guitar.

The standard is suitable for a complete beginner up to approximately ABRSM grade 4-5.

Reviews

'This is a welcome and inspiring addition to the many guitar courses currently available on the market. Congratulations to Dan Jones for putting together such a comprehensive guide, which is both accessible and detailed at the same time.' Matt Wadsworth (lutenist)

'This tutor is very well presented. The two voices of Dan Jones and Esther Sowerby make it easy to follow, the information is clear and detailed without being patronising. This is one of the best thought-out tutors I have seen and would have great appeal far beyond its intended audience.' Daniel de Azevedo (multi-instrumentalist)

Principles of Teaching

The collection breaks down into the following sections:

• Disc 1 gives extensive advice as to how to buy a suitable instrument (including many contacts), tactile descriptions, the playing position, right hand techniques (apoyando and tirando) and ensemble material for a learner to play along with me on the disc.
• Disc 2 introduces stopped notes and small solos, as well as more advances Duos and Trios to be played along with the CD 
• Discs 3 and 4 develop musicianship, technique, aural and theoretical knowledge through aquiring further repertoire.
• Disc 5 has 'practice tracks' - full, polished versions of each piece, for the learner to absorb aurally. There are also extensive contact details for organisations supporting guitarists and V.I. musicians. Practical advice such as string changing and my contact details are offered here also.

Each new piece follows the pattern of:

1. An aural principle - this may be identifying notes as they are played or hearing rhythms.
2. A technical principle - such as playing with the right hand thumb and fingers simultaneously or playing in second position.
3. A theoretical principle - married with it's aural and expressive effect. A concept such as triple time may be introduced with exercises to ensure that the learner understands exactly what it is in sound and how it effects the music.
4. The reinforcement of previous principles. Each piece is progressive and refers back to previous concepts learnt.

The course can be studied working alone, but also makes a fantastic and unique resource for teachers working with V.I. guitarists. The standard moves from a complete beginner to a level equalling that of about ABRSM Grade 4-5. It is a resource designed for a long-term learning process.

Of course, you do not have to have a visual impairment to use In Touch... There may be learners who prefer an aural approach or who may find getting out and about difficult. 

A note on music reading: I absolutely recognise the value of reading music in either print or Braille formats and I give several contacts and recommendations for Braille Music tutors on disc 5. I also believe though that notation systems can be perplexing and that specific time should be given to tackle these difficulties. I have found with all my students (sighted or otherwise) that using the ear is a very enjoyable way to learn repertoire and I've been reminded that a score is a tool to remind us of what we've learnt, not something we should be a slave to. I am grateful to my blind students who have taught me this without them realising it! Some good points for guitar teachers to ponder are:

• Does the act of learning a piece from sheet music make a student a good sight reader? In my experience, certainly not. I have auditioned guitarists for graduate study courses for nearly 10 years and the tradition of weak sight reading in guitarists is still there!
• Would spending half of a lesson learning by ear and using the other half to study and anotate a score, as well as doing simple sight reading excercises create a greater understanding of notation systems? Again, in my experience, yes! I believe that the lessons are more absorbing, artistic and joyous also. The aural approach encourages dialogue and greater all-round musicianship.

I'd love to have your thoughts and reflections on this fascinating debate. Please do get in touch.