JENNA SAYS...

In a first lesson, I want students to have a go at both chords and single-note lines. Paul and I started with an Ac/dc-style open G5 powerchord. It’s more common to start with major chords, but the songs Paul wants to learn contain that G5. I think focusing on students’ passions is a great way to keep them motivated.

Next, we looked at fretting one note cleanly with good tone. A big part of learning guitar is learning how to troubleshoot your own playing – how do you fix it if it sounds bad? If you pluck the string and it doesn’t sound right, usually you’re either not pressing hard enough, not close enough to the fret, or some other part of your hand is fouling the string.

For single-note playing, we covered the E minor pentatonic scale. Lots of classic riffs can be adapted to work in this shape. As well as developing your ability to pick accurately and synchronise your hands, the scale introduces common rock, blues, and metal sounds.