INSTITUTION: Great Falls College MSU

COURSE TITLE: Beginning Guitar I

COURSE NUMBER: Fall 2016/2017

NUMBER OF HOURS: 5

COURSE CREDITS / CEUs: .5 CEUs

INSTRUCTOR / CONTACT INFO: Jeni Dodd

I.  COURSE DESCRIPTION

This beginning guitar course will introduce the student to elementary chording, strumming and how to read chord diagrams. Emphasis will be on developing the knowledge and skill to enable the student to play guitar as accompaniment to singing or other instruments. Students need to supply their own nylon or steel string acoustic guitar, tuner and medium gauge guitar picks (Jim Dunlop nylon grey .73mm is a good choice).

II.  COURSE MATERIALS

Instructor handouts

III.  COURSE OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this course is to develop a basic level of skill in guitar playing. The objectives for students are to:

1.  Learn the basics of the instrument – naming the parts, standard tuning, and string names

2.  Learn the basic chording, starting with simplified chords, progressing to full chords

3.  Learn the basic fingerboard map and chord diagram

4.  Learn the basic strumming techniques

IV.  COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Course introduction, guitar anatomy, tuning, playing ergonomics, pick choice and use, naming the strings

Week 2: Introduction to fingerboard, what is a chord, first simplified chords, time and meter, strumming, muscle memory

Week 3: Musical keys and song structure, beyond simplified chords

Week 4: More fingerboard, reading chord diagrams

Week 5: Course wrap up, learning and progressing

V.  STUDENT EVALUATION

Grading is Pass/Fail with attendance and participation mandatory for a passing grade as well as hands-on participation in all classroom instruction and activities successfully demonstrating that they have learned the objectives 1-4 as listed above.

VI ACCOMMODATIONS

Students with documented disabilities, whether physical, cognitive or psychological, are entitled to reasonable accommodations in their classes. If you would like to use accommodations for this class, please contact Kathy Meier, Director of Disability and Learning Support Services at 406-771-4311 or stop by the Disability and Learning Support Services office (R261) to make arrangements.