There is something special about the guitar. No other instrument is so versatile, with the ability to move from the majestic rock of Jimi Hendrix to the soulful stylings of Sister Rosetta Thorpe to the passionate protest songs of Bob Dylan to the incredibly skilled fingerwork of Rodrigo y Gabriela.
New Year’s resolutions: Does anyone actually keep them?
It’s official, it’s February, which means that most people gave up on their New Year’s resolutions about two weeks ago. We all know what it’s like. Every January, we set ourselves goals for the upcoming year and most of us massively overreach. New Year’s resolutions are sometimes so ambitious that it seems as though we are trying to become a whole new person, rather than just making a few small changes and seeing how that goes.
We hope that people can be kind to themselves – especially in the middle of a life-altering pandemic – and not beat themselves up if their old habits die hard. So, you said you would stop watching Netflix in bed and you’ve already finished a series this week? That’s okay. Give yourself a break! So, you said you wouldn’t eat any chocolate this year and you’ve already bought yourself an Easter egg? That’s okay too. You’re only human.
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, we believe that deprivation is not the answer. In fact, how much more joyful is it to add something rather than take something away? And why not give yourself the most wonderful gift of all: the gift of being able to make music?
Learning a new skill as an adult – nobody said it was easy
When is the last time that you learnt a new skill from scratch? Many of us have resolved to learn new skills during lockdown and have found it much more difficult than we expected. This is not really our fault. Our memories deteriorate with age and new research suggests that the acquisition of new information is made more difficult by the fact that we know too much already. How do you like that? We are too knowledgeable to learn!
When we were children, it was a lot easier to make things stick due to the plasticity of our developing brains. (Of course, skills only stick if you practise them… and some of us definitely didn’t do enough of that.) In general, we found that when we were young, we could recall words in another language more easily and master simultaneous equations without too much fuss. As adults, our brains feel heavy with the intricacies of everyday life and we wonder if we will ever have the time to devote to our hobbies to make them worthwhile.
So, what’s the solution then? Accept that learning is impossible? Give up because we are too old and exhausted? Absolutely not! We just need to find the right teacher and lessons that suit our learning style – and the sky’s the limit. And if you want to learn how to play the guitar, or to refresh your skills, you have absolutely come to the right place with our guitar lessons for adults.
Do you want to be a rock star?
There is something special about the guitar. No other instrument is so versatile, with the ability to move from the majestic rock of Jimi Hendrix to the soulful stylings of Sister Rosetta Thorpe to the passionate protest songs of Bob Dylan to the incredibly skilled fingerwork of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It’s not particularly expensive to pick up an acoustic guitar from your local music shop and, unlike many other instruments, you can start playing straight out of the blocks but you will need a drop of determination, a willing pro teacher and good dose of patience with yourself.
Many, many of us nurture secret and not-so-secret dreams of playing the guitar and have done so for years. Plenty of people dabble with the guitar in their teens then put it aside in adulthood because they don’t have the time or because they just can’t seem to get better. But now is the time to pick it up (again)! Now is the time to give it a go! We are so happy that you’re here.
Online guitar courses
One small silver lining of Covid-19 (and there aren’t very many…) is that it has changed the way that we think about learning. Here at Guitar Weekends, we have risen to the challenge and we now offer a huge host of online courses via Zoom. This means that you can join us from anywhere in the world. The only thing you need is your guitar and a decent internet connection.
Our online courses are not simply videos which you watch again and again and try to figure out what’s going on – there’s no live tutor there to explain it in a different way to make sure you ‘get it’. They are live and interactive and you will be given guidance and feedback from one of our expert tutors. You will also get everything you need in advance of each lesson so that you can fully enjoy it, including lesson PDFs and at-home practice materials.
We offer our online courses to acoustic, electric and bass guitarists, from beginner all the way up to advanced. If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out our What’s On page for details of all our upcoming courses. We are sure you’ll find something to suit you!
Residential courses
We also offer residential courses – these are a totally different, but complementary experience. They are full-on guitar fests from Friday afternoon to Sunday lunchtime with pretty much non-stop teaching, playing and jamming; the best quote which encapsulates them is “tired but inspired”. So, it’s not three online lessons of 90 mins each it’s pretty much two long days of instruction and fun. You learn from not only the tutor but each other group member. Our guitar lessons for adults are a lovely mix of teaching and socialising with fellow hobbyists.
Just like our online courses, our residential courses cater for players of every level of acoustic, electric and bass guitarists. You can even bring your family along on these!
People love the friendly atmosphere of these courses and the opportunity to strut their stuff at the Saturday night live performance. It is not to be missed!
Although our residential courses were suspended during 2020, we are very hopeful that we will be able to run them during 2021, subject to government advice. Keep your fingers crossed and check out our What’s On page!
If not now, when?
If you’re hesitating about whether you have the time to commit to learning the guitar, trust us when we say that our guitar lessons for adults will give you the motivation that you need. We can’t wait to guide you through the process. And this will be one resolution that is a pleasure to keep!