What Do Students Learn?
Introduction:
Here are Ultimate Guitar Academy, we teach EVERYTHING. And if a student asks to learn something we don’t know, we’ll learn and teach it to them.
Whilst students are able to choose content they’d like to learn, our guitar course (Ultimate Guitar Method) teaches all aspects of guitar playing. Here’s a list of some fo these skills, as well as some examples.
Chords
In guitar, chords are shapes that we hold, and use to play songs. Basic chords are major and minor open shapes, but students also learn movable bar chords, extensions and alterations. These are commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as “jazz chords”, and include chords such as Ebdim7, A7(b9) and F#13.
Our students learn all chords on the guitar, but typically start with open shapes, before moving to bar shapes and eventually extensions and alterations. We use them in our songs, just like in the video below.
“Chords” are on of the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method.
Riffs
These are catchy phrases that involves a combination or picking and chords. Though commonly associated with rock music, riffs are found in all styles of music. Some classic examples are the main themes from Back In Black, Funkytown and Mission Impossible. Just like with songs, students play riffs together, with their teacher, on their own, and along to practice videos.
Our students learn how to play countless riffs such as Smoke on The Water, Beat It, Crazy Train, and Master Of Puppets.
Riffs are part of the Picking component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method.
Songs
Songs are complete musical pieces that combine chords, melody, rhythm, and structure. On guitar, learning songs helps you apply techniques in a real musical context, build repertoire, and understand how different elements come together.
Our students learn how to play many songs of all music styles, but can also choose the songs they learn. In lessons, students play songs together, along to backing tracks, with their teacher, and also along to practice videos like the one below.
“Songs” are on of the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method.
Melodies
Melodies are the main, recognisable tunes in music—the part you’d hum or sing. Guitarists often play melodies as single-note lines, which helps develop phrasing, expression, and control over the fretboard.
Our students practice melodies along to practice videos, but also together in groups or with their teacher playing the backing. Common melodies learnt are Advance Australia Fair, Pokemon, Imperial March (Darth Vader Theme), Hot Cross Buns, and Jurassic Park.
Melodies are part of the Picking component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method.
Exercises
Exercises are short, repetitive patterns designed to improve specific skills like finger strength, coordination, speed, or accuracy. They’re not meant to sound like full music, but are used to build the technique needed to play more complex pieces.
Many guitarists neglect exercises because they find them boring, but a little goes a really long way. Every “advanced” guitarist should be working on exercises regularly to develop and maintain skill. We typically have our students practice just a few simple but highly effective exercises, in order to develop playing technique, control, coordination, rhythm, and stamina. We use videos like the one below to do this.
Throughout Ultimate Guitar Method, students learn over 50 exercises to develop picking, legato, sweeping, and strumming skills.
Exercises are part of the Picking component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Throughout the course, students learn over 50 exercises to develop picking, legato, sweeping, and strumming skills.
Scales
Scales are ordered sequences of notes that form the foundation of music. Guitarists practice scales to improve finger movement, understand the layout of the fretboard, and develop improvisation skills. They also help students learn songs faster, because songs are made fro scales. If you know the scale, you’ve already the what’s behind the song’s composition.
Scales are part of the Picking component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students learn every major, minor, diminished, pentatonic and altered scales as part of the course.
Sight Reading
Sight reading is the ability to play guitar by reading a written form of music, in real time without prior practice. On guitar, this skill helps you quickly learn new pieces and communicate with other musicians. This includes music notation, but also utulises guitar tablature, chord charts, and chord diagrams.
“Reading” is on of the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students learn how to read music notation, and tablature for all strings on the guitar, as well as how to apply the correct rhythm symbols.
Music Theory
Music theory explains how music works—covering concepts like chords, harmony, rhythm, and key signatures. For guitarists, it provides a deeper understanding of what you’re playing and helps with writing, improvising, and learning songs more efficiently. Music Theory differs from music notation, which is simply a written form of music. Music Theory can be taught without using any music notation whatsoever, which is the approach that most guitarists prefer (eg. Cmaj = C E G).
Music Theory is part of the “Aural” component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Throughout the course, students will learn scale composition, chord composition, diatonic harmony, the notes of the fretboard, and more.
Music Notation
Music notation is the written language of music—using staff lines, notes, rhythms, and symbols to show what to play and how to play it. On guitar, this mean standard notation, but often includes as well as tablature (TAB), which shows exactly where to place your fingers on the fretboard. Learning notation helps you read and understand music accurately, making it easier to learn new pieces and communicate with other musicians. One particularly beneficial aspect is learning how to read rhythm, which is an area that many guitarist struggle with.
Music Notation is part of the “Aural” and “Reading” components from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students learn how to read any note of the stave, play it on their guitars, and also apply the correct rhythm.
Technique
Technique refers to how you physically play the guitar. This includes skills like picking, strumming, finger placement, timing, and control. Good technique improves your tone, speed, and accuracy while reducing strain or injury, and it’s essential for playing both simple and advanced music effectively.
We help develop student’s playing technique by using exercises and songs. Ultimately, poor technique is usually what holds students back, so Ultimate Guitar Method places a strong focus on developing a solid foundation.
Guitar Solos
Guitar solos are lead passages where the guitar takes the spotlight, often playing expressive, melodic, or fast-moving lines over a song’s chord progression. They can be composed ahead of time or improvised in the moment. Practicing solos helps develop techniques like bending, vibrato, and phrasing, while also strengthening your understanding of scales and musical expression.
Songwriting
Songwriting is the process of creating original music using chords, melodies, rhythms, and lyrics (if applicable). On guitar, it often starts with chord progressions or riffs, then builds into a full structure like verses and choruses. It helps you apply music theory creatively and develop your own musical voice.
Songwriting is part of the “Songs” component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students will learn about song structure, compositional techniques, common chord progressions, and much more.
The song below is an instrumental that we wrote, recorded, and filmed during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown. It’s called “Rockdown” and we dedicated it to all of our students – past, present, and future.
Improvising
Improvising is the ability to create music on the spot without pre-planning. Guitarists use scales, patterns, arpeggios, and their ear to play over chord progressions in real time. It builds creativity, confidence, and a deeper connection to the instrument, allowing you to express ideas freely.
Our students learn to improvise using backing tracks, jam tracks, and together in lessons. Our group lessons and weekly jam sessions are an ideal time for this, because the group environments allows for students to take turns soloing.
Improvising is part of the “Songs” component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students will learn about song structure, compositional techniques, common chord progressions, and much more.
Jam Track Example:
Fingerpicking
Fingerpicking is a style of guitar playing where the performers uses their fingers to play the strings, rather than a guitar pick. It is not the same as simply using your fingers instead of a pick – fingerstyle guitar uses conventions and techniques to efficiently play songs that are specifically arranged for it’s style.
Our students learn a range of exercises to help develop the correct skills and techniques, before applying them to songs. Fingerstyle is often considered a challenging style of guitar playing, and so is usually started after several years of regular guitar playing.
Fingerpicking is part of the “Picking” component from the Five Fundamental Techniques in Ultimate Guitar Method. Students will learn about song structure, compositional techniques, common chord progressions, and much more.
Fingerpicking Example:
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