Beginner training plan
Your first lessonGetting to know the student and figuring out style and music they love and
Lesson 2-3Start building repertoire that student will work through during next classes
Lesson 4-10Strong development, we going to work on different techniques like finger style, picking technique, tapping etc.
Lesson 11+The student will be able to perform 3-4 tunes or songs, depending on its complexity. Potentially work on increasing performance skills and develop repertoire.
Advanced training plan
Your first lessonIn the first lesson, I’d have them play a jazz standard of their choice solo or in duo with me to assess their feel, time, and vocabulary. Then we’d pick one tune to dig into deeply—harmonically and melodically—to start building a personalized sound and refine how they tell a story through improvisation.
Lesson 2-3Lesson 2:
We’d focus on voice leading through ii–V–I progressions using 3- and 4-note shell voicings, then apply them to a tune like “There Will Never Be Another You.” I’d have them comp behind me and then solo using only chord tones and guide tones to strengthen their connection to the harmony.
Lesson 3:
Introduce bebop phrasing—target notes, enclosures, and approach tones—using a simple head like “Billie’s Bounce.” We’d transcribe 4–8 bars of a solo (maybe Sonny Stitt or Cannonball), then improvise using that vocabulary in all 12 keys.
