How to teach without reading?

[MC5C]

I'm starting to teach a friend how to play tenor ukulele. She doesn't read music at all and wants to play along with three chord songs, basically. I started with the names of the strings, and how to play a C scale, and C, F and G chords. I wonder how much theory I can skip, and how much is actually a benefit to a really casual player. For example, do I just say "this is how you play a G7 chord, and skip the four notes, flat 7, major third bit? Minor chords vs major chords, skip the flat three and these are the shapes? Is knowing the names of the notes all that important?

So first weeks lesson was the C scale (say the notes as you play them), the three major chords, and a simple 4/4 strum ( 1 2&3&4& 2 2&3&4&, etc). I am also using standard Uke tuning. FWIW I've been able to read music so long I can't remember learning, or not knowing.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by MC5C

...She doesn't read music at all and wants to play along with three chord songs, basically. ....

Ignore theory entirely.

Just teach her shapes of chords. Give her a chord chart and point out (circle) the easy and common ones. That's all she needs.

And, I suspect, that's how the vast majority of guitar players learned.

It sounds like you are massively over-thinking this and likely to confuse and discourage her.

[Cameron_Talley]

If she only wants to play along with three chord songs, then the only real theory I would give her would be explaining about I, IV, and V chords and giving her a sheet that has these common progressions for lots of different chords. That might help her understand why what chord sounds like it does, and will let you transpose songs.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Cameron_Talley

If she only wants to play along with three chord songs, then the only real theory I would give her would be explaining about I, IV, and V chords and giving her a sheet that has these common progressions for lots of different chords. That might help her understand why what chord sounds like it does, and will let you transpose songs.

To understand chord progression she has to understand scales. Just show her some chords and let her make some fun music, then she can go after more if she is inspired.

I have seen this approach where experts and teachers have no sense of their audience and they totally lose them. In the case of instruction it crushes any enthusiasm or interest out of the student. A simple I-IV-V is ultra simple for you but it's like steering a mars lander while solving differential equations, underwater with Latin instructions to a novice. Let it go. Zero theory. None. Nada. Zilch. Let her make a happy sound first.

Show her some VERY simple chords so she can make a bit of music. That will put a smile on her face. Once she enjoys it, then she can decide to go further.

[stanron]

Originally Posted by fazool

Let it go. Zero theory. None. Nada. Zilch. Let her make a happy sound first.

Show her some VERY simple chords so she can make a bit of music. That will put a smile on her face. Once she enjoys it, then she can decide to go further.

This I love. The only thing I would add to the three chord trick is lots of songs to play.

[TBman]

I can remember riding my dinosaur to my first guitar lessons as a 8 or 9 year old and instead of learning chords to play a song (like the Beatles) he's teaching me single note melodies like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The lessons didn't last long. What got me going was learning songs and chords from my friends and on my own - Beatle songs.

[ALCO]

I agree with fazool: keep it simple.
I showed someone how to play I-IV-V in G and D on my mandolin banjo so that she could play in my dance band. Within a week she was comfortable with the changes and then it was all about the strumming. We mainly played polkas, schottiches and waltzes. She was a great addition to the band and her obvious joy at playing was infectious.
Kind regards,

[paulp1960]

I agree - just stick to learning chords and simple songs for now. The other stuff can come later.

[mr. beaumont]

Chords, chords, chords...

But you should teach her how to read--RHYTHMS. That's important. And so much easier in the long run than a lot of the DUDUUDUDUDUDU (down/up, with no real instruction as to TIME) garbage I see posted on the net.

[JonPR]

I agree, NO THEORY. Not unless she really asks for it. (And if she does, tell her she doesn't need it.)
No scales either. Ukulele is a chord-strumming instrument. No one plays solos on it. Almost nobody plays melodies on it.
Fingerstyle is a nice option (especially for instrumental performance, without singing), but is for a more advanced level.

As for "reading", all you need is lyrics and chord charts - no tab, definitely no notation - although I agree with rick, some kind of rhythm notation would be good: just barlines and strokes for beats ought to be enough. Of course, the songs should be songs she knows, and (ideally) can play along with while practising. A good one for starters is Chuck Berry's 'You Never Can Tell' - just two easy chords (C, G7) in original key, good medium tempo (easy strumming), plenty of time on each chord, and plenty of warning for the next chord change.
Pulp's 'Common People' is another - C, F, G, again in the original key, for playing along. Downstrokes on the beat, upstrokes between whenever you like.

Reading (standard notation) and theory are not joined at the hip. I had a reasonable grasp of theory years before I learned to read.

[BFD]

Agree a basic selection of chords is a good place to start.

Also early on, and this is something a lot of teachers neglect, you should begin teaching her ear. Teach her to listen to recordings of the music she wants to play as part of her standard learning procedure. Beginners trying to learn music from paper is silly; that's not what inspires them to play in the first place. Paper is a fine aid, but not the best source. Teaching students to become good listeners - for rhythm, tone, tempo, melody, harmony - all of those things can be appreciated at a very basic level. Then her understanding can deepen as her curiosity allows.

It also provides a much better context to delve into theory (given enough curiosity), as the system to describe and understand the audible concepts she is mastering. Developing her ear early will also allow her to evaluate her own playing much more effectively, again comparing sound to sound as opposed to sound to paper.

[martingitdave]

Get her quickly playing something she wants to play. If she wants to progress from there, great. Teaching adults, who have a specific goal, is different than teaching children, who should probably be taught some theory along the way.

[Clallam]

Two or three chords (try a I-IV-V in a common key that the chords are easy to finger but don't confuse her by telling her why you picked them) and show her how to change between them. Add simple strumming, once per bar gives time for the chord change then move gradually to one every beat as she learns to change chords faster. That way she will not struggle with something complex with both hands at once. Then pick some easy songs that she likes with just those chords and infrequent changes. That will let her sing and play and have fun as soon as possible. More chords and strumming patterns can be introduced gradually as she is ready.

Once she is addicted to the instrument and to music in general you may, if she wants, move into scales, theory etc. She may never want to go there and that's OK too.

[Toby Walker]

Hi,

While in a perfect world, the best method would be to teach comprehensively, it all depends on the style of music and the students goals. Woody Mann, a teacher with a great reputation, has been known to teach without music or even tab for that matter when covering blues and ragtime music.