Level 0
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Holding the instrument
- Body / instrument balance, tone and relaxation
- Familiarization and discovery of the instrument in correspondence with the personal musical experience of the student and the Musical Training course
- Ear training development
- Melodies with a sense of phrasing and elementary nuances (mf, f, p)
- Reading music scores
- Title of played songs
- Fretboard Knowledge: First Position Notes
- Knowledge of the instrument (name of the different parts)
- Practice at home
Technical skills
- Alternating fingers of the right hand: i,m /p +i,m(i = index, m = middle finger, p = thumb)
- Practice of “free stroke” and “rest stroke”
- Lateral movement of the left hand
- Monodic playing: simple scales, small melodies
- Polyphonic playing: simple melodies accompanied by a bass, simple chords played by the thumb
Outcomes
- Tuning the instrument (initiation)
- Concentrate before playing; become aware of the silence that precedes and follows a piece
- Feel and maintain a pulse
- Play a melody with simple basses considering the phrasing (breathing) and nuances
- Play some easy chords
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, pieces for one voice in 1st position, in elementary rhythms
- Play in public
Level I
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Ability to tune by ear
- Knowledge of the neck: 2nd position; 12th fret
- Playing from sheet music, sight-reading
- Notation of the musical elements of the pieces approached (notes, measure, key, rests)
- Title of the pieces played and name of the composer
- Play of melodies with a sense of phrasing and nuances, legato play
- Tonic Chord of the pieces studied
Technical skills
- Alternation of fingers: i, m, a / p + other fingers (left hand)
- Monodic and polyphonic playing (im; p and other fingers)
- Melodies in different positions, accompanied by a simultaneous single bass
- Scales on two octaves, major and minor, corresponding to the pieces studied; simple chromatic scale
- Simple arpeggios: pim, pima
- Simple chords on 3 strings (pim, ima)
- Chords on 4, 5 or 6 strings played by the thumb
- Natural harmonics
- Various methods of stopping the sound
- Basics of music theory (scales, inversion, modes…)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Pursue and develop the objectives of the Initiation Cycle
- Demonstrate their ability to follow the musical teaching provided
- Develop a method of working at home (beginning)
- Respect the chosen fingerings
- Play the pieces considering their form, phrasing and dynamics.
- Sight-read a simple melody
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, simple melodies accompanied by an open bass or with simple arpeggios
- Play in public, solo or together
Level II
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Ability to tune by ear
- Knowledge of the neck: 2nd position; 12th fret
- Playing from sheet music, sight-reading
- Notation of the musical elements of the pieces approached (notes, measure, key, rests)
- Title of the pieces played and name of the composer
- Play of melodies with a sense of phrasing and nuances, legato play
- Tonic Chord of the pieces studied
Technical skills
- Alternation of fingers: i, m, a / p + other fingers (left hand)
- Monodic and polyphonic playing (im; p and other fingers)
- Melodies in different positions, accompanied by a simultaneous single bass
- Scales on two octaves, major and minor, corresponding to the pieces studied; simple chromatic scale
- Simple arpeggios: pim, pima
- Simple chords on 3 strings (pim, ima)
- Chords on 4, 5 or 6 strings played by the thumb
- Natural harmonics
- Various methods of stopping the sound
- Basics of music theory (scales, inversion, modes…)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Pursue and develop the objectives of the Initiation Cycle
- Demonstrate their ability to follow the musical teaching provided
- Develop a method of working at home (beginning)
- Respect the chosen fingerings
- Play the pieces considering their form, phrasing and dynamics.
- Sight-read a simple melody
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, simple melodies accompanied by an open bass or with simple arpeggios
- Play in public, solo or together
Level III
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Ability to tune by ear
- Knowledge of the neck (reading and identification on the fretboard): 1st string, up to the 12th fret, 2nd and 3rd string, up to the 8th fret
- Development of legato playing and precision of the fingerings.
- Playing scales on different positions (e.g.: C Major on position 1, 2, 3, 4…)
- Cadence I - V - I
- Indications of tempo and character of the pieces played
- Development of musical expression
Technical Skills
- Monodic playing: chromatic scale 3 octaves; Major and minor, over 2 or 3 octaves, according to the keys of the pieces studied and possibilities of the learner.
- Polyphonic play:
- 2 simultaneous sounds (various combinations)
- 3 sound levels: melody in the treble with bass and intermediate voice; melody in the bass with accompaniment of simple chords in the treble- Arpeggios of 3 and 4 fingers: various combinations, emphasis of the main melody
- Chords of dyads (2 notes), triads (3 notes) and Tetrad (4 notes) (pia; pma; pima); sequence of legato chords (preparation)
- Ascending and descending legato
- Barre chords (preparation)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Consolidate the working from home
- Tuning by ear or with another instrument ( piano)
- Identify the Tonality and play the I-V-I cadence of the studied pieces
- Play the pieces by explaining their form, the indications of tempo and character
- Play some accompaniment chords in simple tones
- Sight-read songs from the previous level
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, melodies accompanied and pieces
- Change guitar strings
Level IV
Generalities and musical acquisitions
Ability to tune by ear
- Knowledge of the neck (reading and identification on the fretboard): 1st string, up to the 12th fret, 2nd and 3rd string, up to the 8th fret
- Development of legato playing and precision of the fingerings.
- Playing scales on different positions (e.g.: C Major on position 1, 2, 3, 4…)
- Cadence I - V - I
- Indications of tempo and character of the pieces played
- Development of musical expression
Technical Skills
- Monodic playing: chromatic scale 3 octaves; Major and minor, over 2 or 3 octaves, according to the keys of the pieces studied and possibilities of the learner.
- Polyphonic play:
- 2 simultaneous sounds (various combinations)
- 3 sound levels: melody in the treble with bass and intermediate voice; melody in the bass with accompaniment of simple chords in the treble
- Arpeggios of 3 and 4 fingers: various combinations, emphasis of the main melody
- Chords of dyads (2 notes), triads (3 notes) and Tetrad (4 notes) (pia; pma; pima); sequence of legato chords (preparation)
- Ascending and descending legato
- Barre chords (preparation)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Consolidate the working from home
- Tuning by ear or with another instrument ( piano)
- Identify the Tonality and play the I-V-I cadence of the studied pieces
- Play the pieces by explaining their form, the indications of tempo and character
- Play some accompaniment chords in simple tones
- Sight-read songs from the previous level
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, melodies accompanied and pieces
- Change guitar strings
Level V
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Knowledge of the neck (reading and identification on the neck): 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings, all notes up to the 12th fret/ 4th, 5th and 6th strings, beyond the 5th fret, as the pieces require.
- Development of interpretation
- Sound (development of volume, search for timbres)
- Agility and velocity (development)
- Simple cadences
- Wide range of possibilities and effects of the instrument
- Chord of the 6th string in D
- Historical and stylistic notions
- Musical vocabulary appearing on the scores
Technical skills
- Polyphony: development of the ability to distinguish melody lines.
- Scales and arpeggios: more complex formulas
- Chords: 3 and 4 sounds (development), arpeggiated chords, sequence of chords in legato (development)
- Mixed legato (ascendants - descendants)
- Accents
- Repeated notes, introduction to tremolo
- Small and large barre chords (development)
- Vibrato
- Expansions
- Artificial harmonics (initiation)
- Staccato, glissando, pizzicato, percussion (tambora, golpe)
- Sonority with fingernails (beginning)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Plan work according to deadlines
- Identify the cadences in the prepared pieces
- Play the cadence in the tones of the studied pieces
- Prepare the pieces by being able to explain the logic of the used fingerings
- Propose phrasing, dynamics and interpretation.
- Evaluate the degree of difficulty of a piece, choose a piece tailored to their skills and interests
- To have deep knowledge of practicing scales in different modes and positions
- Take initiatives and propose pieces
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, polyphonic pieces, including chords, barre, slurs, and various positional playing
- Demonstrate, in public concerts as well as in class, of commitment, concentration, presence and behavior
Level VI
Generalities and musical acquisitions
- Knowledge of the neck (reading and identification on the neck): 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings, all notes up to the 12th fret/ 4th, 5th and 6th strings, beyond the 5th fret, as the pieces require.
- Development of interpretation
- Sound (development of volume, search for timbres)
- Agility and velocity (development)
- Simple cadences
- Wide range of possibilities and effects of the instrument
- Chord of the 6th string in D
- Historical and stylistic notions
- Musical vocabulary appearing on the scores
Technical skills
- Polyphony: development of the ability to distinguish melody lines.
- Scales and arpeggios: more complex formulas
- Chords: 3 and 4 sounds (development), arpeggiated chords, sequence of chords in legato (development)
- Mixed legato (ascendants - descendants)
- Accents
- Repeated notes, introduction to tremolo
- Small and large barre chords (development)
- Vibrato
- Expansions
- Artificial harmonics (initiation)
- Staccato, glissando, pizzicato, percussion (tambora, golpe)
- Sonority with fingernails (beginning)
Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Plan work according to deadlines
- Identify the cadences in the prepared pieces
- Play the cadence in the tones of the studied pieces
- Prepare the pieces by being able to explain the logic of the used fingerings
- Propose phrasing, dynamics and interpretation.
- Evaluate the degree of difficulty of a piece, choose a piece tailored to their skills and interests
- To have deep knowledge on practicing scales in different modes and positions
- Take initiatives and propose pieces
- Prepare, without the help of the teacher, polyphonic pieces, including chords, barre, slurs, and various positional playing
- Demonstrate, in public concerts as well as in class, of commitment, concentration, presence and behavior