Which Guitar Method Should You Use in Your Class?

At Moosiko, we’ve always remained method agnostic because we feel there are many great ways to teach guitar. Over hundreds of conversations with guitar teachers and music educators, we’ve learned that each guitar instructor has their own preference for curriculum material, and most veterans tend to pick a method and stick with it. However, an important part of being an educator is to adapt your methods to keep up with the times and your students. Comparing your current method with the other ones out there is an important way to stay up to date on the best practices of guitar instruction.

Here are some common guitar learning methods that exist today:

Hal Leonard

Hal Leonard is probably the most used method book in K12 education. They’ve been around since the 1970s and offer curriculum for a wide variety of instruments, not just guitar. 

Overview

• Format: Book
• Focuses on standard notation, sight reading, melody playing
• Songs: Classic folk and blues tunes
• Need to buy multiple books for more skills
• Price: ~$12 per book

Mel Bay

Similar to Hal Leonard, Mel Bay has been around for decades. They typically focus on blues and rock. This book is almost identical to Hal Leonard except Mel Bay has an electric guitar on the cover, whereas Hal Leonard has an acoustic guitar on the cover.

Overview

• Book format
• Focuses on standard notation, sight reading, melody playing
• Songs: Classic folk and blues, leans more toward electric guitar
• Need to buy multiple books for more skills and genres
• Price: ~$12/book

FJH Beginner Guitar Method

Also very similar to Hal Leonard and Mel Bay, this book is arranged horizontally. FJH focuses more on chords and transitions than melody and standard notation. 

Overview

• Book format
• Focuses more on mechanics: chords, chord transitions, tips, and tricks
• Songs: Classic folk, traditional, and nursery rhyme
• Need to buy multiple books for more skills and genres
• Price: $~7 per book

Comprehensive Beginning Guitar Curriculum

This PDF is more of an end-to-end curriculum with about 100 times more detail compared to the books above. It includes class structuring, content examples, lesson instruction, and links to YouTube videos. 

Overview

• PDF format
• Narrative, long-form curriculum for teachers on how to structure a guitar class and build a guitar program
• Songs: Mix of classic rock and modern hits
• Only need to buy one PDF which covers basic chords, strumming, blues, power chords, finger picking, barre chords
• Price: $14 for entire PDF

Little Kids Rock

Using what they call “modern band”, little kids rock is a certification program teachers can go through to learn how to teach modern rock band instruments: guitar, bass, drums, keyboard. Unlike the options above, they do not sell physical materials. Rather teachers apply and are trained in their methodology.

Overview

• In-person teacher training
• Modern approach to “band” or “orchestra”
• Songs: Modern hits or whatever the kids want to play
• Need to apply to their program and schedule a training
• Price: Free as long as you can attend one of their in-person programs

Method Agnostic for Moosiko

We’ve never believed there is an absolute “right” method to learn guitar. Every student, class, and learning environment is different, and therefore each approach should be adaptable. This is why Moosiko remains method-agnostic and strives to support whatever methodology the teacher chooses.  

Some benefits Moosiko can provide to your guitar class to keep students motivated and having fun:

• Online practice tool that can be used on any device
• 190 songs from a variety of genres. We can always add more at your request.
• Skills tracking for chords, transitions, progressions, strumming, and songs
• Adaptive learning technology to support asynchronous learning
• Multi-modal instruction including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic

If you’d like to learn more about how the Moosiko practice tool can support your guitar program, click here to request a quick demo of the platform.