FAQ
FAQ: Find an answer to some of our frequently asked questions:
Q. WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
A. Our teaching studio is located in Eccles, Greater Manchester.
Our address is: Sentinel House, Albert St, Eccles, Manchester M30 0NJ.
Q. IS YOUR TEACHING STUDIO OPEN FOR 1 TO 1 LESSONS?
A. Yes, we reopened our teaching studio for 1to1 lessons again in accordance with the roadmap set out by the English government on 12th April, 2021.
Q. DO YOU PROVIDE ONLINE LESSONS?
A. Yes, we teach video call guitar lessons via Skype, Zoom & WhatsApp. Please read more about these lessons here.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR COVID-19 POLICY?
A. Please read our full COVID-19 policy for our teaching studio here:
Salford Guitar Lessons COVID-19 Policy.
Q. DO YOU TEACH BEGINNERS?
A. Yes, we teach all ranges of ability from complete beginners to advanced players.
Q. WHICH AGES DO YOU TEACH?
A. We provide lessons & teach students from GCSE level, 14 yrs+ to above.
Q. HOW LONG ARE THE LESSONS?
A. Our lessons are 1 hour long.
Q. HOW MUCH DO LESSONS COST?
A. Our hourly rate is currently £35. Please check our prices page for further details.
Q. DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS ON BLOCK BOOKINGS?
A. Yes, after your first month of lessons, block bookings with discounted prices may be offered.
Q. WHICH DAYS/TIMES ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO TEACH?
A. Monday – Friday. 12PM – 10PM.
Q. HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?
A. You can email us through our contacts page here.
Q. DO YOU PROVIDE LESSON SHEETS AFTER EACH LESSON?
A. Yes, we believe it is vitally important for the student to have a reference to review each lesson. We design our own lesson sheets to help aid with practising.
Q. WHICH STARTER GUITAR SHOULD I BUY?
A. If you’re an absolute beginner and haven’t acquired your first guitar yet this question will be at the top of your mind. You should recognise the guitarists of your favourite bands – do they play acoustic or electric guitar? This should give you an idea of which one to start out with.
We recommend buying a guitar no more than £150 for your first guitar.
After playing for a while you’ll most likely upgrade to a new guitar, but by this point you’ll have a better understanding for which guitar will be right for you.
Q. BESIDES THE GUITAR, IS THERE ANY OTHER EQUIPMENT I MAY NEED?
A. Yes, a requirement is a guitar tuner. Checking and keeping your guitar in tune is very important so having a tuner nearby is essential. There are many different models of tuners to choose from including pedal tuners and clip-on tuners, but an app on your phone can work sufficiently.
Other equipment we advise acquiring would be:
• Selection of plectrums
• Capo
• Guitar strap
• For the electric or electro-acoustic guitar – a jack cable.
• Spare set of strings
• String cutter/winder
Q. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLECTRUMS? WHICH ONE SHOULD I BUY?
A. Plectrums come in many different materials, sizes, thicknesses & designs. Like most things with the guitar we all have a personal preference so we advise buying an assortment of different picks to try out.
A top favourite of ours is the Dunlop Jazz III Max Grip pick.
A great analogy from Guthrie Govan describing the difference between thick and thin picks was that picking with a thin pick is like trying to write with a rubber pencil…you’ve got the movement you’re trying to create with your hand and then the unpredictability of the rubber pencil.
It’s the same with picking individual strings, you want to have control of the movement you produce with the pick. Having a thicker pick allows for greater dynamic control.
But thinner picks can be more preferable when strumming.
Q. WHICH GUITAR STRINGS SHOULD I BUY?
A.There are many popular brands of guitar strings out there to choose from like Ernie Ball, D’Addario, Fender and Dunlop. Like most things with guitar it depends on personal preference. Try some different brands to see which you prefer. Most brands will offer string sets for either the acoustic or electric guitar. The main aspect to be aware of is the different gauges of string sets you can buy. I would recommend a lighter set like ‘9’s’ (9 is the thickness gauge of the high E string) to start off with as thinner strings a slightly easier and more comfortable to play.
Q. DO I NEED AN AMP FOR AN ELECTRIC GUITAR?
A. Yes, for an electric guitar you will need an amplifier (and a jack lead). I would recommend buying a combo amp (combination of an amplifier and speaker). You can pick up a suitable amp for practicing in the region of £100.