Guitar Curriculum Outline

Gilliam
In the classroom environment for the six units, first year students will be taken trough one unit approximately each term,
enabling them to get through the first four units in one year.
Returning (second year) or advanced students will start out the year helping new students to get acquainted with the
instruments through most of Unit 1 (Blues and power chord Rock tunes). Then these students will branch out to fill in
holes in their knowledge of units 1-4, and progress on through Units 5 and 6. The last two units are about developing solo
and virtuosic technique, and each could take from 1 semester to 1 year to accomplish.
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
(accelerated (accelerated
students) students)
Unit Title 6th String E: 5th String A: 4th String D: 3rd String G: 2nd String B: 1st String: E
Strumming Along Picking and Rocking Along Feeling the Funk Tapping it out Sweeping through
Grinning
Unit Big Idea Technique, Notational Styles Styles, Technique Virtuosity; Ambiguity;
Improvisation Language Creativity Virtuosity;
Technique
National 2. Performing/ 2. Performing/ 2. Performing/ 2. Performing/ 2. Performing/ 2. Performing/
Achievement Instruments Instruments Instruments Instruments Instruments Instruments
Standards a. technical a. technical a. technical accuracy a. technical accuracy a. technical a. technical
Addressed in accuracy accuracy b. ensemble skills c. small ensembles accuracy, level 4 accuracy, level 5
Unit c. small ensembles c. small ensembles
5. Reading/ Notating 7. Evaluating 6. Listening/
3. Improvising 5. Reading/ Notating Music Music analyzing/
3. Improvising a. harmony Music a. instrumental score a. critical describing music/
a. harmony b. variation d. nonstandard evaluation b. technical
b. variation c. melodies notation 7. Evaluating Music vocabulary
c. melodies a. critical evaluation d. analyze aural
5. Reading/ 6. Listening/ examples
Notating Music analyzing/ e. compare musical
a. score describing music materials
a. aural analysis f. analyze, describe
b. technical music
vocabulary

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Guitar Curriculum Outline Gilliam
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
(accelerated (accelerated
students) students)
Unit Core Demonstrate basic Perform Perform Perform Perform Perform
Tasks instrument skills expressively and appropriately in an appropriately in an appropriately in an technically
accurately as part ensemble ensemble ensemble demanding music
Perform of an ensemble
accurately on an Demonstrate Demonstrate Perform Demonstrate
instrument Demonstrate knowledge of technical and Expressively musical memory
instrumental technical musical expressive
Perform technique language capabilities on an Perform Analyze and
appropriately in a instrument challenging music critique music
given style (blues) Demonstrate Demonstrate
knowledge of technical and Demonstrate Demonstrate Demonstrate
Respond to styles expressive knowledge of technical theoretical musical
musical cues capabilities symbolic notation capabilities concepts
Improvise in
Improvise appropriate Analyze music Analyze and critique Demonstrate aural
accompaniment, stylistic manner music and notational
and original Demonstrate skills
melodies Read and perform knowledge of styles
stylistically music using Analyze and
standard notation critique music

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Guitar Curriculum Outline Gilliam
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
(accelerated (accelerated
students) students)
Repertory for 12 Bar The Irish Land of the Cantaloupe Crazy Metropoli
Unit Blues Washerwo Rising Sun Island Train s (Part 1)
Pentatonic man Everything Breezin Stairway Spain
Scales Little s Gonna Be Everything to Heaven YYZ
Blues Fugue in All Right s Gonna Be Hotel Master of
Scales G (Bach) Yesterday All Right California Puppets
Johnny Jesu, Joy Let it Be Flashlight The Trees Seven
B. Goode Of Mans Hey There Word Up Purple Days
Today is Desiring Delilah Under The Haze
Your (Bach Kryptonite Bridge Voodoo
Birthday Cantata no. Back in Tom Chile
Smoke on 147) Black Sawyer Panama
The Christmas If I Ever Freebird
Water Eve/ Lose My
Iron Sarajevo Faith
Man 12/24 Knockin
Smells On Heavens
Like Teen Door
Spirit Lightning
Paranoid Crashes

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Guitar Curriculum Outline Gilliam
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
(accelerated (accelerated
students) students)
Curricular Instrument Parts, Finger picking; Playing Open Playing Barre Guitar solos and Playing changing
Thread # 1 care of instrument, Playing Major and Chords; Chords; progressive and odd time
Performance Posture; minor scale forms Playing popular Performing songs in techniques signatures
Left and Right for 2 octaves songs forms small ensembles (bending, tapping,
Hand Technique; hammer-ons, pull-
Power Chords; offs, harmonics)
Playing Pentatonic
scales

Curricular Note names and Reading from Reading from Playing extended Improvising over Modes;
Thread # 2 positions; Standard notation: Standard notation: chords and modes; chords; changing and odd
Theoretical Identify major and Notes, Chords, Sus chords, Creating and Transcribing solos time signatures
minor pentatonic and Tablature; Augmented Chords, arranging music
modes Constructing and seventh chords
Major and minor
scales
Curricular Swing and Strumming and Performing songs in Performing songs in Performing in the Performing in the
Thread # 3 Straight eighth Arpeggiating; a variety of styles a variety of styles style of famous style of famous
Stylistical notes; Accompaniment that use open chords utilizing Barre guitar bands, e.g. virtuoso and
Performing in the and Melody e.g., folk, reggae, Chords, e.g. Funk, Led Zeppelin, progressive bands,
style of famous classic rock, Beatles, Jazz, Progressive Eagles, Rush, e.g. Dream
rock guitar bands modern rock, Sting Rock; Southern Hendrix, Van Theater, Chick
( Black Sabbath, Rock Halen Corea, Rush,
AC/DC, Beatles, Metallica, Sting,
Nirvana, Chuck Holdsworth
Berry)
Curricular Development of Classical Guitar Classic Rock Historic Guitarists & Historic Guitarists Historic Guitarists
Thread # 4 the Guitar; figures (e.g. Guitarists Bands & Bands & Bands
Historical Birth of the Blues Segovia,
Parkening)
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Guitar Curriculum Outline Gilliam
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
(accelerated (accelerated
students) students)
Performance Pentatonic minor; Major; minor Major modes: minor modes: Whole tone Symmetrical
Technique: Pentatonic Major; (natural, Ionian (Major) Dorian, (hexatonic) diminished, both
Scales (all to Blues Scales harmonic, and Lydian, Phrygian, forms
be learned melodic) Mixolydian Aeolian (minor) (octatonic)
min. 2 octaves Locrian (diminished)
boxed form
starting from
both E and A
strings.)

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