Left hand

Ask learners to play a range of notes in an appropriate position, other than the first position, naming each note as it is sounded. Also ask them to find and play individual notes in a specific position and on a specific string.

Playing the ‘invisible guitar’ can help develop spatial awareness, i.e. ask learners to put the guitar down and move the left arm up and down the right forearm as if from first to third position, second to fifth, etc., always letting the arm instigate the shift. When changing position on the guitar, the thumb should release its grip and stay opposite the second finger during the shift.

Show learners how to practise different types of shifts on one string, e.g. those that move from one finger to the same finger and from one finger to a different finger (in both cases with and without the open string in between).

To help fingers arrive at a chord shape at the same time, ask learners to isolate the finger arriving last and get it to arrive first next time.

Show learners how to practise the preparation of chord shapes by placing a chord, then lifting it off about a centimetre, holding the fingers in their correct spatial relationship to each other before replacing them.

Demonstrate some natural harmonics and ask learners to experiment with this technique.