- Performance skills are a large part of overall musicianship.
- We believe that every musician should be comfortable performing music in front of an audience, whether at a show, or just in front of friends. After all, music is meant to be shared. Performing in recitals gives students of all ages the experience and skills needed to be comfortable with sharing their music with others.
- Participating in music recitals builds confidence.
- We see it all the time… having a good experience at a music recital gives students the confidence they need to perform again. This confidence extends to other areas of a student’s life, and often brings kids ‘out of their shell’, making them more outgoing and personable.
- Performing in a recital gives students a sense of purpose with their musical studies.
- Performing at a recital, and seeing the impact they have on others when sharing their musical skills, will give a student more reason to continue their studies and improve their skills. Good live performances become the goal of many students who regularly participate in our recitals.
- Recitals are a great way to give back to the community.
- Recitals mean so much to the residents of the nursing homes that we perform at – we consider it our way of giving back to our local community. We hear many heartfelt positive comments at every performance. Also, it’s a win-win; recitals are free for nursing homes and for our students!
- Upcoming performances encourage students to prepare and practice more.
- Music recitals are important as a performance date adds a sense of urgency which encourages a student to practice and prepare for the show. This is especially helpful for students that struggle with practicing on their own. Our instructors work with their students to assure that they are prepared for their performance.
Music Recitals Are Important.. But Why?
The Best Way To Practice
An instructor can help students keep proper technique while developing speed.
Those are our 5 tips on the best way to practice. We hope you can use them and become a better player yourself!
NHTunes Music Studio is located in Manchester, New Hampshire, but if you are not local to us, we also offer online lessons via Zoom. Our lesson prices are very reasonable, and our instructor team is the best around. We teach all ages and skill levels from beginner to advanced players. Read more about our lessons HERE.
Scheduling a Music or Voice Lesson Is Easy!
Thinking of beginning music lessons? Scheduling a music or voice lesson with NHTunes is EASY with our online scheduling system. Our integrated scheduler allows you to select the exact day and time for your lesson – all in 4 easy steps – without a phone call or e-mail!
Start by visiting our website’s homepage, and select your lesson type from the “Lessons” drop down menu on the top menu bar (just under our logo). In this example, we selected ‘piano’:
You’ll be brought to the piano page, where you click the red “Schedule A Piano Lesson” button, which will bring up our online scheduler:
At this point, select whether you want a 30 or 60 minute lesson (note that 60 minute lessons are discounted 10%). In this example, we select the 30 minute option:
Now, you are presented with the available day(s) and time(s) for the lesson type you selected. Simply select the slot that works based on your schedule and pick “Continue”. You’ll enter your information and payment will be processed via PayPal (please note, you do not need a PayPal account to check out, you can use any major credit card).
That’s it, with just 4 easy steps you’ve just scheduled your first lesson! You’ll receive an e-mail confirmation of your lesson at the time of scheduling, and a lesson reminder 24 hours in advance of your lesson.
Like we said, scheduling a music or voice lesson with NHTunes is EASY with our online scheduling system!
If you have any questions, or run into issues with scheduling, you can call us at 603-660-2208, or contact is HERE.
How Much Should I Practice?
Don’t necessarily ‘practice’, but just ‘play’ for fun and you’ll improve!
One of the most often asked questions we receive from someone starting to learn an instrument is, “how much should I practice”? While there are many opinions on this topic, we’ve found that it’s not how much you should practice, but rather how often.
- Make sure your instrument is within reach of where you normally hang out. For example, keep your guitar in the living room. An instrument within reach will get much more use then one that is, for example, kept under the bed in its case. It’s ideal if you happen to work from home, but if not there should be some evening time to work in some shorter sessions.
- Play for fun; don’t think of each session as “practice”. If you just pick up your instrument and play for fun, you’ll continue to learn without the stress of having to learn a particular piece.
- Use a metronome to measure progress. If you are looking to increase speed, use a metronome to see your improvement, otherwise you may become discouraged thinking that you are not improving. Use it once every couple days, and you’ll be amazed that a speed that seemed hard a few days ago is now actually pretty easy!
- Play things that are ‘easy’ for you every once in a while. Playing an instrument should bring you joy, and there isn’t a lot of joy if you’re always playing things that are difficult. From time-to-time, play things that just make you happy, and you’ll be less frustrated overall and enjoy the instrument more.
- Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get to practice every day. Adults have many responsibilities, and you may find the occasional day or two where you get little to no practice time. Stick with it, and in the long run you’ll see yourself improving and find success!
So, if you’re wondering “how much should I practice”, playing often, for shorter increments is one practice method that we have found to be very effective in making steady progress while learning an instrument.
What To Expect at your first Ukulele Lesson
We teach ukulele to students of all ages and skill levels!
So you’re thinking about taking ukulele lessons, but are a little nervous about what to expect at your first ukulele lesson. Well, relax and read the next few paragraphs; we think you’ll see that ukulele lessons are fun, and (thanks to our patient instructors) not as intimidating as they first appear.
When you arrive for your first ukulele lesson, you may first be shown around the studio, and then introduced to your ukulele instructor. Your instructor will likely ask you questions regarding your general music background; for example, have you learned an instrument or sung in a choir before? Do you have any experience performing in front of people? What are your goals for your lessons? These questions will help the instructor to format the lessons based on your individual experience level and goals.
Then comes the fun! It’s time so play!! Well… almost. If you are new to ukulele, your instructor will teach you to tune your instrument. Tuning can be a daunting task initially for beginners, bit with a little guidance and practice, it becomes quite easy.
Finally, it’s time to play! Adult lessons focus on learning chords, strumming, and (after a couple of lessons) learning songs. Learning to read is optional, and quite honestly many accomplished ukulele players have never learned to read traditional sheet music (you’ll be learning to use chord and lyric sheets as that’s how in the future you’ll learn new songs). For younger students, learning to read sheet music will be incorporated along with chords and strumming, as learning to read traditional sheet music will be important if they decide to pursue a music career.
Once you can learn a few chords and some basic strumming, your instructor will pick a song that is appropriate for your skill level. The goal is a song that you’re both familiar with, and would love to learn to play. Of course, based on your skill level your first few songs you work on may not be the songs of your dreams, but the goal is to get there.
If you stick with ukulele lessons, you’ll see the following happen:
- You’ll be able to strum along to relatively simple songs within just a few weeks.
- You’ll learn to download and play songs, for the most part, on your own.
Learning to play the ukulele is fun!
- Your fingers will quickly develop ‘invisible’ calluses, and the discomfort from playing will go away.
- Your ear will develop and you will hear music differently than before. You will understand pitch better. You’ll be able to better distinguish individual elements in music.
When do all these great things happen? It varies on the individual; their background, their natural abilities, and the amount of time they spend practicing. Regardless, we see improvements in all of our students. Of course, not everybody is a Jake Shimabukuro, but everyone can learn to play ukulele, and the speed at which they learn is based on how much time they spend practicing.
We hope that, after reading this, you have a better idea of what your first ukulele lesson will be like should you decide to start. If you’re interested in scheduling a lesson, either in-studio or online, you can do so below. You can see our instructors HERE.
What To Expect at your first Guitar Lesson
We teach students of all ages and skill levels!
So you’re thinking about taking guitar lessons, but are a little nervous about what to expect at your first guitar lesson. Well, relax and read the next few paragraphs; we think you’ll see that guitar lessons are fun, and (thanks to our patient instructors) not as intimidating as they first appear.
When you arrive for your first guitar lesson, you may first be shown around the studio, and then introduced to your guitar instructor. Your instructor will likely ask you questions regarding your general music background; for example, have you learned an instrument or sung in a choir before? Do you have any experience performing in front of people? What are your goals for your lessons? These questions will help the instructor to format the lessons based on your individual experience level and goals.
Then comes the fun! It’s time so play!! Well… almost. If you are new to guitar, your instructor will teach you to tune your instrument. Tuning can be a daunting task initially for beginners, bit with a little guidance and practice, it becomes quite easy.
Finally, it’s time to play! Adult lessons focus on learning chords, strumming, and (after a couple of lessons) learning songs. Learning to read is optional, and quite honestly many accomplished guitarists have never learned to read traditional sheet music (you’ll be learning to use chord and lyric sheets as that’s how in the future you’ll learn new songs). For younger students, learning to read sheet music will be incorporated along with chords and strumming, as learning to read traditional sheet music will be important if they decide to pursue a music career.
Once you can learn a few chords and some basic strumming, your instructor will pick a song that is appropriate for your skill level. The goal is a song that you’re both familiar with, and would love to learn to play. Of course, based on your skill level your first few songs you work on may not be the songs of your dreams, but the goal is to get there.
If you stick with guitar lessons, you’ll see the following happen:
- You’ll be able to strum along to relatively simple songs within just a few weeks.
Learning to play the guitar is fun!
- You’ll learn to download and play songs, for the most part, on your own.
- Your fingers will quickly develop ‘invisible’ calluses, and the discomfort from playing will go away.
- Your ear will develop and you will hear music differently than before. You will understand pitch better. You’ll be able to better distinguish individual elements in music.
When do all these great things happen? It varies on the individual; their background, their natural abilities, and the amount of time they spend practicing. Regardless, we see improvements in all of our students. Of course, not everybody is an Eddie Van Halen, or an Eric Clapton, but everyone can learn to play guitar, and the speed at which they learn is based on how much time they spend practicing.
We hope that, after reading this, you have a better idea of what your first guitar lesson will be like should you decide to start. If you’re interested in scheduling a lesson, either in-studio or online, you can do so below. You can see our instructors HERE.
The Best Online Guitar Lessons for Beginners
Why do we feel that NHTunes offers the best online guitar lessons for beginners? NHTunes has been teaching online for years now, and our excellent staff of instructors can help you to fulfill your dream of becoming a guitarist! We’ll work at a pace that is comfortable for you. Our instructors have years of teaching
experience, and the educational background to teach you to play the correct way.
- Lessons: Our lessons are real-time one-on-one with a qualified and passionate instructor, who will provide helpful real-time feedback. Our lessons can be tailored to your learning style and goals.
- Instructors: We have a fantastic group of instructors who love to teach! All of our guitar instructors have a BA in music, and years of teaching experience. They’ll teach you at a pace that is comfortable for you. They’ll make sure you know what to work on between each lesson.
- Experience: NHTunes has been teaching online guitar lessons for years, so our instructors have learned to modify their teaching style to best suit the online experience. Our music studio has been open for over 10 years.
- Cost: Our 30 minute private lessons are priced at just $29.50! Our hour-long lessons are discounted 10%. There are n
If taught correctly, online lessons can be as effective as in-studio.
o registration or sign-up fees, and you can book lessons per diem as your schedule allows! Our convenient online scheduler makes scheduling your lessons a breeze!
- Schedule a single lesson below (our private half hour lessons are just $29.50).
- You will be contacted by a studio representative with a Zoom link for your lesson.
- After your first lesson, if you find the lessons and your instructor to be a great fit and would like to continue with your online guitar lessons, you can schedule your next lesson with your instructor.
So there you have it – why we feel that NHTunes offers the best online guitar lessons for beginners. If you have questions, feel free to call us at 603-660-2208, or use our Contact Us page.
You can see more about our guitar lessons HERE.
If you are an absolute beginner, what can you expect at your first lesson?
- We’ll help you to tune your guitar and show you how to use a free tuning app. Tuning is tricky and can take a little practice, but we’ll walk you through it and make sure you’re comfortable with the process.
- We’ll explain the different parts of the guitar and how to hold it when you play.
- We’ll teach you how to hold the pick and how to strum properly.
- We’ll get you started with learning a few chords. We’ll show you the correct way to play the chord, which involves technique with your wrist, palm, and fingertips.
- We’ll talk about practicing, and maximizing your practice time with the most efficient practice strategies.
When you leave your first lesson, you’ve reviewed the above and you can practice the chords that you’ve been shown. Once you learn a few chords, you can begin working on some real songs, and we have plenty of ‘beginner’ songs that we can give you! Most adults are working on songs within just a couple weeks of beginning their lessons! For adult beginners, we recommend THIS book.
The Easiest Way to Learn Barre Chords
- Open chord which has your thumb hanging over the top of the neck (and the palm of the hand is flush on the back of the neck)
- Barre chord which has your thumb is in the middle squeezing and your wrist is bent.
While barre chords can certainly be challenging, we think this method may be the easiest way to learn barre chords out of the gate.
Our 30-minute private guitar lessons are just $29.50, and there are no registration or other fees! Schedule a single lesson below with our convenient online scheduler, and you’ll be send a link for your lesson within 24 hours!
Online Guitar Lessons – All Ages & Skill Levels
If you’re looking for online guitar lessons, you can trust the professionals at NHTunes. We specialize in private, real-time online guitar lessons with qualified instructors who love what they do! We teach students of all ages and skill abilities, from absolute beginners to seasoned players looking to learn the fret board, or improvise.
Why choose NHTunes for your online guitar lessons?
- Our lessons are real-time with a professional instructor who will teach you the correct way to play – and the easiest way to get started.
- Our instructors have years of experience teaching, as well as the educational background needed to teach guitar AND music theory. They are patient, and will teach you at a speed that makes learning comfortable.
- We’ve been giving online guitar lessons for years, and we try to make the online experience as productive as in-studio (minus the drive time!)
- Our private real-time lessons are competitively priced at just $29.50, and you can book a single lesson with NO additional fees! Hour lessons are discounted 10%.
- You can schedule your lesson online below using our convenient online scheduler, picking a day and time that works best for you.
2) You will be contacted by a studio representative with a Zoom link for your lesson.
3) After your first lesson, if you find the lessons and your instructor to be a great fit and would like to continue with your online guitar lessons, you can schedule your next lesson with your instructor.