Summer Introducing
Guitar for Adults
A Group Course for Beginners
Next courses start 2 July & 6 August 2025.
'I was nervous learning an instrument like the guitar for the first time as an adult, but our teacher made us all feel at ease and the pace of the lessons suited our learning development. I can't wait to come back!'
– D. Ffrench
'As an absolute beginner, I did not expect to learn so much in such a short time. Excellent tuition, and the course was fun as well as rewarding. Thanks and well done!'
– D. Mullins
Course Description
Designed for absolute beginners, this summer version of Introducing Guitar for Adults, one of the Waltons New School of Music's most popular courses, offers a comprehensive and enjoyable introduction to the guitar and what it can do. Both in-school and online versions of the course are available. The in-school version takes place at our city-centre school, and the online version takes place wherever you are in Ireland or around the world!
Students begin the course with basic left- and right-hand technique, and classes then progress through a varied and interesting repertoire – including folk, pop and rock songs – while students develop their skills. Taught by some of the best guitar teachers in Ireland, this course has given hundreds of adult beginners an impressive grasp of guitar fundamentals.
Requirements
All course participants will need to have either steel-string acoustic guitars or nylon-string 'classical' guitars for classes and practise, as well as having their guitars in tune before classes begin. (See the Recommended Instruments tab on this page for a list of recommended guitars, two of which are available at discounts from Waltons Music for course participants, and the Tuning Your Guitar tab for information on tuning guitars.)
This course covers Stage 1 of the New School's ten-stage system of student progress and assessment, which culminates in a teaching or performing qualification (Stage 10) should the student progress that far. Participants who successfully complete the course can be issued with a certificate of completion of Stage 1. If you are taking the course, please let the school office know if you would like this certificate. See About Our Stage System for more information.
Summer Introducing Guitar for Adults is one of the New School's group courses. We also offer private guitar lessons in a range of genres for students of all ages and skill levels. See Guitar • Bass • Ukulele Tuition for more information.
Techniques Covered
A video demonstration of some techniques covered in the course:
Conal Rae
Conal received a Diploma in Music Performance from the DIT College of Music (now the TU Dublin Conservatoire), before going on to NUI Maynooth, where he received a BA in Music, majoring in performance. He continued as a postgraduate student at Maynooth, where he also received an MA in Music. As a teacher, he initially focused on classical, flamenco, jazz and electric guitar, as these were his main areas of interest, but over the course of over 25 years as a music educator he has incorporated piano, bass guitar, banjo and ukulele into his teaching practise. Conal has taught both privately and with several prominent schools. He is the author of the Leinster School of Music's Classical Guitar exam syllabus and was a member of the steering group developing the school's Piano exam syllabus. His own musical interests are very wide and include classical music, rock, jazz, blues, flamenco and Irish traditional. In addition to this course, he teaches our Introducing Guitar for Children course, as well as teaching guitar and ukulele courses for our Outreach Programme.
John Sweeney
John comes from a musical family and has been studying, playing and teaching guitar, as well as bodhrán, tin whistle and a range of Irish traditional instruments, for over thirty years. He works in many different styles, including blues, rock, jazz, traditional and flamenco, and he has performed and recorded with a number of Irish groups, gigging extensively throughout Ireland, Canada, the UK, the US and Spain. He began teaching in 1988 at the Scarborough School of Guitar in Toronto, Canada, where he also studied composition and flatpick technique. He has also studied flamenco guitar with Miguel Escudero Lopez in Seville, Spain and traditional music at St. Enda’s Folk Park & Museum, and he continues to develop techniques in a range of guitar styles. John was the only guitar player selected by the renowned vocal innovator and improviser Bobby McFerrin to perform with him in the National Concert Hall for Bobby McFerrin Meets Ireland (2013), a unique collaboration for the Waltons World Masters Series between Bobby and a small, select group of Irish performers – chosen to represent the creativity, tradition and spirit of Ireland and selected through an Ireland-wide audition process. He has taught at the New School since 2003 and also teaches our Introducing Guitar for Teens, Introducing Bodhrán, Acoustic Blues Guitar Basics and Trad Guitar Basics courses, as well as guitar and bodhrán courses for our Outreach Programme and Music at Work Programme.
Reviews • Testimonials
'I was trying to play guitar for a year, but YouTube didn't help. With this course, now I can play and understand what's going on.'
– Z. Alhawashim
'A very accessible beginner's guitar course. The teacher was excellent, with great enthusiasm and expertise. I've taken two courses so far (Guitar and Bodhrán) and both have been excellent.'
– E. Carroll
'Would highly recommend this course to anyone starting out on the guitar.'
– N. Clarke
'I have been trying to play guitar for years. After a ten-week course I really feel I have some chance now!'
– G. Collie
'Anyone can learn the guitar. All you need is a willingness to learn and a professional teacher from Waltons New School of Music.'
– S. Collins
'Great way to get started with the guitar! [I have] a very thorough and patient instructor, with good choice of content for the classes. I have found that my playing has improved greatly.'
– T. Elomari
'I tried learning guitar on my own over the years and then didn't pick up the guitar for two years. This class has been perfect for me, with encouraging, good-humoured teaching. I'm enjoying learning!'
– S. Gavin
'Well taught, very entertaining, great music, nice friendly group.'
– M. Goggins
'Even though I am an older person, I felt totally included in all the classes and would encourage anyone who wishes to learn to play an instrument to give it a try.'
– J. Goodall
'The course tutor is excellent, patient and easy to understand. He makes the class very enjoyable. I also really like the friendly atmosphere in the school. All of the staff are very helpful and professional.'
– A. Howe
'Each class brings me closer to a possible dream realised.'
– M. Kerrigan
'I tried learning online and got nowhere. Already, after the course, I can play a few songs. Will definitely recommend it.'
– M. Kumar
'I found the course very enjoyable and very much looked forward to my hour class every week. My teacher created a very relaxed and fun learning environment and managed to include enough variation for me to have a good understanding of guitar playing. Will be continuing classes in the next term.'
– C. McCauley
'I would highly recommend the course to anyone who always wanted to learn the guitar, especially those who think they are "too late" or are afraid of the instrument.'
– J. McNally
'I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone.'
– E. Mernagh
'I never thought I would be able to read chords and actually play something in such a short time.'
– K. Mifsud
'A comprehensive introduction to the instrument.'
– E. Ó Caollaí
'Brilliant teacher. Really enjoyed the course!'
– D. O'Connor
'I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of learning and developing a new skill. This was further enhanced by the enthusiasm, motivation and continual encouragement and support of the teacher.'
– M. O'Reilly
'Great interaction between the teacher and each individual student. Great fun too!'
– B. Rahman
'The relaxed atmosphere made the course really enjoyable, which made the lessons a lot easier and helped me to progress quicker than I ever expected.'
– G. Treacy
'Great, knowledgeable teacher. This beginner guitar class helped me go from not knowing one end of a guitar from the other to actually being able to play a song!'
– A. Veale
'The tuition is first rate...fantastic tutor, with excellent ability in both playing and teaching.'
– G. White
Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.
2025 Summer Term
Course Schedules
JULY COURSE
5 weeks, 2 – 30 July 2025
Wednesdays 6.30 – 8 pm
Teacher: Conal Rae
AUGUST COURSE
4 weeks, 6 – 27 August 2025
Wednesdays 6.30 – 8 pm
Teacher: Conal Rae
Tuition Fees
JULY COURSE
Standard Fee: €160
Discounted Fee: €144 *
AUGUST COURSE
Standard Fee: €130
Discounted Fee: €117 *
* Students taking more than one Summer Term group course, either concurrently or in another part of the Term, receive a 10% discount off the second group course. The discount applies both to courses taken concurrently (in the same part of the term) or in two different parts of the term. It can only be applied to Summer Term courses and to a second course with the same or lower tuition fee than the first course.
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places in each class are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Recommended Instruments
Most participants taking this course will use steel-string acoustic guitars. If students don't already have instruments for the course, the following reasonably-priced instruments – all available from Waltons Music – are recommended for their quality and affordability:
- SX SD104 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar • €99.99
- SX SD204 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar • €135
- Fender CD60S Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar • €199
- Takamine GD20-NS Dreadnought Guitar • €320
- CNB Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Gigbag • €43.99
The two SX guitars can be purchased from Waltons Music at 5% discounts for students enrolled in the course. If you would like to obtain a discount, please contact Waltons with your instrument choice and include a scan or photo of your course payment receipt.
What happens after the course?
Two weeks before the end of each Introducing course, participants will be given options for continuing their tuition with the New School if they would like to do so. Although an 'improvers' or continuation course cannot be scheduled on the same day/time as the Introducing course, one can be arranged if enough course participants would like to continue and the teacher has timetable availability or there is timetable availability with another teacher. Participants can also continue their tuition with private (one-to-one) lessons or 'partner' lessons with another class member. (See Tuition Options – Private • Partner • Small Group Lessons.) We are happy to discuss these options with you.
Tuning Your Guitar
Tuning your guitar – and keeping it in tune – is an essential first step to playing it. Here are some simple instructions for tuning your guitar, as well as guitar tuning apps.
Strings
The open strings of a guitar, from thickest to thinnest, are:
- E, the sixth, thickest and lowest sounding string
- A, the fifth string
- D, the fourth string
- G, the third string
- B, the second string
- E, the first, thinnest and highest sounding string
Tuning
- The E string. Tune the bottom E string as accurately as you can. Chances are it’s already in tune; being the thickest string it’s less likely to ‘detune’ itself than any of the others. If you have another instrument such as a piano or keyboard, you can tune it to the second E below middle C. If you have no device or instrument handy, just try to get it as accurate as possible; what really counts when you are playing is that the guitar is in tune with itself.
- The A string. Place the first finger of your left hand (or right hand if you’re playing a left-handed guitar) just behind the fifth fret on the bottom E string. That’s an A note. Keep your finger on that fret. Now pick the fifth and sixth strings in turn, gently adjusting the fifth string tuning peg until the two notes are the same.
- The D string. Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the A string. That’s a D note. Tune the fourth string (the D note) to that.
- The G string. Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the D string. That’s a G note. Tune your G string to that.
- The B string. Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fourth fret. Note that the B string is the only one that comes from a different position, the fourth fret; the rest are from the fifth fret.
- The E string. Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the B string. That’s an E note.
Tuning Apps
There are a number of free smartphone guitar tuning apps available. Here are two of the most popular:
GuitarTuna
Android:
iOS:
Fender Tune
Android:
iOS:
A wide range of clip-on electronic tuners, which are inexpensive and easy to use, are also available.