Guitar Backing Tracks For Teachers

A whole load of new backing tracks and chord sheets that you can download to your phone tablet or PC that we have just added to the "Deluxe Download" means that there are now 35 Backing Tracks and around 80 Handouts
featuring the chords and scales that
beginners and intermediate players need to know!

We have just added Another 15 Guitar Teacher's Backing Tracks that you can hear if you follow this link that go way beyond the basics. That means you now get 35 backing tracks and over eighty chord sheets and handouts to go with them as part of the "Deluxe Download"

Experienced guitar teachers all over the world teach students in the early stages of playing to move between eight basic chord shapes (featured in the illustration above) in time to music (The chords are C, A, G, E, D, Am, Dm and Em) Guitar Backing Tracks are a great weapon in the arsenal of any guitar teacher setting out to do this The backing tracks below can be dropped onto a CD or memory stick or even emailed to your students The backing tracks are an invaluable teaching aid that allow your students to practice effectively between guitar lessons

An easy guitar backing track for a first guitar lesson

During the early stages of learning to play guitar a student should be introduced to relatively few (normally eight) open chord shapes and should be given access to teaching materials that will encourage them to change between those shapes in time to music. Gradually the backing tracks will increase in tempo and/or complexity until the student is capable of changing chords more quickly and smoothly than they did in the very early stages The backing track below uses two chords (G and Em) and is devised so as to allow a relatively large period of time between chord changes

A 2nd guitar lesson introducing two new chords

The next backing track introduces two new chords (D and C) drawn from the eight guitar chords that a beginner should learn first Each chord lasts for two full bars and again there is plenty of time available for students to change between the shapes

Backing track bringing all four chords together

This track brings all four chords learned up to this point together in a single progression It provides a great way for students to see that they really are making progress

It is not just about assembling a bunch of backing tracks and charging people to use them. The backing tracks have to form part of a plan designed to take someone from a point at which they do not play guitar to a place shortly afterwards where they do. teachwombat have a set of thirty five downloadable guitar backing tracks with over eighty handouts designed to take novice players effectively through the beginner and intermediate stages of playing guitar. The first twenty or so concentrate on the eight guitar chords that a novice player should learn at the start and offer a structured way for a teacher to help a novice guitar student to develop the skills that they need

One chord that they already know and a new one

By this point a student will be familiar with four of the eight chords that a beginner should learn first What we need to do next is to ensure that they become familiar with the other four chords (A Am Dm and E) and to this end the next progression requires learners to use one chord that they already know from previous lessons (G) and a new one (A) The backing track has more of a "Rock" fell that the earlier ones and tends to be popular with both younger and older would be guitar players

The last three guitar chords that a novice needs to learn

The final three chords that a beginner needs to learn (Am Dm and E) are covered with a single (funkier) backing track that gives learners the opportunity to develop motor skills by cycling around the three chords in sequence You can find a short extract from the backing track below

• Click to see a Full List of what's in the download

In the early stages of learning the guitar a common mistake is to just carry on learning new chords. Experienced guitar teachers know that student progress is not measured by how many chords they know but by how comfortable and capable they are when it comes to moving between (at this stage) relatively few chords in time to music When they are operating well at this level it is no real problem to learn new and more advanced chord shapes on an "as required" basis as a student's repertoire expands

Its a bit like when a child learns to speak fluently over a period of months and years. It would be lunacy to try to teach a toddler every individual word in the dictionary before working on putting those words into sensible phrases, statements and questions It is obviously better to have them understand a limited number of words and to become used to combining them thoughtfully before moving on to more complicated concepts and ideas

The remainder of the 20 backing tracks in the original "Deluxe Download" were largely concerned with helping a learner to change more quickly and securely between the eight shapes learned in time to music An example can be seen in the track below in which three of the shapes (A, D and G) are played at a medium tempo but with students required to change between them more rapidly that was the case during the very early stages when typically there were two full bars (8 beats) between one shape and the next

To get a better idea of what the teachwombat resources are about if you carry on down this page you will be given the opportunity to download the backing track above and a bunch of handouts and chord sheets to go with it

Not for total beginners!

I would like to stress that even thought the track features three of the eight chords that a beginner should learn first it is not suitable for most total novice players as a first lesson as the chord changes come around too quickly for someone in the earliest stages The track is aimed at people who have mastered the process of moving between the chords less rapidly and who are ready to move on

The end of this beginners stage (by which time a guitar student would be confident and capable when it comes to moving fluently between the eight basic chord shapes covered to this point) can be illustrated by the backing track below which uses all of the Major chords covered to this stage with the added challenge that the first part of the repeated sequence (C-G-D-A-E) requires a player to stay on each chord for only two beats rather than one or two full bars as was typical with other tracks to this point The track sounds a lot like a "classic" Jimi Hendrix track and if a guitar teacher gets a complete beginner to the point that they can make a reasonable fist of some Jimi Hendrix then they surely deserve a pat on the back

The more advanced guitar teachers backing tracks introduce the chords that a beginner needs to learn after the first eight have been mastered and when the basic motor skills required to change between shapes reasonably quickly have been developed They also provide guitar teachers with the opportunity to introduce more advanced concepts such as bending notes and an introduction to composing single note solos and licks

The early lessons are concerned with moving between chords that change relatively slowly while towards the end of the "beginner" stage a student will be able to cope with a track (such as the A-C-D-E progression that features further down this page) with relative ease

Our "Deluxe Download" contains everything that you see on this site (the backing tracks, handouts, kids updates etc) for a one off payment of 0nly $25.00

Only $25.00

Guitar Backing Tracks that go "Beyond the Basics"

There are more than twenty guitar teacher's backing tracks in the original "Deluxe Download" which was devised in order to get novice players "up and running" on the guitar from an absolute standing start. They are proven to be effective with complete beginners to the instrument but what about those students who progress through being able to change chords in time to music and who wish to progress to more advanced material (improvisation and more advanced chord voicings etc)?

We now have a whole new set of backing tracks and while they were originally designed as a "stand alone" product (which is how they may yet end up) I have decided for the time being to just throw them into the $25.00 "Deluxe Download" (alongside all of the other resources that you see on this site) which means that you can get instant access to 35 guitar backing tracks and over 80 chord sheets and handouts to go with them

The following material is (in no particular order) a closer look at some of the new backing tracks with some suggestions as to how you might choose to incorporate the materials into the guitar lessons that you give to your customers

Guitar Backing Tracks: The "dreaded" F Chord

Experienced guitar teachers the world over know that you don't try to teach somebody who is new to the guitar how to play the chord of F. Despite the fact that music theory is best understood in the key of C (of which F is a very important chord) the chord shape is a complete nightmare to beginners because they are required to hold down two strings (the E and the B) with a single finger before they have gotten used to working with single strings. The backing track uses two "easy" chords of C and G along with the new F shape. If the F chord is introduced at the right time during a course of study the student will take it in their stride and will be surprised when you tell them that countless would be guitar players simply gave up and became convinced that they would never be able to mater the guitar because they could not get their fingers around the (simple sounding) chord of F

When guitar students get to this point it can be an ideal time to introduce music theory to them

Above you can see one of our handouts/worksheets that looks at the (very important) topic of understanding which chords will always sound good together. If your students can count from one to twelve and recite the alphabet from A through to G then they already have the tools they need to understand all music theory. Music Theory has nothing to do with notated music

Follow the link below to find out more about teaching music theory to your guitar students

• Click to go to our
  "Guitar Music Theory Explained" Page

Guitar Backing Tracks: Em Am and B7 Chords

This progression uses chord shapes that a student already knows (Em and Am) and a new shape (B7). If you take a look at the printed materials above you will see that there are two sheets featuring a choice of shapes for the B7 chord as well as another which provides the fingering for a bar chord of B7. The track is also effective when it comes to improvising solo lines and phrases using the Em pentatonic scale Another of the sheets you can see above features guitar necks and blank tab which allows you you to teach licks, lines and single note phrases drawn from relevant shapes and scales. This allows a huge amount of flexibility to the educator It's up to you as a guitar teacher to assess just what your student will find useful and to help them in accordance with the way that they want to play (and you play) rather than prescribing a whole lot of random "set phrases and solos" as can be the case with a lot of the guitar methods on the market

Guitar Backing Tracks: A Vamp over a single A chord

This one is particularly useful when it comes to developing the ability to solo and put together simple single note phrases and it comes with a whole range of relevant handouts from the guitar teachers toolkit to assist with this You can see a few handouts based around the Am Pentatonic scale (really useful for teaching techniques such as slurs, string bends and hammer ons) You can also use the blank sheets (on the bottom right hand side of the illustration above) which allows you to identify and graphically explain your own favourite scales, positions fingering and tab

Guitar Backing Tracks: Amaj7, Dmaj7 and E7 Chords

Funky stuff going on here featuring three of the seventh chords (Amaj7, Dmaj7 and E7) that are commonly encountered when operating in the key of A. If you examine the handouts above you will see that the chords are presented initially in the open position and then again as moveable four note shapes. There can be a tendency for beginner or intermediate level guitar players to develop the impression that "full" chords, using as many strings as possible are somehow "better" than shapes that use four (or even fewer) strings (someone had better tell Nile Rodgers!). As well as being useful for helping to develop a functional knowledge of the guitar neck I like to use this type of progression to help my students to work on choosing where on the neck to play particular chord shapes and to help them to construct "well thought out" solos by asking them to choose a "target from each of the chords in the sequence to arrive on as the chord changes

Guitar Backing Tracks: E Blues Vamp

We're off to Chicago, Think "Hootchie Cootchie Man" "Bad To The Bone" and "Mannish Boy" If Muddy and Wolf float your musical boat then this one is a whole load of fun. An effective riff to use with the E pentatonic minor and Blues Scales and accompanied by handouts looking at "power chords" and how experienced guitar players often "cheat" when it comes to chord fingerings. I use this one to help students develop a "joined up map of the guitar neck" and ask them to play chords and short solo lines in a variety of positions.

Guitar Backing Tracks: Funk Blues A7, D7 and E7 Chords

Blues and funk groove using dominant 7 chords (A7, D7 and E7) This progression is ideal for helping your students to develop their "map of the neck" which allows them to move shapes around as well as to combine chords with short single note licks and phrases (based on the Am pentatonic scale)

Guitar backing tracks: D C and G Chords

This one is included in the update for intermediate players but really it works just as well for beginners who can cope with moving between open chords in time to music. The groove sounds a lot like it would fit with a song about a state in The Deep South or another themed around werewolves that alarmingly apparently infest England's capital city. Solos using the Bm pentatonic scale seem to work just fine with this one.

Guitar Backing Tracks: Diatonic 7th chords in the key of G

7th chord backing track in the key of G

Guitar Backing Tracks: Am, G, F and E

Another repeated chord sequence that helps get your students familiar with changing between (bar?) chords and to help them to relax into putting together meaningful solo passages

Guitar Backing Tracks: G,Bm,C and D

Open chords on the handout shown but the track is equally useful for getting used to bar chords or for developing single note and solo playing. The Bm chord is one of the most useful chord shapes that a guitarist can learn after the eight chords covered in the beginners lessons as it is another important chord (chord III) in the key of G which is the best key for a beginner to concentrate on during the early weeks and months of guitar playing

Guitar Backing Tracks: G minor Blues Progression

Track in the style of "Green Onions" or "Help Me" giving your student the opportunity to develop their blues chops. The handout has instructions for a moveable chord riff that can be used throughout the progression and the backing is also perfect for working on lead lines and fills using the G blues or pentatonic minor scales

Guitar Backing Tracks: Gmaj7, Cmaj7 and D7 Chords

A progression using diatonic 7th chords drawn from the key of G. The handouts above present the chords in both open position and as "moveable" four note shapes. As well as providing an opportunity to become familiar with different versions of the chords this track presents your students with the opportunity to construct solo passages and phrases

Guitar Backing Tracks: F to Dm

More material that sets out to get students used to playing the F chord shape. this progression is also a real help when getting used to playing bar chords. The backing track is also a great way to help guitar players to become used to operating in new keys. As well as allowing a guitar player to operate in the key of F Major this track presents an opportunity to solo using the Dm Pentatonic scale

Open chords again and four note moveable versions so that your students can develop an effective "map of the neck"

The chord sequences like the free one that you can download further down this page which features the major chords of A D and G are largely based around the CAGED Guitar system which is used by teachers around the World as a way of developing novice musicians.

The Caged Chords in open position are C A Am G E Em D and Dm (hence CAGED).For absolute beginners this means that they are exposed to a set of open position chords generally regarded as the easiest and most useful to learn.

The backing tracks and handouts in the package are directed not only at total beginners but at the intermediate level players who need to develop skills with relation to bar chords/knowledge of the neck etc. To this end some of the handouts feature bar chord root finders as well as the relevant chord diagrams.

The backing tracks encourage a student not only to learn the shapes and change from one to the other but more importantly to make those changes in time with the music.

It isthe distinction between awareness of the chords and familiarity with them. In educational terms this makes a huge difference to a student's progression

The Backing Tracks In Use With a Beginner



Click above to hear a snippet of the backing track

Guitar Lesson Topic 1: Open Chords and Single Strums

Lets take a closer look at just one of our backing tracks and the handouts that go with it.

We have a rock style backing track that uses a repeated chord progression consisting of one bar of each of the following chords. A C D and E. The chords are part of the CAGED System as it applies to the beginner and are all featured on the free Caged Guitar System handout that you can download free from this site.
When working with a complete beginner it is enough to ask of them that they learn to strum each of the chords once (with downstrokes of the plectrum) in time to the backing track. When this has been accomplished then more involved (down-up) strumming patterns can be introduced. Follow this link to see a much more detailed lesson plan dealing with a whole series of lessons aimed at the beginning and intermediate guitar student. The reality that lies behind the first few months of study for any novice is that the most effective plan is to introduce a set of suitable chords (that will allow them to play literally thousands of songs?) and to and to give them a collection of practice routines that will encourage them to be able to move comfortably between these chords at will

Guitar lesson Topic 2:

Beyond The Basics: The SameTrack And "Power Chords"

The same backing track (A C D and E) can be used again when the student is at a slightly more advanced stage (once they have mastered the basic open chords and the ability to move between them) The track can now be used to help develop a facility to play "power chords" (and from there work towards a situation where they will be able to handle full barre chords).

The handout featuring "Two Note Power Chords" which explains the principle behind the shape (simply a root note combined with another a fifth above it) and which also has a "Bar Chord Root Finder" on it serves as an aid to study and also helps develop in the student a "map of the neck"

Guitar Lesson Topic 3:

Working Towards Full Bar Chords

After mastering two note power chords its a relatively straightforward process to extend this principle to include the "fuller sounding" three note versions (featuring another note an octave above the root)

Again a "Root Finder" is supplied along with diagrams which will help a teacher to explain the principles behind the lesson.

Practicing three note power chords is an ideal preparation for the next step which is to develop the ability to form full bar chord shapes.

Guitar Lesson Topic 4

Bar Chords With Roots On The A and E Strings

Full Bar Chords now with root notes to be found on the E and A Strings.
A root finder is again provided in order to increase a students familiarity with the neck of the guitar. By asking students to use the root fider (rather than just by telling them where to play the relevant shapes) your customers are more likely to develop a "joined up" knowledge of the neck and move from a situation of "imitation" towards one of "understanding" which when you think about it is the whole point of the exercise?

Guitar Lesson: Topic 5

First Steps Toward Soloing

This guitar teaching sheet features the A minor pentatonic scale at the bottom of the neck. It is particularly suitable for novice players who wish to develop single note skills because they are ablle to generate "feel" without having to bend strings by sliding between the notes (eg sliding up from the B string at the third fret to the same string at the fifth fret or from the B string at the third fret down to the first). Working with this shape can be very satisfying for beginners as even those with a basic technique can produce "authentic" sounding lines

There are a series of tab grids to the right of the neck where teachers can write down licks and figures appropriate to the students current ability.
There is another sheet (not shown) which adds a further octave to the scale and takes it down to the A Sring Open

A teacher can use this shape as the ideal preparation for the next one where the scale is played in a different (more common?) position and bending notess can be introduced.

Guitar Lesson Topic 6

Extending The Am Pentatonic Scale

The sheet on the left shows the Am Pentatonic Scale played in a more common position (with the first finger positioned behind the fifth fret). Playing here allows students to bend strings (particularly the third string at the 7th fret with the third finger and the second string at the 8th fret with the pinkie)
Again there are several lines of blank tab that you can use to write down licks and runs for your students.
The scale is illustrated with shaded circles but the scales previously learned (at the bottom of the neck) are also shown in white so that a teacher is able to supply licks and figures that move between the shapes on the neck

Guitar Lesson topic 7

Further Extending The Am Pentatonic Scale

There are two more handouts (shown on the left) which further extend the scale.
In addition to the rock backing track featuring the chords of A, C, D and E there is another (slower-funkier) backing track which uses the chords of A minor, D minor and E.

This track is also well suited to solos and single note phrases drawn from the A minor pentatonic scale and it is possible to transfer the knowledge and technical expertise developed whilst working on one track to the next.

How To Use The Backing Tracks and handouts

Above you can see some of the guitar teacher's student handouts that go along with one of the other tracks in our package
The first handout features the open chords and is designed to help the novice work through from a position where they will be able to strum each chord once as the changes come around to a situation where they can make more involved "down-up" strumming patterns

The second sheet shows the bar chord shapes for the progression and is intended to be used with intermediate level guitar students
The third handout that you can see shows the bar chords along with the Am Pentatonic scale and is intended to help with the development of single note and soloing skills

A tip when using this sheet is to ask the student to play the chord as it changes and then to provide short single note fills before playing the next chord (these fills can either be from their own heads or you can provide appropriate figures as the lesson progresses)
This has the effect of breaking the single note sections into "short bursts" so that your guitar students are not confronted with the daunting prospect of having to solo over a long section of music. After a while of playing the "short phrases" longer sections of single note passages will not seem anywhere near as daunting

The "Deluxe" Package

Get Everything that you need to start or improve a Guitar teaching Business for just $25.00

The Guitar Teacher's Toolkit

100 printable sheets covering everthing that a guitar teacher needs to start a new guitar teaching business or improve an existing one. Open Chords-Bar Chords-Scales- Modes- Blank Fretboard and Chord Grids. The guitar teaching toolkit also includes material designed to help you to administrate and organise your guitar teaching business. There is a teaching diary and appointments system as well as sheets that will help you to record business expenses etc.

The Backing Tracks and Handouts Package

35 Backing Tracks and over 80 Handouts. An invaluable guitar teaching aid designed to help you to teach both rhythm and lead guitar effectively." If your customers can't play in time then they can't play?"

The Kids Guitar Teaching Resources

A whole load of guitar resources especially prepared for younger students. Some of the materials feature one finger chords to get kids off to a flying start on guitar

Plus 100 Giant (letter sized) Chord Grids

You can laminate them in order to help you to teach group guitar lessons, distribute them to your students or just print them and put them up on your teaching studio wall? The "Coolest looking Wallpaper on the planet?"

The Bass Teacher's Toolkit

A freebie from us to you featuring Over 60 Bass Guitar Teaching Handouts that look at Scales, Chords and Fingering Exercises etc

More than 300 Sheets and a whole load of guitar teacher's backing tracks to Download and use TODAY!

The teachwombat guitar teaching toolkits give you just about everything you need to start or improve a guitar teaching business!

Only $25.00

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the Guitar and Bass Teacher's Toolkits/Backing Tracks

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Cheers! Rob!