Guitar Practice Materials

Engaging students in a music curriculum is hugely dependent on how relevant it is to them

Do you remember your own music classes? What songs do you remember learning? Why?

Students learn better if they see their own musical preferences reflected in the curriculum.

My curriculum incorporates musical selections from a broad range of genres, eras, and artists by utilizing guitar "riffs" as regular practice material. This is also as a way to optimize interest, autonomy, and motivation in students.

You may even find some of your own favorites in here!

Guitar Riffs

Guitar riffs are recognizable parts of songs your students will love to play as they learn lead guitar! I've provided resources in a variety of formats. The riffs on this site are organized by:

The amount of strings they use
Standard guitar tab
Color Coded guitar tab
Color adapted tab (CAT)

Go to guitar riff materials>

Go to full practice pieces>

Full Practice Pieces:

Longer pieces of music allow students to practice lead and accompaniment skills in larger context. The repertoire that I use in my classroom varies each year in relation to student interest, with a combination of popular music and themes, as well as traditional. Below you will find some examples, but not all, as this is a constantly evolving collection! Pieces are organized by:

The amount of strings they use
Standard guitar tab
Color Coded guitar tab
Color adapted tab (CAT)

Note: Guitar Riffs are a very important supplement to full practice pieces that I use within my curriculum. They are updated every year with the goal of representing more artists, genres, and eras of music!