Girl:
Hi Coleman, how are you?
Girl:
I wanted to have a chat with you because our friend Josh told me that you've joined a guitar group and it sounds interesting.
Girl:
I'd really like to learn myself.
Coleman:
Why don't you come along? I'm sure there's room for another person.
Girl:
So, who runs the classes?
Coleman:
He's called a coordinator. His name... Gary Matheson.
Girl:
Let me note that down. Gary, how do you spell his surname?
Coleman:
It's M -A -T -H -I -E -S -O -N.
Coleman:
He's retired, actually, but he's a really nice guy and he used to play in a lot of bands.
Girl:
Thanks. So how long have you been going?
Coleman:
About a month now.
Girl:
And could you play anything before you started?
Coleman:
I knew a few chords, but that's all.
Girl:
I'm sure everyone will be better than me.
Coleman:
That's what I thought too.
Coleman:
When I first spoke to Gary on the phone, he said it was a class for beginners, but I was still worried that everyone would be better than me.
Coleman:
But we were all equally hopeless.
Girl:
Oh, that's reassuring.
Girl:
So, where do you meet?
Coleman:
Well, when I joined the group, they were meeting in Gary's home. But as the group got bigger, he decided to book a room at the college in town.
Coleman:
I prefer going there.
Girl:
I used to go to tap dancing classes there when I was at secondary school. I haven't been since, though, and I can't remember what road it's in.
Coleman:
It's just beyond there, at the bottom of New Street, near the city roundabout.
Coleman:
The guitar club is on the first floor in room T347.
Girl:
And when do you meet? Is it at the weekend?
Coleman:
We meet on Thursdays.
Coleman:
It used to be 10.30, and that suited me well.
Coleman:
But now, we meet at 11.
Coleman:
The class that's in there before us asked if they could have the room for another 30 minutes.
Girl:
Well, I'd love to come, but I don't have a guitar.
Coleman:
Well, you can always buy a secondhand one.
Coleman:
There's a website called The Perfect Instrument that sells all kinds of guitars, violins, and so on.
Coleman:
I'm sure you'll find something there.
Girl:
So, what's a typical lesson like with Gary?
Coleman:
Well, he always starts by getting us to tune our guitars.
Coleman:
That takes about five minutes.
Coleman:
Some people have an app they use, but others do it by ear.
Coleman:
Gary goes round and helps them.
Coleman:
And, while he's doing that, he tells us what he's going to do during the lesson.
Coleman:
First, we usually spend about ten minutes doing some strumming.
Girl:
So, is that using...oh, what are they called?
Coleman:
No, we just use our thumbs.
Coleman:
Gary reminds us where to put our fingers for each chord, and then we play them together.
Coleman:
Sometimes we all just start laughing, because we're so bad at keeping time.
Coleman:
So Gary starts clapping to help us.
Girl:
Do you learn to play any songs?
Coleman:
Yes, we do at least one song with words and chords. I mean, that's harder than you think.
Girl:
Oh, I'm sure it is.
Coleman:
That part of the lesson takes about fifteen minutes.
Coleman:
He often brings a recording of the song, and plays it to us first. Then he hands out the song, and if there's a new chord in it, we practice that before we play it together, but really slowly.
Girl:
Do you do any finger -picking?
Coleman:
That's the last ten minutes of the lesson, when we pick out the individual notes from a tune he's made up.
Coleman:
It's always quite simple.
Girl:
That must be hard, though.
Coleman:
It is. But people like it, because they can really concentrate.
Coleman:
And if we're all playing well, it sounds quite impressive.
Coleman:
The only trouble is that he sometimes gets us to play one at a time.
Coleman:
You know, alone.
Coleman:
Mmm, it is. But I've got used to it now.
Coleman:
At the end, he spends about five minutes telling us what to practice for the following week.
Girl:
Well, thanks Coleman. I'll go and have a look at that website, I think.