One-to-one guitar tuition

Find a Grade 1 guitar tutor

Build clear notes, steady rhythm and confidence in your pieces. Prepare for a named Grade 1 guitar exam or work towards that playing level without booking one.

Find my Grade 1 guitar tutor

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Start with the guitar you play, something you can already perform and the music you want to learn. If you have a grade book or exam booking, include its board, edition and format in your enquiry.

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Your tutoring brief

Subject: Guitar
Level: Grade 1

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How one-to-one tuition can help

Move between early notes and strings without an extra pause
Keep beats and note lengths secure in short pieces
Balance repertoire with the other tasks in your chosen exam

Available tutors

Compare Grade 1 guitar tutors

3 tutor profiles selected

Look for experience of your guitar style and chosen board, then compare teaching approaches and the rate shown on each profile.

Owen Evans

Music, and Musical Instrument Specialist

Lumsden, United Kingdom

£30.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

GuitarMusicMusic PerformanceMusic Technology+1 more

Holds over 8 years' of online teaching experience.
Owen holds over 18 Years' experience teaching & in the Music industry.
Received over 1 million views & listens on Spotify, Youtube & social media.
A professional songwriter in all genres.
Over 10 years' experience using Logic Pro-x.
Owen has worked with Grammy-winning producers.

Owen Evans is a UK guitar tutor with 18+ years in teaching and the music industry, including 8+ years of online tutoring. He supports ABRSM/Rockschool, GCSE and A-Level Music, plus songwriting and Logic Pro X production with tailored lesson plans.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Owen.

View Owen’s profile

Simon OKeeffe

Music and Music Performance Specialist

london, United Kingdom

£40.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

ABRSMGCSE (general)GuitarMusic Performance+4 more

Simon has over 12 years' of experience as a music educator across primary and secondary schools in addition to further education.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music (Guitar Institute).
Holds a Master of Arts in Record Production and Distribution (University of West London).
Professional background as a musician, producer, arranger, and musical director.

Music educator with 12+ years’ experience offering private lessons as a guitar tutor and piano tutor, plus drums and music theory. Supports GCSE, A Level and university music performance and music technology, with lesson reports and optional homework.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Simon.

View Simon’s profile

Abigail Ajala

Music, and Musical Instrument Specialist

Rushmere St Andrew, United Kingdom

£45.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

GuitarMusicMusic PerformanceMusic Technology+2 more

Over 11 years' of Music teaching experience.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Music.
Has been the vocal coach for the Stagecoach Performing Arts School (Ipswich).
Teaches guitar, ukulele, piano (up to intermediate), vocals, and music theory.

Abigail Ajala is a guitar tutor with 11+ years’ teaching experience, BA in Commercial Music, and Stagecoach Performing Arts (Ipswich) vocal coach. She is also a piano tutor (to intermediate) teaching ukulele and music theory for ages 4+, KS1–3, GCSE and A Level; online and Suffolk-based.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Abigail.

View Abigail’s profile

View Grade 1 guitar tutors Start my tutor search

Start with the right guitar and exam route

Classical, acoustic and electric guitar preparation use different repertoire and tasks. These examples show why the full exam name matters. Check the board’s current syllabus for your intended exam date before choosing music.

ABRSM Classical Guitar: Practical Grade 1: Three pieces, one from each list A, B and C, plus scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests. Aural tests assess listening skills. Preparation needs time for these supporting tasks as well as the pieces.
ABRSM Classical Guitar: Performance Grade 1: Four pieces in one continuous performance: at least one from each list A, B and C, plus an own-choice fourth piece. There are no separately assessed scales, sight-reading or aural tests; practise how the whole programme holds together.
Trinity Classical Guitar: Grade 1: Face-to-face assessment has three pieces, technical work and two chosen supporting tests: sight-reading, aural, improvisation or musical knowledge. Digital candidates choose three pieces plus technical work, or the four-piece Repertoire-only pathway.
Trinity Acoustic Guitar: This syllabus combines fingerstyle and plectrum approaches, with notation and TAB in its repertoire. TAB shows where to put the fingers on the strings. Check each selected Grade 1 piece’s accompaniment instructions; there is a practical example below.
Rockschool Electric Guitar: recorded digital routes: The RSL Recorded Digital Graded Certificate uses three pieces plus specified technical exercises, with no unseen tests. Its Recorded Digital Performance Certificate uses five pieces and no technical exercises. Keep these requirements separate from a live Grade Exam.

Next step

Classical example: change strings without losing the beat

ABRSM Practical Grade 1 includes a one-octave G major scale. This short practice illustration uses its opening G–A–B–C in standard tuning. It isolates a string change; use the syllabus’s full range and prescribed rhythm when returning to the exam scale.

Find the four notes
Count strings from the thinnest as string 1. Play G on the open third string, then A at its second fret. Cross to the open second string for B, then its first fret for C. “Open” means playing the string without pressing a fret.
Isolate the gap
If there is a pause between A and B while the plucking hand searches for the next string, practise just A–B slowly. Prepare the next pluck in time for B, keeping the two notes evenly spaced.
Reconnect and listen
Play G–A–B–C with one note on each count: 1, 2, 3, 4. The improvement to listen for is a clear B on beat 3, with no extra gap before it and no rush into C on beat 4. Then apply the same controlled crossing to the complete scale.

Electric example: let the final chord last

The Rockschool Grade 1 Electric Guitar 2024 book includes scales, chords and riff work. Its correction to the arrangement of More Than a Feeling specifies a final chord lasting four beats, written as a whole note. Getting the chord shape right is only part of that ending.

For a simple practice comparison, strum the final chord on count 1. If the fretting hand immediately releases and stops the sound, the ending is too short. Repeat while keeping the chord ringing through counts 1, 2, 3 and 4, then release after the full duration. Listen back: does the sound continue through the count, or disappear after the first beat?

This gives the learner a specific correction to hear and repeat. It also connects written note values with something audible, rather than treating theory as a separate exercise.

Next step

Rockschool Grade 1 Electric Guitar 2024: book corrections

Prepare more than the favourite piece

The next practice task should reflect what the chosen route actually asks the learner to do. These are suggested ways to practise, alongside the board’s requirements.

Practical: read and listen as well as play
ABRSM Grade 1 sight-reading uses single-line music in first position, the first few frets, with dynamic markings showing loudness. Try a short unfamiliar line slowly and notice where the beat breaks while finding a note. Identify that change, practise it, then try a fresh line. Keep listening tasks in the routine too.
Performance: give each piece its own start
A learner may finish one piece well but rush into the next at the previous tempo. Practise the final phrase, let its last note finish, find the next starting note and silently establish the new beat. Join two contrasting short pieces before rehearsing the full ABRSM four-piece programme. Improvement means the second piece starts with its intended pace and character, without a searching restart.
Acoustic: rehearse the entry with the right backing
Trinity’s Grade 1 arrangement of Photograph by Anders Rye requires the Trinity backing track; Nick Powlesland’s A Fistful of Pesos is unaccompanied. For the accompanied choice, listen to the opening and locate your entry. Tap that entry while counting, then replace the tap with the opening note or chord. The aim is to join the track on time and keep following it.

Trinity Acoustic Guitar Grade 1 repertoire and backing requirements

Choose a tutor and agree the first priorities

A learner who copies finger positions but cannot read the notes needs a different starting point from someone who reads confidently but pauses at each string change. Use the introduction to explain what is already comfortable and what gets stuck.

Describe the learner and goal
Request a free tutor match with the guitar style, current playing, board and format if known, preferred lesson times and budget. If no exam is planned, name a piece or playing skill the learner wants to develop.
Use the free introductory meeting
Discuss the tutor’s experience with that style and route, their approach to beginner explanations and how they would set practice. Mention anything that helps learning, such as slower demonstrations, larger notation or one instruction at a time, and agree which adaptations the tutor can offer.
Agree a manageable lesson and review pattern
Choose lesson length and frequency around the learner’s practice access and goals. Agree what to work on before the next lesson and what improvement to listen for. A short recording of the same passage at a later lesson can make a change in timing or clarity easier to hear.

Find my Grade 1 guitar tutor Trinity exam access arrangements

Make home practice small enough to repeat

Try a simple sequence: tune the guitar, work on one difficult change, reconnect it to its piece, then finish with a short uninterrupted play-through. For an exam, rotate the technical, reading and listening work required by that route so the favourite piece does not take every session.

Keep one clear practice note, such as “B arrives on beat 3 without a pause”, instead of “practise more”. At the next lesson, check whether the learner can repeat the improvement with fewer prompts. Once it is secure, choose another musical goal: a new piece, playing with accompaniment or preparation for a later grade.

Set up online lessons so both hands can be seen

Latimer tuition is one-to-one and online first. Microsoft Teams is the default platform; learner and tutor can agree another. In-person lessons require an individual arrangement with the tutor.

Have access to the guitar between lessons as well as during the call. Discuss its size and playing comfort before buying a replacement.
Position the camera so the fretting and plucking hands are visible, and check that spoken feedback and played notes can both be heard.
Keep the agreed music, grade-book edition and any required backing track ready. Check instrument tuning before playing.
For electric guitar, test the sound at a comfortable level so the tutor can hear individual notes clearly.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Do I need an earlier guitar grade or a theory certificate?

ABRSM Practical Grade 1 Guitar and Trinity Classical Guitar do not require a previous instrumental grade or a theory exam pass. That entry rule is separate from being ready to play the material. Reading notes, counting rhythms and listening can be developed within guitar preparation; a separate theory certificate is not compulsory for these Grade 1 routes.

Which guitar do I need for Grade 1?

Match the instrument to the route. ABRSM Guitar Practical and Performance syllabuses use nylon-string classical guitar. Trinity Acoustic and Rockschool Electric have their own materials and requirements. Tell the tutor which guitar you already have and check its suitability before choosing a book or making an exam entry.

How much does Grade 1 guitar tuition cost?

Each Latimer tutor sets their own hourly rate, shown on their profile. Lessons use pay-as-you-go billing. Compare the proposed lesson length and frequency alongside the rate, and agree any music, exam-entry or accompaniment costs relevant to your plans. The tutor-matching request and introductory meeting are free.

How long will it take to be ready for Grade 1?

There is no single timetable for every learner. Starting skills, access to an instrument and practice between lessons all affect the plan. Use complete pieces and the other tasks in the chosen route to review readiness, rather than a fixed number of lessons. Qualification study-time guidance is not a promised completion date.

Who books the exam and arranges accompaniment?

Agree who will make the entry and handle any accompaniment before paying for an exam. This could involve the parent, adult learner, school or teacher, depending on the arrangement. Give the tutor the intended board, format and date, then check the board’s current booking, accompaniment and recording instructions for that entry.

Can a learner have support for additional needs?

Discuss learning needs and useful adaptations with the tutor during the introduction. Formal exam adjustments follow the chosen board’s process. Trinity considers requests individually and asks for them in advance; adjustments support access without changing the assessment standard. Check the process early if an exam is planned.

Further information

Find a Grade 1 guitar tutor