Guitar lessons

Find your sound, six strings at a time.

Acoustic, electric, classical or bass — pick your axe and we will build a programme around the music you actually want to play. ABRSM and Trinity Rock & Pop grades available, taught at our Kikuyu studio, in your Nairobi home, or live online.

Accreditation

ABRSM & Trinity Rock & Pop

Grade range

Initial – Grade 8

Styles

Acoustic · Electric · Classical · Bass

First lesson

Free discovery session

The journey

What you'll learn at every grade.

Beginner to Grade 8 (ABRSM / Trinity). Each milestone below is roughly a year of consistent practice; ABRSM certification is recognised worldwide and counts toward UCAS points for university applications.

  1. 01

    Foundation (Pre-Grade 1).

    Posture, holding the pick, the first six chords (E, A, D, G, C, Em, Am), single-string melody work, and how to tune. By the end you can strum your first song straight through.

    Outcome:Ready to sit Trinity Initial or ABRSM Grade 1.

  2. 02

    Grade 1 – 2.

    Barre chords (the painful but essential gateway), eighth-note strumming patterns, simple riffs and licks, the first power chords for electric students, and three exam pieces.

    Outcome:Grade 2 standard — confident with a campfire repertoire of 20+ songs.

  3. 03

    Grade 3 – 4.

    The pentatonic and minor scales (the lead-guitar foundation), syncopation, fingerstyle technique for acoustic and classical players, simple solos transcribed from your favourite tracks.

    Outcome:Grade 4 — soloing capability with intentional phrasing.

  4. 04

    Grade 5 – 6.

    Modes and modal soloing, advanced rhythm techniques (palm muting, chunking, hybrid picking), reading standard notation, jazz chord voicings, the CAGED system across the entire neck.

    Outcome:Theory Grade 5 passed — unlocks higher practical grades.

  5. 05

    Grade 7 – 8.

    Advanced repertoire (Villa-Lobos for classical, Hendrix for electric, Tommy Emmanuel for fingerstyle), performance practice, recording and signal-chain literacy, recital preparation.

    Outcome:Grade 8 — recognised diploma-entry credential worldwide.

  6. 06

    Diploma & beyond.

    ARSM, DipLCM, advanced jazz studies and contemporary performance prep. For those targeting professional gigs, sessions, teaching or undergraduate music study.

    Outcome:Diploma certification — eligible to teach guitar professionally.

How you can learn

Three ways in.

01

Studio.

Come to our Kikuyu studio. Private or small-group sessions, in the room with your trainer and a proper instrument.

/ session

Book a studio class

02

At home.

Trainer comes to you — Muthaiga, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Upperhill, Milimani. Same faculty, your space, no commute.

Premium · pricing on enquiry

How in-home works

03

Online.

Live one-on-one over our private classroom. Anywhere with a stable connection — Kenya or abroad.

/ session

Try online

Inside the room

What a typical Grade 3 electric-guitar lesson looks like.

Every session has a rhythm. Here's the shape of a typical hour — adjusted up or down depending on age, grade and what your last week looked like.

  1. 00:00 – 00:05

    Warm-up.

    Chromatic finger exercise across all six strings, both hands. Tune to standard or to whichever tuning the current song needs.

  2. 00:05 – 00:15

    Technique focus.

    Pentatonic scale across two octaves, three-notes-per-string. We pick one box position and drill it until it is automatic.

  3. 00:15 – 00:35

    Repertoire.

    A song you brought — rhythm part first, solo second, broken into 4-bar chunks. We learn it slowly and only push tempo once it is clean.

  4. 00:35 – 00:50

    Improvisation.

    Backing track in the key of the day. You solo over it; we discuss what worked, what to try next, and add one new lick to your vocabulary.

  5. 00:50 – 01:00

    Practice plan.

    Daily targets written in the student journal: technique drill, repertoire bars, improvisation goal. Parents of younger students get a copy by email.

Frequently asked

Before you enrol.

01Acoustic or electric — which should I start with?+

For kids under 10 we recommend a 3/4-size classical or steel-string acoustic — easier on small fingers and no amp dependency. For teens and adults, start with whichever you love listening to; the fundamentals are 80% the same and switching later is painless.

02What guitar should I buy as a beginner?+

A Yamaha F310 (acoustic), a Squier Bullet Strat (electric), or a Cordoba C1 (classical) — all in the KES 12,000–25,000 range, all reliable. Avoid the very cheapest options; the action is usually unplayable and you will quit out of frustration, not lack of talent. We can advise on what to look for.

03How long until I can play my favourite songs?+

Most students play their first full song (three or four chords, a simple strum pattern) within four to six weeks. Reaching the "play anything off Spotify" level usually takes two years of consistent practice.

04Do you teach bass guitar?+

Yes — bass is taught as a sibling track under the same guitar pillar. Bass students follow Trinity Rock & Pop bass grades, focus on groove and band integration, and frequently play in our student ensembles.

05I am left-handed. Can you teach me?+

Of course. We have left-handed guitars in the studio for trial lessons. Most of our students who buy their own instrument do choose left-handed, but a few find right-handed easier — your trainer will help you decide in the first month.

06Can I do online guitar lessons?+

Yes. We use a dual-camera setup over a low-latency classroom — your trainer sees your fretting hand and your face. We will recommend a USB audio interface (around KES 6,000) for clean tone if you want to play electric guitar over the call.

07How much practice should I do between lessons?+

Beginners: 15 minutes a day, six days a week. Grade 3 and up: 30–45 minutes a day. Consistency beats intensity — three hours one Saturday will not move you as fast as 20 minutes every weekday.

08Do you organise band rehearsals or ensemble play?+

Yes — our intermediate and advanced guitar students rotate through small ensembles (jazz combo, acoustic duo, electric three-piece) that meet monthly and perform at our end-of-term recital.

Plug in this week.

Book your first lesson — your trainer will meet you wherever you are, with a plan tailored to your goals.