Singer-Songwriter (Monthly Ongoing Class)

Whether you dream of writing your own songs or simply want to become a stronger acoustic guitarist, Singer-Songwriter is an ongoing class for upper beginner to intermediate guitarists who want to develop the accompaniment, rhythm, fingerpicking, and musical skills behind great songwriting.

This class is designed to be an accessible entry point into acoustic guitar. Each month, we'll study a new song, artist, or songwriting concept as a starting point for exploring how great singer-songwriters use guitar to support melody, lyrics, and storytelling.

Rather than simply memorizing songs, we'll look at why the guitar part works, how it supports the song, and how you can take those ideas into your own playing.

What to Expect

The featured music and learning objectives rotate each month, giving you the opportunity to explore different approaches to acoustic guitar and songwriting while steadily building your skills.

Depending on the material we're studying, class may explore:

• Open chord shapes and common chord progressions

• Strumming patterns and rhythmic accompaniment

• Basic fingerpicking patterns

• Simple bass-strum patterns

• Boom-chuck and alternating-bass patterns

• Developing steady rhythm and timing

• Playing accompaniment underneath vocals

• Introductory melody and accompaniment techniques

• Basic chord transitions and embellishments

• Understanding song structure and arrangement

• Developing your ear and recognizing common songwriting patterns

• Exploring how guitar supports lyrics and melody

• Introduction to songwriting concepts and musical storytelling

The emphasis is on musicality, consistency, and confidence rather than technical complexity. You'll learn how to make relatively simple guitar parts sound intentional and musical while developing the foundation to take on more intricate acoustic techniques later.

Explore the Artists Who Shaped Singer-Songwriter Music

Throughout the course, we'll study music from a wide range of influential singer-songwriters and artists, including:

PJ Harvey, Tom Petty, Adele, The Beatles, Brandi Carlile, Alabama Shakes, Big Thief, Cat Stevens, Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan, Jewel, boygenius, Grace Potter, Amy Winehouse, Phoebe Bridgers, Melissa Carpenter, John Mayer, and many more.

This range allows us to explore folk, rock, pop, soul, blues, alternative, and contemporary singer-songwriter traditions while discovering the many ways guitar can function as an accompaniment and songwriting tool.

Learn How the Guitar Supports the Song

A great singer-songwriter guitar part doesn't have to be complicated.

Sometimes the most effective accompaniment is simply the right chord, played with the right rhythm, at the right moment.

We'll explore questions like:

• How does the guitar support the vocal melody?

• What makes a strumming pattern fit a particular song?

• How can simple chord progressions create different emotional feels?

• When should you use a fuller strum versus a more sparse accompaniment?

• How can bass notes add movement to an otherwise simple chord progression?

• How do guitar parts change between verses, choruses, and bridges?

• How can you use these concepts when writing your own songs?

The goal is to help you become a more musical accompanist and songwriter, not simply someone who knows a collection of chord shapes.

A Great Primer for Americana

If you're interested in eventually developing more advanced acoustic guitar skills, Singer-Songwriter is an excellent foundation for our Americana class.

The two classes share many of the same musical traditions, but Singer-Songwriter focuses on more accessible techniques and repertoire. As you develop confidence with open chords, rhythm, basic fingerpicking, and bass-strum patterns, you'll be better prepared to tackle the more intricate techniques explored in Americana.

Americana may take these foundations further into areas such as Travis picking, flatpicking, walking bass, combining melody and harmony, and more advanced fingerstyle techniques.

Think of Singer-Songwriter as a place to build the foundation before diving deeper into traditional and contemporary Americana guitar.

A New Musical Deep Dive Every Month

Singer-Songwriter is designed as a monthly, ongoing class, with new songs, artists, techniques, and learning objectives introduced throughout the year.

Each month's material is layered to meet students where they are while providing opportunities to grow. As you continue through the class, you'll gradually build a broader vocabulary of chords, rhythms, accompaniment patterns, and songwriting concepts.

Is This Class Right for You?

Singer-Songwriter is upper beginner friendly and is a great choice for students who have completed the foundational stages of learning guitar and want to become more comfortable playing songs.

This class is especially well suited for students who:

• Want to become more confident playing acoustic guitar

• Enjoy folk, rock, pop, soul, or singer-songwriter music

• Want to learn songs while understanding how they're constructed

• Are interested in songwriting

• Want to improve their rhythm and accompaniment skills

• Eventually want to progress into more intricate acoustic guitar techniques

Complete beginners should first complete our Guitar Fundamentals program, also available through Rose City Guitar Company, to make sure they have the foundational skills needed to succeed in a genre-specific class.

If you're unsure whether Singer-Songwriter is the right starting point for you—or whether you're ready to move into Americana—reach out to us for a free assessment. We'd be happy to help you find the class that's right for your experience and goals.

A Flexible Membership-Based Program

Singer-Songwriter is one of many specialty classes included in our monthly membership program. As a member of Rose City Guitar Company, you're not limited to one class—you can build a schedule around your goals and interests.

Want to combine Singer-Songwriter with Americana, Blues, R&B & Soul, Frets & Theory, or another specialty class? You can mix and match classes throughout the month to create a personalized learning path.

Memberships include 4, 6, 8, or up to 12 classes per month, with pricing based on how many classes you'd like to attend. This gives you the flexibility to explore multiple styles while learning alongside a supportive community of fellow musicians.

What Happens After I Purchase?

Singer-Songwriter is offered Thursdays at 5:30 PM and Saturdays at 2:00 PM. Your monthly membership covers 4 classes in this class, and you can choose the dates and times that work best for you, whether that's the Thursday or Saturday group.

Once you sign up through our website, we'll send you a welcome packet along with instructions for accessing our online scheduling system.

Because classes are limited to just 5 students, you'll reserve your seat each week through our online calendar. If you ever need to miss a class, you can easily reschedule into another eligible class—such as Guided Practice—using the same booking system.

If you have questions about whether Singer-Songwriter is the right fit for your experience level or musical goals, reach out anytime at 971-300-4202 or rosecityguitarco@gmail.com. We'd be happy to help you find the class that's right for you.