Deaf Music Lessons:
BSL Guitar Tuition
This page contains free BSL (British Sign Language) guitar tuition videos and TABs/notation that have been adapted to be as visual and accessible for Deaf music tuition as possible. I am the dad of a Deaf boy who loves playing guitar and so I have a deep appreciation of the fact that music is for everyone, not just hearing people. I provide Deaf music lessons in schools and privately.
Please see this video for more information:
Testimonials
“Tom has worked at Heathlands School delivering guitar tuition for several years to our profoundly Deaf students who use BSL as their first language. Not only does he use British Sign Language himself but he has transformed the delivery of guitar lessons to be visual and accessible for all of our pupils. He is always thinking outside the box of other techniques to try and provides a bespoke method for each pupil he works with. I would highly recommend Tom to any Deaf child wishing to learn guitar!” – Lesley Reeves Costi, Co-Headteacher, Heathlands School for Deaf Children
“My son really enjoyed learning how to play the guitar. Tom was very helpful as communication is very important for us because my son is hearing impaired and wears hearing aids and has cochlear implants. He updated me on everything I needed to know and I was happy with my son’s progress. I would really recommend him as a great teacher!” – Munna Hussain, 2024
I hope the videos and handouts listed below are useful. Everything on this page is free but if you’d like to support me please consider donating money here:
Please use the menu below to navigate to each section.
1. Intro
2. Videos
3.’Hearts TABs’
4. Chords and strumming songs
5. Articles
Intro
I have worked as a guitar and bass teacher for Heathlands School For Deaf Children for several years and have really enjoyed seeing my students progress. Working at the school has motivated me to find creative ways to make my lessons as accessible as possible, which has shaped all of the content you see on this page.
For example, here is a video of one of my Heathlands students performing the song ‘Love That’s Gone’ by La Sera using coloured strings and the app Rocksmith:
I am always working to improve my BSL skills and explore new methods for Deaf music tuition, so please check back for more content soon!
Videos
Important Guitar Terms – Strings and Frets:
How To Read My Hearts TABs Using ‘Thunder’ By Imagine Dragons:
Beginner’s Rock Song – ‘Smoke On The Water’
The power of a ‘foot tap’ – using your foot to help you play rhythms
The following handout accompanies this video:
‘Hearts TABs’
My ‘Hearts’ Tabs are also based on the string colours used in the software ‘Rocksmith’. My student electric guitar has been re-strung with these colours (see pic):
Here is how to read ‘Hearts TABs’:
- The colours represent which strings to use (see the guitar picture above)
- The numbers represent which frets to use
- Each heart lasts for 1 beat and all of the hearts move at the same tempo. This means that if there are 2 numbers within 1 heart, they should be played twice as fast as 1 number within 1 heart.
- The letter Z means 1 beat of rest (don’t play anything for 1 beat)
This classic rock Hearts TAB is a great crowd pleaser:
Chords and Strumming Songs
How to read chord charts (using the string colours seen in the app ‘Rocksmith’):
The chords above can be used to play thousands of songs!
The exercise below will help you improve strumming technique. Keep your picking hand relaxed throughout.
Here is a simple Bob Marley song that uses the A and D chord. You can strum each chord once or keep strumming while you sing the words:
Articles
I wrote this article a couple of years ago to share useful Apps and resources for Deaf music students: https://tomhunt.co.uk/guitar-lessons-for-deaf-students-my-experience-and-some-useful-resources/
Articles/websites not written by me:
The following are fantastic resources focused on making music lessons accessible for Deaf students:
https://www.audiovisability.com/
Copyright Notice
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