Guitar teachers - are you happy with yours?

[jasongins]

After trying online lessons, I was fortunate enough to find a teacher to fit my schedule, and even more fortunate that his home studio is just around the corner from where I work. I go for a one hour bi-weekly lesson before work on Thursday mornings. While I am definitely not a morning person, I was thrilled to get this accommodation. Teaching guitar is his full time occupation, and I am impressed with his dedication, organization, patience, and interest in what I like to listen to and desire to play. His style is to teach a technique and then show how it can be applied, such as by playing along with a backing track. He tries not to overwhelm with theory early on (though I do find it interesting), rather he tries to get people playing a bit so they won't quit. I leave each lesson with a bunch of things to work on. It seems overwhelming at the time, but by the time the next lesson rolls around 2 weeks later, I seem to have a handle on it. While I have very far to go, I am thrilled with how far I've come in just three or four lessons.

[tot_Ou_tard]

I teach myself too, although I usually follow a more ummm hygenic dress code than Warren. I'll always at least have boxers on.

I'm perfectly content teaching myself. I've learnt a lot of theory & I prefer music notation to tab because find stuff like that fun. Yes, I'm a nerd. I taught myself to speak French & get looks of amazement from native speakers about my accent & fluidity, so I'm hoping that I can learn to play the guitar as well.

I'd get lessons for someone to play with & to learn a few inside tricks. That's the main thing. At some point I'll probably just try to scare up some other musicians close to my level and play with them.

[warren0728]

I teach myself too, although I usually follow a more ummm hygenic dress code than Warren. I'll always at least have boxers on.

hey man....i have never played my guitar in the buff....that's all i'm saying....

ww

[tot_Ou_tard]

Robert, I think that there would be a difference in what people want in a teacher based on age. Are you asking in general or do you have an age group in mind?

I think that the ideal thing would be to pick some piece of music that the student desperately wants to learn & think about what techniques, theory, and ideas are necessary to play that piece well. Then teach to that. I don't mean only play that song, I mean play bits and pieces of other songs that are similar, but pehaps simpler and which build on each other. You may show something contrasting so that the basic idea stands out. And whenever the student has some mastery of a technique then go back to the part of the song with that in it and play that. Then move away from the song to explore another technique.

I think is the student knows that he/she is building toward being able to play one of their favorite songs, then they'll have a drive to learn the appropriate basics along the way.

Well, that's my 2 cents anyway.