Guitar teachers - are you happy with yours?

[Robert****]

Looking for content lesson takers...

1. If you are content with your teacher, can you describe what you appreciate the most?
   
2. What makes him/her a great guitar teacher?
   
3. What are some bad experiences you've had, where you didn't learn much from the teacher?

[scorona]

Great topic for discussion Robert.

If you are content with your teacher, can you describe what you appreciate the most?

Having the right balance and focus on music theory, technique, playing and advice on practice regimen.

What makes him/her a great guitar teacher?

Align homework/practice regimen with goals of student. Ensure focus is on goals of the student rather than on what the instructor enjoys teaching.

What are some bad experiences you've had, where you didn't learn much from the teacher?

One of my instructors was focused way too much on theory and reading music, which I think is important, but I was a beginner at the time and suffering from not having the mechanics down, so I needed much more instruction on "how" to play. This led to frustrating practice regimens. I still can't read sheet music (tab only), but I found another instructor that has similar musical tastes that can balance technique and theory instruction. Occasionally, we just have fun and spend the lesson time taking turns playing leads over the others chord progression. I've learned so much that way.

I've recently taken a haitus from lessons because my wife and I are expecting our first child very soon, but hope to get back to it in a couple of months.

[warren0728]

my teacher sucks....he can barely find the pentatonic scale....has no music theory knowledge at all....and he dresses funny!!

oh yea....my teacher is ME!! I really am interested in this thread though because i have thought about taking lessons from time to time...

ww

[Robert****]

Those problems with the dress code are well documented on this forum, Warren... but staying well nourished is important, and pancakes are a great choice.

[marnold***]

Looking for content lesson takers...

1. If you are content with your teacher, can you describe what you appreciate the most?
   
2. What makes him/her a great guitar teacher?
   
3. What are some bad experiences you've had, where you didn't learn much from the teacher?

My "teacher" is Doug Marks of Metal Method fame. I like that besides teaching he also provides little motivational bits to keep you pointed in the right direction. Learning to play well is a long, sometimes frustrating road. From what I've seen of the new revision of the course, he applies the lessons learned in each stage to a solo that you know by the end of the stage. That way, you see practical application of what you learned. He actually managed to teach me music theory, which is no small feat.

My bad experience was in 8th grade with a teacher who insisted on having me learn to read music and jammed the Mel Bay stuff down my throat. I didn't want to be playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (not the SRV version) and crap like that. It turned guitar playing into something that definitely was not cool. To his credit, he did have me choose from a list of songs to learn so we worked on that too.

[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.

[Robert****]

I am asking in general. I find some of my students are not so motivated, and I try different ways of teaching them, but they are teenagers and probably have lots of other things on their mind.

The older students I have are more motivated, but don't necessarily practice that much either.

The thing most of them are missing, even though I tell them over and over, is that practice is what makes you better. Seeing a teacher every week if you don't practice, is in my opinion wasting time and money.

I have been wondering what I can do differently for those "problem students". I lose my motivation when I try different ways of showing them information and they still don't seem interested.

[Moshe]

I am asking in general. I find some of my students are not so motivated, and I try different ways of teaching them, but they are teenagers and probably have lots of other things on their mind.

The older students I have are more motivated, but don't necessarily practice that much either.

The thing most of them are missing, even though I tell them over and over, is that practice is what makes you better. Seeing a teacher every week if you don't practice, is in my opinion wasting time and money.

I have been wondering what I can do differently for those "problem students". I lose my motivation when I try different ways of showing them information and they still don't seem interested.

I would say that it generally takes longer to learn the guitar than most guitar teachers have patience for. I practice quite a bit, I am improving, but very slowly.

[Moshe]

One thing my teacher did that I like is said, "bring in any song from any CD and I will teach you how to play it." So every couple of weeks I would bring in a new song. We would spend half the time on what he wanted to teach me and half the time working out the song I brought in.

[tot_Ou_tard]

That's a tough one Robert! I dunno how you can be expected to provide motivation & the adults will do what they please. If they don't wanna or can't practice, what can you do?

[sunvalleylaw]

One thing my teacher did that I like is said, "bring in any song from any CD and I will teach you how to play it." So every couple of weeks I would bring in a new song. We would spend half the time on what he wanted to teach me and half the time working out the song I brought in.

That is what my instructor is doing with my son. He is taking him through the Hal Leonard book and letting him pick a song he likes too. Right now, he wants to do Weezer's Buddy Holly . We just have to find some music for him. I like that particular Weezer album, so it will be fun for us to learn together.

I have been stuck in my progress through my instructor, so I have been thinking about a response to this thread for myself. I need to still think it through, though.

[Robert****]

One of my students wants to play punk rock songs - you know, the ones with 3 power chords and you just whack the chords aggressively and move the power chord where it needs to go. After learning a few songs like that, there isn't much need for a teacher, if that's all one wants to do. That is part of my frustration with this one student. I do show how to play certain songs they like, but if they pick the same kind of songs all the time, there's not much learning happening and progress is minimal.

[sunvalleylaw]

Yep, that is why the agreement in my son's situation is that Mike gets to pick the other material other than one song they are working on. My son is ok with that and starting young enough (9) to be open to other types of music. He seems to like the other stuff he is learning too. He also has an interest in surf guitar. But I think letting Mike, the instructor, have most of the control helps. It has not been a problem yet, but I think our agreement is that my son cannot pick a new song until he has mastered the assigned learning as well.

This is not really on point, but I was trying to work on a solo on a piece my instructor, another student, and I are trying to learn to perform. I was playing along to the chord progression I had recorded into my looper, and concentrating on the solo. Lo and behold, there was my son who had taken out his guitar, and was playing the rhytm with me! That was so cool. It was piece assigned by the instructor too. Secret Agent Man. My son knows the intro and can play the chords. Not well yet, but he can play them.

EDIT: It is also key letting him work things out with his instructor. It is not productive to inject my goals, other than that he enjoy it, practice a reasonble amount, given age and other activities, and progress at least some. At this age, I think it most important that he enjoy it.

[Jimi75]

Very good topic Robert.

I had an excellent teacher. First of all he has a music / teaching studio in the basement of his house. Very nice atmosphere. My teacher kind of analized me within the first couple of lessons and then presented me a plan on what we can work and which aims we will set on a step by step basis. Realizing what I could already play and how we can sort the things. He called this a "drawer system". Blues to blues, Rock to Rock and then mix it. His approach wasn't very technical, he wanted you to develop a general knowledge like for e.g. building chords, listening to other instruments, transcribe music, recognize chord structure when listening to a song. I always had homework to do with the aim to understand what I play. He said I only believe that you can play something when you can prove that you understand it, everything else is "drilled circus monkey" playing! For example, one day at the beginning of a lesson he said okay let us play Little Wing or Hotel California in a totally different key and please play every chord arpeggiated!!!!! Bang my friend! There you go, how about that? If you did not understand the relation between chords you were lost :-)

We analized Hendrix's and Vaughan's playing style in detail, researching their backgrounds and finally being abel to know why they played the way they played.

Further to that I myself found it very important to be able to spend the lesson talking to him about general musical things or sometimes personal issues without touching the guitar. This changed my general attitude and respect towards muscial companions and it let me grow. He was able to make me a better player and a better person.

I took lessons with him when I was 14-15 years old (Metal) for a year and then when I was 24 years old for another year. We did a year study in blues rock and jazz, sidereading and some other stuff.

What I appreciated most was that he was always prepared. The lessons did not start like "okay we stopped with Pentatonics" let us go on there, no no he was able to foresee where I would be after I had done my homework so every lesson started with a challenge and I was happy to pass it because I needed prove for my improvement.

To me he is still the best German guitar teacher and without him I would not be the musician I am today. I am considering taking lessons again with him to become a better songwriter.

What I want to say is that I do not only claim from a teacher that he shows me all tricks, I want a teacher to be a Sensei, a Master, a person you look up to.

[sunvalleylaw]

Jimi: think that is what I am looking for that I am not getting right now. I need to talk to Mike and see if we can approach things that way. He knows, plays and teaches at least three instruments I can think of and has a music degree, so it seems he could. Right now, my lessons are haphazard, just whatever comes up. Most of his guitar background is folk/rock acoustic oriented. At lessons, I do not feel we use a planned approach developing understanding. We are typically working on a couple songs at any one time. He has as much said he tries to figure out what to teach me that day when I get there.

What I like: He is open to teaching what I want to learn, and is encouraging. He is good with my son and around here, the kids I know tend to like him best as a teacher.

What I don't like: In addition to the absences noted above, a little inconsistent in mood and approach. Not consistent from week to week on what we are learning/working on.

In fairness, part of the inconsistency is my fault. I am interested in many kinds of music, and sometimes come in and show him something I learned here, or ask him about a song I want to learn. Like I said, I need to talk to him about it directly.

[Jimi75]

@Sunvalleylaw:

I know it is difficult but you have to set and define your musical priorities. This gives your teacher the chance to be prepared. If you kind of have a musical melting pot and bring up mixed things with every lesson then the red line is missing.

For me it was difficult, too, but I decided to go Blues first as everything started with the blues and then I went further down the road to Blues Rock, Rock, Jazz.

Make a plan and show him. Built it logically so that the styles grow on each other and you have fluent frontiers.

Very important, give yourself at least a year of time to spend with one or two styles at maximum.

Good luck my friend!