I quit guitar teaching

[Unperson]

Move to southern Vermont. I desperately need a teacher.

[duhvoodooman***]

Where in southern VT? My mom had family in the Poultney/Pawlet area and I spent a lot of happy summer weeks fishing w/ my dad on Lake St. Catherine. Or are you further south, like Bennington or Brattleboro?

[Unperson]

Where in southern VT? My mom had family in the Poultney/Pawlet area and I spent a lot of happy summer weeks fishing w/ my dad on Lake St. Catherine. Or are you further south, like Bennington or Brattleboro?

Yup, Bennington. BF Egypt, musically.

[Unperson]

Jim, that is exactly how I feel too - it takes too much time away from my family and if it's a real drag on top of that, why do it.

Steve, the Blues DVD is much more motivational to me, and it's my priority now when ever I have time. Just don't trick me into spending a lot of time on the Fret Jams! I would really love to, but then my Blues DVD will never get done...

Just wondering how you would approach teaching someone like me. I'm 44,
played about one year. I'm not at all interested in learning a bunch of cover
songs, there just isn't time for that. I write lyrics and try to build songs
around them. Admittedly, most are pretty bad. The lyrics are pretty strong,
though. I can play the major and natural minor scales all over the neck,
gave up on pentatonics because they were too limiting. I understand the
concept of modes, I know a good amount of chords, I'm pretty good with
barre chords. I know a little theory, but a little knowledge can be dangerous.
I'm not pretentious, nor am I lazy. I'm motivated to making decent songs
for the (hopefully) 40 years or so I've got left. I practice 3-6 hours a day,
depending on the day. This includes fingering exercises, scales, chord
changes, noodling. I'd like to improve my voice to play & sing, so when I
play scales, I (try) to sing the names of the notes, as I play them. I have
trouble playing fast, mostly because I try hard to fret every note properly
use vibratos, bends, etc. just playing the notes seems rather dull & the
players I've admired most didn't play very fast. (Albert King, David Gilmour,
Steve Howe, Elmore James, etc.) Sometimes I get in a rut, with my
practicing, it becomes mechanical. What should I be doing with myself?

[Unperson]

As an example of the above, this is a project I'm currently wrestling with.
The lyrics come easily, the Guitar, bass, keybords (if any) and beats do
not. My problem is execution, as much as anything. I make up chord progs
and riffs that are too complex for me to play at first. I can hear in my head
how I'd like it to go, but I have to learn to play it, if that makes any sense.

"This Island"

Every man alone unto himself
Out of touch with everyone else
Engulfed by a sea of human flesh
We communicate less and less
Our lives may cross from time to time
Still we deny our common crime.

This Island You
This island me
To yourself be true
From yourself be free

In other people's face you see
reflections of your own disgrace
Each one a potential enemy
Each a trauma you can't erase
You longed for anonymity
Life of solitude you embraced

This Island You
This island me
To yourself be true
From yourself be free

And so you cast yourself away
Self-exile from society
In your fortress of pain you stay
Far removed from their memory
Far removed from their slow decay
Far removed from humanity"

[Spudman***]

How sad. An island...with all this humanity.

Great lyrics.

[Unperson]

How sad. An island...with all this humanity.

Great lyrics.

Water, water everywhere, Not a drop to drink sort of thing. Most of my
lyrics are sort of depressing.

[zeusse]

Water, water everywhere, Not a drop to drink sort of thing. Most of my
lyrics are sort of depressing.

Misery ain't all that bad most bands nowadays make a good living off of depressing lyrics. My point would be at least you have the passion to write something...so looking at the whole guitar learning thing you got the right attitude which is why most people starting out give up too easily they just don't have the right attitude towards the learning process....thus passion. Sorry to hear Robert and all you other guys that have given the teaching thing a go its tough to see other people that just have not found the real passion the rest of us have.

[YerDugliness]

Just don't trick me into spending a lot of time on the Fret Jams!

FretJams???

You have FretJams here on this forum????

Where do these FretJams occur?????

When????????????

On the Washburn forum, they have WAGJAMs--never been to one, but they are legendary.

In Texas, we have a small town named Pearl where they have a monthly bluegrass/country music/christian music festival. We call it...........(I'd say wait for it, but I know you already have it)..........PearlJam.

I'm always on the lookout for the next jam session I can get kicked out of : ..

Dugly