guitar lessons

[jpfeifer]

Hi WW,

I would highly reccomend lessons. I've taken lessons from a number of great instructors over the years. A good instructor is kind of like a coach, more than a teacher. They should point you to the right things to be working on, help you set goals for yourself, and expose you to new concepts that you wouldn't neccesarily find on your own. The real "learning guitar" will come from yourself, but the instructor should help you get there faster and point you down the right path.

The best way to find an instructor is through word of mouth mostly. There are a lot of instructors who might look impressive on their resume but they may not be the best instructors. Unfortunately, there are a lot of players out there who teach guitar as a sideline because it's steady income, but they may not be all that interested in being a good teacher. Find those instructors who are genuine about helping their students become better players. I would reccomend asking around at your local music stores and see if these instructors have any references that you could talk to first. Also, try to find an instructor who can teach you the kinds of styles that you want to work on wether that would be metal, blues, jazz, fingerstyle, etc.

Or, see if the instructor will let you take some trial lessons to see if they are the right kind of instructor for you. You can tell a lot by the first few lessons. Does the instructor actually listen to you play first to guage your skill level and interests or does he launch into his "one size fits all" style of instructing. You want someone who will work with you focus on where you're at, and where you want to go. Does the guy simply play not stop for the whole lesson and never ask you to interact with him or play anything? This is also a sign of a bad instructor. You want someone to engage you in YOUR playing, and help you work on stuff to improve based on your current level.

I hope this helps, -- Jim

[warren0728]

jim,

very good points. I think i am going to give lessons a go. I have a friend (ron) who owns a music store and am going to get his input on instructors. He has several instructors inhouse but he's the kind of guy who would tell me straight out if his guys are for me or not....and if not recommend someone else! He has been in the biz his entire life....working for his dad in his music store first and then starting his own shop.

ww