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Focus 90% Of Your Practise Time On SKILLS and only 10% On Songs... Here's Why

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  • Wheeeyyyy! I honestly thought that post might get 50 comments... it's at 1600 now... 

    I stand by it. Rio was being abused, and his parents lied to. They were paying this snake to radicalize their son, make him through away his career goals to be brought on as a teacher.

    Why am I exposing this? Because ALL of Tom's teachers act like this. That's the MO. NONE of them see an issue here. If we let them set up in our towns, they'll group together to target your business's reputation online, they'll do everything they can to run you out of business, and then they'll spread their soulless playing further and further.

    I don't believe this kid is affiliated with Hess - for one he's got a video of him teaching online. Tom doesn't allow that because it competes with him.

    Ack... it's not a great video, but he's honest - he says he's not great at it, but it's interesting for some people to see how others are learning.
    Support me on Youtube or Patreon
    https://www.patreon.com/leviclay    |    https://www.youtube.com/c/leviclay
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  • PlectrumPlectrum Frets: 494
    I no longer have a clue what this thread is about...
    One day I'm going to make a guitar out of butter to experience just how well it actually plays.
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  • slackerslacker Frets: 2215
    I never had a clue.
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    It's turned into a guitar teachers conspiracy thread, kind of like Siraxeman's flat earth conspiracy threads, only with less Youtube videos and less Biblical quotes.  
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  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513
    @Vibetronic Thanks for the link, I actually was able to read it and the screen caps without FB, though I couldn't see the comments. I now have access to an FB account and might look a bit deeper.

    @bingefeller @Plectrum @slacker You know the adage "those who can't do, teach"? That's what this thread is about. Or maybe even those who can't do either.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
     "... those who can't teach write books about it" has a modern addendum: "those who can't write make You\tube videos about it"
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • slackerslacker Frets: 2215
    DLM said:
    @Vibetronic Thanks for the link, I actually was able to read it and the screen caps without FB, though I couldn't see the comments. I now have access to an FB account and might look a bit deeper.

    @bingefeller @Plectrum @slacker You know the adage "those who can't do, teach"? That's what this thread is about. Or maybe even those who can't do either.
    I know the adage but didn't realise that unscripted ramblings in a cafe masquerading as a podcast was teaching.
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  • bingefellerbingefeller Frets: 5723
    slacker said:
    DLM said:
    @Vibetronic Thanks for the link, I actually was able to read it and the screen caps without FB, though I couldn't see the comments. I now have access to an FB account and might look a bit deeper.

    @bingefeller @Plectrum @slacker You know the adage "those who can't do, teach"? That's what this thread is about. Or maybe even those who can't do either.
    I know the adage but didn't realise that unscripted ramblings in a cafe masquerading as a podcast was teaching.
    It's a bit like a guitar version of My Dinner With Andre.
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  • Interesting topic.  I'll cast my vote in favour of the original premise.  I've even gone further many times and suggested that 100% of someone's practice time should go toward developing the relevant skill(s) for whatever they're having problems with. 

    The reason?  It's the quickest way to improvement in most situations.
    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
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  • AlexCAlexC Frets: 2396
    This is the future, people. There are too many songs in the world. People want to listen to skills. First dances at weddings will no longer be to songs, but skills. Van Halen's Eruption will danced to by small children and played on pub pianos all over the UK. 
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  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    edited August 2017
    Interesting topic.  I'll cast my vote in favour of the original premise.  I've even gone further many times and suggested that 100% of someone's practice time should go toward developing the relevant skill(s) for whatever they're having problems with. 

    If I did that I'd spend the rest of my life working on things I can't do and never create anything. I'd rather spend most of my time making music and building on my strengths.
    It's not a competition.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    AlexC said:
    This is the future, people. There are too many songs in the world. People want to listen to skills. First dances at weddings will no longer be to songs, but skills. Van Halen's Eruption will danced to by small children and played on pub pianos all over the UK. 
    Not in my experience. Most audiences want to listen to songs they know. The odd flash of audio pyrotechnics might remind them it's a live band. More than 50% of punters neither notice or care about your skills as long as they recognise the song.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • AlexCAlexC Frets: 2396
    edited August 2017
    Roland said:
    AlexC said:
    This is the future, people. There are too many songs in the world. People want to listen to skills. First dances at weddings will no longer be to songs, but skills. Van Halen's Eruption will danced to by small children and played on pub pianos all over the UK. 
    Not in my experience. Most audiences want to listen to songs they know. The odd flash of audio pyrotechnics might remind them it's a live band. More than 50% of punters neither notice or care about your skills as long as they recognise the song.
    I was being ironic. Maybe that didn't come across. I'm on your side. Of course people want songs. The guy that started this thread is just trying to sell something.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    edited August 2017
    I was too tired to notice. I'm also tired of this thread. I guess the OP is too because we haven't seen him since Sunday.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • AlexCAlexC Frets: 2396
    Roland said:
    I was too tired to notice. I'm also tired of this thread. I guess the OP is too because we haven't seen him since Sunday.
    He's probably off practicing his skills.
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  • Old_SwannerOld_Swanner Frets: 24
    edited August 2017
    If I did that I'd spend the rest of my life working on things I can't do and never create anything. I'd rather spend most of my time making music and building on my strengths.

     I guess it comes down to whether you're happy with what you can already do.  I'd class making music as playing rather than practising, and if someone can't make the music they want in the way they want to, then what they need is the improvement that most likely comes only from practising (working on skills).

    Hoping to improve by playing rather than practising, ie.spending time learning songs rather than working on skills, is IMO a scattergun approach that will fail for most.  It can sometimes succeed, and certainly did for me in places, but at the cost of many wasted hours.

    Learning new songs is certainly a vital part of the process because it leads us to new challenges.  However, often a student will sweep the challenges from one song under the carpet and move on to the next.  At some point any benefits from learning new material have been exhausted and the hidden mess needs cleaning up.  That point is in many cases reached way before it's addressed, and is the point where I'd likely recommend 100% of a student's guitar playing time to be spent on technique (skills).

    When the relevant skills are already in place, both learning and playing songs is easy.  Teaching a student to strum through Knocking on Heaven's Door for example (G, C, D, Am) is a challenge proportional to the level of their lack of skill.  That is to say, if they can already strum through other songs in a similar style, it won't take more than a minute.  With a rank beginner, the same challenge could take three months or more!
    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    AlexC said:
     Van Halen's Eruption will danced to by small children and played on pub pianos all over the UK. 
    I'd love to hear Eruption on a badly tuned piano with at least four keys missing.

    I bet it'd be better than the original.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • AlexCAlexC Frets: 2396
    Sporky said:
    AlexC said:
     Van Halen's Eruption will danced to by small children and played on pub pianos all over the UK. 
    I'd love to hear Eruption on a badly tuned piano with at least four keys missing.

    I bet it'd be better than the original.
    Chas and Dave could do it. Call it 'Disruption.'
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253

    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • DanjiDanji Frets: 225
    Playing and practicing are not mutually exclusive @Old_Swanner I don't understand why practicing via songs has a scattergun approach, that repetitive exercise that you demonstrated is a great example of an exercise with little merit. 
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