Starting Lessons Tonight!

vasselmeyer

BRISTOL86 said:

Out of interest, I want to be equally adept at acoustic and electric and am unsure which to take to my lessons. I can see an argument both ways. What would you do?

They might look the same but they're very different techniques  unless you're just bashing chords out. Acoustic steel string? Nylon string? Flat-picking? Fingerpicking?

A few years ago, I  started teaching myself some fingerpicking stuff from Stefan Grossman's country blues DVDs and as an electric player of 25+ years experience (at the time) I found it really quite challenging as it's all in the right hand, whereas electric, at least for me, is mostly about the left hand.

BRISTOL86

Thanks all for the sound advice.

In terms of where I want to be, the answer is I want to be as well rounded a guitarist as possible, across both instruments.

If I had to sum it in a sentence I would say ‘if John Mayer can do it I want to be able to do it’ (although Katy Perry might not be so keen)

But if I had to nail my colours to the mast and had to choose one or the other to save my life I’d probably lean towards the electric so I think it makes sense to start there. 

BRISTOL86

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Out of interest, I want to be equally adept at acoustic and electric and am unsure which to take to my lessons. I can see an argument both ways. What would you do?

do you want to play like Ed Sheeran or SRV - or which is priority - I can understand the question but I'm 95% electric - also adds to the previous comment about WHERE YOU WANT TO BE - At this stage I'd advise one only so as you don't dilute time, attention etc into progressing further

I can't play an acoustic in the true sense of the world with fingerstyle etc - as such I only really play electric styles on an acoustic, so that doesn't really count

I feel some electric players possess what I call the Clapton or Hendrix syndrome - Both own and played an acoustic but it is not what they are predominantly known for

Tough game for you against AVFC - did you go ? - Best wishes against MCFC but best just to enjoy the occasions and take the till receipts - Big credit for getting there and I dare say most would support you over MCFC, but I bet I have a better chance of a 7 digit lottery win this weekend

Thankfully I didn’t go. The villa game was just one game too many (especially after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory vs Wolves). 

We've got players all over the pitch in the wrong positions where we have so many injuries so it’s remarkable we’ve done as well as we have until now. You could see we were completely running on empty from the get go vs Villa, and after 8 games in 30 days (mostly played with the same XI out of nevessity) no real surprise!

Man C an impossible task - to have one legged ties all the way through the competition and then a two legged semi final is really unfair IMO - it just panders to the big clubs and completely kills any chance of an upset. To go toe to toe with a side of that quality for one leg would be a Herculean feat but to do it over two legs? No chance. 

I just hope the tie isn’t completely dead when it comes back here in two weeks. It’ll be superb to see us in a semi final no matter what, but will take the gloss off it to be 6-0 down going into the second leg!!

57Deluxe

DulcetJones said:

As a teacher with several years experience I can say about half of my students are adults, Men and Women, most of which have been playing with no direction for years.  I love finding out what they want from guitar and filling in the blanks with useful exercises and technique tips.    Many are in the over 50 bracket(and often have better guitars than me!), and most stay with the lessons for a few years at least.

DITTO

Lestratcaster

Another teacher here and I too have a lot of adult learners, children normally have their lessons through school as parents don't want to invest too much in something they might not stick to. 

Most of the learners I get can already normally play, albeit very basic (e.g a few chords, 1 scale and 1 strumming pattern). They've had that for years and usually struggle with different rhythm patterns, knowledge of the fretboard and getting through a basic chord chart.

As I've developed myself over the years by using different grades this has taught me to always tailor material to the level of the learner. In the past I had the guilty mistake of giving people stuff way beyond their level, them getting frustrated and ultimately quitting.

So now if there's a song I know they can't play what the original part is I simplify it whether its less strums or notes, so it still allows them to play along but with an easier part.

Having structure and motivation are the big things my students say, and my longest serving one is in his 8th year. I reckon he's shaved off 5 years of frustration by doing things properly from day 1. He's turning into a beast on that guitar!

siraxeman

Lestratcaster said:

Having structure and motivation are the big things my students say, and my longest serving one is in his 8th year. I reckon he's shaved off 5 years of frustration by doing things properly from day 1. He's turning into a beast on that guitar!

8 yrs of having lessons? Great for you I guess....though my view is teach 'em so well they can eventually spread their wings and fly away. Yes not great if you want to milk 'em for all the money you can I know but that's just me!

Lestratcaster

I wasn't a great tutor from the very beginning so in a way we've kinda improved each other, I would say in the last 5 years I've started teaching "properly" and he's been the benefit of that. He is very consistent though and hardly ever misses a lesson. He's on grade 7 at the moment so almost at the tail end of playing level. I know if he left he won't stick to it so he kinda needs the lessons to keep his motivation levels up as there's always new things to learn. You never "fully master" the guitar.

The day will come when he'll decide he's learnt enough to go his own way, but my bank account doesn't want that day to come!

JerkMoans

How did it go?!?!

m_c

JerkMoans said:

How did it go?!?!

I'm going for either @BRISTOL86 's found out they're already a guitar virtuoso and has been out partying all night to celebrate, or the tutor turned out to be a Hannibal Lecter devotee, and he's now sitting eating bits of his own brain...

JerkMoans

m_c said:

I'm going for either @BRISTOL86 's found out they're already a guitar virtuoso and has been out partying all night to celebrate, or the tutor turned out to be a Hannibal Lecter devotee, and he's now sitting eating bits of his own brain...

It rubs the lotion into its flesh

BRISTOL86

Haha   

It was really good thanks. Guy had a pre prepared lesson plan, tailored to me based on a couple of videos I’d sent him during our initial contact.

He’d even selected a song to look at (Parisienne Walkways) based on what he thought I’d like from the songs I wasn’t playing on those videos and because it linked in nicely to what he’d identified as being something to work on (vibrato and bends)

Very optimistic that I’m on to a winner and can see us getting on well

SCMIV

vasselmeyer said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Out of interest, I want to be equally adept at acoustic and electric and am unsure which to take to my lessons. I can see an argument both ways. What would you do?

They might look the same but they're very different techniques  unless you're just bashing chords out. Acoustic steel string? Nylon string? Flat-picking? Fingerpicking?

A few years ago, I  started teaching myself some fingerpicking stuff from Stefan Grossman's country blues DVDs and as an electric player of 25+ years experience (at the time) I found it really quite challenging as it's all in the right hand, whereas electric, at least for me, is mostly about the left hand.

His stuff's very cool, I'm working the first number in his 'Blues, Rags, and Hot Fiddle Tunes' book. It's properly far, far more advanced than I'm remotely at with fingerpicking, but that was kinda the point. But yeah, I've found the picking hand vs fretting hand offset very challenging (as again, I've always been more of an electric player). I originally got motivated to trying actual finger picking to bring back to the electric (due to my long-standing love of The Doors), but then got exposed to Robbie Basho and John Fahey and earlier country blues stuff. I have to say though that I've found playing more acoustic and strengthening the fingers has had a good bearing on my general playing overall.

Planning on lessons for this year as well, though more for overall stuff, theory, etc..

DavusPG

Jalapeno said:

It's the practice regime needed that's the killer for me with scheduled lessons. Good luck !!!

For me this is the biggest problem. Tried having a lesson every fortnight for the past year but regrettably am probably going to have to put them on hold. I'm barely getting the time to practise stuff for the band I'm in at the moment, let alone the things that come up in the lessons. I undoubtedly know more than i did, but am not reaping the benefits I could. 

Investing gear money into lessons is a brilliant idea though, best of luck with it.

DavusPG

Jalapeno said:

It's the practice regime needed that's the killer for me with scheduled lessons. Good luck !!!

For me this is the biggest problem. Tried having a lesson every fortnight for the past year but regrettably am probably going to have to put them on hold. I'm barely getting the time to practise stuff for the band I'm in at the moment, let alone the things that come up in the lessons. I undoubtedly know more than i did, but am not reaping the benefits I could. 

Investing gear money into lessons is a brilliant idea though, best of luck with it.