Disgruntled after two lessons!

What's Hot
2»

Comments

  • LestratcasterLestratcaster Frets: 1079
    80% of my lessons are playing and NOT talking! There's a couple of learners who are quite chatty and I have to actually tell them to focus and get on with it.

    Normally I start with some chords and then some strumming so they can at least hold a tune or few in their first few months. Then add in single note melody stuff before the scales. They need something they can relate to before doing any fancy stuff. So if its just strumming some simple 4 chord songs to start off with then that's what it'll be. They will eventually train their ears to hear where chord movements occur, how long they last for and what the rhythm is.

    Also it looks like said teacher just prints off material off the internet expecting you to just learn it like a parrot. A good teacher will be making sure they find the method that brings out your full potential. And not using it as an excuse to show off!!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • close2uclose2u Frets: 997
    Guitar61 said:
    ... I've currently got a stash of printouts on major and minor scales, names of all the notes on 12 different pentatonic scales, on and on. 
    That is preposterous.
    Firstly, if you're at a point and ready to learn scales, a good teacher will feed in just one scale (either Major or minor pentatonic) and focus only on one pattern, not lots and lots and lots.
    One scale pattern will take quite some time to explore and learn before one more in introduced.
    But, if you're only been playing a few months, I would not even be looking at any scale just yet.
    You need basic foundations ...
    • clean, crisp chord formations and chord changes of the common open position chords (major and minor),
    • the ability to strum 1 and then 4 down strums in a bar rhythmically and in time,
    • the ability to play a number of songs that contain between, say, 2 and 5 chords,
    • the open string note names and where you can find the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G up to fret 3,
    • a few simple finger strength / stretch exercises as warm up practice that also help you practice single-string picking,
    • a structured practice routine so your time on the guitar is planned, productive and rewarding.

    You 100% need to change teacher if you want to continue with private 1-to-1 lessons.

    The best online guitar lessons for learning the guitar are right here:
    https://www.justinguitar.com/categories/1-beginner-guitar-course
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • stonevibestonevibe Frets: 7080
    Might be an idea to put an advert up in the Personal section here and see if you have any players near you that would be willing to meet up for a play.

    I found when I started playing guitar that me and my friends progressed a lot faster when we played together, then went off and practised in our own time in between.

    Sometimes you'll find that another player can help you avoid pitfalls and bad technique. Or just show you a nice new chord or fingering of a chord you already now etc.


    Win a Cort G250 SE Guitar in our Guitar Bomb Free UK Giveaway 


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • JMP220478JMP220478 Frets: 421
    stonevibe said:
    Might be an idea to put an advert up in the Personal section here and see if you have any players near you that would be willing to meet up for a play.

    I found when I started playing guitar that me and my friends progressed a lot faster when we played together, then went off and practised in our own time in between.

    Sometimes you'll find that another player can help you avoid pitfalls and bad technique. Or just show you a nice new chord or fingering of a chord you already now etc.


    This  .... playing with other people takes you from a bedroom guitarist to a musician - you'll get loads of support / feedback - verbal and non-verbal - you will learn to listen and your playing  will accelerate .

    Lessons - tutor / online  to suit your preferred learning requirements  - should help your theory / knowledge / technique  .. 

    But time with others is where the magic happens . 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • PhiltrePhiltre Frets: 4164
    Don't suppose your teacher was Matt Berry, was it?



    6reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Interesting thread.I have been teaching myself from the online stuff via you tube and hit a brick wall.I think I was trying to run before I could walk.People (non musical)expected me to be able to play some songs so I did the you tube tutorials on the songs.Then I really did realise that I have not really built any foundations.I began to question that have I bought the right guitar.Should I have started on an acoustic as I can't seem to get some chords right.Had a couple of weeks off guitar totally and thought.Right go back to basics on justinguitar lessons.Just plod through and practice then when funds allow grab a couple of lessons.Get the basics first.Thats my new approach.The advice above will help me find the right teacher.
    I think I was getting disheartened but hope the new approach will help.
    I really had no knowledge at all or what I should expect to achieve in a few months.I got that totally wrong.
    Unfortunately I dont know anyone who I could play with.
    Hope this is the way forward as I really do want to learn

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Yeah, I'd agree with what has already been said. I try and keep my playing in lessons to a minimum, they're not paying to hear me play. A bit to illustrate a point is ok, but otherwise...not really necessary. And the point about asking what they want to play as @Jimbro66 mentioned - that's always the first thing I ask before we even start. Otherwise they're just learning what I think is cool, which is really not the point at all. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • NikcNikc Frets: 627
    edited September 2019
    I went into a guitar shop near to me a while back I was killing time while my wife shopping, in their practice room and youngster was having a guitar lesson. This lesson seemed to consist of said youngster watching a grisly old rocker/metal head play over driven scale after over driven scale. I had picked up an acoustic and was having a little play as you do - the shell shocked kid was being picked up at this point I doubt he wanted to go back by the look on his face. Which is such a shame, but one 'teachers' are just arses ;)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • You don't need lessons. Just keep going with the Youtube video and put in hour after hour. It'll be more rewarding too imho!
    I'd say that is only partly true.  A good teacher can pick out bad habits in your style and give you guidance on how to improve.  A youtube video will not do that for you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Luigi_Pati2Luigi_Pati2 Frets: 3
    edited September 2019
    Guitar61 said:
    Hi guys , got my first guitar, electric, a couple months ago and making ok progress following YouTube videos. Decided to try lessons. Not sure what I was expecting but I've currently got a stash of printouts on major and minor scales, names of all the notes on 12 different pentatonic scales, on and on. I've watched him go up and down the scales as well as improvising. And listened to lots of tales of things he's done. I reckon I've put pick to strings for 2 or 3 minutes at most in the 3 or so hours we've been together.
    Is this normal?
    Everything is pretty normal, EXCEPT about the 'lots of tales of things he's done'. No, that's not normal. The job of a good teacher is to demonstrate and to explicate, not to ramble on about himself. It's ok to tell a personal story to illustrate a point better, but the job of the teacher is to make sure the student is learning concretely useful things, which should be like powerful tools. A teacher should  do all they can to see a student making tangible progress, so that the teacher can be proud of the student's progress. Don't be afraid to try different teachers. In person or online, it doesn't really matter, finding the right teacher for you is more important. You want to love the learning process, not hate it. These two outcomes will basically decide the fate of YOUR own success as a student. It's really important that you set everything up for the best possible results. Also, for having only started two months ago, the amount of homework you have been assigned seems decidedly overkill, and overwhelming. And this latter thing is also highly influential on how well and how fast you progress. I don't know all the details, and often there's two sides to one story, but I'd say your current teacher isn't the right one for you. I would also recommend to stay away from youtube. You need a method, and random videos are a very bad method. Youtube should never be taken as a method, but only as a place where you get a taste of many different things.  Good luck
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Definitely not normal. If you came  away feeling like that there’s something wrong. When I first had guitar lessons as a teenager I absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait for the next lesson. I thought my teacher was the coolest person ever.  

    Now when I look back I realise he probably wasn’t the best teacher in the world but he had at least one essential quality - he inspired me to want to practice and get better.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • AlexOAlexO Frets: 1083
    Guitar61 said:
    North Manchester 
    I thought this sounded like lessons I had once had.

    The North Manchester location means it must be the same bloke.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Sounds like bad teaching to me, I taught for 15 years and my last job was teaching masters degree music students. Small nuggets of information should be presented, digested, demonstrated and practiced before moving on to the next, if the teacher has any experience this should also be in a coherent and logical order. Blinding you with information and then showing off is not the way to go, in honesty the only way my students would see me playing to full standard is at a gig, in a lesson my job was to present what is in front of us in a digestible way.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Sounds like bad teaching to me, I taught for 15 years and my last job was teaching masters degree music students. Small nuggets of information should be presented, digested, demonstrated and practiced before moving on to the next, if the teacher has any experience this should also be in a coherent and logical order. Blinding you with information and then showing off is not the way to go, in honesty the only way my students would see me playing to full standard is at a gig, in a lesson my job was to present what is in front of us in a digestible way.
    This.

    I rarely have to play any advanced stuff in lessons, so most material is slow tempo'd chords or pentatonics. Or simple picking exercises. I never ever show off either. That's not what they pay me for. Just keep it basic and demonstrate.

    And having structure is key, not random made-up winged lessons each week.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • danowensdanowens Frets: 27
    edited September 2019
    I teach out of Bolton and I've been horrified by some of the experiences that my students have had prior to learning with me. I'm working with an adult learner at the moment who is very vague about her goals, she just wants to play guitar. 

    It is my responsibility as an experienced teacher to read between the lines: she wants to be able to play guitar in a way that doesn't mean she's performing on stage but that she can recall some tunes to play for anyone who asks "oh you play guitar?".

    I've been teaching her for 2 years and although she puts in practice, she's slower to pick certain things up (like chord fingering). So I just do LOADS of it. I start of with Em and Am and work through some two chord songs. I introduce a capo so things sound slightly different, but the cognitive load is still low as not to intimidate her or to collapse her self esteem. The idea of scales is alien to her, and until she asks to learn them, I'm not going to show her.

    There's a million blues tunes out there with tiny variations on 3 chords, and I separate both hands to keep the cognitive load low. 

    I know most guitar teachers don't consider pedagogy, and I think every one of their students suffers for it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • KRSKRS Frets: 9
    edited September 2019
    Hey there @Guitar61, I'm also a guitar tutor, and yep I've heard that one before. First of all if you feel you need some tuition, find someone else. This dude may be OK but not for what you want. Unless you want to learn a shed load of pentatonic scales. 
    I'd reckon most of my students want to just 'play guitar and get better'. I would start with some good books. Something like Rockschool grade 1 or lower depending on how comfortable with the material you are. Get books with actual songs and riffs and a few technical exercises. That's a good start. 
    The first book I bought was 'The Guitar Handbook' by Ralph Denyer. It's very good, and as a bonus there's loads of stuff about pentatonics. Seriously though, it's got a lot of information in it, not much in the way of songs though. There's lots of great stuff for beginners. It's worth looking at. 

    Edit. Didn't read OP properly. Dude is not ok. If you had three hours you should have really been playing for about 2 hours 30 minutes maybe. With a bit of demonstration and explanation and good old fashioned Q&A. Tutor asking 'is this A or Bb minor' for example. That kind of thing.

    Not telling you about gigs. It's kind of an unwritten rule amongst tutors. You know, try to not show off too much. And always try to teach. It's not standup. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • I would start with technical exercises. picking exercises, fretting hand exercises. then pick one chord shape like E major and learn to fret and strum it cleanly. if your are not connecting to your fingers, its a waste paying for lessons, or learning chords at this stage. you can then build up co-ordination over a month, if you practice every day. im sure you can find this stuff on youtube or google, and keep it simple!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.