Getting ahead of oneself

Hey there. :D I'm looking for an opinion from the "teachs" ;) regarding pedagogy:

I know that some people defend that you should only tackle songs (or mathematics exercises, or Ancient Arab texts...) that are on your level, while others believe that you learn more by attempting material that is above your present skill level.

I would like to know what you guys think about this when it comes to the Guitar.

Martha, it's always better to stretch yourself if you want to advance in your playing. It's easy to keep doing what you already know, but doing that just keeps you at the same level.

If you want to learn a piece of music that's "too hard for you", go for it. It won't do anything but make you a better player

I find that if I mix my practice up with things I already know, things that I am learning new that are somewhat equal to my current skill level (like chords I already know in a different progression) and then work on things above me (like a really tough song) it gives me a good balance and keeps the satisfaction level up. If I just focus on things that are too difficult for me I get frustrated which leads to "lack of desire" to practice. On the other hand when you finally nail something "new" the satisfaction level shoots up real high.

All I am suggesting is always try to do things above your skill level but don't get so consumed by it that you end up frustrated.

you'sd be learning even if you TRY to play something without the notation(tab for it)because that trains ur ears!

There's an overall order that makes sense: learn scales before arpeggios, basic barre chords before complicated voicings, and so on... and then there's the specific order that's dictated by the student's capabilities, interest and physique.

For instance, some of my students play other instruments. They're capable of 'reaching' for complex music a lot sooner than other students - they have a melodic, rhythmic and/or harmonic foundation from other studies (as I recall, Martha, you play piano), so they're better at catching their mistakes as they work through a piece. I've got a student tonight who's been taking guitar lessons for only two weeks, but he also plays baritone horn - assuming he's done his practicing, we'll be starting on how chord resolutions work... I'd wait a few months to show that to other beginners.

Some folks don't really want to start out where I usually do (a couple open chords, simple strums, and basic sight reading), so if I have a student who's just itching to play blues lead guitar, we might start with a simple boogie pattern, then the blues scale, and THEN the open chords - so he can switch back and forth from lead to rhythm.

Every once in a while I'll get a student who's not built for the 'normal' approach... a six year old who isn't going to reach a G chord, even on a half-size guitar, for a couple of years... or a guy who's got Christmas hams for fingers (I once taught a guy who had been a football lineman - wore something like a size 20 ring on his finger... forget fingering a B7 chord, we started with barre chords!)

So there's the hard-and-fast rules, and then there's the practical application.

Also bear in mind that the most of the more difficult pieces can be studied on a bunch of different levels. Go ahead and pick up the chords and voicings from Django's tune, since that's where your interest lies... but come back to it when you're working on arpeggios, and figure out other ways to play the same lines... and come back again when you start improvising over minor progressions (Minor Swing stays in one key, so it's a great one for starting minor key improvisation)... and come back again when you're learning some Wes Montgomery tunes, and compare the octave techniques.

Thanks for your input, everybody. :)

(Especially since it's "good news" - "Stop it right now and put down the Django Book!" would've sucked. ;) )

I've found that I've evolved a lot since starting working on Minor Swing - partly because it gives a newbie quite the workout ;) but mostly because it's a piece I love so much (which shoots my Motivation Level through the roof).

Btw, there was a quote by NoteBoat that I found really helpful:
Also bear in mind that the most of the more difficult pieces can be studied on a bunch of different levels (etc...)

What a great reminder! :D There's no need to strike a song as "done" - there's always room for new arrangements or new interpretations. :)

Also wanted to thank everybody for your help with a question I had some time ago about teachers.

I have finally chosen a teacher - a bit expensive for my budget (65 dollars for four 45 minute lessons) - but I think we found a real understanding regarding our objectives. :D