Guitar lessons - what do they teach you?

Oh yeah! A Gibson jumbo is just the thing for metal! :lol:

I watch their technique closely looking for bad habits that need to be fixed: neck position,

Neck position?

The placement of the guitar's neck in relation to the guitarist. It can be too high, too low, too far out, to close in, or tipped at a bad angle (common in beginners - they like to see where their fingers are going, and it puts strain on the wrist & limits reach)

Ah yes. :)

Neztok, I used to play a game with my teacher where we'd trade off playing some slow country blues (in an open tuning with slide) and then intersperse familiar heavy metal riffs. Works terrifically well in Open D, where the three lower strings make a power chord. Same as in Drop D.

I think the first lesson is a get aquainted kind of thing. The teacher assesses at what level the student is and what he wants to learn. The student will probably get an abbreviated lesson, be given some advice as to what book to use, and be given a few exercises to do. The second lesson is where the real work starts.

The placement of the guitar's neck in relation to the guitarist. It can be too high, too low, too far out, to close in, or tipped at a bad angle (common in beginners - they like to see where their fingers are going, and it puts strain on the wrist & limits reach)

Longtime lurker, first time post. I've been "playing" for seven months, mostly self-taught, and I DESPERATELY need help on this front. I went to a few classes but they were useless, as a teacher myself I could see that my guitar teacher had no clue about how to help his clueless student (me). Being an absolute beginner at 30 doesn't help I suppose, but I am trashing my left hand and wrist. Everybody's built differently so looking at pictures doesn't seem to help me, and I just wish I could find an experienced teacher to show me how to hold the instrument properly. Posture and angle are probably my problems with barre chords (I've been trying to make them since the one month mark).

Steve

Cool!

That Gibson SJ-200 I've got is what Pete Townshend claims he wrote all his stuff on.

while I agree that you can learn on electric or acoustic, i do think it's better to learn on acoustic. Playing Acoustic forces you to spend more time on open chords before moving to bar chords and soloing. I started out on electric guitar, and while i think it helped me stay interested in the beginning, my rhythm foundation and theory suffered a bit, because open chords don't sound great on most electrics, because they are set up to be played in more closed positions and higher up the neck. also on electric there is the allure of the higher frets and the ease of bar chords, making it less needed to learn how to play in various keys out of first position, and less needed to know a variety of chord forms.

I wish as a student i had spent my time with my teacher learning songs on the first 5 frets rather than how to solo and improvise. think about it, when you play for someone who isnt a musician, what moves them more; a perfect blistering solo, or a competently played and sung song?

Err, what's wrong with playing open chords on an electric? I do so frequently...As well as barre chords, jazz chord and blistering solos to boot.

Barre chords easy on an electric? They may be relativley easier compared to the acoustic, but they are by no means easy. Take a look on these forums and see how many HUNDREDS of posts we've gotten asking "Why can't I play barre chords?". Most of these users have electrics; most beginners seem to find barre chords difficult.

You need the same knowledge whatever version of the guitar you are playing.

Why are higher frets more tempting on an electric? My acoustic has 20 frets, and I can reach all of them just as easily as my electric. Unless you mean non-cutaway acoustics.

I'm actually changing my acoustic to a lighter gauge of string, 10's more than likely. The body won't resonate as much, but it won't matter once I plug it in.

Glad to see you finally posted Steve. Feel free to post some more!

As for the topic of teachers, I am totally self taught and never had a lesson and it probably shows. I'm sure I have lots of bad habbits and yes I started on electric so probably even more bad habbits. I've been playing 30 years though so I don't think any of my habbits are correctable. I think a teacher is a good idea especially if you are older. Older person might be more apt to listen. :wink:

The first things brought to my attention had to do with technique.

Alternate picking was one of the first. Learning the string names was another. Using finger tips to fret instead of some other part of your fingers.

Mostly techniques and postures. Then came some actual note recognition and then some blues patterns.

That was the first month.

Taso, I was just giving my opinion about the focus when you start out on electric guitar, after thinking about it , its more starting out on guitar as a 15 year old boy that was my main limitation. At the time i wanted to impress and pummel people with torrents of meaningless sound, and write songs to express my frustration at being a pizza faced outcast.

I guess for me, barre chords should come later in lessons than they do, after inversions, alternate bass note chords as well as triads. to be honest it may be that i was simply taught wrong. I learned the G,C,D,E,Em,A,Am & D, Dm open chords then moved directly to barre chords and 5(power) chords.

I am sorry if i offended anyone, hindsight is 20/20 and I'm sure we all regret not learning some things sooner. I had no idea when i started out that i would tire of the electric guitar sound, become disinterested in rock and dislike masterbatory (non melodic) soloing the way i do now.

Taso, I was just giving my opinion about the focus when you start out on electric guitar, after thinking about it , its more starting out on guitar as a 15 year old boy that was my main limitation. At the time i wanted to impress and pummel people with torrents of meaningless sound, and write songs to express my frustration at being a pizza faced outcast.
I guess for me, barre chords should come later in lessons than they do, after inversions, alternate bass note chords as well as triads. to be honest it may be that i was simply taught wrong. I learned the G,C,D,E,Em,A,Am & D, Dm open chords then moved directly to barre chords and 5(power) chords.
I am sorry if i offended anyone, hindsight is 20/20 and I'm sure we all regret not learning some things sooner. I had no idea when i started out that i would tire of the electric guitar sound, become disinterested in rock and dislike masterbatory (non melodic) soloing the way i do now.

Pretty good points, IMHO...I learned all my "electric" lead work in the 60's, on a massive-necked Kay acoustic with a DeArmond pickup in the hole......this included country leads, Ventures, plenty of Everly-Orbison-Beatles stuff...apparently it was all quite difficult to play...when I finally bought a fourth-hand Fender Jazzmaster, I could hardly believe how much easier it all was....but as you might imagine...all my lead stuff was strictly ''melody" stuff anyway....[ and except for blues & jazz, it still remains so...]
I am pretty much completely self-taught...and so barre chords are seldom included my repertoire, even now, after 43+ years...I can play full "F" positions anywhere on the neck, using my thumb over the sixth string. I use the "A/Bb" position usually as a 5-string barre chord, but sometimes with my thumb clamped over both the fifth and sixth strings.
I can keep up to most other players....even pass a few... :wink: