Last week, I took my first guitar lesson, hoping to get myself started in the right direction. I have been playing for 4 weeks. I have a lot of musical background on brass instruments, but none on any string guitars. I have a decent understanding of music, how chords work, etc., and a good ear.
When I got to my lesson, the instructor asked me to show him what I know. So, I played a few nut chords (C,D,Em,E,G,Am) and the C scale and the E Blues scale. I told him I could halfway play my way through a couple of sings that were nothing but strumming on those chords. He also knows about my prior music background.
So, right away, he breaks out a chart of barre chords, showing me how to play all the chords I already know in several different positions by barring. Then he breaks a few scales for me to play up the neck, some major and one pentatonic. He went through them with me real quick, and then we were done.
I just don't know about this. I have been working on these things he gave me, but I am struggling with them. I am torn on what I should think about where he is trying to get me to go. Part of me says that this may be the best way, because I am going to get used to the harder stuff (playing up the neck rather than being stuck at the end like many guitarists are, and giving myself more chord options). But another part of me believes in the "crawl before you walk" principle. Shouldn't I be at least a little proficient in the easier stuff before moving on to more difficult material? For example, playing songs that combine chords with little riffs and such?
He is the teacher and I am paying him to teach me the best way. If this really is the way an inexperienced player should go about learning at this stage, then great. I will take my lumps and learn from it. I just know that, right now, I am way, way, outside my comfort zone.
What do you guys think? Follow his plan without expressing concerns, or mention it to him that I would prefer to go back a few steps before moving on to this stuff?
Any advice appreciated.
Seagull M6 Gloss
learn easy songs with easy chord changes with the chords you already know. it's better to play something easy really well then to know a lot of stuff poorly.
I think you should just tell him that you want to master the easy stuff, then slowly go on. He's not gonna care; you're paying him. 8)
Stairway to Freebird!
I would express my concerns to him and hear what he has to say. A good teacher will have a plan in mind for each student. Once you hear his method, you may find you agree with it.
But in the end, you have to be comfortable with your lessons. It's better to discuss any concerns right away so that both of you know where you are and where you're going.
-- John
"Hip woman walking on a moving floor, tripping on the escalator.
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind, thinking that he's already made her."
'Coming into Los Angeles' - Arlo Guthrie
I'll throw my two cents in from the teacher's perspective.... first lessons are tough. When I'm faced with a new student, I don't know him (her) from Adam (Eve), and even after finding out what they already know, I have no idea how much they can handle in a week, what their work ethic or desires are like.
If I err on the side of not showing them enough, they'll feel they aren't getting anything for their money, and they don't come back. If I show them too much, they feel overwhelmed, question whether or not they're really 'ready' for lessons... and they don't come back.
So it's not a matter of "he's not gonna care, you're paying him" - I care very much, because they ARE paying me (and because making my mortgage payment depends on enough students continuing to pay me!)
Over time, a teacher develops a feel for it. With students who already play, we're apt to err on the 'showing too much' side - after all, you've made progress on your own. The second week is the real 'tell' - if a student comes in and hasn't mastered the material, or made significant progress on it... I went too fast. I tone it down. If they ate it all up and are chomping for more, I turn it up a notch or three.
I totally, completely sympathize with you - I remember going to my first teacher way back when... in lesson 1 he showed me ALL the major scale fingerings, plus a bunch more stuff. I'd been learning on my own for a while, and thought I was pretty decent, but he just overwhelmed me - it took a while to find the balance of what I could handle in a week's time.
I've been teaching a long time now - I'm certain I'm getting better at 'reading' students so the material I present at the first lesson is appropriate to their skills. That meas I'm wrong, oh, about 30% of the time now, down from 50% ten years ago, and 80% ten years before that.
Give it an honest try, and evaluate after another couple of lessons.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Thanks NB. Should have known you would be able to put it into perspective for me. I should probably do exactly as you say, and really bust my butt to get this stuff he has thrown at me down. The only problem is that he may see that I absorbed all that and make it even more difficult on me next time. :( I definitely want to learn, or I would not be doing the lesson thing at all. I am a musician at heart. I would likely still be a baritone or trombone player if it were not for the fact that it is difficult to practice a brass horn after your wife and kids go to bed (unless you want a divorce). I also do not want to take lessons for too long, as I am a bit independent when it comes to things like this. Maybe he knows that and wants to give me as much to work out on my own as he can in the few lessons he will have me. Maybe I should take it as a compliment that he thinks I could take these tougher things and make them happen for me?
More likely, though, is that we had a miscommunication or misunderstanding about what I was after and how to get there. I will do all I can to get this down before the next lesson, and then just talk to him about it. I would hate for him to have to slow down because I did not put in the effort or show the aptitude. I would rather him slow down just because that is the way I prefer to learn.
Seagull M6 Gloss
Yeah, noteboat had some very good points. He is very wise.
You may want to remember that your guitar teacher A) Most likely isn't in it only for the money,
And B) Is not trying to make things difficult for you. He is trying to teach you. You may want to ask him how long he expects you to be practicing, and tihngs like that. If he says1 hour a day, try that for a week and see what you can get done.
Communicate with him, and know what you want.
The other week, my teacher said to me "I used to take peoples money and teach them what they wanted. I stopped doing that a long time ago, because the world already has enough uneducated guitar players"
I wanna put out a couple points that more or less adds to NB's comments.
I am almost in the same position as your are as far as guitar experience. I just had my first lesson last Friday. I know a few scales, can play a few songs, etc.
Now, I know nothing about teaching guitar but I am a soccer coach and know alot about teaching. The main thing you should take away and understand is that it will take a few lessons for you to understand what his style is, and for him to understand what your capabilities are.
I dont think its a matter of you struggling through what he has you trying to learn. Just learn what you can and when you go back to see the teacher, explain where you are. Then, most likely, he will adjust and encourage you on what you learned and strenghten those things that you need to know better. In a few lessons, you will be much more in tune with each other.
It may be in the end that your learning style doesnt match up with his teaching style, and you'll have to find a different teacher... but it will take time to find that out.
Don't know if that helps any, but I feel better. :)
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
As the others said, hold on for now. After a few lessons you'll both now what to expect from each other, and he'll be able to change whatever standard plan he has to suit your personal needs. When I started lessons I had some proficiency with lead, but my chord knowledge was limited to open chords. But he thought I could already play barre, and I didn't want to hurt my ego by saying I couldn't (which was stupid anyway). The cool thing was that I was so scared he would find out that I couldn't play barre that I practiced almost 24/7 that week. And when the next lesson came, I could play basic barre chords with little trouble. Those two lessons, and the week in between, marked a huge step forward for my playing skills.
So for now just do as much as you can. Then tell him how much you would normally like to have to do each week. These first weeks will be tough, but you'll learn way more then you consider possible right now. Good luck!
Slowfingers, you are not alone as I also took my first lesson last Thursday and was indated a bit with things to learn. Unlike you I do not know music or scales, but have played some basic in the past. I gave my instructor the goals I was after and we went from there. I got a new beginners book that he felt was better for me and, showed me some finger exercised, gave me some basic cords to learn, major's, monors, 7th and Dom 7th and then barre cords. I thought all there was to barre cords were the "A" and "E" forms, I did not now about "D", "C", & "G" forms that are now killing my hands to learn. Like you said a lot in the first week, but I figure things will stabilize when we get a measure of each other and set a path for me on my learning that I can do in a week.
Noteboat: Very good points, thanks for the instructor point of view!
Good luck to us new students :D
John M
