i am just wondering because for the past like 3-4 weeks, me and my teacher have been going overe the same 5 positions of minor, major, and blues pentatonics, and he just makes me play them and all we do is increase the speed every week.
by the time im done he increases the speed, i get to my second position in 1 type of scale and then its time to go.
he started to tell me to link the patterns together but i could have done that a long time ago.
"Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.
Should a teacher give somethine new at each lesson?
Yes, if the student is ready for it.
No, if the student isn't.
The ability to absorb last week's lesson varies a lot - it depends on how much was shown, how much time the student has spent practicing, and how much more 'depth' there is to that particular topic.
Take the topic of pentatonic scales... I can show you all the patterns in one lesson. Maybe one student in 10 will actually learn them all in a week, and be ready to start connecting them. But there's still a lot to be covered - moving from one place to another by shift or slide; learning where the key notes (root, fourth, fifth) lie in each position, and how to create phrases that land on those target tones in relation to the chord progression; changing from one scale to another by shift... or by staying in place and changing the fingering. There's actually more material there than meets the eye - it's not a scale fingering, it's a basic approach to improvisation, which a student will not learn in a few weeks.
Most students end up getting some new things each week, some don't.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
I agree with NoteBoat, but since I am a newbie take the following with a grain of salt. I look at it like this. I am paying for the lesson, and each week I am putting in 45 minutes to an hour a day practicing (more when I can but I have a real job and am working on my MBA, so an hour is what I have). I have very specific goals and understand I have to work to get there. So when the teacher gives me stuff to learn I will do my best to do it and be prepared with some questions when I go in next week. Each week the teacher outlines three goals for the next lesson. If I check two of them off, then I get two new ones. If I get one done, we check off one and I get another. I drop the ball and can't practice or don't hit any of them, we go ove them again and I go from there. But in the end since I am paying for the lesson I am looking for forward progress, most of which is my responsibility. If the teacher isn't giving you new things for three weeks, I would ask about it.
Just my .02
MrClean
"Practice until you get a guitar welt on your chest...if it makes you
feel good, don't stop until you see the blood from your fingers.
Then you'll know you're on to something!"
- Ted Nugent
When I was going to lessons I didn't get new things each week either. The reason was that I hadn't spent the time to learn the things well enough. At the time, I was going once a week, but had very little time for quality practice. I'd show up to my lesson, play what I could, then we'd discuss what I was doing incorrectly and what I was doing correctly. Towards the end, I hadn't gotten anything new for three weeks. I then realized I was paying for something that I just didn't have the time for, so I quit. I told him he was a great teacher and that I'd be back when I was ready. Once this fall hits and I'm no longer playing sports, I'm going to start them back up. This time I'm going to focus more on the lessons and less on noodling around. :P
With that said, however, if you honestly feel you need something new, just ask. A good teacher will either give you something new or explain why he thinks you aren't ready. Either way, at least you'll know what's going on.
"Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"
