Members Cloacal-X Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 Okay, there are obviously a lot of really great resources online and elsewhere (including here at this forum), and some really good books, but one problem I face is that I'm never really sure *what* to practice, what to go for next. A lot of good books which focus primarily on soloing/riffing technique (like fretboard logic) don't really offer much guidance at all. Actually from what I've seen before the Mel Bay books and such are pretty damn good in terms of layout out a series of progressively more challenging excersizes, techniques, and songs. Except you only learn a bunch of unbearably lame cowboy songs that I'm pretty sure weren't even cool in like 1950. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blumonk Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 You have someone more experienced than you listen to you play and then that person who is more experienced can hopefully design a cirriculum/regemen that will suit you best so that you can reach your goals and become a better player. It's kinda like going to the gym and having a personal training session. Everyone is different. Everyone needs to work on different things. Everyone has different goals. And because of that, everyones cirriculum/regemen will be slightly different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cloacal-X Posted May 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 Right, basically I need an instructor, which is sort of what I already know. I'm just hoping there's some way out of that because they're like $18/week for a half-hour lesson here. That's pricey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dubb Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 Right, basically I need an instructor, which is sort of what I already know. I'm just hoping there's some way out of that because they're like $18/week for a half-hour lesson here. That's pricey!They're pricey for a reason. Do what the teacher says, and you will advance quickly. By the way, I'm pretty sure the rate you mentioned is cheaper than most people around here spend on lessons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Knottyhed Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 Right, basically I need an instructor, which is sort of what I already know. I'm just hoping there's some way out of that because they're like $18/week for a half-hour lesson here. That's pricey! Basically - yeh. But if you happen to know players that are far more advanced than you they might be able to suggest things? The thing about asking here is we've no idea where you're at. You *can* teach yourself, it's just harder - because of the reason you mentioned above - it's often hard to objectively assess your playing and even if you manage it, it's difficult to know what to practice in order to overcome your short-comings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 What kind of music do you like to play? If it's rock you might check out this book: "Total Rock Guitar" by Troy Stetina. You learn the songs in this book and you also learn technique. Stick with it, master the songs, and you are a player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WhiskeyClone Posted May 30, 2007 Members Share Posted May 30, 2007 They're pricey for a reason. Do what the teacher says, and you will advance quickly. By the way, I'm pretty sure the rate you mentioned is cheaper than most people around here spend on lessons. Yup. I think most people pay about $25 per half hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cloacal-X Posted May 31, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 31, 2007 Yeah, one of the harder things for me is that a lot of people play rock - they find a song they like, they learn it, and they assess how well they're doing by how much they sound like the original recording. Well, oddly enough I don't listen to too much rock or even guitar music, so there's little impetus for me to learn any songs. I really just need to get an instructor who will make me learn songs (and other practices) and do the evaluating for me, that takes a lot off my shoulders and puts me where I want to be - progressing. I guess if $18/30 minutes is a good rate then I shouldn't complain too much, there is another place that's cheaper ($15/half hour) but I went there for just a bit and I found the quality of instruction to be fairly low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members astring Posted May 31, 2007 Members Share Posted May 31, 2007 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-1179934-1335626?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=arnie+berle&Go.x=3&Go.y=7 I like this guy's books. But that is just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nuke_diver Posted May 31, 2007 Members Share Posted May 31, 2007 I think you can find a good teacher who can teach you what you want. If you get someone who will teach you to play and not try and teach you a style of music you should have no problems. Try and find a jazz guy And the price seems reasonable prices around here are typically $40-50 an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cloacal-X Posted June 1, 2007 Author Members Share Posted June 1, 2007 Good news! I got set up for lessons today - I start monday. They initially tried to set me up with some MI grad ("he'll show you how to shred!") but I let them know that wasn't really what I was after, I want to build my improvisational skills (*not* just for soloing) and technique & theory, because mainly I'm a composer. So they set me up with a jazz cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dubb Posted June 1, 2007 Members Share Posted June 1, 2007 So they set me up with a jazz cat. Alright! Those jazz cats know their stuff . Hope your lessons go well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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