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Should I take lessons?


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Posted

Ok here's the scoop, I've been playing for a few years but developed real slowly because real life got in the way too often. But now I have the chance to take some lessons. I'm beyond beginner level and a local instructor gave me a few pieces to play which I didn't have much problems with, he says I could do the intermediate class if I practised for a few weeks before starting (just to clean up my sloppy technique!). But I've never taken lessons, I've never had the benefit to learn from a real great instuctor. I've never learned theory or practise routines. But now my girlfriend is going back to school during the evenings and I have Mondays off, so I've been thinking now would be a good time to think about doing what I should have done a long time ago and take honest to goodness beginner level guitar and learn the real way. I mean, I have this SA160 that I bought last year to have something OK to play, and it barely has any scratches in it! I've never needed to change the strings! And an AVT20 that's never been past 2. What's that about? So what do you think? If you had a hundred bucks for a dozen lessons (good price?) and time to do it, would you?

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Posted

you havnt changed strings in a year?!

 

 

jeez boio you ain't putting enough soul into that thang >=)

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Posted

I've been taking lessons for about 5 months. And I can already solo blues music.

 

Some teachers suck. If you really want to play guitar, find a teacher which you like. ;)

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Posted

A hundred bucks for a dozen lessons? Thats the deal of the century IF the instructor really knows how to teach.

 

Most stores are up to 25 bucks for 30 minutes these days... Thats 4 lessons for a hundred....

 

I charge about 25 for an hour when and if i charge at all. But i only charge if the student isnt practicing. And my fee goes up with each lesson if they refuse to get on the ball. Im not in it for the money and i dont like waisting my time on guys who arnt going to practice. Stores can do that all day long....

 

When i start someone off they usually already have basics down for tuning, open string chords, and sometimes some notation or tab skills. I personally dont like teaching kids or absolute beginners. That takes special skills i dont have.

 

When i start off with someone i charge 100 bucks for my book and 4 free lessons of an hour each. If they arnt serious enough to practice they wont be serious enough to pay.

 

But i seldom charge anymore or give lessons on a regular basis. I do it now just to help people who really want to learn and most of them cant afford the fees. So if they have a decent guitar and the seriousness to do the work i just sit down and show them what to do. I prefer to really just charge when they piss me off or waiste my time.

 

And I applaud you for starting from scratch. Its the best way in the long run to learn all the things you missed out on earlier. But there is a trap you can fall into.

 

That trap is saying, i already know this exercize so im not going to poractice it much if at all. I can do it in my sleep already so i'll just pass over it this week.

 

Wrong thing to do BIGTIME!

 

See, its those kinds of things that retain bad habits and drag them along with you into the NEW things you will learn. So learn it all fresh and leave any ego, laziness, shortcuts out of the equation.

 

As its been said by many here,

 

There are no real shortcuts in playing guitar...

...Only drawbacks that look good initially!

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Posted

Yeah, I haven't really taken my axe for a good rip, I made an appointment for a complete setup (with full cleaning) on Monday and restringing and then I'm going to go talk to the instructor. He comes highly recommended for blues and rock. The breakdown is two half hour lessons a week (Monday and Thursday) for 6 weeks with a manageable and realistic (1 hour a day usually) practise schedule. There's apparently a playtest at the end and if you suck he won't take you as a regular student? But they said it's easy if you just follow along and ask lots of questions when you're not sure, mostly on the theory portions but a little to see how your dexterity is developing. It's an introductory offer before you go into a regular lesson schedule. Sounds like a good deal, though.

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