After 2 years of playing...

PepticDust · #1 August 19th, 2007

This is not a question but something I'd thought I'd share.

I've been taking lessons for about 3 months now and I have to stay they are really paying off. I'll be the first to admit I was against them when I first started playing guitar 2 years ago. At first, I didn't think his teaching methods were working because I more or less decided what we'd work on. I'd show him a song I wanted to learn, he'd help me learn it. He'd normally show me an easier way to finger a chord or an easier way to play a riff. After a while, the mentally sinks in and I've been taking that approach to everything. "If I used my 3rd and 4th fingers for these notes I wouldn't have to move my hand so much." It sticks and I've been learning songs much faster and playing them alot smoother.

We worked on You Know You're Right, after the lesson, I more or less had the main riff down. A couple days of practicing it I don't even have to think about playing it. It's weird but it's like my fingers know exactly what to do without me telling them(if that makes any sense).

I used to try to learn a song, give up after a couple days of working on it then try to come back to it after a month or so thinking maybe I'm good enough to attempt the song again. Sometimes, it works. But now I try to learn a song, and am not getting anywhere, I figure I'm probably not playing it the simplest way (or am playing it too fast).

Anyway, thought I'd share that. It's not a rant of frustration or a question but worth mentioning. Know if I could get my timing better I'd have it made...........

SprayTech · #2 August 19th, 2007

Sounds like things are going good for you Peptic

I am still waiting for this to happen ..... LOL

I know from playing alot of golf and shooting sporting clays , you let the brain stay out of it after building muscle memory , things will just click , and is like "WOW"

eddiez152 · #3 August 19th, 2007

Pptic,
Happy to hear this, and that its helped you a lot.

GeetarGal101 · #4 August 20th, 2007

Your post kind of hit home with me, Peptic. After woodshedding for a few days, I've been thinking that some lessons might be in order. Maybe they would do me as much good as they have with you.

Glad to hear that you're doing so well with the new approach.

karcey · #5 August 20th, 2007

I wonder if that'll happen for an old bloke. Maybe one day I can post a similar story. Glad to hear you're getting there.

kajwhite · #6 August 20th, 2007

Fair play to you Peptic. I get quite disillusioned at times as I cannot seem to cross the divide between accompanying myself and fingerpicking a tune. I seem to be somewhere in the middle at the moment. At the lower end of the fretboard I try really hard not to look at my left hand and I do tend to hit the chords bang on on most occasions.

To lift my spirits I watch videos of real good players such as the attached URL and promise myself that one day I will be able to play 'almost' as good as them.

YouTube - Doug Smith

To lift myself I watch people like the attached and promise myself that one day I will be able to play 'almost' as good as that.

geitenvla · #7 August 20th, 2007

Great you're making progress by taking lessons. I always wondered if it would pay of for me to take a few. I guess I'm pretty autodidactic but sometimes I feel like I miss the basics of music. Everything I know I learned either from someone else or by hearing and figuring out how it works.

Thing is, I'm playing for 12 years now and I'm so accustomed to my own way of playing (which is pretty fair) that I'm scarred to take a few lessons. I'm sure I'm doing a lot of things not by the numbers and I don't feel like going to a total learing stage again...

As for you... You are not as molded as I am, so I think it will be very useful for you to grab some lessons. I'm sure they'll pay off after a couple of years and by then I will listen to you in envy

Noodler · #8 August 20th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by geitenvla

Great you're making progress by taking lessons. I always wondered if it would pay of for me to take a few. I guess I'm pretty autodidactic but sometimes I feel like I miss the basics of music. Everything I know I learned either from someone else or by hearing and figuring out how it works.

Thing is, I'm playing for 12 years now and I'm so accustomed to my own way of playing (which is pretty fair) that I'm scarred to take a few lessons. I'm sure I'm doing a lot of things not by the numbers and I don't feel like going to a total learing stage again...

As for you... You are not as molded as I am, so I think it will be very useful for you to grab some lessons. I'm sure they'll pay off after a couple of years and by then I will listen to you in envy

Don't be afraid of getting lessons if you've been playing for years. You could really enjoy them. I've gone back to lessons after years of "Noodling" (hence the name), and it's great. I've learned new chords I somehow missed, like 6ths and major 7ths (my new favourite of all time) and 6/9s, major 13ths, etc. My teacher is a fantastic musician, who'd say you don't have to do anything by numbers.

And because you already know so much, you get real value for money. We can do a new chord shape or technique and 3 songs in 1/2hr. Not cheap, but it's inspired me to look deeper at harmony, and it's been a real process of discovery musically even more than playing guitar. Just find a cool teacher (a gigging muso).

starsailor · #9 August 20th, 2007

That's a good approach PepticDust. The lessons act as complimentary to your own practice, self - teaching can sometimes lack discipline so lessons are useful to underpin the whole process, good post and not a rant at all, thanks for sharing your experience.

Cheers

Chris

geitenvla · #10 August 20th, 2007

Quote:

Don't be afraid of getting lessons if you've been playing for years. You could really enjoy them. I've gone back to lessons after years of "Noodling" (hence the name), and it's great. I've learned new chords I somehow missed, like 6ths and major 7ths (my new favourite of all time) and 6/9s, major 13ths, etc. My teacher is a fantastic musician, who'd say you don't have to do anything by numbers.

And because you already know so much, you get real value for money. We can do a new chord shape or technique and 3 songs in 1/2hr. Not cheap, but it's inspired me to look deeper at harmony, and it's been a real process of discovery musically even more than playing guitar. Just find a cool teacher (a gigging muso).

Thing is, I don't know a lot about music. I can't read music scores and I have a hard time deciphering them. Music has always been a hearing thing for me.
I'm definitely positive I could learn a great deal when taking lessons, but I'd have to find someone who's very easy going, as you said.

I once met a teacher who was very conservative. I remember him putting me down 'cause I didn't position my hand the right way, didn't hold my guitar properly yadayadayada... so I imagined a huge "F" in my mind and never gave it another serious thought.

But hey, maybe if I ever come across the right guy (preferably female

) I hook up with it... or her

Noodler · #11 August 22nd, 2007

I'm sorry you had such a negative experience, geitenvla. I met someone bad like that too, once. If you go for a classical teacher, then music scores and exact finger/thumb placement are all part of that style. Just stipulate that you don't want to do classical. Be honest; even say, "I want the sort of teacher who sounds cool and won't correct me for sticking my left thumb over the top of the guitar."

A good bit of advice in finding a teacher is to call a biggish music shop if you live in the city. Say, "This is the style/ these are the styles I want to play." They will be able to put you in touch with an good teacher. Many bigger music stores have their own teachers. That's how I found my teacher, who is great, and the other guys there are great too (you hear them playing).

Peptic, another good thing about my teacher is that he makes me stick at techniques, even if I find them hard at first until they get easier (which can take months).

Hilch · #12 August 23rd, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeetarGal101

Your post kind of hit home with me, Peptic. After woodshedding for a few days, I've been thinking that some lessons might be in order. Maybe they would do me as much good as they have with you.

Glad to hear that you're doing so well with the new approach.

I have to try this woodshedding , what is it ?

Sounds like a heap of fun ...

I thought about finding yet another teacher , I want to learn my kind of music and not what is popular music . Some C&W some rock a little metal , hey if it sounds good I want to learn it .Not something someone else likes . My last teacher wanted me to learn Patsy Kline ...How old do I look damn it ..

43 --- turning 24 reeeeeal soon

Noodler · #13 August 24th, 2007

So you want to learn both kinds of music - Country and Western? What's wrong with Patsy Cline then?

What I've found a little hard to find is a teacher of country lead. Or this gear:

YouTube - Brian Setzer Guitar Lesson!

Hoping the Travis Picking lesson will help.

coldethyl · #14 August 25th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilch

43 --- turning 24 reeeeeal soon

You wish!

I know how you feel though Trev. I'm nearly 45 but going on 25.

si16 · #15 August 25th, 2007

I'm 33 going on 70. Last week when I was having my hair cut, the barber told me that I have unusually hairy ears and that people don't normally have ears this hairy until they are in their sixties. That's one way to talk yourself out of a tip. Unfortunately it's true. As Billy Connolly once said, it's hard to imagine anything that can happen to you in later life that requires long ear hair to deal with it.