Is my guitar teacher good

bballandtennis89 · #1 September 18th, 2006

I've been taking lessons since July and it's 21 dollars per lesson for thirty minutes. Well, my teacher is really good at guitar, something that I very much aspire to be. Anyways, each week he writes down tab for me to practice. Sometimes it's power chord stuff, sometimes it's fingerpicking, and other times it's just notes. He also has taught me how to mute notes. My question is, I feel like I suck still. I've been playing for like three months, and everytime he asked me to play what I practiced over the week I usually screw up. I practice every day for at least thirty minutes, should I practice more? Should he be teaching me theory and other stuff? Is he a good teacher?

Also, do you have to learn theory in order to play guitar successfully? Do all of the pros know how to read music? Thanks for your help.

allthumbs · #2 September 18th, 2006

3 months is not long. Give yourself a chance. 30 minutes isn't that much if that is all you do. On the other hand 30 minutes of solid practice and another 1/2 hour, at least, of exploring the fretboard and having fun is in order.
You need to have some basic playing under your belt before you tackle theory. You need something to apply theory to so it makes sense. The logic of chord progressions make a lot more sense if you can actually play the chords for instance. Music theory isn't just reading notes. In fact while being a very good skill to have, there are many other skill sets you could learn first. The caged system for one. The Circle of 5ths for another.
Hang in there. It takes time.

guttertrashsingalong · #3 September 18th, 2006

yea what at said

randomaire · #4 September 18th, 2006

Very well put AT. Is that the normal price for a 30 minute lesson though.. 21$... ! If so no wonder I never went to a teacher or instructor.

Me honestly, what would be the point of spending that much just to be told to go practice this chord or these notes etc? Basically what are the pluses and minuses?

allthumbs · #5 September 18th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomaire

Very well put AT. Is that the normal price for a 30 minute lesson though.. 21$... ! If so no wonder I never went to a teacher or instructor.

Me honestly, what would be the point of spending that much just to be told to go practice this chord or these notes etc? Basically what are the pluses and minuses?

If you really click with a teacher it can be great. The teacher also has to know how to teach as well as play. A good teacher will review your progress and help you with problem areas as well as steering you towards areas where your interest lies. If a teacher gives you new stuff every week and says memorize this and that is basically the lesson, you might as well be getting lessons out of a book.

randomaire · #6 September 18th, 2006

Lord knows I don't have tons of those lol.

But back on the topic though, hey if you're learning stuff everytime you go to these lessons and you honestly can say that you are improving, it may be small improvement but it is improvement, then I would say that you have a good teacher. Three months though? 3 years almost and I still basically suck in my own right. From what I'm learning though, I've only just begun to scratch the surface, wish I would have picked up a guitar when I was a wee lil babe though, would have been peeling paint off the walls right now with some awesome riffs and leads.... ahhh to dream.

bballandtennis89 · #7 September 18th, 2006

"wish I would have picked up a guitar when I was a wee lil babe though, would have been peeling paint off the walls right now with some awesome riffs and leads.... ahhh to dream."

I know man, I'm 17. If I would have started at like 6 or 7 and been playing for 10 years I can only dream of where I'd be right now. I lust to know that answer!!!! But oh well, I'm determined to get good.

coldethyl · #8 September 18th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by bballandtennis89

"wish I would have picked up a guitar when I was a wee lil babe though, would have been peeling paint off the walls right now with some awesome riffs and leads.... ahhh to dream."

I know man, I'm 17. If I would have started at like 6 or 7 and been playing for 10 years I can only dream of where I'd be right now. I lust to know that answer!!!! But oh well, I'm determined to get good.

I know what you mean. I'm 40+ yrs and I really wished I'd picked up a guitar and learned properly when I was "knee high to a grasshopper"

Stratrat · #9 September 19th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomaire

...wish I would have picked up a guitar when I was a wee lil babe though, would have been peeling paint off the walls right now with some awesome riffs and leads.... ahhh to dream.

I did start playing when I was a wee li'l babe (9 years old)....I just wish I would've stuck with it all those years instead of abandoning it for 25 of them!

Justapicker · #10 September 19th, 2006

Knowing theory and how to read music arre both helpful and I'd recommend it, but it's not essential.

If practicing 30 minutes a day isn't giving you the results you desire, practice more. Break it up into 15 minute segments so that your brain and fingers can absorb the material.

Three months is a very short time. It'll take years to "master" the instrument and "sucking" even after a year or so isn't uncommon. You have to focus on perfecting small things that ultimately will turn you into a musician. It's not a race.

As far as your teacher. If you feel you're learning then he's a good fit for you. If not, he isn't. Only you can be the judge of that.

coldethyl · #11 September 19th, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justapicker

Knowing theory and how to read music arre both helpful and I'd recommend it, but it's not essential.

If practicing 30 minutes a day isn't giving you the results you desire, practice more. Break it up into 15 minute segments so that your brain and fingers can absorb the material.

Three months is a very short time. It'll take years to "master" the instrument and "sucking" even after a year or so isn't uncommon. You have to focus on perfecting small things that ultimately will turn you into a musician. It's not a race.

As far as your teacher. If you feel you're learning then he's a good fit for you. If not, he isn't. Only you can be the judge of that.

That's good advice there Justapicker!

dougp23 · #12 September 19th, 2006

As someone else just starting out, I am taking lessons as well. My instructor is $18 a half hour, though I am sure it is a little dependent on where in the country you live!

Anyways, I think the first lesson was invaluable (I could play literally nothing). After first lesson, Twinkle Twinkle, mary Little Lamb, Dazed Confused ( Just bass part). After 2nd lesson, some chords. On my own, C, D, and G chords. So I think the lesson has been good. He laid out the 12 bar blues, and each week we revisit that, and he offers more input.

If you think you're not clicking with your teacher, try a new one. But it sounds like you're doing good. My humble opinion!

fly135 · #13 September 19th, 2006

bball, don't worry about the fact that after practicing a week you screw up in front of your teacher. There are many things that I've practiced for quite a while that I continue to screw up. Every now and then I'll play something really well, and then later be screwing it up again. But you'll notice over time that you play those things well more often.

It's particularly rewarding when small things that seemed impossible start becoming possible. Then you realize that improvement is a long slow process. And if you stick with it you will have more and more fun things to play under your belt.

doc0927 · #14 September 19th, 2006

Bball, I am 47 and started about 8 months ago and I went through the same reaction as you. I did jump ship to a different teacher about 5 months ago. Both teachers had very different approaches to getting me going. My first teacher was from the book and didn't believe in feedback. He never gave me positive or negative feedback. That wasn't why I was going but I sure could have used some feedback. Because when you start something like this, it takes a long time to graduate out of grades like "suck".

The second teacher is very positive and gives constructive feedback. I still grade myself as you do but I enjoy trying to get better. At my age, I have tried many things as hobbies but I never have started something that is measured in such small increments. Progress is painful. But, one way I know I am improving is in the fact that I record (cheap tape player) each lesson. This helps me hear my teachers opinion throughout the week. And if you want a shot of encouragement, listen to yourself 3 months ago. Or worse yet, I will send you a tape of how bad I was after 3 months. Ugly.

So, enjoy yourself is the key and never, ever, never compare yourself to your neighbor. A bad vise in anything. Good luck and keep it strumming because when you get to be 47, you will be thankful you did.

bballandtennis89 · #15 September 19th, 2006

Thanks for your replies guys. It's really helpful to know that you'all have or are going through the same "suck" period that I'm going through. I feel as though my teacher is a good teacher, and I also feel like I'm learning something new about the guitar everytime I go to lessons, scratch that...every time I pick up the guitar.

I really really hope that I can stick with this for many years to come. Hopefully I can someday play like my guitar hero, Jimmy Page. Yeah, like that will ever happen...