Conference napalm::guitar

    Kids or adults?

    or TEENAGERS!!!

well, need I say, I've been here..

Maybe this is a small offering of advice, but this is what I found
the more prevalant problem.

Your approach is correct by the way..  Mix it up a bit try and
cover all the grounds at once...

You may find that (especially if these kids are in the 12 to 15 year old
or so...)  they're gonna want to fly before they can crawl.. and
so this may lead to some impatience as you try to bring them
up the ladder...  The impatience will imediately lend itself to
other problems...

So when you talk to them and sound them out, try to establish some
groud rules up front.  those rules being it's gonna take some time
to play at the level that they may want to play at.  They'll start
at the basics, and slowly work up..  Give them the incentive by
telling them that if they start at the ground level.. one day,
without even realizing it, they'll have advanced their ability,
but only because they worked for it.. It didn't just COME to them
in a puff..

good luck..

    
    
    
    	And remember Am9 to D13
    
    
    e      
    b      
    g      5        5
    d      5        4
    a      
    e
    
    	I'm speaking as a student.... I needed to go away with a little
    cool playing at first (easy stuff like this nifty two finger change).
    
    
    Regards,
    Gree Vee King... Go with tone, my brother

	I've got a 13 year-old lefty and his Dad. Both want to learn.

	I'm going to schedule them on separate nights. I'm going to
	be clear with both of them that they have separate roads and
	will progress at different rates, etc...

	Both are beginners. The parental unit is from down south and
	has expressed an interest in country. I have yet to meet the
	kid but I expect he's into Nelson and all that other stuff.

	I hope to get both of them actually playing as quickly as
	possible.

	Thanks for the pointers, Ray & Gree Vee

    
    I have a friend who wants to begin teaching, but he himself learned
    intuitively, and by ear.  He has a background of theory that's acquired
    by practice, not from a book.  Can anyone recommend a book that could
    give him a way to spell it out to his students?
    
    Also, how much of what (theory, musicianship, playing, scales, chords,
    example, practice, whatever) goes into each half-hour or hour-long
    lesson?  How much time do you spend on what so it comes across as a
    complete whole, and gives the student enough material to work on, keeps
    their interest, and enables them to grow as a musician?
    
    thankqueue,
    
    -Jody

Folks,

	I've doodling with the guitar for nigh on 30 years, and a few days
ago I spotted an ad in the local (Southampton UK) paper along the lines of:

"Guitar tuition any style....blues rock etc, taught by ex GIT California
....blah blah blah...phone John.

I have been feeling in a bit of a rut lately not being in a band for the last
seven years, and the Ad took my interest.

Well I have never had any guitar lessons in my life, so I spent a little time 
on the phone with him saying I am in a bit of a rut but love blues/rock stuff.

I told him I've got average chops plus little  chord and theory knowledge.

He says his teaching style is NOT to go through all the scales/theory (which
suited me!), but to take a classic solo ie. If I wanted blues then a la 
"Crossroads". Then he would progress to teach it to *absolutely* the same as the
recording ie. notes, phrasing, vibrato, timing, techniques, etc.

He said I would probably find this much harder than I expected because most 
folks would rip the solo off "close enough" with their own flavour.

However, he said the learning I would get from this is tremendous, because the
of detailed knowledge I would gain from examining and copying the track 
*perfectly*  

I would guess he would then do the same for the next song etc, etc, 

This technique of teaching he says, is the best way for a tutor/student to work
effectively and to enable the student to improve.

Any comments on this ????

Have any of you taught/been taught in this manner ???

I am seeing him for the first time tommorow (sunday 5 Sept).

Oh, yes and by the way, he is charging about 14 pounds/hour.

Dave Litten

PS. Do any of you know if Keith Wyatt ( he of tuition video fame) has produced
    a second video yet...or has he released any albums ?

    Dave
    
    How did the lesson go ? I'm looking for a teacher in the
    Winchester (UK) area, and if this guy's OK I might give him
    a call
    
    Pete

    
    
    This is the way my classical lessons go.  I pick a piece I would like 
    to play or my teacher suggests a piece that employs particular
    techniques I may be weak on.  He normally plays it through at the
    correct speed pointing out the tricky bits etc. I will work on it at
    home & try to play the piece the next lesson if I succeed fine, if not
    we disect the piece & hammer out the problem area.
    
    	Pete.
    

    
    
    	That's the way my lessons tend to go, I'll pick something I want to
    	play (ie, My last words - Megadeth) and then he learns it and when 
    	I turn up next time he looks at me very seriously eye to eye and 
    	says 'You ain't gonna find this easy......(shake of the head)...
    
    	But it's a good way to learn, what tends to happen is I'll get
    	stuck with a particular phrase or technique and then he'll pull that
    	apart and we'll work on it till it's sorted. Another thing he spends
    	lots of time doing is talking about having the 'right' attitude to be
    	able to play certain things. I really rate him, if anyone wants to
    	give him a go let me know, his name's Andy Gentry and he charges 
    	10 quid an hour....which normally turns out to be closer to
    3/4hrs..
    
    	J