Do people, those who want to learn how to play guitar for the first time, honestly need teachers to show them the way? Well most new guitarists feel that they can learn this very tricky art form on their own. On the internet there are some fantastic sites out there that can steer you in the right direction. Locating good guitar sites is the first big obstacle to overcome in this process. To those of you who just want to pick up the guitar for their own enjoyment, then this is the way to go and hats off to ya!
After a while of checking out sites and finding which one that works well for you at the beginner level, you should then start to think about getting a guitar teacher that is right for you. I think that you should search for great instructors in your area on line or better yet, ask some of the guitar players that you know where they took lessons from and get their true feelings about their teacher.
I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a natural ability to both play and picking up songs by ear at an early stage in my development as a guitarist. I was also blessed with having FABULOUS parents, who both supported my love of guitar, that gave me the financial backing in which to do so. They honestly watched my progression and my level of interest very closely. After proving to them that I could advance to the next level of playing they/we proceeded forward.
Everything came to a head for me when they found the best and most influential teacher that I ever had in Brantford. His name was Chris Peterson. He didn’t push me too hard, he saw the flaws in my techniques and was not afraid to tell me. He had this great quiet demeanor about him that I really respected.
The best starting point in finding a proper mentor for you is to get one that shares the same style of music that you both like. If you choose to sign up for lessons at a local music school, then go and talk to some of the guitar players who are just waiting around for their lesson to start and ask lots of questions about how they like the teacher and if the teacher shows a genuine interest in the students well being as a player! This will really pay off well for you later on down the road.
Plan a meet and greet with the perspective teacher, always money well spent. This will show them that you are interested in their ability to teach and this is also something that a good teacher likes to see in a student. Tell them what you want to get out of lessons and what little things they will show you that will help you out in your journey.
Having a good teacher correcting your path to becoming a good/great guitarist is very essential! If this person does not show you tons of technique then get ride of them! What I mean is not only finger but hand positioning of BOTH HANDS for example. If they just fly through lessons with you, always looking at the clock waiting for their break before starting the next lesson then F–K THEM! (hope my mom isn’t reading this post or out behind the shed I go!!!) Find a teacher who challenges you in nice ways. MOST IMPORTANT, never let teachers talk down to you! Your guitar ego is very sensitive during this phase of your development, so don’t wait too long to turf this clown if this is the case between you and your instructor! If you wait too long in an abusive relationship like this, you will give up because you feel like a failure and that is not what you’ve signed up for!
So I hope that I was helpful for some of you new guitar players that are serious about taking it to the next level of guitar playing.
If your interested in guitar lessons at the level that I am referring to in this post, then write me back and I’ll see what I can do. I tend to have 5 students at one time. If I have too many then I feel like some manufacturing plant for guitar players! I use this approach because I also love to watch the learning progression of people. The best thing about teaching to guitarist his the look in their eyes when they finally pull off a song that they never thought that they could play! It’s just good karma baby!!!
Keep on Jammin’
