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A good teacher can make all the difference--the problem is finding a
good one. Some techniques on the guitar are hard to "discover", no
matter what you know about theory. Theory, however, can be learned on
your own, but its the ear training that is essential in conjunction
with theory. I think that, once you have enough theory and knowledge
of chords, voicings, scales and modes, there is no substitute for
playing with other people. I feel it is so important to find either a
bass player or a rhythm guitarist. A rhythm guitarist with a strong
knowledge of theory can be a far out springboard for discovery! I
highly respect your efforts to develop your own style and avoid
covers--but there is such a thing as mastering a tradition. Learning
and playing tunes that people are familiar with can be an excellent
starting point for improvization or embellishment--the audience has a
frame of reference. Also, most musical cultures are like a library of
ideas and motifs, styles and conventions. A teacher can speed up
exposure to that library. One set of books that I found to be pretty
useful is the Berkely guitar books 1 through 3. It was amazing to
learn how hard it was for me to go back to the fundamentals after
years and years of bad habits--but good for getting beyond habitual
barriers.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "ultra_blue" <ultra_blue@y...> wrote:
> Hey, everybody:
>
> I've had some recent experiences with guitar instructors and I
> thought y'all might be able to provide me with some advice.
>
> First off, let me say that I've noodling for about 20 years; I've
had
> some theory at the college level, and some band/gig experience, a
few
> years ago.
>
> Ever since I first picked up the guitar, I've never really played
> covers. Sure, I learned some standard guitar store licks (Smoke on
> the Water, Stairway to Heaven, etc), but the vast majority of my
work
> has been original. I would much rather play my own stuff than other
> people's, and frankly, I'm pretty good at it. This has left some
> pretty big gaps in my edumacation (especially with leads) and I've
> sought to fill those holes with formal training.
>
> However, I'm a little soured by the experiences that I've had. Of
the
> last three instructors that I've tried (who have also gotten the
> above introduction), not a single one has asked me to play for them
> or requested a recording before beginning instruction. This seems
to
> be an utter waste of my time. In addition, they all told me that if
I
> want to improve, I have to start learning covers. I have to say
that
> I think this is total BS. I'm pretty well set in my ways, and I
know
> I hold the pick funny, and that I should probably change my right
> hand position, but the days when that kind of stuff mattered to me
> are long gone.
>
> So, my questions to y'all are:
>
> Do I really need instruction or should I consider collaboration
> instead?
> Should I seek out mentors instead of instructors?
> Am I an unusual student and therefore need an unusual instructor?
>
> What's your feeling on learning covers as opposed to working on
> original material?
>
> Are there any instructors (or students) out there that could
provide
> some guidance as to what to look for (and look out for) when
choosing
> teachers?
>
> Is there a point in the learning process where "traditional"
> instruction is no longer going to provide good results?
>
> Would I be better off getting instruction with song-writing as
> opposed to technique? Do people teach that kind of thing?
>
> I would appreciate any responses... feel free to respond directly
to
> me, but I would prefer if the group had a chance to participate.
>
> Thanks!
> Blue
>
> Albuquerque, New Mexico
