# What teaching method did you guitar teacher use at first?



## BrianL (Jan 24, 2010)

So i signed up for guitar lessons about eight weeks ago. Have been going on a weekly basis. The idea was that i was going to be learning mostly rock and a little bit of country. So far we have only played songs like twinkle twinkle little star, jingle bells, mary had a little lamb, hot cros buns, and many others similar. The teacher plays the song first, picking the notes and then i play it a couple times and then choose another song. This is not quite what i had in mind and I sort of hinted that I would like to try something more like rock with some chords.. The next few lessons continued the same. I talked to a lot of people and no one has started out like this. I understand these types of songs are probably a great way to learn where the notes are on the fretboard but these songs get really boring after 2 months.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I'd be frustrated too. It's almost impossible to learn to play music by playing songs you don't like. Can you play chords already? If not, that is the reason for learning easy, recognizable, note-by-note songs is to get you fretting properly and reading music (hopefully). Your teacher should be teaching you proper form, good left and right hand technique etc.

Personally, I'd get a chord dictionary and learn chords as a _supplement _to the lessons. When I started learning guitar, I could already play bass, so the mechanics were not really an issue. I just banged my way through the book 1 letter at a time. Knowing better now, I would suggest learning G, C, and D major, followed by A and E major, then E minor and A minor. Then the Barre chords that follow the shape of the E and A (major and minor) chords you've learned. These chords and shapes get you through 90% of all popular music. Add 7ths and sus chords and you're pretty much done...

Then you need to learn Travis picking and all the other useful pick hand techniques.

Remember you need to crawl before you walk and walk before you run.


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## BrianL (Jan 24, 2010)

In the last week i've started teaching myself a few chords for Good Riddance by Greenday. I heard this was an easy song and theres a good video lesson on youtube. I've been checking out lots of online resources and im beginning to think teaching myself might be the way to go, along with helpful advice from people like you and everybody else in this forum. 

Thanks!


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

Good on ya for sticking it out 2 months with boring lessons. I start out with songs like that for kids but don't do that with adults. I've found that most adults will quit after 3 weeks if they can't play a song they like.

Can you read tab yet? If not then ask your teacher about it. Maybe your teacher mostly teaches kids and just isn't sure what to do with an adult. Try printing out some tabs or buying a tab book and taking that in, along with a CD of the songs and asking for help with them. Perhaps if you steer hard you can get onto the path you want. Otherwise it'll be time for a new teacher.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Like kat, I start out with simple tunes with kids (and often they like those simple tunes) but I'm more flexible with adults, though I do insist on learning proper technique and learning to read music (standard notation). I'm happy to teach songs they want to learn, but I also expect them to practice the "boring" stuff too. Its great that you are seeking out stuff you like to play - I strongly encourage that with my students, but I also don't allow students to count that in their "practice time".

I would encourage you to stick with your current teacher for a bit longer, if your still not happy, try a sample lesson or two with another teacher.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

those lessons dont sound much like fun...
i first learned by having a book of chords- id listen to a record, and try to learn a song- trying each chord until i found the right one. it was silly, but as i was learning songs i enjoyed, it was good.
id go with what youre doing with the green day tune- use youtube to learn to play songs you actually like- its important i think.
i gave lessons for a time in the mid 90s. all my students were under 16.
id ask- what bands do you listen to?
theyd reply- "nirvana"
of course, after a couple lessons the parents would be calling me to say "wow, my kid is playing guitar! howd you teach him to do that so fast? we cant get him to learn anything!"
the secret of course, is that the tunes were simple, knowing a handful of chords, you could strum along easily enough with a wee bit of help- and they loved the songs.
that first hurdle is playing the chords cleanly, and bieng able to strum out a tune you enjoy- everything gets easier from there-


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I started out playing one finger chords C, G7, G, to popular songs while my teacher played the melody. Kept my instrest level up while learnging the basic mechanics of playing.
After that it was picking while he played the chords. Learning songs and learning to read music on the high E string. When I mastered that he added another string, and another & another till I had all 6. While that was going on he was adding 2 finger chords, then 3 finger chords. I was totally inspired every week. And it was always songs I knew. If I didn't know the song, we didn't use it. Then came finger picking, lead runs, scales, etc. 
Good times.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

my first teacher launched right into scales and chords - followed by trying a song I really liked with tab as the guide.....he was 16 - I was 35! - I credit this teacher for getting me started very quickly and pointing me in the right direction in alignment with my goals without killing my interest.

on the other hand - I see the methods that my daughter's teacher is using - a method that I would have tired of quite quickly - but seems very effective with my daughter....starting out with those simple kid songs - moving onto the christmas theme around that time of year.......they're just now starting to get into more chord work after a year of going once a week.......I must admit - I was skeptical....i.e. - is this pace / method designed to keep my paying them for an extended period of time...knowing that as a parent I'll likely force her to keep going even if she hated it......maybe a little....but in reality - she can play the melody notes to these songs with proper timing without looking at her fretting or picking hand - reading off sheet music......impressive....I can't wait to hear what comes out of her sessions now - focussing on the rhythm and chords......


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## Xanadu (Feb 3, 2006)

He's teaching you to read music, which is useful. But as a guitar player I think being able to read a chord chart is much more important


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I learned by learning to read (which I knew from piano lessons, but now I was figuring it out on the guitar), but from there I learned theory, technique, etc, by playing single notes, then chords.
But I also started with a classical, so I learned some basics and then learned classical.
I don't really keep it up, as that takes a lot of time, and i prefer other styles, but I still play classical stuff here & there.

I found it frustrating at times, but I was learning the skills I was able to put to good use.

With smaller hands and no previous experience starting with single notes is a great way to learn the fingerboard, build up strength & co-ordination & that sort of thing.
But with bigger hands and some experience chords can be introduced earlier--especially if the student has been fooling around with that themselves.


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## BrianL (Jan 24, 2010)

Xanadu said:


> He's teaching you to read music, which is useful. But as a guitar player I think being able to read a chord chart is much more important


Actually, its a she, and shes not teaching me to read music. She just gives me a sheet of paper with the notes on it.. for example, Hot Cross Buns.. BAG BAG GGGG AAAA BAG. I got a stack of about 30 songs like that now.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

BrianL said:


> Actually, its a she, and shes not teaching me to read music. She just gives me a sheet of paper with the notes on it.. for example, Hot Cross Buns.. BAG BAG GGGG AAAA BAG. I got a stack of about 30 songs like that now.


Hmmmmm....


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

BrianL said:


> Actually, its a she, and shes not teaching me to read music. She just gives me a sheet of paper with the notes on it.. for example, Hot Cross Buns.. BAG BAG GGGG AAAA BAG. I got a stack of about 30 songs like that now.





bw66 said:


> Hmmmmm....


I think she likes you, but heck of a way to teach guitar.


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