Showing posts with label do. Show all posts
Showing posts with label do. Show all posts
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Do You REALLY Think You Can Learn Guitar in 7 Days
Right now on Amazon: Master the Guitar in 7 Days $.099
Seriously? Wow, why the heck has it taken others so long? And were talking Mastering the guitar, not just playing it. Heres a dose of reality, its not going to happen! Yes, you can learn a 2 chord song in 7 days. Will you have it mastered? Doubtful. Is it a song youd be proud to show your friends? Hey, you guys want to jam on Skip to my Lou? Google play guitar in 7 days and youll be shocked and amazed at how many courses there are. Heres the hot tip of the day, save your money. Beginning guitar, getting better at guitar, mastering the guitar is a long term investment of time and money. If it were possible in a short time, there would be a lot more great guitar players.
OK, how long does it take?
The guitar is a very versatile instrument. Ive had students who took lessons for years, and Ive had students who were happy with knowing enough chords to strum and sing some songs. Remember, its not how long youve played, its how many hours you put in. I can tell you that it wont be a week or even a month. The big secret is that like every other worthwhile skill it takes time, dedication and practice. Getting by the total beginner stage in about 6 months is a good goal. The most important consideration is how good to you want to be?
Are these courses any good at all?
Surprisingly, Im going to say yes. I just cant imagine advertising something in that way when Im sure they all know its not going to happen. Theres good material in a lot of the lessons, theres even good stuff available for free. The problem is in making outrageous claims. Playing and learning guitar without a teacher involves lots of self discipline, the ability to decide if youre doing things correctly, and being able to not want or need any feedback. You cant ask a DVD, a CD or a book a question. Without being able to actually watch a student its very difficult to help solve problems. So, do you want to save a few bucks and be a do it yourselfer? Or, are you willing to make the sacrifice and spend the time and money to get started the right way?
Seriously? Wow, why the heck has it taken others so long? And were talking Mastering the guitar, not just playing it. Heres a dose of reality, its not going to happen! Yes, you can learn a 2 chord song in 7 days. Will you have it mastered? Doubtful. Is it a song youd be proud to show your friends? Hey, you guys want to jam on Skip to my Lou? Google play guitar in 7 days and youll be shocked and amazed at how many courses there are. Heres the hot tip of the day, save your money. Beginning guitar, getting better at guitar, mastering the guitar is a long term investment of time and money. If it were possible in a short time, there would be a lot more great guitar players.
OK, how long does it take?
The guitar is a very versatile instrument. Ive had students who took lessons for years, and Ive had students who were happy with knowing enough chords to strum and sing some songs. Remember, its not how long youve played, its how many hours you put in. I can tell you that it wont be a week or even a month. The big secret is that like every other worthwhile skill it takes time, dedication and practice. Getting by the total beginner stage in about 6 months is a good goal. The most important consideration is how good to you want to be?
Are these courses any good at all?
Surprisingly, Im going to say yes. I just cant imagine advertising something in that way when Im sure they all know its not going to happen. Theres good material in a lot of the lessons, theres even good stuff available for free. The problem is in making outrageous claims. Playing and learning guitar without a teacher involves lots of self discipline, the ability to decide if youre doing things correctly, and being able to not want or need any feedback. You cant ask a DVD, a CD or a book a question. Without being able to actually watch a student its very difficult to help solve problems. So, do you want to save a few bucks and be a do it yourselfer? Or, are you willing to make the sacrifice and spend the time and money to get started the right way?
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Why Do Some Guitars Cost Less Than 100 While Others Cost Thousands
A lot of times well get that question and the answer is why does a Hyundai cost less than a Mercedes? In both instances its workmanship, materials and the branding. Martin, Gibson and Fender are all well known brands and while they have cheaper instruments in their lines they can also cost thousands of dollars. If you have an older, more collectible one they can run into 6 figures.
The less expensive the guitar, the more cheaply its made, simple as that. If you buy a guitar at Walmart, Target or Sams Club, you can expect the quality to be in direct proportion to the price. While the lower priced models have gotten better because of competition, theres really no comparison.
In the next blog post Ill describe some of the differences in guitars so you can get the most for your money. Even though I said in the previous paragraph that you get what you pay for there are some good buys out there. Again using the car example, just because the Mercedes is more expensive it doesnt necessarily mean you cant buy a good car for less.
The less expensive the guitar, the more cheaply its made, simple as that. If you buy a guitar at Walmart, Target or Sams Club, you can expect the quality to be in direct proportion to the price. While the lower priced models have gotten better because of competition, theres really no comparison.
In the next blog post Ill describe some of the differences in guitars so you can get the most for your money. Even though I said in the previous paragraph that you get what you pay for there are some good buys out there. Again using the car example, just because the Mercedes is more expensive it doesnt necessarily mean you cant buy a good car for less.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
When Your Best Isnt Good Enough What Do You Do
What now, you may ask.
Beginning guitar students have lots of doubts in the beginning, and it can be very frustrating. Lets say your guitar teacher has given you a song you really like, youve practiced and practiced and its just not coming together. What do you do now? Have you reached a plateau, or are you not going to play any better?
Analysis, but not too much.
The first step is to record yourself and listen to what your playing sounds like. Is it as bad as you thought? Better? Worse? Be a critic, but dont beat yourself up over it. Listen with an open mind and be objective. Think about whether the whole song sounds bad or whether its certain spots that you continue to have trouble with. Play the recording for your teacher so you can get a second opinion.
Ask for your teachers honest opinion.
Any good guitar teacher will be honest about the good and points of your playing, so ask for his or her opinion. Maybe the song is too hard for you at this point in your development and you need to acquire more skills. I had a 10 year old student who wanted to learn Crazy Train after hed been playing for only a few months. He insisted hed "practice real hard", but the my bad news for him was that he just didnt have the technique down. Its hard to accept the fact that you cant play what you want to play, but like anything else, you need to be prepared to wait.
Trust your teacher or your gut instinct?
Ive had students who get advice from so many different sources it makes things worse instead of better. Keep in mind that not everyone teaches the same way, and not everyone learns the same way. I let my students give it a shot, but if after a few weeks the song isnt fun anymore and theyve hit the proverbial brick wall, its time to step back and learn the techniques youll need before you attempt the song again. Not ready to give up? More power to you, but again, dont be afraid to learn something thats a little easier to play.
Beginning guitar students have lots of doubts in the beginning, and it can be very frustrating. Lets say your guitar teacher has given you a song you really like, youve practiced and practiced and its just not coming together. What do you do now? Have you reached a plateau, or are you not going to play any better?
Analysis, but not too much.
The first step is to record yourself and listen to what your playing sounds like. Is it as bad as you thought? Better? Worse? Be a critic, but dont beat yourself up over it. Listen with an open mind and be objective. Think about whether the whole song sounds bad or whether its certain spots that you continue to have trouble with. Play the recording for your teacher so you can get a second opinion.
Ask for your teachers honest opinion.
Any good guitar teacher will be honest about the good and points of your playing, so ask for his or her opinion. Maybe the song is too hard for you at this point in your development and you need to acquire more skills. I had a 10 year old student who wanted to learn Crazy Train after hed been playing for only a few months. He insisted hed "practice real hard", but the my bad news for him was that he just didnt have the technique down. Its hard to accept the fact that you cant play what you want to play, but like anything else, you need to be prepared to wait.
Trust your teacher or your gut instinct?
Ive had students who get advice from so many different sources it makes things worse instead of better. Keep in mind that not everyone teaches the same way, and not everyone learns the same way. I let my students give it a shot, but if after a few weeks the song isnt fun anymore and theyve hit the proverbial brick wall, its time to step back and learn the techniques youll need before you attempt the song again. Not ready to give up? More power to you, but again, dont be afraid to learn something thats a little easier to play.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
How Do I Know if Im Still a Beginner
What makes a guitar student a beginner?
I was teaching the other day and a guitar student of mine, after having played for 6 months, told me he felt like he was still a beginner. My reply? You ARE still a beginner. One of the hardest things to accept about learning an instrument is that you cant speed the process up very much. Yes, you can practice more, take more lessons, do research on the internet and buy books, but your muscle memory has to catch up. So, what does indicate that youre a beginner? If your chords are still sloppy, you have trouble changing from one to the other, your fingers dont move very quickly and you can only play a couple songs all the way through, youre still in the beginning stage.
How do you make the jump?
First and foremost, take a deep breath, relax, and understand that everyone makes progress at a different rate. If youve never played guitar or any other instrument, havent had a musical background, your parents or siblings dont play, youll just have to go slow and learn at your own pace. With the wealth of information out there today, sometimes it does more harm than good. More and more lately I have students asking about theory and techniques that really arent going to be useful at this point. They want to learn songs that theyre not capable of playing, and that just makes it more frustrating. The ability to focus, go slow, and really learn a song, concept or technique is where the emphasis should be placed. Getting to the next level requires basic skills, at least an elementary understanding of the music youre trying to play and the ability to play it well.
Dont be tempted to multitask.
Having a clear goal in mind and concentrating on one thing at a time is the best way to make steady progress. Dont worry about trying to master chords, notes, scales, or intervals all at once. Your guitar teacher can help you decide what to learn first. How you start learning guitar depends on what kind of music you like, whether or not youre going to sing and how much of a musical background you have. So work with your teacher on finding what will help you get where you want to go with music.
I was teaching the other day and a guitar student of mine, after having played for 6 months, told me he felt like he was still a beginner. My reply? You ARE still a beginner. One of the hardest things to accept about learning an instrument is that you cant speed the process up very much. Yes, you can practice more, take more lessons, do research on the internet and buy books, but your muscle memory has to catch up. So, what does indicate that youre a beginner? If your chords are still sloppy, you have trouble changing from one to the other, your fingers dont move very quickly and you can only play a couple songs all the way through, youre still in the beginning stage.
How do you make the jump?
First and foremost, take a deep breath, relax, and understand that everyone makes progress at a different rate. If youve never played guitar or any other instrument, havent had a musical background, your parents or siblings dont play, youll just have to go slow and learn at your own pace. With the wealth of information out there today, sometimes it does more harm than good. More and more lately I have students asking about theory and techniques that really arent going to be useful at this point. They want to learn songs that theyre not capable of playing, and that just makes it more frustrating. The ability to focus, go slow, and really learn a song, concept or technique is where the emphasis should be placed. Getting to the next level requires basic skills, at least an elementary understanding of the music youre trying to play and the ability to play it well.
Dont be tempted to multitask.
Having a clear goal in mind and concentrating on one thing at a time is the best way to make steady progress. Dont worry about trying to master chords, notes, scales, or intervals all at once. Your guitar teacher can help you decide what to learn first. How you start learning guitar depends on what kind of music you like, whether or not youre going to sing and how much of a musical background you have. So work with your teacher on finding what will help you get where you want to go with music.
Friday, July 26, 2013
What Do You Do to Learn A New Song
How to go about learning new material
Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they dont remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what its supposed to sound like.
Dont practice mistakes. When youre just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you cant make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.
Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.
Be patient and dont try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you cant play it slow, you cant play it fast.
Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.
Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they dont remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what its supposed to sound like.
Dont practice mistakes. When youre just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you cant make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.
Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.
Be patient and dont try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you cant play it slow, you cant play it fast.
Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.
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