Finding a Guitar Teacher

How to find the right guitar teacher for you.

Are you tired of struggling with online lessons? Not having much luck teaching yourself? Is your friend or relative losing patience with you? Sounds like it's time to find a guitar teacher. Beginning guitar students have lots of choices these days, but that's not necessarily a good thing! There are resources all around, some of them great, some good and some pretty bad.

Don't believe the hype!

Regardless of what you read, you WILL NOT learn guitar in a week, a weekend, 21 days, or whatever they promise. Yes, you can improve, play a few simple songs, or learn a some technique, but the time frame is just not going to happen. I've played and taught guitar for over 40 years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty it ain't gonna happen. Guitar mastery is about muscle memory, repetition and good old "paying your dues."


Logical progression.

One of the things I've found with DVDs, CDs, tab books and online lessons is the lack of clarity. Yes, you need to learn a basic set of skills, but not necessarily in the order that a particular book, method or teacher is introducing them. I have students that want to know when they're going to learn chords, or when they'll be a able to play a favorite song, and the answer is usually something along the line of when you're ready. Music is made of melody, harmony and rhythm, and it's very difficult to try to learn all of those elements at once. So, what should you learn first? Decide what you like, whether or not you're going to sing, and take into consideration any prior experience you've had on guitar or other instruments. No experience? Probably at least a basic understanding of note reading, rhythm and eventually, chords. Want to play and sing? Chords first. Remember that everyone's different and there isn't a "one size fits all" way to learn guitar. This is where finding a teacher is helpful.


So, how do you find a good teacher?

• Ask around. Have any friends, relatives or business associates that play guitar? Sometimes a referral is the best way.
• Call local music stores. Most music stores offer lessons and have a variety of teachers who teach many different styles. The guitar is a very versatile instrument, so if you can find someone that plays and likes the music that you like, that will be helpful.
• Bulletin boards, Craig's List, local newspapers. Our town has a local newspaper that has classifieds and there are usually ads for music instruction. The internet can also be a good place to find someone, especially if they have a website with lots of information.

Next post I'll go into what questions are frequently asked and what questions you should ask. Some teachers and music stores offer a free introductory lesson or a short term commitment, so that's worth checking out to be sure you and the guitar teacher get along.

Your Fretting Hand Has 4 Fingers and a Thumb, Use Them!

Actually, your pinky will work if you start using it.

I hear it and see it all the time, beginning guitar students doing everything they can to avoid using the pinky. They find lots of creative fingerings to get around it instead of exercising it, working with it and training it to function. Yes, it's hard at first, yes, it seems easier to use one of the other fingers, no, it's not the best way to play the guitar. With a little time and effort your pinky can work as well as the others.

 Exercises to strengthen the pinky.


Most guitar students spend way too little time warming up. You need to stretch and strengthen your fingers and loosen up before you start to actually play songs and scales. Here are a couple of basic exercises to get you started. The important thing to remember is that YOU HOLD THE 1ST (INDEX/POINTER) FINGER DOWN THROUGHOUT THESE EXERCISES.

Exercise 1:

• Play the 1st string, (the skinny one), with your 1st finger at the 1st fret.
• Play the 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 1st string.
• Play the 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.
• Play the 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.

So you should have played the 1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret and 4th fret using one finger for each fret. Now go backwards, 4th fret, 3rd fret, 2nd fret, 1st fret. Practice this exercise twice on each string, playing as many strings as you can play comfortably. Remember, it's like any other exercise program, start out slowly and don't play it to the point of being in pain. Most beginning guitar students will be able to play the first two or three strings. As your fingers get stronger you'll be able to play the exercises more easily and on more strings.

Exercise 2:

• Again, start at the 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
• Now play the 1st string, 3rd fret with your 3rd finger. Don't forget to leave the 1st finger on the 1st fret.
• 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.
• 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.

Again, do this exercise twice on each string, as many strings as you can do comfortably.

Exercise 3:

• 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
• 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.
• 1st string, 4th fret, 4th finger.
• 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.

You know the drill, twice on each string, as many as you can do comfortably.

Start out each practice or playing session with these exercises and soon your pinky will work as well as your other fingers.

Thumbs up.

There's always a question as to whether or not you should use the thumb to fret notes. Most classical guitar players and teachers frown on that, but most players in other styles of music find it useful. Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, and many others have used the thumb, so if it's convenient, use it. I use my thumb to fret the 1st fret of the 6th string when I play the F chord, and at other frets as well. Some people have hands that are too small for that to work, but you should feel free to experiment. I sound like one of those drug commercials on TV....."ask your teacher if using the thumb is right for you!"

Are You Spending Too Much Time in Your Comfort Zone?

Practicing what doesn't need practicing.

First of all, yes, reviewing old material is good. What many beginning guitar students do is practice what they already know, not what they're supposed to be learning. I hear the "that's too hard" excuse many times in the course of a week. Usually it means, "it's easier to play what I already know". The way to improve your guitar playing is to be trying new songs, picking techniques, working on rhythm and all the other things your teacher is showing you.

Getting distracted.

Where do you practice and how many times during practice is there an interruption? Cell phones, the internet, texting, television, way too many distractions. I even had a student tell me one time that he had the radio on in the background while he practiced!  Upon further questioning, he assured me that it was at a very low volume and not at all interfering with what he was doing. Wow.

Goals during practice.

Is it possible to have set goals and still have fun playing the guitar? Absolutely. There are times when you do need to be completely serious, but there are also times when you can let go. I encourage my guitar students to make a game out of practice. See if you can play the song or exercise a certain number of times without a mistake. See how slow or how fast you can play. Make up words to the songs, you get the idea.

Get out of the comfort zone.

Everyone needs to push once in a while to keep improving. Problem areas include never being able to memorize a song, going back and playing songs that are way too easy at this point, and never totally finishing a song. If there are still trouble spots, FIX THEM. Don't practice mistakes, and don't avoid the harder passages. Almost every song has at least one, so work it out.

But I Don't Deserve a Good Guitar

Do you deserve a new guitar?

Have you been thinking about buying a new, better guitar don't think you "deserve" it. I have students who believe they should earn a more expensive instrument by attaining a certain level before they reward themselves. Then there are others who go out and buy an instrument that's probably more than they need, or is it? There are two schools of thought, and maybe after reading this post your viewpoint will change. At the very least you'll have some food for thought.


The guitar as a reward.

Setting goals and offering a reward, in this case a new guitar, can be a motivating factor, but are you sacrificing something that would make beginning guitar much easier? Does your current guitar at least play and sound good? Buying an inexpensive guitar used to be a much worse idea. Basically, if you bought a cheap guitar you got a cheap guitar. With the lower price point more competitive now, the manufacturers are improving the quality. The bar has been raised and it's much more difficult to pass off a poorly made guitar. So, if you're happy with your present guitar you probably should keep it for a while until you reward yourself with a nicer, better sounding one.

The guitar as a motivational tool.

The other way to look at it is by investing a larger amount of money you'll be more motivated to practice. When you've handed over more of your hard earned cash it shows a higher commitment level than the ever popular "I won't lose much if I quit." Beginning guitar students have that attitude a lot more than you'd think, and I can't but think to myself, strike one. When they come in with a guitar that's obviously been given serious thought, it shows that it's not just a trial period to see if they like it.
Many of the major brands including Martin, and Taylor among others, have entry level guitars that are
well made and reasonably priced. Does a Baby Taylor or a Martin DX sound as good as their expensive guitars? No, but when you own a guitar made by a reputable builder you know you haven't wasted your money on an entry level instrument.

So the main points to keep in mind are to do some research, get some opinions from guitar players you know, and most important, try to choose an instrument that you'll keep for at least the first couple of years until the guitar bug gets you. Once that happens you'll be hooked.

What's Your Excuse?

Having trouble finding time to practice?

We all have busy schedules, but those that really want to learn guitar simply find the time! I've heard enough excuses that I've toyed with the idea of writing "The Beginning Guitarist's Excuse Book.) Kids, family, work, vacations, you name it, there's a never ending list of excuses.

Get up earlier? Are you kidding me?

Learning to play guitar, or any other instrument, requires commitment and time to practice. Too many people are content with practicing 15 to 20 minutes a few days a week, then upset because they don't see much progress. I go through their typical day, and if it seems like there's not a spare minute, they look at me like I'm a space alien when I suggest staying up later or getting up earlier.

"I haven't practiced, should I come to my lesson anyway?"

Another pet peeve. You should absolutely come to your guitar lesson anyway, we can still teach you something. Skipping the lesson is like skipping the gym, the more you do it the easier it becomes. Your guitar teacher can find lots of ways to fill the time even if you haven't picked up the guitar all week. You can work on theory, rhythm,  scales, finger exercises, or just spend the lesson doing what you should have done all week, practice.

"I'm going to take a short hiatus."

Again, bad idea. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the vast majority don't come back, or at least not in a short time frame. Usually it's a couple years later, accompanied with lamenting about how they should have stuck with it.

The bottom line.

The bottom line is that if you're going to pursue anything, playing music, writing a book, learning a skill or a hobby, you have to commit yourself to it. My theory is that if you really, truly want to do it, you'll find the time.

What Are You Working On?

Are you practicing or just "noodling around" on your guitar?

To make continual progress, you need to be working on something. While it's fun for a beginning guitar player to perform songs he or she already plays well, it doesn't do a lot for moving forward. I'm not saying playing guitar should be all work and no play, but if you're looking to play better it's necessary to work at it. Each serious practice session should at least have a couple of goals, things you're working on.


Scales and alternate picking.

One way to move along is to improve your playing techniques. Scales help with muscle memory as well as developing your ear. Most people seem to think that playing by ear is a mysterious skill that can only be learned by talented, gifted students of music. However, once you know a little theory and you get used to the sound of scales and chords you'll find that it is a skill that most people can learn. Using alternate picking, (picking down and up), is a good technique to develop while practicing scales. It helps you find the strings and maneuver the pick. You'll find that many songs have passages that are simply scales or parts of scales.

Songs that are a challenge.

You don't have to choose a song that's way over your head, but your playing will improve with songs that are at least a little more difficult than what you're used to. Most beginning guitar books and most teachers will provide you with songs and exercises that get progressively harder. I don't encourage my students to gloss over songs, but I do try to keep them moving forward. Once you've got a song to a level where you just need to polish it up, see if your guitar teacher thinks you're ready to tackle another.

Keep on keepin' on.

The last bit of advice for today is to not get discouraged, don't be in too big a hurry, and remember that playing guitar is a long term commitment. Too many times the student will "pull the plug" when things get more difficult, and then years later pick up the guitar again, wishing they hadn't stopped!

Guitar Players That Have Influenced Me the Most

Today I thought I'd name a few of the guitarists I listened to when I started playing.

This is by no means a complete list.

Doc Watson. I discovered Doc on a trip to our local library's record collection. It was a 33rpm album simply titled "Doc Watson".  Back then the albums described the artist as well as the songs on the record. I read that he played fiddle tunes on guitar, with a pick, and when I heard him do that I was amazed! There were very few bluegrass guitar players doing that in the 1960s. He also plays country blues using his fingers instead of a pick, and it was my first introduction to open tunings. I had no idea as a beginning guitar player that anyone tuned to a chord. If you're not familiar with Doc, check him out. Even though he's in his 80s now, he's still an awesome guitar player!

Chet Atkins. I heard his name time and again, and finally checked him out. I was under the impression that he was mostly a country guitar player, so was quite surprised at the many types of songs he had on his albums. He was a fingerstyle player, with a solid, alternating bass line going while the fingers played the melody and some harmony to the songs. You would swear that you were hearing more than one guitar. In fact, John Fahey, an accomplished guitarist in his own right, said in a Guitar Player Magazine interview that he was sure there was "no way that's just one guitar." Chet made albums with a diverse group of his contemporaries including Jerry Reed, Les Paul, Mark Knopfler and others. Again, if you're not familiar with Chet or his music, there's still plenty of it available.

Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Paul Simon.

Peter and Paul are the ones from the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. I was absolutely a fanatic about fingerpicked, acoustic guitar and these guys were my favorites. I'd say I learned most of what I played by listening to these 3. Paul Simon got me hooked when he recorded Anji, a guitar instrumental that I still play. All of these guys demonstrate the 3 Ts of music: Timing, Tone and Taste.

Still crazy about guitar after all these years.

While that hardly scratches the surface, I think it demonstrates how other players can shape your playing. I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and I can honestly say that I still love it. So if you're just beginning guitar, find a good teacher, immerse yourself in the kind of music you enjoy, and open your eyes and ears to as many types of music as you can. I've always felt that I could learn something from everyone, even those that play music that's not necessarily what I like. I've learned and added songs, licks and tricks from all kinds of artists, guitarist or not.