Any advice for recruited guitar teacher

Subject: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,BazT
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 06:59 AM

At a family get-together recently, my wife popped the King's Shilling into my pint and I ended up being drafted in to give my nephew guitar lessons. I'm a fairly good guitarist (ooohh!! get HIM!!!), and whilst I taught myself, I've never really taught anyone else. My nephew is 17 years old and his favourite music is Kelly Clarkson, Avril Levine, and Maroon 5. (All of which, by the way, is Greek to me....). I'm a fingerpicker in the style of Bert Jansch, John Renbourne et al, so there is no musical meeting of minds between us.

I've given him a few lessons, and he is certainly willing enough - he seems to have practiced well and has a fairly good grasp of most open chords, (majors, minors and sevenths). His changing between chords isn't really fluid, and if he does anything complicated with his right hand (like fingerspicking or arpeggiations with a plectrum) then his chord formation goes out of the window. So for now I have him strumming chords to his favourite Maroon 5 and Avril songs.

My question is - what do I do with him next? Every week we look at barre chords, but so far with no luck. Now I remember the pain trying to learn those myself, so I don't blame him for not picking them up quickly. We also do a bit of travis picking on one chord to try and get his fingers moving, but I think he's not too interested in that style of playing, so again, I don't blame him if he doesn't spend too musch time practicing that at home.

So I'm at a loss as how I can help him. I'm tempted to say "look, I can't really help you, here's a list of phone numbers of professional teachers", but before I do, I thoght I'd call on the collective wissom of the Mudcat to see if there are any suggestions out there.

Are there any teachers out there who could help me formulate a "lesson plan"?

Cheers,

Baz.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Leadfingers
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 07:16 AM

For learning to change chords smoothly try the 'basic' progression in different keys - C Am F G G7 , then G Em C D D7 , and so on ! When you can do all the runs smoothly , playing ANY piece of music NOT requiring 'Jazz' Chords will be fairly straight forward . If a simple picking style is incorporated , this will help with co-ordination !
When you are on F and A , there are enough Barre Chords to help with getting the feel of them too !

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Mooh
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 08:34 AM

Every lesson and practice session should start with warm-ups like a chromatic exercise/scale from (for example) low open E to G# on the first string, using all four left fingers, the first four frets and the open notes. Follow this with scales or the scale of the keys the practice pieces are in. Where applicable, do scales in both open and closed positions.

If chords are the focus, you may need to reduce string tension for beginners by tuning down a semi-tone (capo up if you need then to play along with a recording), or by guaging down to lighter strings. This is particularly handy for learning barre chords.

Practice strum patterns with fully muted strings so that the right hand is the focus before the left hand is brought into use. In any event, start with the simplest rhythm, strumming on beat one. Then strum on the beat. Last, complicate the rhythms with half beats, ties, syncopation, triplets, etc. Complicated rhythms turn off a lot of students and convince them they can't play. Ya gotta crawl before ya sprint, and this takes more than a few lessons to perfect.

If there is no meeting of the minds on tunes, concentrate on skills. Chords and chord theory, pick skills like alternate picking, sweep picking, palm muting, some hybrid picking if fingerstyle isn't wanted. Work on good left (and right) hand technique, posture, finger placement. Articulation devices like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and slurs, bends, etc. Guitar skills are transferrable from style to style, so application is up to the student, but give him examples.

Some basic melody work is necessary, even if he's not interested in flatpicking like Tony Rice. Simple pop and rock music leads and fills will get the melodic sense happening, or try some rock riffs. One of the guitar magazines (Guitar World, or Guitar One, I forget which) has a "Riff Box" every month which might have worthy material, as do many books.

I caution every new student that the beginner material will sometimes be a very lame but assure them that it leads to cool stuff once they have the skills, and I give them cool stuff as soon as possible while insisting they keep up with reading and theory stuff. They all want to power chord, but it comes at a cost.

For what it's worth. Not proof read.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: s&r
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 10:10 AM

Get some lessons professionally first - then teach him as much as you like.

Stu

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Jeri
Date: 15 Nov 05 - 05:49 PM

I'm not a teacher and I can barely play, but I've had some experience WITH teachers. Have him bring in a recording of a song he wants to learn. You figure out an accompaniment and teach him. Work in some barre chords and have him play along with the recording so he can't slow down or stop and if he misses a chord, he just picks it up 'next time'.

If he really wants to play that song, the inspiration will get him to push through an F or Bmin or whatever.

Actual guitar teachers may have other ideas, but sticks won't work without a carrot, if you get my meaning. Some people don't have that much a problem with developing the discipline needed to learn boring stuff in order to play the good stuff. I've never been that sort of person and it's not because I haven't tried. If you can work the things he needs to learn into something that inspires him, you can't do better.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 01:34 AM

Oh Christ. Now you've done it. Just wait 'til M.Ted sees this thread...

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,*daylia*
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 09:59 AM

Thanks Mooh - and c'mon Ted!

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,BazT
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 10:04 AM

Ok guys, thanks for the advice - it is appreciated.

Who is Ted? You make it sound like I'm in for a flaming or summat....oh, bugger....

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,*daylia*
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 10:09 AM

Ted's a guitar teacher, with lots of good ideas and advice to offer.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 10:10 AM

stck 2 one song

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,BazT
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 10:43 AM

Thanks Daylia, I was beginning to get nervous!....

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: open mike
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 11:40 AM

and with all the guitar players on here it will quickly climb to 100 posts..

maybe for the right hand technique you could tune to an open tuning
so it sounds good without needing to use the left hand..this also
might be helpful in learning barre chords..just moving up and down
the frets with open tuning.

it sounds like (i do not know thos musicans) he may prefer to strum
rather than findger pick.

maybe some individual melody note picking would be good too..
fiddle tunes are good for this.

the C-A-G-E-D system is a good one for learning how to make various
chords in different places on the finger board---so i hear...

learning I IV V chords is good--esp. with 12 bar blues..

You can get some good books at the music store to help you along.
or a video (DVD) which shows details.

www.melbay.com/ is a pretty good source. Also Guitar for Dummies..
by Phillips and Chappell--a book with the editor of Guitar Magazine.
www.dummies.com
there is also another disc..."Easy Guitar" from www.ARCMedia.com in Canada which is a CD-ROM that offers printable lessons fro acoustic and electric. Which type of guitar will your nephew prefer?

Also check out www.musicansfriend.com where they have about 40
titles of guitar instruction books, DVD, videos, etc.
It is the next best thing to hiring a teacher!

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 12:18 PM

you'll see Baz ... you'll probably get advice, like "come back when you know the right questions to ask ..." ...typically "helpful" stuff like that. That or a response requiring you to get a PhD in music before playing "Foggy, Foggy Dew."

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Mooh
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 02:41 PM

More for the book list consideration: Beginning Rock Guitar by Paul Howard (Alfred Publishing), Rock Shop (Belwin), Mastering The Guitar 1A & 1B and Technique Studies (Mel Bay)...all of these come with cds which can be a huge help for rhythm.

In a less rock/more generic course of study, consider: A Modern Method For Guitar 1, 2 & 3 (BerkleePress) and it's preceding Berklee Basic Guitar Phase 1 & 2, Hal Leonard's Guitar Method 1, 2, & 3, and Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method grades 1-4.

There are lots of other books, like Acoustic Guitar Magazine's series, Everybody's Guitar Method, Progressive Guitar Method, etc

I prefer the Mel Bay Mastering series, and the Berklee books, though augmenting with other resources (Pumping Nylon, Alfred's jazz books, Mel Bay's Celtic stuff etc) is a good idea. Get some fake books too.

When students show up with a book I haven't recommended it's often the Fast Track book one, which is weak on tunes, strong on moronic narrative. It seems to be the freebie tossed into the case when the guitar is bought.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: open mike
Date: 16 Nov 05 - 03:09 PM

ALSO RECOMMEND THEY GET THE RISE UP SINGING BOOK FROM SING OUT! PUBLISHERS. A GREAT RESOURCE..WITH CHORDS BUT NO NOTATION OR TAB.
I HAVE A POSTER THAT HAS A LOT OF INFO ON IT...CASTELIA PUBLISHING,
OR CASTALIA. A GOOD VISUAL GUIDE..LAMINATED

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Gurney
Date: 17 Nov 05 - 01:38 AM

I learned arpeggios by playing them with muted strings whilst watching TV. It says a lot for the forbearance of my landlord and parents and lodgers.

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Willie-O
Date: 17 Nov 05 - 12:06 PM

He wants to rock. Since you're gotten this far without quitting or killing each other, and he's practicing and learning, you evidently do have some common ground.

Maybe you should try to recruit him for the dark side...try turning him on to Steeleye Span! Or at least some of Steve Earle's crunchier stuff. Heck, you might find something new to like yourself.

Aside from that, start him on the blues scale...he can spend years working on the possibilities there, learning all positions, how to use bends, and one day even how to develop taste. Avril Lavigne is just a phase (I don't know who the other acts you mentioned are) but there are way worse places to start from.

W-O

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: GUEST,Guest Geetar Dood
Date: 17 Nov 05 - 08:29 PM

I would suggest the student first learn the notes on the fretboard and tuning, then proceed to open chords and chord sequences. To maintain interest, use a chord progression from a current popular tune. That way they'll practice when you're not around. :) ...and write it out in tab or chord diagrams so they can refer to their lessons later. peace

Subject: RE: Any advice for recruited guitar teacher
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 18 Nov 05 - 12:30 PM

start with 2 chord songs. Anybody who plays ten chord songs but hasn't learned to listen for a two chord change is a pain in the arse and bound for a life of discontent and misery.

Get him to sing ALOUD to the chords. if he's too selfconscious to do that get him a harness with a kazoo. tie the harness to the back bumper of your car, and drive around the block several times. Say, now will you bloody sing!

tell him to study accountancy - ultimately its probably more fun.