Skip to main content

Why I Still Don't Give Lessons

 I had this conversation (again) the other day, this time with a friend who does give guitar lessons.

I, as a general rule, refuse to. Most people who say they want to play guitar really only like the idea of playing guitar. They want to magically be able to play anything, as if there's a trick to it. Well, there is. It's called working at it.

On the occasions when people ask for lessons, the first thing I tell them is that I will NEVER teach them a song. Never. Under no circumstance. What I would do, if I can be convinced to give lessons, is teach them the skills to figure out how to do it on their own. Trust me, it's ultimately far more rewarding this way. 

I could, if I chose, in one hour teach someone 3 basic chords. With those chords they can play a million songs. But that's not what they think they want. "Teach me how to play my favorite song!" No. I'll teach you how to figure it out yourself. Nowadays, if you want to learn to play that killer riff, I'm sure there's a YouTube video. You might learn how to play it, note for note. But have you really learned anything? Probably not.

Scales? Modes? Sure, I'll go over them and how to apply the knowledge, but I won't sit down and teach them or expect you to practice them. Trust me, no one wants to hear anyone try to play a solo using scales and modes. I would, however, try to teach you what to listen for in them. 

Chords? Yes, I'd teach you as many as you could handle. Understand chords and chord progressions and the rest is easy. Once you learn to recognize patterns, you can probably figure out any song you want to play. If there's a 'trick' to it, that's probably it. 

In my 40+ years of playing professionally, I've only ever once sat down and worked out someone else's solo. And that's because nothing else fit! (Hats off to Don Leady) I think I've done OK with it what I do. At least the hundreds of thousands of people I've performed for have seemed to think so. 

The rhythm section I usually work with, I've worked with off/on for 30 years. I don't think we've even tried to rehearse anything in over 20. We understand how the music is structured. As long as we're in the same key, and more importantly IN TUNE, we can make it happen. Sure, there's a lot of improvisation involved. I might even be able to teach that to someone...but only after they've learned the basics.

Flatpicking, fingerpicking, string and gear recommendations, yep. I can (and often do) freely give my thoughts on those. I occasionally will make a video lesson for someone on a specific subject. I do this gratis because I love to share the knowledge that was shared with me. It's how any art and/or craft survives, continues, and grows. 

Sure, I could give lessons, but generally won't. It's just far too aggravating for me. I had a student once question whether or not I actually knew what I was talking about, because he believed there had to be an easier way. Last I heard, he sold his (very crappy) guitar, probably at a loss. He gave up. That was actually heartbreaking for me. He could have been a decent player, but he chose to give in to his ego. 

So yeah - nah, I don't give lessons. If I offer them, understand that this means I think a person is worthy of my aggravation. It is probably the greatest kindness I can offer them. 

Remember this, what is a potential hobby for you, has been my life. It's what I do. It's what I've done for 45 years. I've made every mistake you can think of. I've figured out what usually works and what often doesn't. I'm sure you can find someone who will teach you how to play your favorite song. It just won't be me. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Old Photo

The photo was old and scratched up. It looked like it had been handled and mishandled for years, and it probably had. Passed from hand to hand, tucked into scrapbooks, displayed in frames, stuffed into drawers, and rescued again. It had been looked at thousands of times. It was still his favorite. It wasn't historically important. Just a photograph of friends sitting in someone's back garden, sharing a few laughs and a few cold beers. The image was every bit as grainy as the memories attached to it. The colors had faded with age, drifting toward reds and yellows. Time had left its fingerprints everywhere. He was the only one left in the photograph. When his time came, would anyone remember those old glory days? Those years when importance itself seemed unimportant. When photographs weren't taken to prove anything, advertise anything, or preserve a carefully crafted image. They were taken simply because someone thought a moment was worth keeping. There was no guarantee the p...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Bluesy Melody and a Scratchy Photograph

Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't born in the mountains. Nor had he been raised in a cave. His appearance, though, often led people to think otherwise. A barber's chair was as likely a place for him to visit as the moon. I don't believe he had ever shaved. His hair, long and unkempt, looked even longer thanks to his seemingly endless beard, which was braided and knotted at the bottom. If unfurled, it probably would have dipped well below his waist.  His mannerisms and manner, while peculiar, were so only in that he was almost religiously polite. What at first glance might appear stand-offish was nothing more than his attempts at being inobtrusive. He was almost like some Appalachian monk, raised by a society trapped in the past, who occasionally ventured into town. He was extremely well-read and more tech savvy than most teenagers. Utmost, he maintained his privacy. No one knew just where he lived. He came and went at his own leisure, unnoticed by the world until he mad...
Post a Comment
Read more

The American

 In his native America, he'd always had a shady reputation. As a young man, he worked as muscle for hire, worked as a bouncer in gambling houses and brothels, and always had a side hustle moving drugs or weapons. He could always be counted on to find a buyer for stolen goods, too. He was smart enough to see the cracks forming in the government long before most. Within days of the First Attack, he'd made plans to leave the country. Some of his cohorts with Sicilian lineage helped him get to Europe. From there he was on his own. He managed to bring along a tidy sum in cash and jewels. This gave him the advantage of time to form new contacts. He was told time and time again that the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia - would be a good place to set himself up. There were gangs there who could make use of his skills, and provided he kept out of trouble and his name out of the local gossip, he would do fine.  And he did. He pretty much became, as he liked to call himself, a consultant. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more