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Guitargasms, unInc. |
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Learn the Trade. |
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Lessons are structured around the basics. They won’t earn you a masters degree in music, nor quickly match your skills to Jimmy Hendrix’s, nor teach you to read music. In fact, most guitarists either can’t or don’t read music. Most of us rely on simpler methods, specifically designed for the guitar, to represent on paper what we play on the instrument. You will learn these methods. You will also learn the basic mathematical structure of music and how the design of the guitar is based upon that structure. For most beginners, the most difficult thing about learning the guitar and/or bass is coordination and rhythm. Unfortunately, neither of these things can be taught. They must instead be developed. 90% of learning how to play guitar is practice, practice, practice. Some teachers take advantage of this fact by wasting the student’s time and money during the initial developmental stages. It is ridiculous for a teacher to get paid for watching a student’s facial contortions as they develop pinky strength. A simple check-up every now and then to make sure the student’s coordination is developing in the preferred way will suffice. It may sound a little far fetched at first. But what I aim to do, is teach you how to teach yourself guitar. The methods I use are meant to guide you to discover as much, or perhaps more, than you are actually taught. Some memorization is necessary for the first few steps, which are known as “kinderguitaren.” At least that’s what I think it should be known as. However, pure memorization allows for zero creativity. The guitarist who has discovered how to play cords or patterns, will often commit them to memory faster than a guitarist who is simply trying to, in fact, memorize them. Furthermore, if you forget something, you can figure it out again. Regardless of how receptive you are to a particular teaching style, it’s usually best to learn from multiple people. Every musician has a unique view of their craft, and their own bag of tricks. Therefore, I recommend alternating lessons among band members, and even perhaps musicians outside of our band. You really only need about four or five lessons to learn the basics. After learning the positions of the notes, the scales, and few cords, you will be well on your way. It may seem difficult at first, but with a lot of practice, and some redundancy in the information, one day it will hit you like an ACME anvil. Then you will be ready to take on the mysteries of the universe. But you will likely not take them on because you will then be a musician, and most musicians are lazy, egotistical, and unreliable (if you wish to master these qualities you will be sent to Auburn). |
