looking for a guitar teacher.....things to ask? (found a jazz guitarist)

[iamme]

i found a guitar teacher who teaches jazz and charges $25 per hour session. he claims to have played with many prominent, local jazz artists. some names he mentioned: Rick Margitza, the Billy Alexander trio, and pianist Alex Kallao. i have no idea who these people are

here's a line from his ad: "Acclaimed jazz guitarist is now accepting students. Learn how to play without all of the hassle of studying music reading, theory, playing scales etc.. You will learn a song at your first lesson!! $25 per one-hour lesson."

any things i should ask to know if he's a good teacher?

 

[TheNinja]

$25 for a one hour lesson seems pretty cheap though.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

cool. how about the whole "Learn how to play without all of the hassle of studying music reading, theory, playing scales etc.." should i be worried about this?

 

[claydawg]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

Agreed. But it does go a bit further than that...ie: do you want to learn jazz guitar? if not, what style do you want to learn?

My recommendation: I'm no professional by any means, but I've been playing for about 7 years. I taught myself what I know, and I can't read music or pick up notes by ear, that's why I'm not great and it's just a hobby. But teach yourself as much as you can and then hire a teacher to hone and refine your skills. You'll save money and figure out what style suits you best. Best of luck and happy strumming!

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: claydawg

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

Agreed. But it does go a bit further than that...ie: do you want to learn jazz guitar? if not, what style do you want to learn?

My recommendation: I'm no professional by any means, but I've been playing for about 7 years. I taught myself what I know, and I can't read music or pick up notes by ear, that's why I'm not great and it's just a hobby. But teach yourself as much as you can and then hire a teacher to hone and refine your skills. You'll save money and figure out what style suits you best. Best of luck and happy strumming!

well, i enjoy all kinds of music including styles like jazz and blues. i'd love to be able to play either on guitar.

as far as teaching myself, with school and work, it's hard for me to be disciplined to teach myself. i think i'm much more receptive to learning by instruction.

 

[claydawg]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: claydawg

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

Agreed. But it does go a bit further than that...ie: do you want to learn jazz guitar? if not, what style do you want to learn?

My recommendation: I'm no professional by any means, but I've been playing for about 7 years. I taught myself what I know, and I can't read music or pick up notes by ear, that's why I'm not great and it's just a hobby. But teach yourself as much as you can and then hire a teacher to hone and refine your skills. You'll save money and figure out what style suits you best. Best of luck and happy strumming!

well, i enjoy all kinds of music including styles like jazz and blues. i'd love to be able to play either on guitar.

as far as teaching myself, with school and work, it's hard for me to be disciplined to teach myself. i think i'm much more receptive to learning by instruction.

To each his own, good luck nevertheless. Oh, and be prepare for teh figners to hurt for a while until the callouses are formed. I used to go to sleep with bloody fingers from playing too much

 

[Battleangel3222]

Does the guitar teacher screw 14 year olds? IF so im looking for one too.

 

[Rock Hydra]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
Judging guitar teachers is very difficult and subjective. Take one lesson and see if you like it, more of a personality thing than anything else

cool. how about the whole "Learn how to play without all of the hassle of studying music reading, theory, playing scales etc.." should i be worried about this?

Yes, these things are very importing.
Especially:
Reading and counting is probably the most important
Theory is a great asset to playing and playing scales makes it easier to write chord progressions and solos, but it can be done without (i.e. Kerry King from slayer)

 

[claydawg]

There's a bad joke hiding in the background with bloody fingers and 14 yr. old guitar teacher sex listed above...

 

[stars]

Learning and understanding music theory is important for anyone serious about their instrument. If the teacher doesnt plan to teach atleast the basic fundamentals I wouldnt even consider him. You can learn alot on your own online for free. 25 an hour is cheap. I charged 16 for 30 minute sessions back in the early 90's. There's alot involved in it if you plan to excel with guitar. A good teacher is just a starting point.

 

[claydawg]

what kind of guitar do you have?

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: claydawg
what kind of guitar do you have?

i have an acoustic. i did have a basic book on theory that i was going through to try to learn the notes along the neck.

 

[claydawg]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: claydawg
what kind of guitar do you have?

i have an acoustic. i did have a basic book on theory that i was going through to try to learn the notes along the neck.

Start with chords and then move to individual notes, much easier for me that way.

 

[iamme]

 

[iamme]

one last bump before i give the guy a call and arrange a meet

 

[Fritzo]

Try him for three lessons. If you don't know anything new by then, get someone else.

 

[imported_Lucifer]

Here is a site I sometimes go to for free guitar lessons. I'm a visual learner, so this site is pretty cool.

Free Guitar Videos

 

[stars]

Try a few other teachers in your area if possible. Don't limit yourself with just one teacher unless its your only source. Take a vocal recorder to the lesson and record it. The main thing is learning things correctly and to your full potentional. A good teacher will help you achieve this. Most of the time it will be hard for the avergae player to tell if a teacher is good. Thats how so many beginners get screwed on lessons.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Lucifer
Here is a site I sometimes go to for free guitar lessons. I'm a visual learner, so this site is pretty cool.

Free Guitar Videos

It looks to be parts of lessons- you get the whole thing when you buy his CD's or DVD's.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Got any clips of the guy playing? I can judge if he's got 'jazz teacher' chops or not.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Learning guitar is kinda like learning to ride a bicycle, it's hard and frustrating at first but if you can make it past this period where your fingers are killing you and you just suck, then the learning becomes easier and much more fun.

Many guitar teachers try and overcome this initial hurdle(which causes the vast majority to give up) by starting out with no scales, no study, no theory, and teach a couple of very simple 2-3 chord songs or some simple jazz riffs. But if he is worth his salt, and you show genuine intrest he should move pretty quickly to more serious stuff.

Some teachers are good for a few lessons, or a few weeks/months and then youv'e pretty much learned all their going to teach you. The really good ones can keep you challanged for years

 

[imported_Lucifer]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Lucifer
Here is a site I sometimes go to for free guitar lessons. I'm a visual learner, so this site is pretty cool.

Free Guitar Videos

It looks to be parts of lessons- you get the whole thing when you buy his CD's or DVD's.

You can either view his lessons online, or you can purchase them on CD. Here are the Jazz lessons. The lessons are just broken up.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Got any clips of the guy playing? I can judge if he's got 'jazz teacher' chops or not.

is this a normal thing to request from a teacher?

i haven't had a chance to talk to him today.

the thought crossed my mind that going to a random person's home (he's teaching out of his apartment), might not be the smartest thing to do. any ideas? should i ask for references?

 

[thirdlegstump]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: deathkoba
Got any clips of the guy playing? I can judge if he's got 'jazz teacher' chops or not.

is this a normal thing to request from a teacher?

i haven't had a chance to talk to him today.

the thought crossed my mind that going to a random person's home (he's teaching out of his apartment), might not be the smartest thing to do. any ideas? should i ask for references?

Reason I request this is because I find his 'easy to learn jazz' method a bit scooby as jazz is not something you can quickly pick up without a thorough and deep knowledge of theory as well as insane amount of hours of practice and a sense/talent that you're born with. I can kinda tell how good someone is just by hearing a few things and sometimes even a single note.