who takes/has taken lessons?

[GuitarMonky55]

jes curious, who here has taken lessons or had some1 else teach them how to play? my parents keep suggesting that i take lessons bc they think that lessons will make me great or something(i dont suck i can put audio up here of me playin if i can get a decent recording software) but how many of you have taken lessons or not? and if you knew how to play before them, did they help much?

[Josh Redstone]

I've taken lessons. I plan to take some more in thee future.
I started to teach myself to play, but I was so fustrated at not making any progress.
Two years later, I was fromting a rock band, and I didn't suck. The guy who got us the gig was suprised that I had only been playing two years. Lessons do help.

[JiMi=GoD]

yeh they definately do help, IF you have the right teacher my teacher is ok but dosent teach me theory which i want to learn, but today he managed to teach me little wing in an hour which im pretty proud of!
rob

[Josh Redstone]

Yeah, I had a great teacher. I cant wait till summer, Im gonna go back to my lessons then.

[fizz]

I had a teacher once. Only took one lesson to realise I was wasting my time. Seemed more concerned with getting my money and doing runs infront of me than actually teaching me things that were vital in guitar playing. Ive been playing 2 years now, basically using the internet, and playing around by myself using tabs, and I see myself as COMPETANT, not good, but competant. I cant do things I'd like to do such as runs, shredding etc...but hopefully with continued practise it will come to me.
I would have a teacher, its just the cost, its phenomenally expensive.
Sayin all this, I probably had a 'bad experienced' as mentioned, but Im happy teaching myself for the moment, its more satisfying.

[MadMattUK]

i had a teacher once who was too busy trying to show me the 'open chords' all the time even tho i insisted that i knew them, lol beatles "yesterday" "let it be etc". My dads an excellent classical guitarist so he teaches me a few tricks here and there but for rock/metal i have to rely on the net and Fizz as it seems ;-)!

[EdZ]

I think lessons are a waste of time, people who take them frustrate me. Why do you want to learn sheet music???WHY???? so you can go out and spend 25 bucks on a book and say ur good?! no, you suck you anal retentive leech! Sorry if i sound rude, just my opinion. You dont need to know sheet mucic. The main purpose of it is to read OTHER peoples music, which is dumb, if you call yourself a true musician, you make up your own music. Just my opinion.

[Josh Redstone]

My friend, you are wrong. I have spent the money, and I assure you, with no arrogance intended, I am good. If you dont beleive me, you should ask me about what I've accomplished in my two years of playing.
Secondly, reading sheet music is far from a waste of time. Whats the difference between me and some guy who cant read? I'll tell you. I know what I'm doing, the other guy just plays fast. Big deal, I can play fast too, and we all no speed only impresses those who dont play guitar.
And finally, you said that what makes you a true musician is writing your own music, well I do you suppose I'm going to write it down? Standard notation! Tab is nothing but an idiot's guide to what position to play a song in. It was originally an aid in reading music, now it seems its all anyone can do.
Before you go saying that people like me who buy books and spend money on the lessons cant play, you should think of the time on my own I spent practicing, and the dedication I'v had. Teachers are there to help you, not for you to rely on, and how do you think the good teachers got good in the first place. They were taught.
Let me ask you this. Do you think its a waste of time, for say, a pianist to learn to read music? If not, than why is it a waste for a guitarist? Playing a musical instrument without learnig to read music is like being an author without knowing how to read. It doesn't work out good for you.

[MadMattUK]

Very true, but i wouldnt exactly say tab is all so bad either. Id say its good to have a good competence in reading both types of script. Despite this it must be noted that once a 'guiatarist' starts out on tab its difficult for him/her to read standard notation. The transition from a sudden quick rapid acquisition of music to the hard laborious task of reading standard notation is difficult to adopt. "Once you pop you cant stop!" To all, learn both, dont fall to the dark side... oh yeah and Luke, i am your father!!!!!!!

[GuitarMonky55]

my grandfather is an awesome guitarist, he almost made it really big but he got in a car accident and lost his voice, but he doesnt even noe how to read tabs or sheet music. i have heard from many ppl that say reading sheet music is a waste of time ON GUITAR because its difficult to decifer where to play and turns the guitar into more of a sciece than a musical instrument. I personally think sheet music is a crutch for ppl who dont have rythym and cant figure out how to play by ear, thats what one kid i noe does, i on the other hand rarely even use tabs unless im really frustrated, i prefer to find everything by ear, i think that doing that makes you far better than reading either tabs or sheet music.

[The Fury]

People, how can you be so ignorant?

Saying learning to read music is for the poor (meaning rubbish) musician! All those people playing classical music from sheet music must really suck, hey? Also, for people having no rhythm, how would they tell how long an eigth note lasts in comparison to any other notes if they have no rhythm!

If you think learning to read music isn't good, don't do it, it won't affect me in any way, but please, don't put people down because they can. It takes a lot of time and effort to read music and I suspect the only reason you don't is because you can't or wont put in that effort.

If you don't want to be a better musician that's fine, leave that to people like Josh!

[JiMi=GoD]

well i cant read music, and im ashamed of it! i can only read tab at the moment, i tryed to learn of the net but its so hard!

[Hannu]

I cant read sheet music either. And I don't think I ever will cause it takes so much time. I would sure like to, but whats wrong with tabs? :D

[Super_smack1]

Well edz, i think one should understand music before they think they can make good music. when i was a self taught little bugger i had to dick around for hours just to figure out how notes were supposed to go...then i found this neoclassical throwback to the 80's guitar teacher who taught me theory and proper technique. and boom ive doubled my speed and i can see how all the notes tie together, its not like im playing the fretboard without any thought, i KNOW what key, what mode and the intervals im playing. i know exactly what im playing. sure you dont have to know how to read sheet music but its way better than reading tab for the rest of your guitar life not understanding a thing your playing. now you dont need a teacher to learn how to read or understand theory but teachers defintely help quicker and more correctly than anything else usually. if youre content with trying to stumble your way through trying to make up your own stuff with a lack of knowledge fine, but it just means youre playing blind.

[Super_smack1]

but as an afterthought i rarely do read sheet music and i suck at sight reading. i mostly play by ear when i want to figure out a song but it doesnt take me that long because i can figure out all the modes and progressions just by listening to a little and thats all i need. its all about the theory. sure some people have a "natural ear" for music but that will only take you so far. calculus is the language of physics. you cant fully understand and decipher physics if youre illiterate. same thing as in music.

[The Fury]

@ jimi and Hannu, there's nothing wrong with tabs, I use them all the time, but criticizing someone for being able to read music was the most ludicrous, narrow minded, ignorant thing I think I've ever heard.

[Josh Redstone]

Well said Fury.
Also, after seeing players like Vai and Rhoads accomplish such virtuostic music, I hardly think reading music can be deemed a waste of time.
Sometimes I also wonder why I seem to be a better guitarist than moste others at my school. Oh, thats right, I can read. Reading gets you places you cant go by exclusivly playing by ear. My advice to everyone would be to learn how to do both.

[JiMi=GoD]

Originally posted by The Fury
@ jimi and Hannu, there's nothing wrong with tabs, I use them all the time, but criticizing someone for being able to read music was the most ludicrous, narrow minded, ignorant thing I think I've ever heard.

i didnt criticise anyone for not being able to read music! i asid i cant read music and am ashamed of it! Cause i really want to be able to! i use tabs loads, theres nothing wrong with them but i just wish i could read music!
:demands an apology!: :D
lol only jokin

[Josh Redstone]

You didn't criticise us, but EdZ sue did. I think Im the one that deserves the apology here.

Originally posted by EdZ
Why do you want to learn sheet music???WHY???? so you can go out and spend 25 bucks on a book and say ur good?! no, you suck you anal retentive leech!

See my point?

[The Fury]

Yeah, sorry Rob, it wasn't aimed at you (well, the bit about tabs being O.K was) but at Edz and Guitar Monkey.

[JiMi=GoD]

ah ok thats cool, but i dont think tabs are bad i would just like to have the knowledge to be able to read music. anyway, whoever it was that said "why do you wanna learn sheet music" that is stupid! i personally wanna learn it so i know how to write it down with my own songs!

[EdZ]

Sorry, i was buzzed last night. I still dont like sheet music that much, i dont rely on tabs either.

[Hannu]

Ok now everybody are friends again! :D

Everybody, just do what ever you want! If you want learn somethings just do it (like read sheet music). It's aaall good! I think too much myslef what should I learn next. The result of this is that you never learn anything you just wonder...

Remember there is no trying. Do or do not
Yoda :)

Originally posted by Josh Redstone
...Sometimes I also wonder why I seem to be a better guitarist than moste others at my school. Oh, thats right, I can read...

Josh, don't get too ****y though :)

[Josh Redstone]

Sorry if that seemed ****y, but I couldn't think of another example.

[Hannu]

It was rather funny :)

[GuitarMonky55]

i can read tabs n sheet music but i hate sheet music its too much, i can tear up alot of ppl witout it

[Mayhem77]

Well, I'm not sure about everyone else, but for me having a teacher has been excellent. I have been playing guitar for about a year now, and 4 months of that I was teaching myself. In those 4 months I had just about got used to the basic open chords and some barre chords, and played a crappy cover of a Green Day song at my school's "band night". Now thanks to lessons, with an admittedly great teacher, I can now sweep pick, economy pick and alternate pick with reasonable speed, know the pentatonic scale in all positions and keys and can apply it to backing tracks in basic solos, I know the g major scale all over the neck in the traditional form and a 3 note per string speed run of the scale. I know how to find the chords within a scale and, more importantly, I always know what I am doing when I am playing. I cannot shred, and my solos are somewhat cliche and tend to be based on playing the scales up and down, but I'm getting there.

I cannot say that I am really a good guitarist, but I am proud at what I have achieved within what is coming up to a year of playing guitar. Doubtless some of you will flame me because you were already shredding and putting music shop assistants to shame after a year, but I personally think that teachers are worth every penny you spend on them, assuming you find the right teacher.

[JiMi=GoD]

Originally posted by Mayhem77
...because you were already shredding and putting music shop assistants to shame after a year...
Lol i wish!

oh yeh and what is economy picking?

[Mayhem77]

Economy picking is like a mixture of alternate picking and sweep picking. I'll try to show it in a make-shift tab here :)

Im sorry, i cant seem to get the fingering and picking synchronized with the tab, but hopefully you can follow the pattern anyway! :)

--d-u-d-d-u-d-d-u-d-d-u-d-d-u-d-d-u-d =picking

e-------------------------------5-7-8-
b-------------------------5-7-8-
g-------------------4-5-7-
d-------------4-5-7-
a-------3-5-7-
e-3-5-7-

--1-2-4-1-2-4-1-2-4-1-2-4-1-3-4-1-3-4 =fingering

This is actually one of the exercises I do, it is a 3 note per string version of the G major scale. And of course, if you do it backwards, you sweep upwards instead!

fingers to use: 1-index
2-middle
3-ring
4-little finger

Hope this is useful and the tab turns out ok, there are a few technique issues with the sweeping downstrokes/upstrokes that i can't quite describe, anyone care to help?

btw, FFS these tabs dont come out right at all!

[The Fury]

You need to use a fixed size font like courier - or better yet the tablature tags, put [ tablature ] before and [ /tablature ] after the tab. (without the spaces)

[JiMi=GoD]

didnt know that! clever eh!

[beautiful_dae]

hi all,
at first i looked down ppl who has a guitar teacher like my friend. But after a few months, he was playing great music and me...crap. He learn standard notation and i learn tab. He get better and i didn't improve after few months. When he show me a standard notation of kumbaya, i cant even undestand what does the tadpole means. I was laughin at him for playing nusery rhythm but now he is laughing at me for not being able to play nusery rhnythm. Lessons do help and helps alot than self teach. Some people are able to use their ear but there are many not able to.Example, me. Lessons gives you the basic. After the all basic(theory stuff etc), oh man, you are able to start jammin and play those hard cool riffs and licks. Now my ego is stoppin me from taking lessons and i am regretting. Have lessons, have grat result. No lessons, only result but not great.