| As a guitar teacher, my main goal is always to get | | | | pick or with your fingers), strum, slide, sit, stand, etc.! |
| my students playing the music that they want to | | | | Having a big vocabulary of scales, arpeggios, and |
| play as soon as possible. I found out early on that | | | | patterns to link them together is also a must. Playing |
| everyone responds to learning to play the guitar in | | | | fast is also something that you are going to want to |
| different ways. Over my career as a guitar and music | | | | spend some time developing. The ability to rip |
| teacher, I have come to find a few different learning | | | | through passages at very high tempos is incredibly |
| traits and personality types to be the most common. | | | | FUN and EXCITING! If you focus on the right learning |
| The following is a list of those personalities with | | | | methods, it's not as hard as you might think although |
| descriptions on how I focus on certain strong points | | | | it always takes a lot of continued practice to get |
| to get the best results as a teacher and to get my | | | | your muscles up to snuff to keep with the fast pace. |
| students playing the music that they want to play. | | | | #4- High interest, Low attention span. I couldn't think |
| #1-The Emotional player: These are the types of | | | | of a specific name for this description so sorry but |
| people who can let loose of their thinking and just | | | | that's the best I could do. A lot of people with ADD |
| play the instrument with lots of emotion and | | | | can fall into this category but that's certainly NOT a |
| expression. I often find that these types of people | | | | required trait. Now you might already be thinking that |
| physically use a lot of their body to feel the rhythm | | | | falling somewhere near this category puts you at a |
| of what there playing and don't mind letting their | | | | disadvantage but I will tell you from experience, |
| emotions take control of them. Things to focus on: I | | | | nothing can be further from the truth. I have worked |
| usually find that these types of players are not that | | | | with a number of people who obviously had a really |
| interested in reading music and would rather learn | | | | hard time keeping their thoughts in one place and |
| songs by having other people show them how to | | | | focusing on a certain topic. While that might be the |
| play or by figuring them out by ear. The best thing | | | | case, these people also had incredible pitch perception |
| to do if you're a new player is to get proficient at | | | | (sometimes even what's known as perfect pitch) and |
| playing open chords, movable bar chords and power | | | | the very valuable ability to learn music by ear. I |
| chords. You have a lot of feeling and energy that | | | | couldn't be more envious of these types of people |
| your are dying to let out so the quicker you can play | | | | because I can assure you that I am not one of |
| the essential chords that are used in guitar, the | | | | them. Learning music by ear and developing pitch |
| quicker you will be having fun playing what you want | | | | perception has never come easy for me and I have |
| to play. | | | | had to work my tail off to be able to do it well. I |
| #2- The Songwriter: This is the type of person that | | | | have seen some students who are able to master |
| loves to write their own music and create songs | | | | this ability with ridiculous ease. |
| from scratch. You usually have a lot to say and like | | | | Things to focus on: Understanding theory and reading |
| to share your thoughts with other people through | | | | music is usually difficult for these types of people. |
| songs. I have worked with some people who don't | | | | When I work with people that are like this, I always |
| care much to learn other people's songs and I have | | | | focus on getting their technique as good as possible |
| worked with other people who don't even | | | | because they already have the tools inside of them |
| understand that they are capable of writing their own | | | | to be an amazing player, it's just a matter of giving |
| music. In either case, I firmly believe that writing | | | | them the ability for their fingers to move the way |
| music is an extremely important skill for an aspiring | | | | they need to so that they can play what's inside of |
| musician to learn. It gives you a lot of insight as to | | | | them. It's good to do a lot of ear training exercises |
| what type of player you are and what skills you | | | | and learning songs by listening to them. After they |
| need to work on. Things to focus on: You don't have | | | | get to a certain point they usually form an interest in |
| to be a musical genius to start writing your own | | | | theory and understanding more about how music |
| songs. Some people are scared to even try it, others | | | | works because they become somewhat discouraged |
| need to do it to get out all their ideas. A lot of the | | | | at what they don't know and understand about |
| most famous songs in modern music are extremely | | | | music. I'm a firm believer in teaching what people |
| simple and easy to play with only a few chords that | | | | want to learn and not pushing to hard for them to |
| make up the whole song. Along with knowing how to | | | | learn what they don't. There are certain things that |
| play the basic open chords and having a good | | | | are crucial for every guitarist/musician to understand |
| understanding of melody, I always encourage | | | | so I have always found a way to be able to teach |
| songwriters to study a bit of music theory so that | | | | those things in a manner that best fits their |
| they understand Harmonic Structure and how songs | | | | personalities. |
| work to sound pleasing to the human ear. Even if | | | | Now these are just the main personality |
| writers can crank out songs like lightning, they usually, | | | | characteristics of people that I work with. There are |
| at some point, get frustrated because they only | | | | plenty more and of course you can be some of one |
| have a limited knowledge of how music works and | | | | and some of another. The reason I think it's |
| get stuck writing the same old song time and time | | | | important to understand where you might fit in to all |
| again. Understanding theory will give you more | | | | of this is because it will enable you to have a lot |
| options and ways to be expressive in songwriting. | | | | more fun learning guitar and not get so frustrated |
| #3- The Technical Player: These are the types of | | | | when things become difficult. Always focus on |
| players that love music theory, playing physically | | | | learning the things that you want to be able to do |
| difficult songs and usually enjoy reading music. The | | | | and the rest will come with time if you are looking to |
| ability to read music is not a must, however it does | | | | become a well-rounded guitar player. If someone |
| enable a player to understand much more about the | | | | says that knowing how to read music is essential for |
| song both emotionally and how to perform it with | | | | a beginning guitar student and you do not take to |
| more expression. If you like a good challenge and | | | | reading easily, then I'm pretty sure your not going to |
| don't mind spending a lot of time to perfect a certain | | | | be having that much fun when you start out. One |
| song or technique, then you will probably find | | | | very important thing that you need to ask yourself is |
| yourself in this category a lot of the time. Also, the | | | | what style of music are you looking to play. If you |
| theory side of music that is very math oriented is | | | | say Classical or Jazz, then I say that hands down, |
| usually very interesting to you. Things to focus on: | | | | without a doubt you need to learn to read music. |
| Technique, technique, and more technique! If you like | | | | However most other styles of music can be played, |
| playing technical music you are going to want to | | | | written, and performed well without knowing how to |
| focus a lot on perfecting your technique. This includes | | | | read notes on the staff. |
| every aspect of how you pick (whether it be with a | | | | |