(Note: the following first appeared on Alfred Music‘s MakeMusic blog. Written for teachers, but I think the insights apply to anyone). Every teacher knows how much we learn from our students. The act of teaching itself makes you view the music differently as you learn to communicate it more directly. Different students’ experiences teach us […]
Your old model for music lessons doesn’t work.
If you’re taking music lessons as an adult, you might have memories of the experience as a child. Even if you didn’t take lessons yourself, you’ve got a mental picture of what that looks like. The student and teacher in a small room with a music stand, the little blue method book, and the gold […]
How can I make practicing scales more interesting?
If you’ve ever taken a guitar lesson, you’ve probably heard about the importance of practicing scales. You might have some questions about, what, exactly, one gets out of the exercise. Lots of people will use the word “tedious” and it’s not an unfair judgment. But practicing scales doesn’t have to be mind-numbing. (In fact, your […]
Guitar learning and the internet
The average person trying to learn guitar on the internet is being swamped with information. Too much information, frankly, because there are also lots of opinions on what has value to you and what doesn’t. Put those two things together and it’s hard to know what to practice, or whether you’re putting your energy in […]
The most important thing to learn from guitar lessons.
Whether you take guitar lessons or are learning on your own, there is one skill you absolutely must learn. And I think a lot of people, including many guitar teachers, are missing this point. Don’t take lessons just to learn songs. Take lessons to learn how to learn. Most people want to learn guitar so […]
Core Concepts 8: play well with others
There are lots of good reasons to play music with other people, no matter what your musical goals are. A significant percentage of people spend most of their time playing alone. Not just in practice time, but playing in general. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but there are musical skills that are only developed […]
