Most students seem to be there so I can be their friend for 30 minutes a week. But now and then I get a special student which makes it all worth it. And yes, I've had multiple people think that if they don't show up then they don't have to pay you. I explain it as this : "You're paying for me to be here at a particular time every week with all my knowledge and years of experience. If you also show up then, as a side effect, you get a lesson. But you need to think of it as you're paying to reserve a slot of my time. If you don't show up then I still had to prepare, I still drove into the studio, I still loaded my gear into the studio, I still waited, I still cleared my gear out of the studio, I still had to drive home from the studio. The only thing which didn't happen is you weren't there. But I still did all the work you're paying me for."
@@kitkatwizard Far in advance is OK. We actually have a contract at our store requiring 24 hours notice. But I've showed up to a lesson with a note on my music stand telling me they won't be there. That means they were in the store and didn't tell anyone at the store (who could have phoned me). I drive all the way there with all my gear and they're not there. It's really frustrating when I'm sitting in my studio for 2 or 3 hours and only 1 or 2 students shows up. Yes, I still get paid, but the lack of respect of at least letting me know you won't be there is really frustrating. After 10+ years of teaching I just left it out of frustration. I've had some great students, one of them went on to graduate from Berklee. But at least 50% of the students are in love with the idea of playing and instrument, but the the actual work of playing an instrument.
I had the opposite; a teacher who had excellent knowledge and teaching talent but would call me at the last minute cancel. He always wanted to make it as a musician and saw teaching as something he was doing to pay the bills until that time. Every time he cancelled was because he had some session work turn up. Never made it, never will. Shame he couldn't enjoy being a good teacher.
The last one made me sad because my former teacher passed away recently and I realized how good he was a year after I stopped taking lessons from him, after some time I found out I actually enjoy music and playing guitar and realized his teaching was really helpful, but I didn't really care about music or learning at all. I've seen him a few times after that and he was always friendly to me, but I never told him how good teacher he was and now I regret it.
I'm just imagining daddy samurai as he is now, full beard, zen aura, gossiping with a high school girl. Like stereotypical "Becky wore the same clothes as me" "Oh my god girl, that is crazy"
This resonates to many. My own experience as a young teacher. The eldest at 65, no practice, no worries. The youngest at 4. He decided a few months in that he would wait. I heard later that he rejoined at age 6. Many teenagers in droves. Two that stand out. One that never practiced that took lessons for 18 months. I spoke to his mom. They said no matter, he likes it. He was a sports guy but liked the guitar. We went through many of the same things in the 18th month as we did in the first months. The other, we got on so good that I talked to another teacher and gave him away as he was good but he was learning nothing from me. The boogers be gone and nasty, tore up guitars be damned. There's a lot of in-between. It was 1991 and everyone learned And Justice For All guitar riffs. I can still play them in my sleep. I so loved being a teacher.
I was forced to take Hebrew lessons for 4 years to prepare for a bar mitzvah. Sure wish those had been guitar lessons ... reading Hebrew at parties and on the beach just isn't the same.
Correct me if I’m wrong But isn’t a bar mirzvah celebrating you didn’t die before 13 or something close to that. And I’m assuming you learned it to say something in the celebration, can’t you just remember the words a week before. 30 seconds later: This is a joke Frick
As a professional musician, college music student, and guitar teacher, this video summed up so many things I’ve been thinking for years, yet have rarely heard someone put so bluntly. Great guidance for new teachers, and a nice reminder for seasoned ones that we’re not alone.
I’ve been saving up for my first electric all summer because of your video of how you got your first guitar. Thank you so much for the inspiration and keep up the great videos!!! 👍🏼
I'm a self taught guitar player, which probably means I made way slower progress over the years as I could have. But that way I made sure I'm doing it because I wanted it. Preparing for lessons each week would probably have killed my motivation.
Showing up at lessons and disappointing my teacher each week definitely made me feel scummy when I was 15. Feeling like a total noob with somebody there to watch killed my motivation in a way. I stopped taking lessons after like 3 months because I felt inwas getting nowhere with it and it was costing my parents more than it should for what i was getting out of it. I stopped taking it seriously for like 3 years until I was 18 or so, until my grandfather decided to give me a pedal board loaded with a bunch of boss pedals he said he "couldn't figure out/ doesn't like".... Thats shit sent me on a path of enlightenment and self education. The amount of playing i did figure things out and moving pedals around and trying different sound..... Then i started selling and trading off the pedals i figured I didn't want anymore or need *cough* boss DS-1 *cough* boss DD-3 *cough*. After 7 years of trading, selling, sniping, and dealing with seedy people online in the used market, and a whole lot of playing guitar with different pedals, I've gained a bunch of practice that I probably wouldn't otherwise. Where guitar lessons failed me, my grandfathers generosity and my own effort to further educate myself picked up the slack. the crap you learn through trial and error is sometimes greater than what you can learn from somebody else just giving you the information. never underestimate the power of giving. When I was given those pedals the play around with, it set me on a path, a different path than when I was just given the information of what to play by my teacher. Its crazy how things work out like that. Given certain circumstances, you can learn a lot on your own.
That is interesting. I could never be motivated as a self-taught guitarist. Guitarlessons just give a rythm to my life, and it usually pushes me to do my best, since I don't want to show up without any practice.
@@powermetallistic2293 i know what you mean by that. I used to get that life rhythm going to band practices every saturday back when my old band was still together. Having all this time jamming alone makes me think about this stuff lol
Absolutely the truth, parents living vicariously through their children, it's so sad. When they want to learn, pure joy. It's nice every now and again when someone you no longer recognise comes up and tells you of a band they are now in or similar and says it's because of you. Keep them coming
3:04 That's so true! I was also a really shy kid, when people talk start off by talking about the things the kid really likes, he will spontaneously start talking abut it. That way you've already established a conversation and it's easier to keep it going when you shift to another subject.
I am a guitar student, I think that my teacher looks forward to teaching me, I practice, like a lot (probably 5 hours/day) but I am a bit quiet and shy, but I want to change that to make things more fun and enjoyable.
Becoming more conversational is a long road. I've been working on that real hard and then some the last few months. It's been opening doors for me, slowly. Keep at it. You might try looking at www.succeedsocially.com for help.
@@Alberto-ny7kf i’ll take lessons forever, there’s always something you don’t know and if you love playing and want to learn you’ll wanna know everything
I’ve taken lessons for 8 years and I recently stopped when my guitar teacher threw in the towel. I’m really glad that I stuck with him even when he moved to a different location twice as far away. I started out with wanting to do a bunch of metal on a blue Ibanez starter, and now I’m playing on a Godin archtop or a Classical guitar and just jumping to ska or having some fun with Tomas Kalnoky’s (Toh Kay) music. I didn’t always practice, and sometimes lessons were a nuisance to me. But I still tried to learn and I grateful for it. I’m now back at the first location getting vocal lessons and it’s be wonderful as I can really connect with the teacher. My guitar instructor has been a big influence and we made some great memories. He even gave me his woodland BDU set and kevlar winter liner one lesson since he knew I reenacted and had an interest in historical stuff. He was an all-around cool guy.
I like how everything you say is straight to the point, honest and well said. It's very compelling and makes it easy to put my attention through the whole video instead of skipping through parts of the videos
When I started playing guitar, my teacher managed to take every fun out of the instrument for me. He thought the only "real" guitar music is classical spanish music. I had to learn the songs, but never cared for any of them. I didn't know why I was doing anything of this and then later I left him and stopped playing guitar completely for some months. later I picked it up again and I am playing for almost ten years now. I Think motivation needs to come from the student in the first place, but horrible teachers can suck every motivation out of you, too
Ironically the opposite from me, i had a teacher who believed rock was the only way to play guitar and i hated it. I learned how to play classical guitar on my own time since non of my teachers knew how to teach classical guitar.
Everything said here about good vs bad students is so true. Thanks for the advice also Sammy G ✨. I'm 17 and started teaching kids when I was 16, like 90% of the kids I teach are way too young or uninterested to develop any skill. When there's so many people taking lessons with not enough time or passion it gets to be a drag, but when you find the rare students who care it's so refreshing.
This is a great video.I teach guitar at a small school in a small town in Texas and the owner and I have had this exact discussion on everything you said. Sometimes those students that don't practice suck but when you get that one student once in awhile that practices it's all worth it. Great job on this video.
This reminds me of when I was in elementary school. I was genuinely interested in music and decided to join the school orchestra. Picked up the violin, and I had an absolutely phenomenal instructor. I could tell by the way he talked and the way he taught us that he was also genuinely interested in getting us to stick with it. I enjoyed pretty much every single moment of my time there, pretty much the only stuff I disliked was when we had concerts at other schools because it was always a day long adventure, and I haaaated bringing in loads of stuff and helping load everything back up at the end of the day. The concerts themselves were pretty lit though, at least I thought they were. The unfortunate thing about it was, I could tell when he was at his wits end from dealing with uninterested students. It made me feel so bad for him because he was a good guy, and despite him being so close to losing his patience he would still be more than happy and willing to patiently wait for "the good students" who were struggling to get their act together. He would sit there and guide all of us in the right direction. It's been a very long time since I was last in that orchestra class with him, at least 15 or more years. Despite that I still think very fondly of all that time I spent there. Unfortunately, after a couple of years, disaster struck. I broke my wrist and I couldn't play. I was out of the game for quite a long time. To make matters worse, my wrist ended up mending slightly incorrectly. Not enough to warrant re-breaking it, but enough that I couldn't play the violin. There were certain notes I just could not hit anymore because I couldn't stretch my pinky far enough to hold the strings. It was enough of a problem for me that I would wince in pain even trying to do it, and I just remember seeing my instructor watch me struggle and wince along with me every time I tried. Despite my shortcomings, I was still devoted to trying and even participated in that year's Christmas concert, but I was clearly dragging the whole thing down. I decided to give it up and I dropped out of orchestra. I have still maintained a loose interest with music ever since my time in that dinky elementary school orchestra. The only "instrument" I've been able to successfully play has been floppy drives and scanners. More of a novelty than anything. I honestly crave trying to play something for real though. While I don't play the guitar, your videos have inspired me to try my hand at playing an instrument again. DAWs just don't have the same feel, you know? I don't think stringed instruments are for me, but I have a feeling I could manage the piano as long as I don't play anything crazy. I think when that next paycheck rolls around I'm gonna get myself a basic MIDI keyboard and go to town. So maybe you can give yourself another pat on the back, man.
Hey, good on you for perserving in the face of hardship. I encourage you to find ways to express yourself musically! I hope piano works out well for you.
Have you thought of playing left-handed? Maybe not violin, but guitar or bass? Then your injured hand is your picking / strumming hand. I always recommended to my lefties that they learn right-handed, purely for the fact that they would be able to play so many more guitars. You will develop the necessary coordination and strength regardless...
I've always had great relationships with my teachers. From my band teachers in middle school to my private lessons with my teacher who's a good family friend. I love when a teacher gets excited to teach me something, and I love learning and talking music with someone who's devoted their life to sharing their love of the art!
Okay I’ve been watching your older videos out of random TH-cam recommendation, and your random, stupid, dry humor got you a sub for life. Keep it up. ❤️
I have about 50 students myself and I completely agree with you... You can only do so much and kids these days are completely filled out to the brim with after school activities. One student of mine, 10 years old, had piano on Mondays, Athletics on Tuesdays, Soccer on Wednesdays, Thursdays school til 5PM and Fridays Soccer training again. He simply has no capacity left to enjoy sitting down an hour or two a week to practice. It was really sad teaching him for over a year, even though I and he himself told his mother repeatedly, that there's not much of a point continuing this.
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As a music teacher i could relate and learn with all the things that you said! Thank you, man! Keep up the good work!!
I teach English as a second language and music is just a hobby, but your video sums up the teaching life so well! Great to watch while on lockdown when everything about my job is up in the air. Thanks man.
I completely agree that there is nothing more frustrating than teaching people that are basically forced to be there. My favourite student by far is a 63 year old who finally wants to fulfill his dream of playing guitar on stage one day. Although he is 3 times my age he shows real interest when I try to teach him new stuff and wakes up early everyday so he can practice before he goes to work. Students like him make teaching fun! To be fair though, I don’t really teach kids anymore and mostly teach people in their twenties who all pay themselves to be there and therefore show real interest, so it’s mostly a fun job!
6:21 This is a really cool story for me, because similarly I was learning guitar from an alumni at my private christian school, and I had about 6 months of lessons from him but didn't see him for a while after that. The school asked me to play worship music for a youth group retreat, so I did and my guitar teacher was actually asked to come out and speak for a night as well. He and I picked up where we left off, started chatting about life and music and how I started playing bass as my main instrument but still played guitar when needed, and now I'm in a band with him! It's super cool how stuff like that works out.
Maybe my story will cheer you up about those disinterested students a bit. When I was a kid (between 7 and 15) I went to piano lessons twice a week. I had no love of music in me. I was taking the lessons because my parents offered to send me to them and I was a too agreeable and obedient child to even think of declining. I practised, yes, but this was due to a sense of obligation, not a desire to improve myself, and practice was usually limited to playing once through all the assigned pieces just before the next lesson. I did progress, but the progress was glacial. I never developed any agility or speed on the instrument and I never learned a single song by heart, unless I was assigned it as an exercise. I was also quite detached and taciturn kid, so my conversations with the teacher were mostly limited to instructions. I was probably the weakest player of my age cohort. For my graduation exam at the age of 14 I played Moonlight Sonata 1st movement, which is probably the simplest and slowest piano piece that would've been accepted for that purpose. For comparison, one of the talented kids played either a Maple Leaf Rag or The Entertainer - I don't remember which one, but I do remember being quite stunned. After that I went to high school and pretty much stopped playing at all. Years later at the university I've made friends with some guys who played the guitar. They were quite good too, even had a cover band that played 80's hard rock. So just to have more stuff to talk about, I decided to start playing piano again after 6 or 7 years of not touching the instrument. I've struggled for a few months, but my skills, though meagre, returned quickly. Then I discovered blues and jazz improvisation and I loved this stuff - this made me practise every day and within less then a year I was ready to play the covers with my friends. Within 2 years maybe I couldn't play the more complicated pieces, but I was a damn good improviser - and it turned out when improvising I could even play fast ;). Some of my other friends also picked up instruments while at the uni, but only one that started from scratch managed to stick with it. As such I am pretty sure if it wasn't for those preexisting dormant piano skills I would have also given up. Music never became my career, but it has become my great passion, I even eventually picked up the guitar and delved into composition and production. The conclusion - while as a kid I was probably the perfect example of "you can encourage the love of music, but you can't create one" I have discovered my love of music many years later and I probably wouldn't if it wasn't for the dormant skills developed during those seemingly pointless piano lessons. Maybe some of your bad students had or will have a musical awakening later in their life as well and they will look back at the lessons with you and think "damn I must've been a horrible student to teach, but I sure am happy that I took those lessons". And they will think fondly of you for putting up with their behaviour. Because I sure do feel that way about my old teacher.
The exact same thing happened to me! I started on piano age 8 and got so tired of it I asked to switch instruments by the time I was 10. Two years later I quit my bass lessons. I was not the kid to practice regularly at all, but when I started high school I developed a profound obsession with harmonica and Billy Joel. I asked to take music lessons again and really really tried with my new teacher, something that proved to be extremely helpful with my learning. It all clicked one day when my teacher had to leave for 5 minutes and came back to me hammering out an awful boogie shuffle, but he smiled at me and asked me to play it again. And again. Then he sent me home with with a blues chart he printed that day, and stopped me learning my exersises altogether. It was his attention to my interests that fostered my love for blues, jazz, and improvisation. Fast forward another four years and I'm really glad that he made me go to my lesson every week despite me dreading having to tell my teacher I didn't practice at all, because it helped me so much in relearning it. My dad used to say to me "There are three things that are free for you until you're an adult. Food, Clothes, and Music lessons."
When I was nine my mom had signed me up for a music school as an after school activity. The first year was an orientation year where you learned the bare basics and got to mess around with different instruments to eventually choose one. I was pretty indifferent towards music in general so my mom picked the piano for me. To be fair I didn't really enjoy it at all, but it did spark an interest in music in me. After 6 years of not enjoying piano lessons at all I picked up the guitar. I quit piano lessons immediately and got guitar lessons instead. 9 years later I'm still completely addicted to playing guitar. I tell this because your point about parents forcing kids to pick up an instrument resonates with me a lot. Even though I was really unmotivated with piano, it did help me get into music. So in hindsight I'm pretty happy my parents forced me to pick up an instrument, even though it was the wrong one it helped me pick the right one down the road.
You inspired me over the past few weeks to pick the guitar back up and I just want to say thank you! I don't know why I put it down in the first place but it's very obvious now that that was the wrong decision.
Great Video, some great advice taken here, i've been thinking more and more about overloading myself with work, and also about the idea of making some online courses as alternatives for students. So cheers for the inspiration!
can you do a followup where you mention things you've learned/noticed as a teacher that we students can use in our advantage? Like some things you have often seen that did work and things that did not work for students
Finding the right teacher is not an easy task. I don't mind paying $100/hour but in that hour, I expect to learn something that I will enjoy and that will be useful to me. I'm still new to music and still trying to figure out plenty of things and my teacher is always asking me about my last week of practice. Every Friday, after the Skype lesson, I will practice on my own what we have discussed. During the next week, I will keep practicing the same stuff. Some new problems will arise and I will send a quick Messenger to my teacher and tell him about the good and the bad things that have happened during the week. I will ask him a question or 2 on my problems and on the next Friday, we will go over those questions and those problems. It has been almost 3 years now and I have learned so much. I guess we have a good connection and he is the right teacher for me!!! I just hope that one day, I will be able to meet him in person and shake his hand to say thank you!!!
Used to tell students to buy an acoustic before joining the class and you know what.....now there are a lot of acoustics lying around at dust corners of a lot of houses in my area......feel so bad for those guitars! So thats what I learned from my teaching experience 😂
4:50 - I have the '24 hour notice to change lessons' clause with my students, and I have only had a couple of people refuse to pay when reminded. These are also the sort of student (or parent) who thinks that improvement comes from attendance alone, no practice required!
As a Taekwondo instructor, a lot of this rang true with me. Those students that do practice and participate and want to be the best they can be...teaching them is the best thing in the world.
The reasons you listed we exactly the reasons I never gave structured lessons. I had tons of people ask me to teach them and I mostly always gave the same answer, "You don't want me as a teacher, I'm way too impatient and unforgiving. I know you won't practice and that would piss me off and I would quit teaching you, so better not to start." I always told them to find a teacher through a school or music store.
"parents would force them into playing an instrument" -- yeah, most of my classmates went into guitar ensemble just because their parents forced them to which is rather sad :/
When I was 12, my parents forced me into playing an instrument. I started learning guitar, but it wasn't really a thing for me. My teacher taught me in the classic way and I asked if we could play Knights of Cydonia by Muse, but he said it would be too difficult. I didn't practice and after half a year I was allowed to quit guitar. A few years later, aged 17. I passed a guitar store and in an complete spontaneous idea I bought a guitar. Since I quit I never even thought of playing, but somehow I walked into the store and got myself an acoustic guitar. I asked for the best place for guitar lessons, called that guy and made an appointment, while I was walking home from the guitar store. My parents were very surprised, but I paid for everything myself, so they wouldn't stop me. I remember my first lesson with my new teacher. He was a very laid-back guy who was incredibly nice. He asked what kinda music I liked, so I answered Muse. He responded by teaching me Knights Of Cydonia, the song I always wanted to play. I was so excited about guitar, practiced all week and couldn't wait for the next lesson a week later. Since that day I played every single day and is guitar the most important thing in my life. That teacher literally changed my life, definitely for the better. Every now and then I wonder how it would be if I got that teacher the first time. I don't think I would be as excited about guitar as I am today, because I was a completely different person when I was 12. But still, I can't emphasize enough how great that teacher is. He taught me about so many things, also way beyond guitar. I wish for everybody a teacher like him.
I'm a teacher and I have an average of about 50-60 students a week. Everything you have said here is accurate and I do still love my job. There are the few students who really make it worth it and then there are the ones that leave me wondering why they are there. You can only do so much as a teacher to encourage your students but you can't force the love of music on anyone.
I just showed up and never practiced in my teens. I cringe so hard looking back. I didn't progress until I went through a gymn rat phase and learned how to work towards a goal. I picked the guitar up again and just applied what I learned about working out to guitar and I'm one of my new teachers favorites.
Feel ya man! Teaching is hard, yet rewarding, all ur points are right on. Good advice, I'd only add that the parents participation is also vital to child student progress! Oh and yeah, always have a steady Phone, no monthly walmart cards people, that'll burn ya!
i’m going to start giving this man lessons and i’ve been playing for a few years. i’m not crazy good but i know i can definitely show him a lot. any advice for a first time teacher? if you can call it thag
What level of proficiency would you say is necessary before beginning to teach? I don't think I have enough to offer a student yet but I've certainly learned a lot gigging over the last 10 years. I want to take lessons myself to improve my technique and open my musical understanding, but I'd also love to get in on the teaching scene. What steps should I take to bridge that gap?
samurai i am a guitar teacher myself only part time at the moment i only teach 6 a week and only 2 off them are interested in guitar, as a teacher this is very frustrating because you want to do the best job possible to get results, im thinking off giving it up and focusing improving myself as a musician
My mom had her PhD in musicology - McGill. Soloist Piano 1970-71 Boston Symphony. Now, I play 11 instruments with extreme mediocrity! 🤣 I was weaned in Irish Sessiuns- pennywhistle, Bodhran, Irish flute..then mando, strumstivk, Appalachian duciner...I'm PRO now... 300-400 audience... broke my wrist- 9 pins, motorcycle accidrnt...recovered fiddle, mando, guitar et al....I worked vocals ...Its been a long climb!! 🤣
I would have loved to have been able to afford all the lessons as a kid, it makes me sad when parents waste money on that sort of thing when a kid clearly isn’t interested. It didn’t really ever stop me though, I still picked up any instrument I could find and practiced on my own as much as possible, asking anyone I knew that played an instrument for advice. It’s been pretty rewarding seeing all improvements knowing that I wasn’t afforded all the tools other had. Makes me really apathetic when people complain they can’t afford lessons, like sometimes you just have to do it yourself and be resourceful
Hey buddy again, can you make an exception for... pedal steel lessons? ha. I am actually a music teacher, but I like holding myself accountable and songwriting and writing out drum charts and melody notes and all that; I try to learn it all. I understand exactly what you're saying, but how can I ensure when I take lessons I'm not a BSer? because I'm so good at piano that I know that I have the ability to do anything (eventually) but I do spend time trying to record and stuff. I want to ensure me being a big boy living the adult life of working and doing solo recording projects don't become an excuse not to practice?
There is one thing I NEED to say! Since you moved, you can't say anymore : "welcome to my kitchen table where I talk about myself and my life in music". (I know it's really late, but I always thought that was pretty funny haha)
Sorry for asking the obvious, but I got confused by the "C dorian is different from Dorian in the key of C" statement at 4:42. Care to elaborate ? PS : You make great videos !
Sometimes I feel bad taking guitar lessons because procrastination can get the best of me at times and going there it feels like I’m just playing some half ass (which I mean I am) but at the same time I do like going there and learning and I’m also a pretty shy person and I don’t tend to start conversations until the other person does and these are habits I do want to break because I don’t want her to feel like she’s waisting her time and I don’t want to feel like I’m waisting my own time because of my bad procrastination.
When I was 8 or 9 I took guitar lessons and stopped playing for a long time because my bad teacher ruined my experience, all he would do is assign me tabs to learn every couple of weeks and get angry at me when I made mistakes showing him what I had learned. I’m now 16 and started playing guitar again but my experience with teachers was so poor that I’m hesitant to take payed lessons again. Where can I find a teacher like you ;((
Wait... Isn't C Dorian the Dorian mode in the key of C? Am I missing something here? I mean, I know that in the key of C major (ionian), dorian is D... Is that it?
Well, you got one half of it. Yes, it's true that in the key of C major, Dorian is D as Dorian is the second mode of the Major Scale with Ionian being the first one. That's why C Dorian can't be in the key of C major but in the key of Bb/A# major as C is the second note in that scale just like D is the second note in the key of C major. I hope I made my point!
Ive just realised that I'm one of the students that teachers hate. I play piano and violin in a music school. I get very lazy during the week and don't practice (I spend most of my time playing guitar or watching TH-cam instead of practicing). Although I have a love for music the one thing I hate about playing music is exams in the instrument (or grades, as we call them in Ireland). I don't enjoy playing pieces that I don't want to play just because it means that after I play them in the exam I can advance to the next level. That is why I much more enjoy playing the guitar or even songs I enjoy on the piano than playing violin. I find it hard to incorporate the violin into the style of music I like to listen to. Even in my piano lessons, I spend more time talking to the teacher than actually playing. This annoys me because I don't realise that I'm putting off the work I should be doing until it's too late. Do you have any suggestions for me to stop these problems or at least make them better? (Just to note, I don't hate the violin, I just hate the grades. I play violin in my local orchestra and have actually had some of the best times of my life and even got my love for certain songs, groups and composers there)
Great video man, as always. I have been a self-taught guitarist since I was around 8 (I'm 21 now) & I am pretty confident with my playing, but recently I have been thinking about getting lessons as a way to get another person's perception of music & guitar to see if I can apply it to my playing, but not necessarily to learn songs or techniques. Would this be a good idea or is there a better way to go about this? Thanks heaps & G'day from Australia!
I find the best way to work with kids below 12 is to challenge them, usually with games like: can they play something 4 times in a row? Also reward systems work like a charm in classes. Reward them points for doing well, and sometimes threaten to take them away when they sidetrack in lessons. You'll be surprised of how much they desire the points, even though sometimes the points are meaningless!
I started learning guitar roughly 11 months ago and what I've done is that I have watched videos on TH-cam and tried to learn songs. I Want to get as good as possible but is it worth paying for a teacher when you're 15 years old? I know how to do chords and barre chords and I have learnt a lot of Metallica riffs/songs and I'm a metalhead.
The most shocking thing I've learned giving music lessons is that there are actually people that can't clap along with a metronome. Not even when they can see the old school pendulum.
man, im real quiet in guitar lessons - like, REALLY quiet; I'm just not comfortable socializing. But, I practice, at least like an hour every day 'cause I LOVE the guitar. I'm moving through lessons quickly (At least, I think I'm making good progress) but now I wonder how my teacher feels, with a really quiet student, but one who actually wants to be at guitar lessons...
I dont know if you read old comments But could you make a video on how to find a "Good", generically speaking, guitar teacher? oh for a beginner im 26 btw, played a "bit" in high school Amazing content! and Music!!
Diehard Dallas Stars fan here.... I love your channel so much that I might even forgive Laine for making our team his bitch every year. Cheers man. I also really want to teach, I feel like inspiring others who actually want to play like their heros would be incredible.
It seems like music as a hobby is pretty pricy in Us and Canada. In Finland i get fourteen 30 minute session at only 75€ and the teacher is amazing and he usually keeps 15 to 20 minutes extra.
I was a shitty student back in 2011 lol. I can just tell i totally disappointed my teacher with my "abilities" at the time, I practiced but alot of things he tried to teach me but they just didn't click at the time, and I could feel how awkward it was for him. The amount of times he'd sigh and be like "Well.... Okay uhmmm.... Here let's try this instead...." And then I'd come back next week to show him just how bad I was at what he ended up teching me the week prior.
i didn't actually understand the magnitude of "what song do you wanna try to learn" back then lol Picking shit that I'd never be able to pull of at that stage, I didn't have any realistic music goals at the time
Most students seem to be there so I can be their friend for 30 minutes a week. But now and then I get a special student which makes it all worth it. And yes, I've had multiple people think that if they don't show up then they don't have to pay you. I explain it as this : "You're paying for me to be here at a particular time every week with all my knowledge and years of experience. If you also show up then, as a side effect, you get a lesson. But you need to think of it as you're paying to reserve a slot of my time. If you don't show up then I still had to prepare, I still drove into the studio, I still loaded my gear into the studio, I still waited, I still cleared my gear out of the studio, I still had to drive home from the studio. The only thing which didn't happen is you weren't there. But I still did all the work you're paying me for."
Yeah but what if they let you know far in advance?
@@kitkatwizard Far in advance is OK. We actually have a contract at our store requiring 24 hours notice. But I've showed up to a lesson with a note on my music stand telling me they won't be there. That means they were in the store and didn't tell anyone at the store (who could have phoned me). I drive all the way there with all my gear and they're not there.
It's really frustrating when I'm sitting in my studio for 2 or 3 hours and only 1 or 2 students shows up. Yes, I still get paid, but the lack of respect of at least letting me know you won't be there is really frustrating.
After 10+ years of teaching I just left it out of frustration. I've had some great students, one of them went on to graduate from Berklee. But at least 50% of the students are in love with the idea of playing and instrument, but the the actual work of playing an instrument.
They are not paying for your hustle of transportation they are paying for your knowledge and if they don't get any, they shouldn't pay.
I had the opposite; a teacher who had excellent knowledge and teaching talent but would call me at the last minute cancel. He always wanted to make it as a musician and saw teaching as something he was doing to pay the bills until that time. Every time he cancelled was because he had some session work turn up. Never made it, never will. Shame he couldn't enjoy being a good teacher.
The last one made me sad because my former teacher passed away recently and I realized how good he was a year after I stopped taking lessons from him, after some time I found out I actually enjoy music and playing guitar and realized his teaching was really helpful, but I didn't really care about music or learning at all. I've seen him a few times after that and he was always friendly to me, but I never told him how good teacher he was and now I regret it.
I'm just imagining daddy samurai as he is now, full beard, zen aura, gossiping with a high school girl. Like stereotypical "Becky wore the same clothes as me" "Oh my god girl, that is crazy"
Me too
What
This resonates to many. My own experience as a young teacher. The eldest at 65, no practice, no worries. The youngest at 4. He decided a few months in that he would wait. I heard later that he rejoined at age 6. Many teenagers in droves. Two that stand out. One that never practiced that took lessons for 18 months. I spoke to his mom. They said no matter, he likes it. He was a sports guy but liked the guitar. We went through many of the same things in the 18th month as we did in the first months. The other, we got on so good that I talked to another teacher and gave him away as he was good but he was learning nothing from me. The boogers be gone and nasty, tore up guitars be damned. There's a lot of in-between. It was 1991 and everyone learned And Justice For All guitar riffs. I can still play them in my sleep. I so loved being a teacher.
I was forced to take Hebrew lessons for 4 years to prepare for a bar mitzvah. Sure wish those had been guitar lessons ... reading Hebrew at parties and on the beach just isn't the same.
Darin Simmons dont worry dude, it probably isnt nearly as annoying..well, maybe it is shalom!!
לפחות אתה יכול לקרוא את התגובה הזו!
Hey ! I wish i hadhebrew lessons!!
Correct me if I’m wrong
But isn’t a bar mirzvah celebrating you didn’t die before 13 or something close to that.
And I’m assuming you learned it to say something in the celebration, can’t you just remember the words a week before.
30 seconds later:
This is a joke
Frick
SamuraiHebrewist
As a professional musician, college music student, and guitar teacher, this video summed up so many things I’ve been thinking for years, yet have rarely heard someone put so bluntly. Great guidance for new teachers, and a nice reminder for seasoned ones that we’re not alone.
Can we talk about that massive keyboard on the floor
I’ve been saving up for my first electric all summer because of your video of how you got your first guitar. Thank you so much for the inspiration and keep up the great videos!!! 👍🏼
Congratulations! I know the feeling very well, it's such a fulfilling experience. Also.... git gud lol
That's cool, what kind of guitar did you get?
OSBenson a simple Ibanez GRX but with a really good fender amp
Nice, a good amp will take you a long way
I'm saving up for a brand new aerodyne Japanese fender jazz bass. It's a little over $800, but I've got all summer.
I don't even play guitar I play piano but watching this guy is always interesting
I'm a self taught guitar player, which probably means I made way slower progress over the years as I could have. But that way I made sure I'm doing it because I wanted it. Preparing for lessons each week would probably have killed my motivation.
Showing up at lessons and disappointing my teacher each week definitely made me feel scummy when I was 15. Feeling like a total noob with somebody there to watch killed my motivation in a way.
I stopped taking lessons after like 3 months because I felt inwas getting nowhere with it and it was costing my parents more than it should for what i was getting out of it.
I stopped taking it seriously for like 3 years until I was 18 or so, until my grandfather decided to give me a pedal board loaded with a bunch of boss pedals he said he "couldn't figure out/ doesn't like"....
Thats shit sent me on a path of enlightenment and self education.
The amount of playing i did figure things out and moving pedals around and trying different sound..... Then i started selling and trading off the pedals i figured I didn't want anymore or need *cough* boss DS-1 *cough* boss DD-3 *cough*.
After 7 years of trading, selling, sniping, and dealing with seedy people online in the used market, and a whole lot of playing guitar with different pedals, I've gained a bunch of practice that I probably wouldn't otherwise.
Where guitar lessons failed me, my grandfathers generosity and my own effort to further educate myself picked up the slack.
the crap you learn through trial and error is sometimes greater than what you can learn from somebody else just giving you the information.
never underestimate the power of giving.
When I was given those pedals the play around with, it set me on a path, a different path than when I was just given the information of what to play by my teacher.
Its crazy how things work out like that. Given certain circumstances, you can learn a lot on your own.
Nono, all great musicians were / are self thought. It’s just the right way, doing it because of passion and interest 👌
That is interesting. I could never be motivated as a self-taught guitarist. Guitarlessons just give a rythm to my life, and it usually pushes me to do my best, since I don't want to show up without any practice.
@@powermetallistic2293 i know what you mean by that.
I used to get that life rhythm going to band practices every saturday back when my old band was still together.
Having all this time jamming alone makes me think about this stuff lol
@@nicks4802 :( You might have another band tho. :)
Absolutely the truth, parents living vicariously through their children, it's so sad. When they want to learn, pure joy.
It's nice every now and again when someone you no longer recognise comes up and tells you of a band they are now in or similar and says it's because of you.
Keep them coming
Love the vids keep em up they really have inspired me to play guitar and buy a telecaster
b3ast_gaming 2369 congrats, hope you enjoy it
3:04 That's so true! I was also a really shy kid, when people talk start off by talking about the things the kid really likes, he will spontaneously start talking abut it. That way you've already established a conversation and it's easier to keep it going when you shift to another subject.
I am a guitar student, I think that my teacher looks forward to teaching me, I practice, like a lot (probably 5 hours/day) but I am a bit quiet and shy, but I want to change that to make things more fun and enjoyable.
That's Pretty Neat.......
That's Pretty Neat
its not about how long man, its about how you practice. with your fingers you need all day. with your mind you can accomplish alot in a hour or two
Becoming more conversational is a long road. I've been working on that real hard and then some the last few months. It's been opening doors for me, slowly. Keep at it. You might try looking at www.succeedsocially.com for help.
bring some lacroix
My teacher is a jazz player and i ask him to teach me Master of Puppets and Tornado of souls. Hahaha he give me tabs instead.
My former teacher was also a jazz player, he taught me MoP and Bark at the moon without me asking for it.
That's sad. I think that if you want to teach, you should be versatile and have insight to asi many genres as possible :-(
bruh if you're learning tornado of souls you don't need classes anymore lol
@@Alberto-ny7kf i’ll take lessons forever, there’s always something you don’t know and if you love playing and want to learn you’ll wanna know everything
Things you learn from teaching yourself: Don't let your phone distract you, take breaks, train ear, learn basic theory.
I’ve taken lessons for 8 years and I recently stopped when my guitar teacher threw in the towel. I’m really glad that I stuck with him even when he moved to a different location twice as far away. I started out with wanting to do a bunch of metal on a blue Ibanez starter, and now I’m playing on a Godin archtop or a Classical guitar and just jumping to ska or having some fun with Tomas Kalnoky’s (Toh Kay) music.
I didn’t always practice, and sometimes lessons were a nuisance to me. But I still tried to learn and I grateful for it. I’m now back at the first location getting vocal lessons and it’s be wonderful as I can really connect with the teacher.
My guitar instructor has been a big influence and we made some great memories. He even gave me his woodland BDU set and kevlar winter liner one lesson since he knew I reenacted and had an interest in historical stuff. He was an all-around cool guy.
I like how everything you say is straight to the point, honest and well said. It's very compelling and makes it easy to put my attention through the whole video instead of skipping through parts of the videos
When I started playing guitar, my teacher managed to take every fun out of the instrument for me. He thought the only "real" guitar music is classical spanish music. I had to learn the songs, but never cared for any of them. I didn't know why I was doing anything of this and then later I left him and stopped playing guitar completely for some months. later I picked it up again and I am playing for almost ten years now. I Think motivation needs to come from the student in the first place, but horrible teachers can suck every motivation out of you, too
Der von nebenan I had a teacher like this, but also the opposite, one that could play what I wanted really well but couldn’t teach...
Ironically the opposite from me, i had a teacher who believed rock was the only way to play guitar and i hated it. I learned how to play classical guitar on my own time since non of my teachers knew how to teach classical guitar.
Everything said here about good vs bad students is so true. Thanks for the advice also Sammy G ✨.
I'm 17 and started teaching kids when I was 16, like 90% of the kids I teach are way too young or uninterested to develop any skill. When there's so many people taking lessons with not enough time or passion it gets to be a drag, but when you find the rare students who care it's so refreshing.
This is a great video.I teach guitar at a small school in a small town in Texas and the owner and I have had this exact discussion on everything you said. Sometimes those students that don't practice suck but when you get that one student once in awhile that practices it's all worth it. Great job on this video.
This reminds me of when I was in elementary school. I was genuinely interested in music and decided to join the school orchestra. Picked up the violin, and I had an absolutely phenomenal instructor. I could tell by the way he talked and the way he taught us that he was also genuinely interested in getting us to stick with it. I enjoyed pretty much every single moment of my time there, pretty much the only stuff I disliked was when we had concerts at other schools because it was always a day long adventure, and I haaaated bringing in loads of stuff and helping load everything back up at the end of the day. The concerts themselves were pretty lit though, at least I thought they were.
The unfortunate thing about it was, I could tell when he was at his wits end from dealing with uninterested students. It made me feel so bad for him because he was a good guy, and despite him being so close to losing his patience he would still be more than happy and willing to patiently wait for "the good students" who were struggling to get their act together. He would sit there and guide all of us in the right direction. It's been a very long time since I was last in that orchestra class with him, at least 15 or more years. Despite that I still think very fondly of all that time I spent there.
Unfortunately, after a couple of years, disaster struck. I broke my wrist and I couldn't play. I was out of the game for quite a long time. To make matters worse, my wrist ended up mending slightly incorrectly. Not enough to warrant re-breaking it, but enough that I couldn't play the violin. There were certain notes I just could not hit anymore because I couldn't stretch my pinky far enough to hold the strings. It was enough of a problem for me that I would wince in pain even trying to do it, and I just remember seeing my instructor watch me struggle and wince along with me every time I tried. Despite my shortcomings, I was still devoted to trying and even participated in that year's Christmas concert, but I was clearly dragging the whole thing down. I decided to give it up and I dropped out of orchestra.
I have still maintained a loose interest with music ever since my time in that dinky elementary school orchestra. The only "instrument" I've been able to successfully play has been floppy drives and scanners. More of a novelty than anything. I honestly crave trying to play something for real though. While I don't play the guitar, your videos have inspired me to try my hand at playing an instrument again. DAWs just don't have the same feel, you know? I don't think stringed instruments are for me, but I have a feeling I could manage the piano as long as I don't play anything crazy. I think when that next paycheck rolls around I'm gonna get myself a basic MIDI keyboard and go to town. So maybe you can give yourself another pat on the back, man.
Hey, good on you for perserving in the face of hardship. I encourage you to find ways to express yourself musically! I hope piano works out well for you.
Have you thought of playing left-handed? Maybe not violin, but guitar or bass? Then your injured hand is your picking / strumming hand.
I always recommended to my lefties that they learn right-handed, purely for the fact that they would be able to play so many more guitars. You will develop the necessary coordination and strength regardless...
I've always had great relationships with my teachers. From my band teachers in middle school to my private lessons with my teacher who's a good family friend. I love when a teacher gets excited to teach me something, and I love learning and talking music with someone who's devoted their life to sharing their love of the art!
Okay I’ve been watching your older videos out of random TH-cam recommendation, and your random, stupid, dry humor got you a sub for life. Keep it up. ❤️
I have about 50 students myself and I completely agree with you... You can only do so much and kids these days are completely filled out to the brim with after school activities. One student of mine, 10 years old, had piano on Mondays, Athletics on Tuesdays, Soccer on Wednesdays, Thursdays school til 5PM and Fridays Soccer training again. He simply has no capacity left to enjoy sitting down an hour or two a week to practice. It was really sad teaching him for over a year, even though I and he himself told his mother repeatedly, that there's not much of a point continuing this.
As a music teacher i could relate and learn with all the things that you said! Thank you, man! Keep up the good work!!
I teach English as a second language and music is just a hobby, but your video sums up the teaching life so well! Great to watch while on lockdown when everything about my job is up in the air. Thanks man.
I completely agree that there is nothing more frustrating than teaching people that are basically forced to be there.
My favourite student by far is a 63 year old who finally wants to fulfill his dream of playing guitar on stage one day. Although he is 3 times my age he shows real interest when I try to teach him new stuff and wakes up early everyday so he can practice before he goes to work. Students like him make teaching fun!
To be fair though, I don’t really teach kids anymore and mostly teach people in their twenties who all pay themselves to be there and therefore show real interest, so it’s mostly a fun job!
6:21 This is a really cool story for me, because similarly I was learning guitar from an alumni at my private christian school, and I had about 6 months of lessons from him but didn't see him for a while after that. The school asked me to play worship music for a youth group retreat, so I did and my guitar teacher was actually asked to come out and speak for a night as well. He and I picked up where we left off, started chatting about life and music and how I started playing bass as my main instrument but still played guitar when needed, and now I'm in a band with him! It's super cool how stuff like that works out.
I'm 1:21 mins in and I've already experienced everything you said. Liked!
Maybe my story will cheer you up about those disinterested students a bit.
When I was a kid (between 7 and 15) I went to piano lessons twice a week. I had no love of music in me. I was taking the lessons because my parents offered to send me to them and I was a too agreeable and obedient child to even think of declining. I practised, yes, but this was due to a sense of obligation, not a desire to improve myself, and practice was usually limited to playing once through all the assigned pieces just before the next lesson. I did progress, but the progress was glacial. I never developed any agility or speed on the instrument and I never learned a single song by heart, unless I was assigned it as an exercise. I was also quite detached and taciturn kid, so my conversations with the teacher were mostly limited to instructions.
I was probably the weakest player of my age cohort. For my graduation exam at the age of 14 I played Moonlight Sonata 1st movement, which is probably the simplest and slowest piano piece that would've been accepted for that purpose. For comparison, one of the talented kids played either a Maple Leaf Rag or The Entertainer - I don't remember which one, but I do remember being quite stunned. After that I went to high school and pretty much stopped playing at all.
Years later at the university I've made friends with some guys who played the guitar. They were quite good too, even had a cover band that played 80's hard rock. So just to have more stuff to talk about, I decided to start playing piano again after 6 or 7 years of not touching the instrument. I've struggled for a few months, but my skills, though meagre, returned quickly. Then I discovered blues and jazz improvisation and I loved this stuff - this made me practise every day and within less then a year I was ready to play the covers with my friends. Within 2 years maybe I couldn't play the more complicated pieces, but I was a damn good improviser - and it turned out when improvising I could even play fast ;). Some of my other friends also picked up instruments while at the uni, but only one that started from scratch managed to stick with it. As such I am pretty sure if it wasn't for those preexisting dormant piano skills I would have also given up. Music never became my career, but it has become my great passion, I even eventually picked up the guitar and delved into composition and production.
The conclusion - while as a kid I was probably the perfect example of "you can encourage the love of music, but you can't create one" I have discovered my love of music many years later and I probably wouldn't if it wasn't for the dormant skills developed during those seemingly pointless piano lessons. Maybe some of your bad students had or will have a musical awakening later in their life as well and they will look back at the lessons with you and think "damn I must've been a horrible student to teach, but I sure am happy that I took those lessons". And they will think fondly of you for putting up with their behaviour. Because I sure do feel that way about my old teacher.
The exact same thing happened to me! I started on piano age 8 and got so tired of it I asked to switch instruments by the time I was 10. Two years later I quit my bass lessons. I was not the kid to practice regularly at all, but when I started high school I developed a profound obsession with harmonica and Billy Joel. I asked to take music lessons again and really really tried with my new teacher, something that proved to be extremely helpful with my learning. It all clicked one day when my teacher had to leave for 5 minutes and came back to me hammering out an awful boogie shuffle, but he smiled at me and asked me to play it again. And again. Then he sent me home with with a blues chart he printed that day, and stopped me learning my exersises altogether. It was his attention to my interests that fostered my love for blues, jazz, and improvisation. Fast forward another four years and I'm really glad that he made me go to my lesson every week despite me dreading having to tell my teacher I didn't practice at all, because it helped me so much in relearning it. My dad used to say to me "There are three things that are free for you until you're an adult. Food, Clothes, and Music lessons."
When I was nine my mom had signed me up for a music school as an after school activity. The first year was an orientation year where you learned the bare basics and got to mess around with different instruments to eventually choose one. I was pretty indifferent towards music in general so my mom picked the piano for me. To be fair I didn't really enjoy it at all, but it did spark an interest in music in me. After 6 years of not enjoying piano lessons at all I picked up the guitar. I quit piano lessons immediately and got guitar lessons instead. 9 years later I'm still completely addicted to playing guitar. I tell this because your point about parents forcing kids to pick up an instrument resonates with me a lot. Even though I was really unmotivated with piano, it did help me get into music. So in hindsight I'm pretty happy my parents forced me to pick up an instrument, even though it was the wrong one it helped me pick the right one down the road.
i am a student my guitar lessons are 1 hour every saturday and the lesson feels like 15 mitunes to me and my teacher it is nice.
You inspired me over the past few weeks to pick the guitar back up and I just want to say thank you! I don't know why I put it down in the first place but it's very obvious now that that was the wrong decision.
I could watch a hour video of him talking about this subject
I was a bs ukulele player, but now I love the guitar and play every day
Great Video, some great advice taken here, i've been thinking more and more about overloading myself with work, and also about the idea of making some online courses as alternatives for students. So cheers for the inspiration!
I would entirely agree with your experience. I had the same in 8 years of live teaching. Good luck with the course sales.
I cried over that boy who got saved my guitar and your lessons. Kids are just great
can you do a followup where you mention things you've learned/noticed as a teacher that we students can use in our advantage? Like some things you have often seen that did work and things that did not work for students
I think if the student puts forth the effort and has a passion for music, both the teacher and the student can have a good time
Finding the right teacher is not an easy task. I don't mind paying $100/hour but in that hour, I expect to learn something that I will enjoy and that will be useful to me. I'm still new to music and still trying to figure out plenty of things and my teacher is always asking me about my last week of practice. Every Friday, after the Skype lesson, I will practice on my own what we have discussed. During the next week, I will keep practicing the same stuff. Some new problems will arise and I will send a quick Messenger to my teacher and tell him about the good and the bad things that have happened during the week. I will ask him a question or 2 on my problems and on the next Friday, we will go over those questions and those problems. It has been almost 3 years now and I have learned so much. I guess we have a good connection and he is the right teacher for me!!! I just hope that one day, I will be able to meet him in person and shake his hand to say thank you!!!
This was really helpful! Thanks mate!
I tutor 100+ students per week in guitar, and yes, I can relate. Great video, thanks.
Used to tell students to buy an acoustic before joining the class and you know what.....now there are a lot of acoustics lying around at dust corners of a lot of houses in my area......feel so bad for those guitars! So thats what I learned from my teaching experience 😂
Quite enjoyable thank you samurai guitarist
I love your vids please don’t change
Learning music is much better than just tab your way a song, Im glad some young folk got that
Yes! Warhammer has finally been recognised by a famous TH-camr
Lindybeige probably mentioned it (negatively, as he doesn't play it, he plays Crossfire)
4:50 - I have the '24 hour notice to change lessons' clause with my students, and I have only had a couple of people refuse to pay when reminded. These are also the sort of student (or parent) who thinks that improvement comes from attendance alone, no practice required!
I once had a Student who told me when He had a Fight with His Brother, His Mom forced him to practice guitar as punishement.
Best punishment ever.
t
Damn
As a Taekwondo instructor, a lot of this rang true with me. Those students that do practice and participate and want to be the best they can be...teaching them is the best thing in the world.
The reasons you listed we exactly the reasons I never gave structured lessons. I had tons of people ask me to teach them and I mostly always gave the same answer, "You don't want me as a teacher, I'm way too impatient and unforgiving. I know you won't practice and that would piss me off and I would quit teaching you, so better not to start." I always told them to find a teacher through a school or music store.
Great video man love what you doing
Student:*walks into guitar lessons*
Samurai Guitarist: have I ever told you about the Horace Heresy?
"parents would force them into playing an instrument" -- yeah, most of my classmates went into guitar ensemble just because their parents forced them to which is rather sad :/
When I was 12, my parents forced me into playing an instrument. I started learning guitar, but it wasn't really a thing for me. My teacher taught me in the classic way and I asked if we could play Knights of Cydonia by Muse, but he said it would be too difficult. I didn't practice and after half a year I was allowed to quit guitar. A few years later, aged 17. I passed a guitar store and in an complete spontaneous idea I bought a guitar. Since I quit I never even thought of playing, but somehow I walked into the store and got myself an acoustic guitar. I asked for the best place for guitar lessons, called that guy and made an appointment, while I was walking home from the guitar store. My parents were very surprised, but I paid for everything myself, so they wouldn't stop me. I remember my first lesson with my new teacher. He was a very laid-back guy who was incredibly nice. He asked what kinda music I liked, so I answered Muse. He responded by teaching me Knights Of Cydonia, the song I always wanted to play. I was so excited about guitar, practiced all week and couldn't wait for the next lesson a week later. Since that day I played every single day and is guitar the most important thing in my life. That teacher literally changed my life, definitely for the better. Every now and then I wonder how it would be if I got that teacher the first time. I don't think I would be as excited about guitar as I am today, because I was a completely different person when I was 12. But still, I can't emphasize enough how great that teacher is. He taught me about so many things, also way beyond guitar. I wish for everybody a teacher like him.
I'm a teacher and I have an average of about 50-60 students a week. Everything you have said here is accurate and I do still love my job. There are the few students who really make it worth it and then there are the ones that leave me wondering why they are there. You can only do so much as a teacher to encourage your students but you can't force the love of music on anyone.
You rock bro, Love your vids!
I just showed up and never practiced in my teens. I cringe so hard looking back.
I didn't progress until I went through a gymn rat phase and learned how to work towards a goal. I picked the guitar up again and just applied what I learned about working out to guitar and I'm one of my new teachers favorites.
Me and my guitar teacher have perfect chemistry and we mostly sit and jam. Its really fun 😊
Great video, thanks. 100% my experience as well.
Why are guitarists so stressed?
Because they’re always fretting.
_ba dum tss_
How many guitarists does it take to change a light bulb?
Three. One to change the light bulb, and two to say, "I can do that!"
I didn't pickup on your joke at first.
Amen
@@fudgesauce It happens to everyone, I've made the accidental mistake of not seeing a pun as well.
Great vid
Feel ya man! Teaching is hard, yet rewarding, all ur points are right on. Good advice, I'd only add that the parents participation is also vital to child student progress! Oh and yeah, always have a steady Phone, no monthly walmart cards people, that'll burn ya!
i’m going to start giving this man lessons and i’ve been playing for a few years. i’m not crazy good but i know i can definitely show him a lot. any advice for a first time teacher? if you can call it thag
What level of proficiency would you say is necessary before beginning to teach? I don't think I have enough to offer a student yet but I've certainly learned a lot gigging over the last 10 years. I want to take lessons myself to improve my technique and open my musical understanding, but I'd also love to get in on the teaching scene. What steps should I take to bridge that gap?
That last story was really motivating
samurai i am a guitar teacher myself only part time at the moment i only teach 6 a week and only 2 off them are interested in guitar, as a teacher this is very frustrating because you want to do the best job possible to get results, im thinking off giving it up and focusing improving myself as a musician
My mom had her PhD in musicology - McGill. Soloist Piano 1970-71 Boston Symphony. Now, I play 11 instruments with extreme mediocrity! 🤣
I was weaned in Irish Sessiuns- pennywhistle, Bodhran, Irish flute..then mando, strumstivk, Appalachian duciner...I'm PRO now... 300-400 audience... broke my wrist- 9 pins, motorcycle accidrnt...recovered fiddle, mando, guitar et al....I worked vocals ...Its been a long climb!! 🤣
as a music teacher, i can relate on what you've said especially the pokemon ahahahahahahaha
I accidentally swallowed a guitar pick earlier. Jazz 3 (white).
Did you find it?
@@Boosuf :-)
I would have loved to have been able to afford all the lessons as a kid, it makes me sad when parents waste money on that sort of thing when a kid clearly isn’t interested. It didn’t really ever stop me though, I still picked up any instrument I could find and practiced on my own as much as possible, asking anyone I knew that played an instrument for advice. It’s been pretty rewarding seeing all improvements knowing that I wasn’t afforded all the tools other had. Makes me really apathetic when people complain they can’t afford lessons, like sometimes you just have to do it yourself and be resourceful
SO helpful!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hey buddy again, can you make an exception for... pedal steel lessons? ha. I am actually a music teacher, but I like holding myself accountable and songwriting and writing out drum charts and melody notes and all that; I try to learn it all. I understand exactly what you're saying, but how can I ensure when I take lessons I'm not a BSer? because I'm so good at piano that I know that I have the ability to do anything (eventually) but I do spend time trying to record and stuff. I want to ensure me being a big boy living the adult life of working and doing solo recording projects don't become an excuse not to practice?
There is one thing I NEED to say!
Since you moved, you can't say anymore : "welcome to my kitchen table where I talk about myself and my life in music".
(I know it's really late, but I always thought that was pretty funny haha)
Sorry for asking the obvious, but I got confused by the "C dorian is different from Dorian in the key of C" statement at 4:42. Care to elaborate ?
PS : You make great videos !
Sometimes I feel bad taking guitar lessons because procrastination can get the best of me at times and going there it feels like I’m just playing some half ass (which I mean I am) but at the same time I do like going there and learning and I’m also a pretty shy person and I don’t tend to start conversations until the other person does and these are habits I do want to break because I don’t want her to feel like she’s waisting her time and I don’t want to feel like I’m waisting my own time because of my bad procrastination.
*Steven Pinker* wrote the praise for a book against compulsory schooling (Free to Learn by Peter Gray) so I'd say your views here have some backing.
When I was 8 or 9 I took guitar lessons and stopped playing for a long time because my bad teacher ruined my experience, all he would do is assign me tabs to learn every couple of weeks and get angry at me when I made mistakes showing him what I had learned. I’m now 16 and started playing guitar again but my experience with teachers was so poor that I’m hesitant to take payed lessons again. Where can I find a teacher like you ;((
Wait... Isn't C Dorian the Dorian mode in the key of C?
Am I missing something here? I mean, I know that in the key of C major (ionian), dorian is D... Is that it?
Well, you got one half of it. Yes, it's true that in the key of C major, Dorian is D as Dorian is the second mode of the Major Scale with Ionian being the first one. That's why C Dorian can't be in the key of C major but in the key of Bb/A# major as C is the second note in that scale just like D is the second note in the key of C major. I hope I made my point!
Oh I got it, it was phrasing. The Dorian mode of the key of C is D Dorian.
@@adityaghosal1000 If we're being technical, I believe its only Bb Major. If it was A# Major it would be B## Dorian
Was there anything a student of yours said about their approach to music that you started using? Even if its something silly.
I discovered that you can pause the video at literally any given moment, and the look on his face is hilarious haha.
@Spicy Chicken Marsala Cucumber Salad w/ Pico Right? haha XD
You know and like warhammer? My g!
Ive just realised that I'm one of the students that teachers hate. I play piano and violin in a music school. I get very lazy during the week and don't practice (I spend most of my time playing guitar or watching TH-cam instead of practicing). Although I have a love for music the one thing I hate about playing music is exams in the instrument (or grades, as we call them in Ireland). I don't enjoy playing pieces that I don't want to play just because it means that after I play them in the exam I can advance to the next level. That is why I much more enjoy playing the guitar or even songs I enjoy on the piano than playing violin. I find it hard to incorporate the violin into the style of music I like to listen to. Even in my piano lessons, I spend more time talking to the teacher than actually playing. This annoys me because I don't realise that I'm putting off the work I should be doing until it's too late. Do you have any suggestions for me to stop these problems or at least make them better? (Just to note, I don't hate the violin, I just hate the grades. I play violin in my local orchestra and have actually had some of the best times of my life and even got my love for certain songs, groups and composers there)
Great video man, as always. I have been a self-taught guitarist since I was around 8 (I'm 21 now) & I am pretty confident with my playing, but recently I have been thinking about getting lessons as a way to get another person's perception of music & guitar to see if I can apply it to my playing, but not necessarily to learn songs or techniques. Would this be a good idea or is there a better way to go about this? Thanks heaps & G'day from Australia!
More knowledge never hurts.
Take a lesson or two and see what you think.
6:03 ahah awesome ;)
I find the best way to work with kids below 12 is to challenge them, usually with games like: can they play something 4 times in a row? Also reward systems work like a charm in classes. Reward them points for doing well, and sometimes threaten to take them away when they sidetrack in lessons. You'll be surprised of how much they desire the points, even though sometimes the points are meaningless!
I honestly, genuinely wonder if telling students to watch K-On would have fostered a love in some of these students LOL.
I started learning guitar roughly 11 months ago and what I've done is that I have watched videos on TH-cam and tried to learn songs. I Want to get as good as possible but is it worth paying for a teacher when you're 15 years old? I know how to do chords and barre chords and I have learnt a lot of Metallica riffs/songs and I'm a metalhead.
Very cool vid
The most shocking thing I've learned giving music lessons is that there are actually people that can't clap along with a metronome. Not even when they can see the old school pendulum.
man, im real quiet in guitar lessons - like, REALLY quiet; I'm just not comfortable socializing. But, I practice, at least like an hour every day 'cause I LOVE the guitar. I'm moving through lessons quickly (At least, I think I'm making good progress) but now I wonder how my teacher feels, with a really quiet student, but one who actually wants to be at guitar lessons...
"A C Dorian is very different than the Dorian mode in the key of C"
Wait WHAT? I'm cofused
I don't get that either
I dont know if you read old comments
But could you make a video on how to find a "Good", generically speaking, guitar teacher? oh for a beginner
im 26 btw, played a "bit" in high school
Amazing content! and Music!!
Diehard Dallas Stars fan here.... I love your channel so much that I might even forgive Laine for making our team his bitch every year. Cheers man. I also really want to teach, I feel like inspiring others who actually want to play like their heros would be incredible.
I feel bad for my guitar teacher, I didn't take it seriously for the first few years until just recently.
Smooth....very smooth.....but I bought it already!
It seems like music as a hobby is pretty pricy in Us and Canada. In Finland i get fourteen 30 minute session at only 75€ and the teacher is amazing and he usually keeps 15 to 20 minutes extra.
Where? I pay 40 € for an hour long lesson. :D No even Kansalaisopisto is that cheap.
I was a shitty student back in 2011 lol.
I can just tell i totally disappointed my teacher with my "abilities" at the time, I practiced but alot of things he tried to teach me but they just didn't click at the time, and I could feel how awkward it was for him.
The amount of times he'd sigh and be like "Well.... Okay uhmmm.... Here let's try this instead...." And then I'd come back next week to show him just how bad I was at what he ended up teching me the week prior.
I think then, especially when you practiced, it's not entirely on you ;)
i didn't actually understand the magnitude of "what song do you wanna try to learn" back then lol
Picking shit that I'd never be able to pull of at that stage, I didn't have any realistic music goals at the time