A great question....

Recently I received a new student inquiry. It was short- as you can see, rather vague but to the point as well. A great question any teacher should be able to answer based on what he or she is teaching. This may also give some insight- between the lines- as to why some do not succeed.

Student: hi, i am a beginner....but i want to learn guitar for myself...what is the process of learning the guitar???

Me: Hi " " Thanks for reaching out.

Firstly you will need your own guitar.

Misconception number one: all students must start on a classical guitar.

To find out what kind of guitar suits YOU best, I would advise making a list of your favorite songs- maybe ten and then analysing what kind of guitar - electric, acoustic or classical is used the most in each of those songs.

For example

Song one- electric guitar

Song two- electric guitar

Song three- acoustic guitar

Song four- classical guitar

Song five- electric guitar- and so on......(you can see from this small sample that electric guitar is used in sixty percent of songs)

If you are unsure, get someone to help you. This is probably the guitar you will like the most, be suited to the most- and therefore be dedicated to the most. It probably will not be a classical guitar. You then need to think really carefully- but you probably have already- as to whether your weekly schedule permits you to learn guitar and commit to the practice necessary to succeed. (Many people fall down here)

Then come and see me for lessons. I am a highly qualified music teacher specialising in guitar. (I teach my students to examination standards if required. Not only have none ever failed, but none of my students have ever received less than excellence.)

One half hour lesson a week is required- ten in a term. forty in a year.

As part of your learning process you will learn songs, how to tune a guitar, how to best hold YOUR guitar (all three mentioned are different), exercises to achieve quicker left hand/ right hand coordination, how to recognize notes and chords by ear, how to read and write notes and chords and how to play and understand the scales these notes and chords come from in order to use and improvise other notes and chords that sound good and may be grouped together.

You will practice at least five days a week but preferably every day the things I tell you to practice. Initially you will practice twenty minutes every day. After three months thirty minutes every day (sooner if you do what's required) By the end of the year you may have increased your practice to one hour every day.

By the end of that year you will also be proficient at playing many songs, know how to read music in order to play a song (I teach all my students how to read- those who do not wish to read are encouraged to find a different teacher), understand the way music is structured so you may begin to write your own music, play and change between eleven to twenty chords quickly and know how and why they are related- same as notes, be able to recognise and name basic notes and chords by ear, be able to improvise over basic patterns and ideas and perhaps most importantly: be able to tune your guitar in less than fifteen seconds. As a result of the skills you have acquired, you will already be better equipped than many guitar players. Learning music on another instrument will also make more sense. As an excellent teacher based in Palmerston North once said in his NZ Musician article (to paraphrase): the difference between a musician and a guitarist is that a musician understands the concepts of music and may choose to express that on guitar. A guitarist on the other hand often knows one or two chords and songs and is either stuck in a rut or not far from one. If this is true- and I believe it is, surely one wants to be a musician? I will teach you how to be a musician.

However like any instrument it takes many years of dedication to achieve expertise. Some of my students have been with me for over ten years and now have one or two hour lessons every week to cater for the level they are at. They have also upgraded- sometimes more than once- to a better quality (and more expensive) guitar. This in no way suggests that you need to stay with me for ten years- or that you need to start with one or two hour lessons and have an instrument worth many thousands of dollars to begin with- you don't need them! However one must expect a period of dedication to be great on any instrument. And therefore.....

Misconception number two: "It's just a guitar" and "should" be easy.

There is no shortage of people- as already mentioned- who can strum one or two chords and call themselves a guitar player- and they are. Many of these players can also point to the "glory days" or "back when I used to be good" However, have they played in a band? Performed regularly? Sat exams? Have their own original material? Have a recorded portfolio of music they can play being updated and improved on a regular basis? If I was to mention "ten years" in relation to piano or violin, or any of the classical instruments there would be no big surprise. It can take this long to be able to do the things I mention and question with confidence. Not only that, but you can be confident by being just as valid as anyone on the so-called "proper instruments" if you can do these things which I will also teach you/ encourage you to do.

I hope this has been of help to you. Please let me know if I can be of further help.

Sincerely

Nick Cebalo

So, after congratulating myself on (what I think) is a pretty good piece of writing (in reality a cut and paste job from my syllabus overview), I was prompted into going back and checking that this was still valid (!). I'm happy to reply in the affirmative, but gee it just shows that it's worth evaluating often. Much like learning a piece of music, where you study it extensively to the point you can get it off the paper and into your head and really start playing and interpreting it. Then, at some point in the future you revisit that piece of written music and realise "OhMyGosh! That's not what I'm playing! Does it really go like that?" A great lesson in sanity checking- as well as reevaluating, questioning and interpreting. What's often the norm in an organisation is not always the case in small business- but no less important and valuable.

For the record turns out he's a huge fan of the early Santana albums (and no we didn't go into the nuances of PAFs v P90s- but he DID get an Epiphone SG). He starts later this week.