Most people begin taking guitar lessons with two expectations: that they want to learn to play guitar, and that they’ll never really be that great at it. I suspect people approach most things in their life like this; after all, how can we be experts at everything? I guess that’s the definition of a hobby: something that we’re interested in but that we except we will never excel at.
People also take lessons, or put their children in lessons, because they expect it to be fun. The enjoyment of playing the guitar, or of learning anything, is the satisfaction that arises from mastery.
The path to mastery is difficult and usually would not be defined as fun. Mastery doesn’t necessarily mean being able to jam like Stevie Ray Vaughan; it’s too daunting a task to hold yourself accountable to that level of excellence, at least in the beginning. But mastery can come in smaller pieces: like learning to play a song from beginning to end, flawlessly, or learning to play a scale without mistakes. Again, the work necessary to get to this point isn’t always fun, but the satisfaction upon completion is very rewarding.
The problem with teaching is that most people don’t feel this way about education. Most parents want to find something for their children to do, and then are unwilling to push them to give their lessons adequate effort; they expect the teacher to wave his/her magic wand, and presto! Their child will know how to play guitar.
I suppose it is the teacher’s job to motivate, but I’ve always felt that what could be more motivating than listening to Van Halen? (or whatever it is that excites you about the guitar) All the teacher can (and should do) is present their own excellence on their instrument and share with the student the music they love. Look at all the Asian child prodigies.
Are Asians more inherently talented than the rest of us? No, but their parents understand the need to push their children to work hard and try to excel.
Practice, practice, practice!
So where am I going with all this? Well, if you are going to take guitar lessons, or have your child take lessons, be prepared to work! This shouldn’t be a big deal because you love the guitar, that’s why you want to study it, right? If you just answered “no”, then why are you taking guitar lessons? If your kid likes Hip-Hop, why did you sign him up for guitar? My teacher, Lorn Leber, used to tell me, “You only have so much time, why study something if you don’t love it?”
If you approach everything in your life with this philosophy, I can guarantee you a satisfying life! Again, this doesn’t mean everything has to be fun, but if you work hard to pursue the things you love, the satisfaction it provides will offer contentment and happiness.
When I was studying with Satriani, I never (or hardly ever) left a lesson without feeling terrible.
Teach
This was no fault of his; it was my own fault, because I felt lousy about not having prepared well enough and was disappointed about looking like a mediocre jerk. This didn’t stop me from taking lessons. What kept me going was an unending desire to get good at the guitar; if you feel bad about your lessons, or your kid does, don’t worry about it, use it as motivation!
Make it a point to set clear goals, so you know what you are trying to achieve. Above all else: don’t blame anyone else for your failure, you are responsible for yourself. If you are working hard and are not happy with your teacher, try someone else. If you are not happy with your teacher because you are not having fun, it’s time for a gut check.
Good luck!
Related Posts:
The Mental Game – Preparing Yourself to be a First-Rate Guitarist
Learning the Modes, Non-Scientifically
To Read or Not to Read, That is the Question – Why Guitarists Should Learn to Read Music
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