I decided to learn about the guitar in January, 2010. When I began I knew very little about music or the guitar. Thus one of the excitements of this quest is to see if someone who has reached middle age can become proficient in a difficult art form. I am guessing it will take 8-10 years of constant practice to reach a thorough level of knowledge on the subject.
As a beginner, I was feeling, and still do feel, overwhelmed at the amount of paths to be traveled during this quest. I am not one to begin a journey without a map and an idea of the direction I want to go. However, there does not seem to be an authoritative and respected map to be found.
With film photography, the 3 volume set authored by Ansel Adams was the only map I needed, and it helped me reach the places I wanted to get to. The books were clearly written, explaining complex ideas with simplicity, and were well organized.
I am looking for a similar type of book for the guitar, but everything I have found thus far is either too simple, avoiding difficult topics, or covers the basics in 2 paragraphs, and jumps to complicated ideas for the next 98 pages, with no logical bridge to get from A to C.
I have found some decent guitar internet sites which publish well written articles, but the articles cover only 1 topic, and thus there is no logical step by step progression for the beginner to follow. A jumbled mass of knowledge leads to a jumbled mass of playing.
I finally decided upon a set of beginner lessons published at About.com. The lessons are straight forward and simple to follow. I would read a lesson and then take 5-7 days to practice before moving on to the next lesson. When I got to lesson 6 I decided that a private instructor would be something useful to try.
So I stopped in at the local guitar store 3 weeks ago and signed up with a random teacher. The man teaching me is an experienced musician who can do anything with a guitar. The lessons however, I found to be jumbled and in disarray, with no clear map of the big picture. The lessons reveal a few small trees, but beyond that I am lost in a large forest.
I know what I want from a teacher - someone who in the first lesson won't need a guitar, but will ask me where I want to go, and then will tell me how he is going to get me there over a long period of time. Start with the large picture, discuss playing and learning philosophy, goals, and then begin to sift through the smaller details. During the 2nd lesson, therefore, I will be aware that I am taking my first steps in a long journey, but with map in hand and good luck in my back pocket, will feel confident of reaching the end point.
Because of my disappointment with my first teacher's methods, I decided to end the lessons. I still have 1 remaining paid-for lesson, but I most likely will not return. I set up a meeting with another teacher this Wednesday. I will see how that goes -if he can clearly explain a long term plan, then I will give him a chance. If not, then I will forgo seeking private instruction and will work on forging my own path, for better or worse.
