guitar tutor advice
Discussion
Hey all, I'm 43 and just getting back into learning guitar, i have an epiphone sg400 and wanting to learn good blues style.. bb king, roger johnson, etc. think ive found a local guy who realy seems to know his stuff . ive told him my skill level and he seems to think he can teach me about blues harmonics, theory and improvisation etc, charges 15 quid per hour wich i think is great. what i want to know from the learned folks hereabout is how many lessons a week and what i need to ask to make sure i realy get a tutor that can lead me down the correct path. This guy is pretty young , greek and studying at leeds college of music, realy seems to know his stuff , is a lover of steve vai so guessing he's into the real technical side of playing, me i want to learn some dirty deep south blues and old fashioned blues riffs and solos... so i guess 15 quid an hour, learning at his place and he seems to be a friendly guy is a good thing but is there anything i need to know about picking a tutor ?
Just give him a go. As long as you are not paying for 20 lessons up front what is there to lose. If he wants you to commit to a few up front then suggest a couple of paid trial ones.
I think if you read your post back you will come to the same conclusion as me.
Hope it goes well for you, I wish I could find anybody like that near me.
I think if you read your post back you will come to the same conclusion as me.
Hope it goes well for you, I wish I could find anybody like that near me.
A lot will depend on how much you are going to practice. I used to do a bit of teaching (low level stuff) and I could easily tell which ones had been practicing and which ones had left the guitar int he case until the next lesson.
As for the sytle you want to learn- choose a solo you want to be able to play, take it to him, let him figure it out and then show you how to play it. Watching the process of him doing that can be as informative as being shown the solo itself.
As for the sytle you want to learn- choose a solo you want to be able to play, take it to him, let him figure it out and then show you how to play it. Watching the process of him doing that can be as informative as being shown the solo itself.
I recently watched an online vid of how to pick a guitar tutor by a chap known as MonkeyLord. So given your username, you should associate to this quite well.
MonkeyLord Youtube Link
MonkeyLord Youtube Link
hahaha no i wish id di meet him at a crossroads though.... where do i sign 
realy though i met him today for a coffee and a chat and we goty on realy well. i'd just bought a bottleneck and a book on blues theroty , chords and scales in a sale at a local music store (sherers in leeds , got amazing deals at the mo ) anyway he was explainin how he can take what i can already play and expand on it, and also as well as teaching blues like 12 and 8 bar blues plus sldes and turnarounds how he has ways of teaching improvisation techniques. i realy liked what he was telling me so am thinking of booking a few lessons and seeing how we go on and taking it from there, he knows my inspirations are rodger johnson, bb king and muddy waters so we will see how i go... totaly willing and able to practice practice an a bit more practice on top.... it will come but i'm willing to do whatever it takes to get good... even at 43 years old i guess i;m not too old to put in the graft... besides to me its fun and a good stress release
realy though i met him today for a coffee and a chat and we goty on realy well. i'd just bought a bottleneck and a book on blues theroty , chords and scales in a sale at a local music store (sherers in leeds , got amazing deals at the mo ) anyway he was explainin how he can take what i can already play and expand on it, and also as well as teaching blues like 12 and 8 bar blues plus sldes and turnarounds how he has ways of teaching improvisation techniques. i realy liked what he was telling me so am thinking of booking a few lessons and seeing how we go on and taking it from there, he knows my inspirations are rodger johnson, bb king and muddy waters so we will see how i go... totaly willing and able to practice practice an a bit more practice on top.... it will come but i'm willing to do whatever it takes to get good... even at 43 years old i guess i;m not too old to put in the graft... besides to me its fun and a good stress release I improved my playing more with a few months of seeing a tutor than I had in most of the previous 15 years of bumbling along on my own. To be honest, though, I think just playing with someone better than yourself is the key thing.
Learning simple 12 bar blues, taking turns to play rhythm or improvise lead was the best fun I've had with a guitar - so simple, but sounds so great.
Learning simple 12 bar blues, taking turns to play rhythm or improvise lead was the best fun I've had with a guitar - so simple, but sounds so great.
Otolith , yup thats what i am thinking, this guy is good... and i mean good but does not look down on his students and wants to make it fum too. think ive found the right guy. plus like you say just playing with someone better is cool as it makes you want to improve and impress.... wish me luck
Justin Cyder said:
Want to learn blues? A few days to pick up the scale, a lifetime to give it the feel that makes it so great. Good luck, it's a great journey.
^ 'bout right, that is.Listen to the "right" stuff as well. When I first started playing (moving on from the Spanish classical stuff), I was listening to the likes of Muddy Waters / T-Bone Walker / Son Seals / Freddie King / Albert King etc etc. Not to copy their stuff, just to get a "feel" (as JC says above) for what's going on.
20-odd years later, I'm still learning the blues; which is a good thing. It's like a great book you enjoy reading, and there is always another page to read.
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