8 tips for choosing a guitar teacher

Most guitar novices will decide to take lessons but how can you choose a good teacher when you don’t know anything about the subject? With that in mind I put together a list of things to look for in a guitar teacher.

1. Location - It’s important that your lessons take place in a location that’s convenient for you. Some teachers will make housecalls, others operate out of their home or a music store. If you have to drive 30 miles in heavy traffic you’re more likely to drop out. Also, a good teacher will provide recording equipment, music stands, stools, etc. If you show up for a lesson and you have to sit on a couch and lay the sheet music on a coffee table, you might want to find another teacher.

2. Technique and posture - It seems like many guitar teachers focus more on teaching chord fingerings and strum patterns than the fundamentals. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher to really break down the left hand fingerings or right hand position. It wasn’t until 3 or 4 lessons in that my teacher bothered to correct my posture, showing me how a footstool could save me from bending over all the time. In my opinion the first lesson should always cover posture and basic technique. I think many guitar teachers forget how truly ignorant we can be, don’t be shy about reminding them.

3. Styles - If you want to learn how to play Mississippi John Hurt-style country blues don’t be afraid to say so. Just because you’re a rank beginner doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious. If you want to play classical don’t waste everyone’s time by sitting through power chord lessons. Let your teacher know what you want to play so he can structure the lessons accordingly. Conversely, if you have no idea where you want to go it’s ok to admit it. Your teacher can help provide that direction.

It’s also important to find a teacher who knows your chosen style. A classical player may know all kinds of theory and have great technique but he’s probably not the best choice for teaching Delta Blues with a slide in open tuning.

4. Practice - Talk to your teacher about the best way to practice. My teacher would just give me material to work on and since I’ve never really practiced an instrument I would practice while watching tv or listening to talk radio. It wasn’t until later that I realized practice means shutting out all distractions and focusing intensely on my lessons.

5. Cost - Let’s face it, cost is the main reason most of us don’t take lessons. If weekly lessons are too expensive, talk to your teacher about bi-weekly or monthly lessons. Keep in mind that the most expensive teachers aren’t always the best and the cheapest can be very good as well. Sometimes you can get lessons at very low cost from college music students but caveat emptor. I would say try to stick with students in a formal guitar program. Self taught teachers, especially the very young, could pass on some very bad habits.

6. Respect - Look for a teacher that will respect your opinions and in return give that respect back to your teacher. If you have to cancel a lesson make sure you do it well in advance so your teacher can book another lesson. Cancelling at the last minute deprives him of your lesson fee and also the chance to recoup that loss with another lesson.

7. You’re the boss - This isn’t high school or a job, you’re paying the teacher and that makes you the boss. If you don’t like the direction things are going, speak up about it. If your teacher is arrogant or not receptive to your ideas or if it’s just not working out don’t be afraid to switch teachers.

8. Ask questions - Ask questions while choosing a teacher, don’t just take the first name out of the phone book. Ask questions during and after the lesson. Most teachers don’t mind if you email questions during the week but be reasonable. Your teacher has a life outside of your lessons and can’t be expected to hold your hand through every practice session.

A good guitar teacher is an invaluable guide on your road to learning the guitar. If you’re lucky enough to find a great teacher at an affordable price make sure you stick with the lessons. You’ll learn a lot more than you would on your own and you’ll learn it a lot faster.

Tiki Guitar Picks

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Review: Martin 000X1 Acoustic Guitar

I recently made the decision that it was time to upgrade my guitar. After a year of playing my trusty $79 Rogue 100-D I finally felt justified in purchasing a “real” guitar. I settled on the Martin 000X1, here’s my review.

The Martin X Series combines advanced composite materials in the neck, sides and back along with solid Sitka spruce top and traditional Martin craftsmanship to provide true Martin sound and quality at an entry level price. While there are other solid top guitars for less money, I believe the Martin X series offers outstanding bang for the buck for a guitar novice.

Buying experience
After much research I decided the Martin 000X1 was the one for me but I couldn’t find one at any of the local shops so I was forced to head to Guitar Center. Let me just say that I really don’t like Guitar Center. My previous visits to GC have been on weekends when the store is full of teenage “shredders” who seem to love nothing better than high speed noodling for hours on end. If it’s too loud you’re too old and in my case I must be getting old because each time I’ve been to Guitar Center I leave in less than 5 minutes.

This time I went to Guitar Center on a Tuesday morning and it made a world of difference. I had the acoustic room to myself and the department manager was very helpful. After trying a few other guitars in the $500 price range he unboxed a 000X1 and I immediately fell in love with it. He gave me a $50 discount, didn’t try too hard to upsell me on strings or a case (which I already have) and I was out the door. So the lesson here is try to go to Guitar Center on a weekday to avoid the noodlers and shredders.

Appearance
The 000X1 is a no frills guitar. No fancy rosette, no binding work, no inlays. There’s not even any inlaid fret markers, Martin opted for painted dots along the upper edge of the neck. But don’t mistake plain for unattractive: this is a beautiful guitar with a flawless finish. The frets are absolutely perfect, the neck joint is rock solid and I haven’t been able to spot a single glue blob, discolored spot or anything out of place. The worst thing I can say about the appearance is the Martin sticker inside the body wasn’t glued down tightly. It was slightly curled up but once I pushed it down with a (capped) Sharpie it was fine. If you prefer understated perfection over flashy inlays you’ll love the 000X1.

One unexpected bonus is the guitar smells great. The very light finish (it is NOT unfinished, despite what you may read elsewhere) allows the natural smell of the wood to escape and it really adds to the experience.

The neck is made of Stratabond, a multi-layered plywood product widely used to make gun stocks. It looks great and should prove to be very durable. The sides and back are made of a high pressure laminate that looks just like wood yet should prove to be more stable under changing weather conditions. The solid spruce top is typical Martin perfection, the aforementioned light finish allows the beauty of the wood to shine through.

The overall impression is of a precisely engineered piece of lightweight craftmanship. It feels sturdy yet delicate, light yet solid.

Sound
I’m no expert but to me it sounds great, better than anything I tried in it’s price range. The 000 auditorium size means it has less bass than the dreadnaught style and as a result it’s not quite as loud but the notes ring clear and chords sound wonderful. I lack the musical vocabulary to truly describe it but trust me, it sounds great. I’ll post some sound samples soon.

Playability
The jump from a $79 Rogue to a Martin is truly amazing. It’s like going from a 1984 Dodge to a 2006 Audi. The guitar was set up perfectly out of the box. I know enough to check intonation at the 12th fret and each string was perfectly in tune. The action was low, I feared it would be too low but as long as my left hand technique is good there’s no buzz at all. The neck feels very fast, I’ve noticed a definite increase in my ability to move around the fretboard. The low action means I don’t have to press as hard, leading to a more relaxed left hand and shoulder. A more expensive guitar won’t make you a better player but in my case it definitely makes me sound a little better.

Conclusion
Purchasing the Martin 000X1 is the best decision I ever made. $500 is a small price to pay for something that will last for many years (with a lifetime warranty) of daily use. In fact it’s probably the nicest thing I own and has already reached prized possesion status. If my house catches fire it’s the first thing I’m going back for, and that includes the cats, my computer and my HD TV!

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Review: 50 Easy Classical Guitar Pieces

50 Classical Guitar Pieces - In Tablature and Standard Notation is a great book for the beginning guitar player. It starts off with short, simple exercises that will help you get your feet wet with classical fingerstyle playing and progress through to some more advanced pieces. The inlcuded CD does it’s job, providing examples of all 50 songs so you can get an idea of how it’s supposed to sound.

Pro:

Each piece includes tab and standard notation so you can use the book to start learning to read music.

The standard notation includes some left hand fingering notes. Very helpful for beginners who aren’t used to figuring these things out.

Even the simplest pieces sound very classy and are much more pleasant to the ear than typical beginner songs like Row Row Your Boat. They sound great on a steel string guitar.

Con:

I’d like to see more well known pieces. The only songs on here I recognized are Bach’s Minuet in G and Scarborough Faire. They should have included Greensleeves and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Some Spanish style pieces would have been nice, it’s mostly Rennaisance lute type stuff.

I use this book every day and will continue to use it for a long time to come. That’s more than I can say for most of the books in my collection and it was only 10 bucks from Amazon. Highly recommended.

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