Guitar Tuition

[Dave the Smeghead]

I have been trying to teach myself to play the acoustic guitar for the last 7 months using internet resources (You Tube etc.) and despite finding a lot of good material and making half reasonable progress I now feel I would benefit from some professional tutoring in order to progress further.
I know there are a number of guitarists on here so I am looking for recommendations from you for a decent guitar tutor that you may be kind enough to pass on.
I am looking in the Brentwood, Basildon and / or Thurrock areas of Essex.
Many thanks for your help.

 

[Tin Pot]

I can't help, but good luck.

I was self taught. Scales everyday and bar chords to boot. Well, to be fair my Dad expected me to keep up with him, so in a Zen way I guess I was taught.

I would suggest finding other musicians and jamming with them regularly. Even if it's just a couple of chords to start with.

 

[jazzkat]

The registry of guitar teachers aka the RGT has a list of teachers in your area. However, not all teachers will be on it. I'm not, for example, because I'm not actively searching for students.
I won't get on my soap box about the quality of teachers out there, but if I remember rightly you have to be "seconded" to get onto the RGT list.
Good luck!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I remember reading about Mick Green and how he used to teach guitar privately and in local schools, imagine if you ended up with a rock and roll leg-end like that for a teacher!

 

[Saluki]

I remember reading about Mick Green and how he used to teach guitar privately and in local schools, imagine if you ended up with a rock and roll leg-end like that for a teacher!

My teacher does have a rock legend that teaches him, he is taught by Phil Hilbourne from We Will Rock You, and who founded Guitar Techniques magazine.

Go to your local guitar shop, the likes of PMT are good, and ask for a recommendation. That's what I did after a disappointing teacher for 3 lessons. They gave me a business card for Norwich Guitar Academy and I've never looked back.

 

[jonny jeez]

I second the jamming comment.

I am largely self taught (used jusstinguitar on you tube a lot). I took lessons but never found time to practice enough in-between lessons. I would often be away and preferred learning at my own pace...subsequently I am a crap player, I can play about 5 tunes, some very complex (nothng else matters by Metallica is a fave) but only parrot fashion, I have awful technique and suffer performance anxiety (even if playing in front of the kids).

If I had committed or joined a band, I would be a much better player.

The beat players I know play almost every day and often in front of an audience.

I must dust the guitar off tonight

 

[Stephen C]

Another self taught guitarist here. I recommend the play with other people sentiment entirely, I had been lacking motivation for the past few years, but back in January my partner and I joined a local big band and with the need to improve it was no trouble to find time to practice properly.

As to what to practice, that is down to you, but I've always just learnt songs I liked, or found Youtube guitarists that had a style that I liked and just kept picking and choosing techniques etc I liked. And as above, if you are playing with other people, that generally focuses what you work on!

 

[Dave 123]

I play with other people most Tuesday evenings. You're pushed to get better and learn new songs. We did a performance (for friends) a year or so ago and that tends to focus the mind!

I have become a bit stagnant in the past year or two. I had some lessons a couple of years ago but £20 for half an hour was a bit steep!

Give yourself time and grab hold of better players coat tails.

 

[LonesomeWanderer]

I've never been near a guitar teacher in the real world but whenever I've looked at YouTube videos I've ended up going from one to another randomly and having no structure to the practice. Then I got a sub to Guitar in a Nutshell for a while which gave me a more comprehensive/structured background (NB I'm in no way personally affiliated with the site).

I've used a lot of magazines as well (Guitar Techniques, etc.) - Future Publishing had a series of one-off magazines last year called Play Guitar Now which came with high quality video on DVD which I've found very useful.

The biggest thing that helped though was simply making sure I spent an hour every single day practicing (setting the countdown timer on my phone to make sure I spent the full hour focusing)....

I second the idea of playing in front of people though. Just getting comfortable in front of friends and family helps a lot (and they seem to think I'm never as bad as I think I am.... )

 

[Tin Pot]

I'm not sure about N+1, but I happened to find myself on Denmark Street today and...

 

[growingvegetables]

I'm not sure about N+1, but I happened to find myself on Denmark Street today and...

As good a reason as any for going back tomorrow and trying a 12-string?

 

[SteCenturion]

I'm not sure about N+1, but I happened to find myself on Denmark Street today and...

View attachment 96054

Ah, you have the same affliction I have..


GAS.

or Guitar Acquisition Syndrome as it is known to fake muso's like myself.

 

[Saluki]

I'm not sure about N+1, but I happened to find myself on Denmark Street today and...

View attachment 96054

Ah, you have GAS

+1 on the justinguitar.com site @Dave the Smeghead. Justin is excellent but ignore the 'this is the easy way to do an A chord' malarkey. You'll only have to re-learn it the correct way at level 7.

 

[SteCenturion]

I remember paying £20 for a full hour with my tutor & this rising to around £22 just prior to giving it all up *Junior arrived & that as they say was the end of that*.

A lot of tutors around the NW of England charge around £25 for a 40 > 45 minute lesson & I am not sure of current rates or differences in the South.

What I will say is that a very good tutor is worth a pot of gold.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

out of interest, how many minutes, hours, days a week etc. did you practice over the last 7 months, recently It's something I've been thinking of doing ....

Most days I try to squeeze in at least 15 minutes of focussed practice (away from my family and other distractions), and then try to find an hour at least twice per week.
I took some advice from Griff Hamlin (blues guitarist) that was to just have the guitar around and pick it up as often as possible - his trick was to play through the commercial breaks when watching TV. That kind of works too except I get shouted at a lot when I do it.