Anyone in here never take guitar lessons from a teacher?

Never had lessons. Thought about it. I do have a book of chords, a book of scales, the internet, and some tab books. I should add that my father plays also and he has never had lessons either but he is amazing. He knows less theory than I do, but I did come into playing guitar with some since I played the flute for years and already knew how to read music, major/minor scale, and construct some chords. He does know the notes and basic scales and how to construct the chords but he plays by sound which is understanding music on a deeper level. It really is kind of scary and makes him a poor teacher in many ways and actually in other ways makes him a good one. He usually just gives me pointers here and there and a "you should learn this."

Will start tomorrow with my first lesson, after starting playing the guitar about a year ago.

went to some keyboard player for guitar lessons :shock: for around 3 months. the bugger taught me the wrong way and its been very difficult to unlearn them. almost 3 years now that i've been doing it using all the help i can get, mostly from net. this site being the major (upto 99.9%) contributor. but i'd suggest to anyone who cares, to go to some "good" teacher for lessons. it'll really help you a lot. don't take in all that self-study crapolla. if you get a good teacher go. if you don't then keep looking for one and do the best you can by yourself. and check out tom hess' article on finding a good teacher somewhere on the home page. (my guitaring really sucks and i'll be going to a teacher very soon).
(hey was there izabella replying in here somewhere? don't see more of you ppl around here these days? :? )

I take lessons once a week for an hour at a time.

I compare guitar lessons to a personal trainer. It is possible to become buff without one. But it is so much easier with. On days when you just aren't feeling it. A trainer will push you and keep you going. Same deal with guitar.

I just wondered is someone that takes lessons, better than a person that learns from books and cds. :roll:

No.

You get a teacher, and you still have books and maybe a CD to study when you get home, unless the guy has his own booklet or lesson plan. The only thing a teacher can do -- and I'm talking about a competant one who has not only credentials, but a talent for actually teaching -- is to stop a few bad habits from forming early on and then maybe opening up a few things. A good teacher will unlock things for you with a single word sometimes. For me it was someone telling me, "No it's not that difficult; a chord is 3 or 4 notes from a scale. Just skip every other one and that's a chord."

It opened up my understanding in a simple, easy to digest way, and it was just a short sentence. And I didn't have to go through first semester theory to get it.

Or a good teacher will be able to move your hand into the correct position and suddenly you can reach that note you couldn't reach. Little simple things like that. More like 'guidance' than outright teaching. Or like a few tips and hints pertaining to the guitar or music in general -- the kind that make you go "Ohhhh-kay; got it now."

Lots of teachers though, especially guitar -- which doesn't have the long history and tradition attached to it as does piano (which was mentioned) -- just pass on their bad habits. Most students 'play what's comfortable' and it may be either good or bad. The only thing that makes a bad habit bad, is that it eventually restricts your technique and creates barriers that make it hard to get past certain points. A good teacher, having had a good teacher him/herself, will just nudge your hand a certain way or at least make you realize you're doing something wrong, and when you correct it, that thing will never bother you again.

Me? I started playing by ear and did that for quite awhile. But then I, for whatever reason, started hearing symphonic music in my head and decided I knew nothing about bringing that out and wanted to learn. I went to college to study theory, but to be in the program I had to have a performance instrument, which in my case, since upright bass would've been too difficult to quickly take up, was the classical guitar. And being forced into having a performance instrument meant I had to take a weekly lesson from the college guitar teacher.

And I'm glad I did!

Sometimes the guy would just say something like, "the bass line there, play it a little louder...." and I'd try it and realize that I hadn't really been thinking about individual string loudness (voicing) and from then on, I did. Even if I didn't achieve it, it was something new that started becoming a part of my musical thoughts. It even transferred when I'd be flatpicking scales on the electric; is each note the same loudness as the one before and after? Can I get them close?

That kind of thing.

You've been playing for about a year. I'd say just go on like you're going and don't worry about it, and then maybe after a year, try and see if there are any good instructors around; ones with credentials, or that have experience. You might ask around as to who is a good one and who isn't.

And then don't feel like you have to go once or twice a week and bleed your fingers for the guy either! Maybe once a month. Maybe less. You might not need to get into a whole thing of scales and chords and theory and all sorts of concepts and technique that you might not actually be interested in. You might be interested in fingerpicking styles and the guy gives you diminished scales to practice, you know? But if you can find a teacher who is attuned to where you are and what you want, then it can be really pretty cool.

Anyhow, my thoughts. :)

no lessons here..i pick up my knowledge from everything and everyone...teaches would probly overwhealm me..like school....ill watch someone..mater it..and move on..picking up things all along the way

no lessons here..i pick up my knowledge from everything and everyone...teachers would probly overwhealm me..like school....ill watch someone do something i like..master it..and move on..picking up things all along the way

18 years without a GUITAR lesson. I've had violin, piano, trumpet, voice, and pretty much every other type of lesson you can imagine, but my parents never wanted to pop for guitar for some odd reason.

Since I did have lessons on almost every instrument known to man, I did learn a lot about music and music theory. Oh Yeah, I took 3 years of music theory classes in high school. Does that count?

Sad thing is, without the lessons on the guitar, it has really been a struggle to apply everthing I know about music to that instrument. I've can play around 5 instruments very well, including the guitar (after 18 years, you kinda get the hang of it, lessons or not) but often times, I wonder how much better I would be now if I had taken lessons for even a year of that time?

i'm pretty surprised by how many people here haven't had lessons, or are we just more outspoken of our accomplishment?

anyways, I'm self taught, and as the freak of nature I apparently am, I decided to teach myself theory and anatomy of the human body, especially the wrists. So, I got knowledge on those and that's worked out great.

I am going to get lessons now since I want to start teaching

what about conservatories? like, how does one get into them? also, how tough/easy is it to get into music schools like berklee? any info...

Berklee has a really great summer program, where you pay a couple hundred bucks to go to the campus for a few weeks and work with the classes and the other students. They also have a standard application, audition setup, I've done neither of those two so, this is where my knowledge runs out

Hi. The problem a lot of y'all are going to face when finding a teacher, is some of you might outplay the teacher! I've went into music stores and met the teacher at some of these places.... I wound up showing some of THEM something instead. And then there's the static you get from being left-handed from time to time.......
And in all honesty, when done right, I think righties learning from lefties and vice- versa is actually better. Why? Cause it was like looking in a mirror. After lessons, it's relativley easy for me to learn or teach a song to others. I'm thinking it has to do with being directly across from my teacher, I was able to teach Diary of a MadMan to others And I learned Believer from a band mate that way - not so much by ear
(well ALOT by ear) but by sight (yeah two HARD ozzy songs that took
me six months to play satisfactory...he he three months to be good enough to score :) )

4 years of piano as a kid...

and David taught me a lot BEFORE he was officially a teacher :lol:

but no formal bass lessons yet. However, they are on the horizon.

-Laz

I've taken lessons (unfortunately I miss more than I make due to work) but I have to agree with Demoetc, a teacher is more of someone to guide you and make some slight suggestions.

I've been taking lessons for about a year and a half and have had three different teachers all of whom played very well but only my current techer actually taught me anything. With that said I'm still not sure the money I pay is worth what I get out.

I do beleive you can teach yourself if you have the right motivation but for most people that's not that easy.

But if you stick to it, eventually you'll get pretty good...well that's what I've been told so I hope it's true..Ha

It's a bunch of people here who taught themselves, the responses to this topic was great, maybe someone who was trying to learn to play guitar without a teacher and was about to give up, will keep on working hard and bending them strings!!!! 8)

I attend University of South Carolina Upstate and guitar lessons is 1,000 dollars for a year and its once a week 30 min lessons and that is added on to the price to attend college and other fees. After hearing that price, I will keep on teaching myself.