Intro

“How to”… not “What to.” In this country ramble, I want to open up like a possibility the awareness of four core concepts that can inform your teaching guitar to beginners.

They are a big part of the foundation of my work. I hope by opening them up and exploring them a bit, a new possibility or two may present itself in a way that can help you in your work.

Let’s go!

1. The Relationship – Ground Zero

What a privilege! At 4 o’clock, a new beginning student is going to walk up my steps and knock on my door. And then what?

We’ll see… She’s fifteen years old but she could be seven or fifty-seven. Whatever age, whatever gender, there’s a relationship that begins to happen as soon as we say “Hello.”

You know: two people sitting in a room across from each other.

Something’s bound to happen.

And it’s my intention as a guitar teacher and a human being to communicate good stuff like respect; kindness; humor and self-confidence in what I’m doing.

Without bonding with a new student, teaching beginning guitar can be awkward and a grind.

When we’re working on something challenging, I want there to be a comfort zone where mistakes can be made and difficult effort can happen openly and without fear or embarrassment.

For that, nothing takes the place of a trusting relationship.

For me, what happens is a good deal more than teaching a few chords or a song and see you next week. That would be a job.

For me, creating a caring, trusting relationship with each student is one of the core elements in teaching guitar to beginners.

It gives the whole experience life and a relaxed freedom to be oneself as we do the work.

To say nothing of the fact that it’s such enriching fun to be with and get to know so many sweet souls.

2. Expectations

(For myself)

I give lessons on a regular schedule. It’s arbitrary and really a matter of convenience for myself and my student that we meet at the same time every week.

It has nothing to do with how quickly or how well someone learns. Breakthroughs happen when they do, not on a weekly basis.

Expecting a student to be proficient in last week’s assignment seven days later is a recipe for what for me? Frustration? Disappointment?

So when my student shows up and says, “I couldn’t practice much this week, my brother was in town,” or “I forgot that rhythm you showed me on “Proud Mary,” my typical reply is, “Great! Let’s get started.”

You see I have no idea what’s going to walk in the door. I’m ready for anything.

If she’s practiced like crazy or if she never looked at her guitar all week – I’m prepared either way.

And without expectations, I can take what’s there right now in front of me and help with an open heart.

And that doesn’t mean I don’t tell her to practice!

(For my student)

Some students have strong expectations about their learning – their ability to master a given strum or chord or picking technique.

And when reality clashes with these expectations, the result can be frustration and a “shut down” to keeping at it.

When I hear complaints like, “I should be better than I am” or “I don’t like that song anymore – it’s too hard,” I say:

“There’s really no getting around it that some of this stuff can make you crazy. There’s no time thing here though.

Just because we have a lesson every Friday doesn’t mean crap.

You’re not supposed to have it perfect or even good.

You just do your best!

So please try not to expect perfection every week. Learning to play guitar doesn’t work that way…Take it easy on yourself… Just keep at it and appreciate your honest efforts.

I know I do!… You’ll get there… Now let’s go over it again.”

Expectations can be devastating. This road of learning to play guitar from the beginning is just that – a road.

A path to walk on and live with and enjoy.

As a teacher, I do my best to ease the expectations when they hurt and encourage staying with an open mind and a kind heart.

3. The Three-time Rule

Part of my job is to make sure that when a student leaves my studio she has a clear path to practicing and playing what she was taught.

A clear path means that:

• She gets what it is we worked on – the nuts and bolts of what it’s gonna take.
• I’ve recorded an audio track of the song for her to take home and listen to.
• We’ve gone over the new material obeying the “Three-time Rule.”

The “Three-time Rule” is just what it sounds like.

The idea is that I want her to walk thru any challenging parts of the lesson three times – or until she convinces me that she really has it straight in her head about how to get into this new piece.

That’s my responsibility as her teacher.

(A side-note on laziness…)

There’s a lazy part of my mind. That’s the part that wants to skip writing something down (“You’ll remember that, won’t you?) or let her leave unsure of herself – unclear and frustrated about the assignment.

Whenever I hear those lazy thoughts creeping in that want me to do less than what I know I should be doing, I try and push through and not obey.

For some reason, these kinds of thoughts want me to do a crummy piece of work. Don’t wanna go there!

4. The Separation’s in the Preparation (NFL Football Mantra)

I don’t work from a book that teaches beginning guitar; ticking off lesson one then two then three week after week.

If I did, perhaps I wouldn’t need to prepare. I’d just open her book to the proper page and get started.

But because I individualize the lessons by giving a song and technique that fits that particular student that day, I’m asking a lot of myself. What song would she enjoy?

What work is right for her that will push her just the right amount – something right in her sweet spot where a breakthrough is possible?

I answer these kinds of questions to prepare for a lesson. Sometimes it’s just a few minutes work, sometimes much longer.

But here’s what I know:

A teacher who doesn’t prepare; who wings it – barely (if at all) remembering what a given student was working on last week – aint no friend of mine.

And my bet is any students he does have won’t stay around all that long. The few times I have come into a lesson without a plan (or two!), things have floundered big-time.

And the students can tell. They know when it’s a shuck and jive! Thank goodness they also know when you treat them with respect by coming to each lesson prepped up and ready to go.

 Outro

So there you have it! A taste of what it takes around here to be a really good, effective teacher of beginning guitar; some nitty-gritty coming from the ground up ways to be that can inform your teaching and give it heart.

I sincerely hope you may have found something you can use. I’ll see you down the road!