Sad but true: dropping my teacher after six years

Grritz

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
I'm saddened to have to do this. After more than six years with my guitar teacher, I'm having to drop him.

For the past two years or so, I've occasionally asked him to teach me the blues. Instead, he's still teaching me scales (yes, I understand the value of scales and I do practice them!) and what I call "girlie, wimpy" songs like "Cherish" and "Brandy" and "Groovin'" and "Never My Love" and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." This is NOT the stuff I want to learn. I want to learn the blues: Buddy Guy, BB King, Clapton, Gary Moore, SRV, Walter Trout...

He's not ready to teach me that. I don't know why, though I've asked. I think it's because his frame of reference is the 60s and 70s and the kinds of songs I mentioned above.

When we spoke about it yesterday, he said (I believe, resentfully): "OK, we'll do it your way. You just tell me what you want to learn and I'll try to teach it to you." Nope. That's not gonna cut it with me. I want a teacher who can guide me, not one who's just gonna throw up his hands and "give you what you want."

So...I'm gonna throw myself into Blues Guitar Unleashed and make the best of it here.

I'm writing this to see of any of you have had the same experience.

I'm unhappy with what I'm learning. I'm unhappy with his response to my asking for blues. I'm bewildered and wondering how online learning is gonna help me. It's scary.

So, I'm looking for what you guys have to say.

Thanks.
 
snarf

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
I had a sort of similar experience. Had a face teacher for about a year before he made it really convenient to not schedule the next lesson and neither one of us called the other one back. My problems were that he was pretty disorganized in his approach to things, would start down a path of learning only to get a lesson or two in before getting side tracked and never returning to the original subject, and relied waaaaay too much on youtube for demonstrations.

The stuff that he stuck with for more than a lesson, I would pick up pretty quickly. Honestly, that was mostly because I'd recognize a concept from something in one of the BGU courses, and then, during the time between lessons, I'd pull out the Griff-lesson on the subject and study from that. He initially wouldn't teach songs despite my initial talk with him including me telling him that I want to be held accountable to learn complete songs. After about 6 months of me mentioning it, he finally did what you said and kind of threw up his hands and said he'd teach me songs. I got pretty familiar with Justin Sandercoe (justinguitar.com) at that point because that's what he used to teach songs.

I realized after a year of it that, I think I had actually become a better player, but it was because I would take an idea that I would get from him and either go to Griff's lessons or Justin Sandercoe for the instruction and not because I had really learned anything from the instructor.

I was thinking about this last weekend, and realized the only thing that I learned from the instructor (that I could think of) was a specific scale pattern that I had stumbled on myself by accident and already been using, but didn't realize I was using. It took about 3 lessons of struggling through his scale before I realized that it was something I was already doing only not using a specific slide he insisted I use in the middle of it. When it sort of fell together for me, I never told him that I realized I already knew it, and, in retrospect, he never actually showed me any practical application of the scale.

He was also very much not a believer in what Griff calls your guitar DNA and insisted that I do things a certain way even when they felt wrong to me. For instance, for some reason (his explanation never really made sense to me) he would chide me if he saw me using the pinkie on my fretting hand because he did everything with basically 3 fingers.

Like I mentioned, the opportunity arose for it to be convenient for me to skip a lesson, and neither of us ever called the other back. I think we both knew that the writing was on the wall at that point anyways. I picked him because he was cheap and within a few minutes drive of where I live.

I think there are several of us around her that have been where you are with a face teacher. My experience has been that, if I stick with Griff, and actually focus on a lesson or course of study with him, I end up learning what I want much faster than I did with the face teacher. The downside, I'm still not learning complete songs unless I sit down and make myself, and, even then, I usually don't stick with it long enough to learn the whole thing.
 
arock

arock

Help! I'm a rock
Sounds like you made the right decision. I think if you are self-motivated you can get everything you need from going with Griff. Everything I've learned about playing the blues came from investing my time in applying the lessons I learned from Griff, and his many outstanding courses. Never was a formal lesson guy, in fact, took three lessons and called it quits. Decided to invest my time in BGU. Best musical decision I could've made. My goal was to play in a band. Five years ago I started a classic rock and blues band. We get regular paying gigs, and the places we play almost always ask us back. Of course, this year has been kind of f--ked due to covid. Decide what your goals are, then go for it. Griff can get you there if you apply yourself!
 
Iheartbacon

Iheartbacon

Blues Junior
Face to face lessons are expensive and only worth it if you find an instructor who is not only a good teacher, but also a good match. Sounds like you had a guy who was neither.

I would suggest diving into the online world and see if you can stay self motivated. Griff’s stuff is obviously great, but I would also suggest supplementing with another online teacher or two who maybe provides a different perspective or different approach.

Good luck!
 
PapaRaptor

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
Grritz said:
So, I'm looking for what you guys have to say.
Click to expand...
If your in-person instructor didn't share your vision, then I'm surprised it took this long for you to make this decision.
When I started playing about 9 years ago, I looked around through a lot of websites at instructors. There are some extremely good instructors and some really bad ones. I decided on Griff because he was clearly focusing his learning material on the blues. I've never regretted it.

Choosing to learn online puts the onus of accountability squarely on your shoulders. How quickly or how slowly you make progress depends directly on your commitment to staying the course (no pun intended) and your dedication. From my own personal experience, I can tell you, my dedication to learning has been a roller coaster ride. I'm quite certain that had I kept my eye on the prize all the time, I could be far ahead of where I am today. I retired 3 years ago and since then, my progress has far exceeded the 5 or 6 years prior to that.

I can also tell you, I have made extensive use of the forum in addition to Griff's courses as both a learning tool and a support mechanism to keep my enthusiasm at a high point. Not only is Griff active and responsive on the forum, but the support and wealth of knowledge available from the forum members is absolutely phenomenal.
 
Many Moons

Many Moons

Biking+Blues=Bliss
PapaRaptor said:
I'm quite certain that had I kept my eye on the prize all the time, I could be far ahead of where I am today.
Click to expand...
Ditto. I've started the BGU course so many times I've lost count.:rolleyes: AND I STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED IT!!!!! (I wasn't nicknamed the goldfish for nothing):ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: Had I stayed with it and worked methodically through it, I would have a much better understanding of what I'm actually doing when I pick up the guitar. I think BGU2 is a superb foundational course for learning to play blues guitar, and if you complete it, and then get stuck into some of the more specific followup courses, then you will see noticeable improvements in your playing before too long. Enjoy your journey.(y)
 
Zzzen Dog

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
Keeping the eye on the prize indeed... I originally purchased the hardcopy/DVD/CD version of BGU 1.0 in the mid-2000s and did absolutely nothing with it. Joined here three years ago, more or less... and futzed around with different stuff. Late last year started getting serious and worked through quite a bit of the How to Jam the Blues Alone. After COVID, I circled back around on BGU... version 2.0 this time, and actually have been moving through it. Now I'm working on Solo #3.

Consistency and focus are key... who knew? LOL
 
Elio

Elio

Student Of The Blues
Grritz said:
I'm saddened to have to do this. After more than six years with my guitar teacher, I'm having to drop him.

For the past two years or so, I've occasionally asked him to teach me the blues. Instead, he's still teaching me scales (yes, I understand the value of scales and I do practice them!) and what I call "girlie, wimpy" songs like "Cherish" and "Brandy" and "Groovin'" and "Never My Love" and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." This is NOT the stuff I want to learn. I want to learn the blues: Buddy Guy, BB King, Clapton, Gary Moore, SRV, Walter Trout...

He's not ready to teach me that. I don't know why, though I've asked. I think it's because his frame of reference is the 60s and 70s and the kinds of songs I mentioned above.

When we spoke about it yesterday, he said (I believe, resentfully): "OK, we'll do it your way. You just tell me what you want to learn and I'll try to teach it to you." Nope. That's not gonna cut it with me. I want a teacher who can guide me, not one who's just gonna throw up his hands and "give you what you want."

So...I'm gonna throw myself into Blues Guitar Unleashed and make the best of it here.

I'm writing this to see of any of you have had the same experience.

I'm unhappy with what I'm learning. I'm unhappy with his response to my asking for blues. I'm bewildered and wondering how online learning is gonna help me. It's scary.

So, I'm looking for what you guys have to say.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have an instructor that I have seen on and off for the past few years. His approach has very much been for me to tell him my goals as specifically as possible. With that, he has been really good at figuring out what gaps I have in my theory knowledge and technique, and then helping me to work on those. These days, I mostly see him when I am working on learning a particular song or sometimes a BGU solo that I feel I am spinning my wheels on. In those cases, he is really good at working through some fingering approaches, alternate chords, etc. to get me there. I honestly rarely see him now, unless I am attending one of his gigs. I really like him as an instructor, but have felt less of a need for one. The biggest reason for that is that Griff's courses have been so well designed that if I follow the course, I inevitably get closer to where I want to go ...eventually. With that said, I do drop in on him or Griff occasionally for a lesson when I feel I need an objective opinion.

Relying on BGU to get to your blues goals is definitely a viable option. I spent almost 2 years getting through the BGU course. I also did the Beginning Blues Guitar course before that since I hadn't played since I was a kid. The one thing that struck me was the number of times that my instructor would start to explain something to me that I had already learned in BGU. Then having another explanation with a little bit different perspective was helpful even as a refresher.

My suggestion is do the complete BGU course and to make the most of it by submitting recordings to the various discussions in the forums for feedback and suggestions. I found that recording and posting my effort for each lesson was a good way for me to establish goals. Once I was able to do a lesson well enough to record and post with a minimum of mistakes, I felt I could move on to the next lesson. As a side benefit, it is also a good way to get some excellent feedback from fellow BGU members in the forum. As an AAP member, the Fix-it live sessions are a great way to get feedback from Griff for lesson recordings or songs you have been working on. My guess is that you will find less and less need for a live instructor, particularly one who doesn't seem aligned with your goals.

Also, depending on were you are at, take advantage of nearby members and/or jam opportunities. BGU Live is an amazingly good event and opportunity to apply what you learn with some really fun people.
 
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Grritz

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
Elio said:
I have an instructor that I have seen on and off for the past few years. His approach has very much been for me to tell him my goals as specifically as possible. With that, he has been really good at figuring out what gaps I have in my theory knowledge and technique, and then helping me to work on those. These days, I mostly see him when I am working on learning a particular song or sometimes a BGU solo that I feel I am spinning my wheels on. In those cases, he is really good at working through some fingering approaches, alternate chords, etc. to get me there. I honestly rarely see him now, unless I am attending one of his gigs. I really like him as an instructor, but have felt less of a need for one. The biggest reason for that is that Griff's courses have been so well designed that if I follow the course, I inevitably get closer to where I want to go ...eventually. With that said, I do drop in on him or Griff occasionally for a lesson when I feel I need an objective opinion.

Relying on BGU to get to your blues goals is definitely a viable option. I spent almost 2 years getting through the BGU course. I also did the Beginning Blues Guitar course before that since I hadn't played since I was a kid. The one thing that struck me was the number of times that my instructor would start to explain something to me that I had already learned in BGU. Then having another explanation with a little bit different perspective was helpful even as a refresher.

My suggestion is do the complete BGU course and to make the most of it by submitting recordings to the various discussions in the forums for feedback and suggestions. I found that recording and posting my effort for each lesson was a good way for me to establish goals. Once I was able to do a lesson well enough to record and post with a minimum of mistakes, I felt I could move on to the next lesson. As a side benefit, it is also a good way to get some excellent feedback from fellow BGU members in the forum. As an AAP member, the Fix-it live sessions are a great way to get feedback from Griff for lesson recordings or songs you have been working on. My guess is that you will find less and less need for a live instructor, particularly one who doesn't seem aligned with your goals.

Also, depending on were you are at, take advantage of nearby members and/or jam opportunities. BGU Live is an amazingly good event and opportunity to apply what you learn with some really fun people.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Really good advice here.
And thank you very much to the rest of you who have offered advice and suggestions. I want you all to know I am reading all your replies — sometimes two or three times over — and taking what you say to heart. There's a lot to sort out here, but your replies have helped me to know I am doing the right thing and that eventually it will help me be a better, happier musician.
Thank you all again!
 
Grritz

Grritz

Still seventeen... between the ears
Yes...early this week. I'm still a bit sad about it, but I believe it's best for both of us: I can go in the direction I want (with help from Griff and all of you at BGU) and he doesn't have to bear with my hassling him about more blues. Overall, it's a good move.
 
ChicagoCharlie

ChicagoCharlie

Blues Newbie
Been thorough some teachers
been thorough some lesson books
.. a couple of books I'd like to recommend to the other board members if there is no problem ....
been thorough some Youtube teachers
generally been unorganized

In 2018, I bought Playing on the Porch lessons and these changed by life.
I'm interested in hard rock, yet I decided to give this a go.
Then I started working thorough BGU .... and anything that that interested me

For the past several months, I've been working on BGU material and Kiss songs. Yes, the band has some sleazy lyrics and their work is Rock and Roll Primer : Deuce, She, Watching You, Rock and Roll All Nite Long, Strutter, Love Gun and a few others.

This afternoon, a KoKo Taylor tune came on the radio, and I was able to play along with the band.
Learning BGU and some of the other BLU lessons has done more for me than anything I have have done in the past ten years.

Still, I feel good lessons are a bonus when starting to build a good foundation.

My first guitar instructors made me work thorough the Mel Bay books and I finished book 5 or 6?. This is some serious stuff ... sight reading, chords, scales, melodies, notes on the neck, and position playing. Really wish I some of the books now just to play thorough the songs as practice.

I really am thankful for the great live instructors I've had and unfortunately the bad teachers [ unsuitable ] far outnumber them

Its a long road and some of us need to more time and work.

A great teacher helps you expand and improve while the wrong teacher plants your feet in concrete.
 
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