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Started By
Message
When to stop taking music lessons?
Posted on 8/29/18 at 12:43 pm
Posted on 8/29/18 at 12:43 pm
So I hit a plateau on what I could teach myself on the guitar and started lessons. Great guy, great teacher. Has helped me connect the dots on a lot of things and improved both playing ability and understanding of theory in very short order.
Now we're kind of just starting to "learn songs", i.e., apply what has been learned. I agree that playing is the best way to both learn and improve, and I started playing again at Mass every week. I'm just not sure if it's worth the money, etc, any more or if this is how lessons generally progress.
For you real musicians out there (not just a "guitar player" like me), do lessons start hitting a point of diminishing returns? Am I there now? I'd appreciate any input or advice.
Thanks in advance.
Now we're kind of just starting to "learn songs", i.e., apply what has been learned. I agree that playing is the best way to both learn and improve, and I started playing again at Mass every week. I'm just not sure if it's worth the money, etc, any more or if this is how lessons generally progress.
For you real musicians out there (not just a "guitar player" like me), do lessons start hitting a point of diminishing returns? Am I there now? I'd appreciate any input or advice.
Thanks in advance.
3
Posted on 8/29/18 at 1:06 pm to TheCurmudgeon
I'm no guru or professional musician, so take this advice with a grain of salt. I think your next step is to find some buddies to jam with. Sure there's going to be technical things that come up, and you can search for it on the internet, but getting better comes with playing with others.. as well as your normal daily practice.
Posted on 8/29/18 at 1:10 pm to TheCurmudgeon
quote:
Now we're kind of just starting to "learn songs",
You have not even begun to learn anything. I have played for 40+ years and I learn something new every day. Learn about 500 songs, learn to play them in different keys, learn to improv over different progressions and then come back in about 20 years and ask the question again.
Posted on 8/29/18 at 1:26 pm to randybobandy
quote:
You have not even begun to learn anything. I have played for 40+ years and I learn something new every day. Learn about 500 songs, learn to play them in different keys, learn to improv over different progressions and then come back in about 20 years and ask the question again.
I understand that, but it doesn't help answer my question. I know how to transpose keys, and understand how to improv over progressions. My question is, is it still worth paying for lessons, as opposed to learning 500 songs on my own or with friends? Have you been taking weekly lessons for 40+ years?
Posted on 8/29/18 at 1:52 pm to TheCurmudgeon
Ok, so of course lessons will reach a point of diminishing returns. Is there anything that doesn’t? But that’s up to you to judge if you’re at that point or not. I’d have to say if you are just “learning songs” you are probably not at that point.
But if you don’t want to take lessons with the guy, then don’t. There’s so much free stuff online these days that if you have a little experience/skill the online guys can teach you a lot.
You didn’t say how long you’ve been doing lessons, but if you’ve been doing lessons for a bit and are just now learning songs, you’re focusing too much on theory etc. unless you are going to the lessons to learn theory. The point should be to play, not to do exercises. You practice to play. Practice, then playing makes you better.
That’s my opinion. Kinda sounds like you don’t want to take the lessons anymore and if you don’t want to then you won’t get much out of them, so why pay for them.
As mentioned in this thread, find some people to play with and play.
But if you don’t want to take lessons with the guy, then don’t. There’s so much free stuff online these days that if you have a little experience/skill the online guys can teach you a lot.
You didn’t say how long you’ve been doing lessons, but if you’ve been doing lessons for a bit and are just now learning songs, you’re focusing too much on theory etc. unless you are going to the lessons to learn theory. The point should be to play, not to do exercises. You practice to play. Practice, then playing makes you better.
That’s my opinion. Kinda sounds like you don’t want to take the lessons anymore and if you don’t want to then you won’t get much out of them, so why pay for them.
As mentioned in this thread, find some people to play with and play.
Posted on 8/29/18 at 1:58 pm to TheCurmudgeon
With youtube, guitar tablature websites, sheet music availability ect... you don't need to pay for lessons. Would you benefit from continuing lesson? Probably so, especially if you have found a good teacher. It just depends on what you want to master. If you are strumming chords in a church environment and that was your goal, you are all set. If you have lofty goals, you will never be satisfied with your knowledge, your chops , or your ability to play what you hear in your head. And no I have not taken weekly lessons for 40+ years, I took piano as a child, trumpet as a teen, keys and guitar as an adult sporadically. I still have tons to learn before I die or arthritis limits my playing... LOL
Posted on 8/29/18 at 3:18 pm to lsu1919
quote:
Ok, so of course lessons will reach a point of diminishing returns. Is there anything that doesn’t? But that’s up to you to judge if you’re at that point or not. I’d have to say if you are just “learning songs” you are probably not at that point.
But if you don’t want to take lessons with the guy, then don’t. There’s so much free stuff online these days that if you have a little experience/skill the online guys can teach you a lot.
You didn’t say how long you’ve been doing lessons, but if you’ve been doing lessons for a bit and are just now learning songs, you’re focusing too much on theory etc. unless you are going to the lessons to learn theory. The point should be to play, not to do exercises. You practice to play. Practice, then playing makes you better.
Thanks, this is actually helpful to my thought process.
Admittedly, I've learned some theory and information I'd have never figured out on my own, and it's helped my playing tremendously.
Maybe it's that now I have a comfortable working knowledge of the theory and mechanics and patterns and relations, etc., that are important to me and what I like to play, and maybe its time to just play more in order to put that working knowledge into application. Thanks!
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