My Top 8 most Frequently Asked Questions...
from my guitar students.
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Thank-you, Dave.
As a guitar teacher for 27+ years, I have had to answer a lot of questions from my guitar students. This is part of being an instructor. Most of my students are beginners. Some students are intermediate with at least some experience in playing the guitar or bass guitar. Regardless, everyone has questions. Many of these questions are very common. Here are my Top 8 most Frequently Asked Questions from my guitar students.
1) Q. "How much should I practice?"
A. I answer this question by asking the student how long their lesson is with me on that one day out of the week. When they tell me, "one hour" or "forty-five minutes'', I then tell them that they should think of their guitar practice as an everyday lesson of the same duration, only they are the instructor six out of the seven days each week.
It really doesn't matter to me if they do a full duration all at once or split it up during their day. Practicing is a discipline that must be learned as part of the lessons. It would be foolish of me to think or believe that all of my students actually do this as a daily ritual. My hope is to have my students think of their practicing time as an investment into getting better at their guitar.
2) Q. "How many lessons do I need to take?"
A. Short answer: More than one, less than one hundred. I've had brand new students take one lesson; and I never hear from them again. I don't take this personally. I learned long ago that not everyone is a guitar player.
On the other hand, I've had students take lessons for four and five years. Some have even come back to taking lessons with me, several years after their first couple of years of lessons. Right now, I have students now who have been taking lessons with me for over one and two years; and they are just now hitting their stride into advanced intermediate.
It always comes down to the student. How much commitment does the student have towards learning their guitar? Not every student learns the same way as another student. Every student learns at his or her own pace. My job is to guide that process while making the lessons fun and interesting.
3) Q. "Do I instruct lessons with children?"
A. I get asked this question from inquiring parents all the time. My answer is: "Younger than 11 years old? No. Teenagers 12-years-old and up are the lowest age that I accept students". When they ask why, I tell them - "It is purely because of physicality". The guitar is a difficult instrument to play for adults, let alone young children.
Don't get me wrong, I have taken on younger students many times over the years, only to have my convictions validated every time. Children simply do not possess the required hand or finger strength to practice the guitar. There are of course those exceptional kids who can actually play at a younger age, but the majority of young children should probably consider taking piano or violin lessons to begin their musical endeavors.
4) Q. "What kind of guitar should I get for lessons?"
A. If a student wants to take guitar lessons, but they don't have a guitar, they might not know what kind of guitar to get for their lessons. I will tell them to make a trip to their local music store and try out a few of the acoustic guitars. Also they should talk with a guitar sales representative in the guitar department and tell them what their budget is for a new guitar and that they plan to take lessons.
No new student should ever feel the need to purchase an expensive guitar just to take lessons. There are a lot of nice acoustic guitars that you can find for under $200.00. If need be, try a pawn shop.
Why the acoustic guitar? This again is mostly for physicality. The acoustic guitar generally uses medium to heavier strings than the electric guitar. This means that the acoustic guitar will require more building of strength in the fingers and hands. If a student already has an electric guitar, well then, that is what we will use for lessons. The acoustic guitar is also convenient because you can practice it anywhere.
5) Q. "How much do lessons cost?"
A. My rates vary for both 60 and 45-minute weekly lessons. I normally charge anywhere from $55-60/hour or $40-45/45-minute lessons.
My Official Guitar Lessons Website.
I know other teachers who charge more for their lessons. It all depends on what you are looking for in private lessons. I do all of my lessons in the homes of my students. That means I do a lot of driving all over Orlando/Central Florida. That also means I have to charge my students for the gas and wear and tear on my car. My students pay this premium mostly for convenience and scheduling flexibility.
Unlike taking lessons at a music store where you get what is available in scheduling along with a laundry list of arbitrary monthly fees, you also have to drive to the music store, sometimes during inclement weather, then find a parking spot. All of which takes up a lot of your valuable time.
My students are more than happy to pay for the convenience of me coming to their home for their lessons. They are also more comfortable taking their lessons in a familiar place.
6) Q. "When do I need to change my strings? What kind of strings should I get?"
A. The first question, for beginners, you might change the strings once a year, maybe twice. It all depends on how much the guitar is played. You can look at the strings for wear and tear, to see if they are getting corroded or black in some areas. The easiest tell is when the strings sound dead, flat or muddy. That's when they might need to be replaced.
What kind of strings should you get? Acoustic guitar players generally play .11's, .12's and .13's. What do those numbers mean? If you look online for guitar strings, you will notice that they come in sets of all six strings. The lowest number of the six strings is the high "E" string. The number indicates the millimeter size of that string. ".11" means that the high "E" string is .11 mm in thickness.
This is just the way guitarists differentiate between string sizes. I normally play "11's" as I like the way they feel. Lighter strings, like .10's are just a little too light for the way I play, and they don't have as much of a "bell" ring to them. But, that's me. On the other hand, ".12's" (or heavier) are too heavy for my liking. They sound even better than .11's, especially when you're playing chords, but they really do strain your fingers after a while.
7) Q. "Which brand of strings should I get?"
A. It's difficult to find "bad" strings these days. Most guitar strings are good, no matter which brand you prefer. I, however, have been playing Dean Markley strings exclusively for many years. It's just my preference because of how much I like the sound and the bell of the strings; and they also last a long time.
When you do purchase strings, make sure you get the correct strings for the right type of guitar. Even though you could technically use either type of strings for either guitar as substitutions, electric strings play and feel differently than acoustic strings, and are designed exclusively for either type of guitar.
8) Q. "What can I do to improve the way that I practice?"
A. Christmas 1977, when I was 14 years old, I got my first portable cassette tape recorder. It literally changed my life. I could record myself playing the guitar, then listen back to how I sounded. I would record myself playing a song, play the tape back and listen for the parts where I played well and the parts that needed improvement.
Nowadays we all have smartphones with video and audio recorders built right in. This is a miraculous tool for musicians and instrumentalists alike. Recording yourself every time you practice will absolutely help you improve the way you play your guitar. It also gives you a sense of progress and validation. I highly recommend using your smartphone to record yourself practicing and playing your guitar as often as possible.