potential new crush. i did this on purpose.

[Mish]

So my main goals in general were 1) to teach them how to read music; 2) to teach them how to tune the guitar; 3) to teach them how to do simple accompaniments with chords; and 4) to develop the necessary physical skills to pick and move around the fretboard.

Haha, that's not even teaching how to play. I didn't realize it can be so ridiculously simple.

No one complained or said they are not learning enough?

I always gave extra time on the first lesson so I could set up their guitars. Beginner/cheap guitars are almost unplayable ... especially by weak and uncalloused fingers. The main problem is the strings are set way too high just to compensate for the unevenness in the height of the frets. I would remove the strings, place a 2 foot metal straight edge along the fretboard, and file down all the high frets. Then, I would use a small triangular file and deepen the grooves in the nut. Finally, I would replace the strings and lower the bridge until the strings start touching the frets, then raise it just a bit. THEN I would give a lesson to allow the strings time to settle so they wouldn't have to play an out of tune guitar for a week.

This reminds me of my very first guitar I inherited from a friend. The frets were so high you'd have to be a body builder to squeeze the string hard enough to touch the fret board. Though above (the filing and lowering of the bridge) sounds like too much work I'd want to invest. Let's hope the people I teach will have half decent guitars.


P.S. Sorry LJ for derailing your thread

[misombra]

Yeah, but you would have learned better with a competent teacher ... how to play the guitar I mean!

Seriously, for the record, I always offered serious music instruction to serious students. I only noted the sex benefits because I always wondered what the attraction was for guitar teachers.

Also, for the record, I never mentioned a student selling her body ... I think I said buying mine. I don't undertand it either.

Car

i think the attraction is that guitar players have really defined hand muscles and their fingers tend to be long. guitar player hands are quite sexified.

[carl1222]

Haha, that's not even teaching how to play. I didn't realize it can be so ridiculously simple.

No one complained or said they are not learning enough?



This reminds me of my very first guitar I inherited from a friend. The frets were so high you'd have to be a body builder to squeeze the string hard enough to touch the fret board. Though above (the filing and lowering of the bridge) sounds like too much work I'd want to invest. Let's hope the people I teach will have half decent guitars.


P.S. Sorry LJ for derailing your thread

You have to remember the half life of most beginner students is a few months ... not just for me, but in general as I learned in my music school days. So that's about all the learning that time allows. The more serious students would quickly get much more attention, so no complaints.

Your average student will have a hundred dollar ($79.99?) guitar they picked up at Wal-Mart. This simple work will turn it into a $300 guitar and it only takes an hour or less. Unless you limit yourself to more advanced students, the chances of them having a vintage Strat or a Gibson Les Paul Custom is nearly nil.

Carl.

[Mish]

i think the attraction is that guitar players have really defined hand muscles and their fingers tend to be long. guitar player hands are quite sexified.

I think it's also an intimate instrument to teach. You need to show how to hold down chords properly, you move the student's fingers in place, use their hand to show how to pick the strings, lots of touching, hand goes over the shoulder.

I think in that setting the biggest problem would be not to attract the WRONG kind of person (like a guy)

[carl1222]

i think the attraction is that guitar players have really defined hand muscles and their fingers tend to be long. guitar player hands are quite sexified.

That's interesting ... so you are saying that the development of my fine movement hand muscles and long fingers is what got me laid?

But I agree Mish ... teaching guitar does involve a lot of contact that in other contexts would be considered intimate. Touching of hands, adjusting the position of the guitar on her body, etc. I can't watch a girl play the 'cello without getting a semi!

Carl.

[misombra]

That's interesting ... so you are saying that the development of my fine movement hand muscles and long fingers is what got me laid?

Carl.

in part. i'm sure it was more about your striking good looks (assuming) and obvious intelligence.

[Mish]

But I agree Mish ... teaching guitar does involve a lot of contact that in other contexts would be considered intimate. Touching of hands, adjusting the position of the guitar on her body, etc.

Which leads to the question

What do you do when teaching a guy? Or is it for girls only?

[carl1222]

Which leads to the question

What do you do when teaching a guy? Or is it for girls only?

You do the same thing and count on his hetero sexual orientation to ensure he doesn't take it the same as a girl might.

Carl.

[carl1222]

in part. i'm sure it was more about your striking good looks (assuming) and obvious intelligence.

Thanks ... I will claim a certain amout of intelligence. My looks are OK, but I wouldn't describe them as "striking." I think Mish got it right ... there's a certain amount of implied intimacy in being taught the guitar. Now aren't you sorry you taught yourself???? Hahahahaha.

Carl.

[misombra]

no cause now i'm totally in love with myself. i'm drooling at the sexiness of my hands right now!

[carl1222]

no cause now i'm totally in love with myself. i'm drooling at the sexiness of my hands right now!

Yeah, but what can you do with sexy hands alone, especially after drooling on them? Oh wait ... what the f**k am I saying? ... never mind.

Carl.

[misombra]

exactly.
__________

[lovesjoyajm]

P.S. Sorry LJ for derailing your thread

No problem. I'm learning something from you guys.

Carl, I've got the $79.99 guitar from Wal-mart beat. Mine was 12 euros on Ebay. It's a classical guitar. (here in Germany they call steel-stringed guitars "western", how funny is that?) I would love to get a nice steel-stringed acoustic when I have the money but for now this one isn't too bad in my humble opinion.

[carl1222]

No problem. I'm learning something from you guys.

Carl, I've got the $79.99 guitar from Wal-mart beat. Mine was 12 euros on Ebay. It's a classical guitar. (here in Germany they call steel-stringed guitars "western", how funny is that?) I would love to get a nice steel-stringed acoustic when I have the money but for now this one isn't too bad in my humble opinion.

Because your guitar has nylon strings, it is softer and easier on the fingers so its more forgiving of the defects in its action. When you switch to a steel string guitar, it will require extra finger strength to bend the more rigid steel strings, so a close and even action is more important.

Carl.

[lovesjoyajm]

The lady that sold me the guitar also seemed entirely clueless about guitars (I picked it up from her). So it's possible that it's not a total piece of crap. But it's also only the second or third nylon-string deal I've ever played. All summer I was playing my coworkers' Martins and Washburns. I miss Westgitarren... You have to dish out a crap ton to get anything with steel strings over here though, and I just don't have the budget at the moment.

So Carl, tell me what I can expect here. This is my first guitar lesson, but I already know a few songs (Blackbird, taught to me by the greatest of teachers, YouTube, and some other oldies that my boss taught me this summer). I also took violin lessons for 12 years and taught myself piano so note reading is taken care of. Tomorrow is supposed to be a "Probestunde" -trial lesson - would that mean I just go and show him what I can already play? I think what I'm looking for is more theoretical knowledge so I can expand on what I know and play more than just strummed and picked chords - I'm clueless about walkdowns, for example.

I'm so excited!