3 Ways You Can Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Lessons
By Maurice Richard
You have done the right thing! You decided you wanted to learn to play guitar and committed to it.
Then you made another great decision by finding a highly qualified guitar teacher to help you learn the right way the first time instead of trying to figure it all out yourself.
Learning to play guitar is not exactly easy for most people so you are on the right track so far.
Now that you are taking guitar lessons, how would you like to get even more out of them than you already are? That would be cool right?
Here are 3 things you can do to help you get the most out of your guitar lessons.
- Positive Attitude
This is key. You must approach your guitar lessons believing you are going to get better and progress. It is possible to learn without this attitude but it will take much longer and likely get you quite frustrated.
The approach is simple. Look for the good things, for the improvements, for anything that you can do better than you did before. IT does not have to be big.
For example, when you learn something new you should celebrate that achievement. No matter how small or how imperfect. You learned it and will get it down over time.
If you learn to see the good and the positive from your lessons then you will have a lot more success.
If you approach things positively do not feel like you are going to get better or progress, you may not be with the correct teacher or using the wrong method. The best thing to do is talk about it. A good teacher will know what to do.
- Stick To The Plan
This one can be tricky because not all guitar teachers or methods have an actual plan.
If your guitar teacher is asking you what you want to learn each class then this is not a plan and you should not stick with it. You should probably find another teacher too.
Assuming that your guitar teacher has created a plan for you it is best to stick with it and not try to supplement it – unless you ask if it is a good fit.
That’s because the plan will typically help you move from one skill to another and progress you at a rate that you can handle.
I recommend this because you will not know if the supplemental material is appropriate for you or your level and it can distract you from progressing quickly.
- Be Honest With Your Teacher
This is so important but many people do not realize it.
When things are not going well with your playing or if you can’t practice as much as you would like to you need to be honest about it with your teacher.
If your life is busy all of a sudden or you are stressed about something, they need to know. Not in detail of course but enough so they can help you.
If you don’t tell them anything and you try to carry on they will assume things are going well and keep you going down the same path when they should be altering the plan to help you deal with whatever is going on.
This is especially true if you do not understand something they are teaching you. If you pretend to understand for whatever reason you are hurting yourself and you are jeopardizing your progress. Don’t do it!
Find The Best Guitar Teacher Available In Your Area
As much as those three things will help you, and they will, the most important thing you can do to get the most out of your guitar lessons is to find the best guitar teacher available to you.
The best guitar teacher will have specific training on how to teach and even more specific training on how to teach guitar. They will typically be full-time guitar teachers and have flexible programs to suit your needs.
They will also have innovative programs that will help you get the most of out every lesson and teach you effective practice techniques so you progress even faster at home.
The right teacher will turbocharge the three points already mentioned!
About The Author:
Maurice Richard is a professional guitar teacher that operates out of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has been a member of an elite guitar teaching mentorship program since 2007 and has taught hundreds of people how to get the most out of guitar lessons