GUITAR LESSONS

Self-tutoring may seem a good option, and people with previous experience on another instrument can manage it to a certain extent, but there are many aspects of guitar technique that are not obvious to the beginner. Many who attempt to teach themselves acquire poor technique habits in the process. It is not uncommon for professional teachers to meet new students who have ‘self-taught’ for one or more years and who have, in fact, gained only a very small insight into the art of guitar technique, despite the time they have given to it. It is a good idea for you to factor the price of lessons (for at least a few months) into your start-up costs.

Now!

Every child is different! But generally, we advise around 7 years and over is the best age for starting children’s guitar lessons.

Guitar requires some strength and dexterity in the fretting hand that children can sometimes find quite challenging when below 7 years old.

Often we advise parents that children under 7 do a couple of years of piano lessons first, as this will still develop musical skills and prepare your child for guitar when they are ready!

Well if you reside in or close to Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs then you should ring us at Modern Guitar Tuition, we’re the best guitar teachers around! If not then ask around friends, family, music teachers at school etc. A referral from a satisfied student can be a good clue. Check local media. Teachers who are seriously in business tend to advertise regularly and/or maintain a web presence. There will also be a local peer body, such as the Victorian Music Teachers Association, or an online directory that can help out. Don’t be shy about asking a prospective teacher about their education background and experience level: if they are confident and professional you’ll get a convincing answer.

For more, check out our blog post:
How to find a good guitar teacher

This is a question that we get asked fairly often in phone enquiries by adults! Well just in case you are worried about it here’s a quick self-quiz for you: Are you over 90 years? Have you lost your fingers/marbles? Are you suffering from a debilitating illness? Have you lost all or most of your hearing? If you just answered ‘no’ to all these things then the answer to the original question is an emphatic NO. The good news is that many people successfully take up a musical instrument after Forty! Whilst you may not achieve advanced ability, you can certainly develop a satisfying level of hobby playing. (There is good evidence that only people who have taken up a musical instrument before approximately age 16-18 will be able to develop a to high level of technical accomplishment; almost all virtuoso players are people who started in childhood). However, many adults do take up a musical instrument in their middle years and find the experience very rewarding. Go on, give it a try!

Yes you can learn some things via internet but, as already said above, you are unlikely to develop good technique; watching videos will not give you the insights of a good teacher who will show you techniques from different angles, tailor lesson material to suit your current needs and coach your ongoing efforts as you develop. There really is a big difference!

A common failing nowadays is that many who attempt self-tutoring via the internet overload themselves with too many short examples, skipping from one source to another too often. And its not unusual to find some sites sites have conflicting information, or terminology that doesn’t corroborate. This results in too many people, despite their sincere efforts, acquiring an odd grab-bag of bits and pieces that don’t add up to secure knowledge of the instrument. It is now unfortunately common for experienced teachers to meet a new student who has done this and, even after one or more years of trying still can’t play one whole song! Don’t let this be you!

Also, many people find that the songs they download from the net are written in such a basic format that they don’t really ‘get’ how to play them; the information is either incomplete, not accurate or just too brief to be an effective guide to the full song. The Internet is better for finding the lyrics but, in many cases, you need much more detailed information to get a credible version of the guitar part.

For more on this topic, check out our blog post: Is it better to get lessons or to self teach?

We encourage new students to book in for 1 or 2 lessons as a trial before making a booking, however, we don’t provide those lessons for free.

We are completely confident of what we do, have a great routine with new students and, like most other folks, we don’t work for free!

Only if you feel unsure about what you should be look for, or if feel you’d like to try a lesson to see if the idea of learning the guitar really does appeal. Just one initial lesson should do; there’s not much point to having more than this before you have an instrument to practice on at home.

Only one – most students have one private ½ hour lesson per week, at a fixed time (we can not easily change lesson times week by week). For beginner and hobby players we can easily check your progress and set new material within a ½ hour lesson. Advanced students, including VCE, need a 45-60 minute lesson per week. When close to assessment dates they may need an extra lesson for a few weeks. Adult students may find it better to have an hour per fortnight, dependent on availability.

Children:
For beginners age 7 to 11yrs a 3/4 size nylon-strung guitar is the best and most cost-effective instrument to buy. Reasonable guitars of this type are much cheaper than similar quality larger instruments. They are made for beginners and will suit most children up to 10 years, even to 12 years for smaller hands. They are equally suitable for learning modern plectrum-style of for classical-style finger-picking. A beginner of primary school age will struggle on a full-size acoustic guitar. Steel-string acoustic guitars are too hard to play for most young people under 14 years. This is especially true of cheaper instruments (they can be quite hard on young fingers).

Electric Guitars:
These are not suitable for beginners under about 10 years due to the weight and especially to the long necks that electric guitars have: most children cannot comfortably reach the first position area of the fretboard on an electric guitar. Youngsters who have already learned for at least one year (preferably two) on a 3/4 instrument can adapt well to a small-bodied electric guitar at around 10 years of age. (There are some smaller bodied, short-scale electric guitars available to suit smaller players but they tend to have tuning problems). Teenage beginners from 12-13 years can comfortably commence lessons on an electric. If it is a second-hand instrument it is a good idea to have it checked by someone with guitar experience. Second-hand electric guitars are prone to problems, even if they look to have been cared for, and usually need a professional service to bring them up to standard.

Adult beginners:
Start on the type of instrument you feel best suits your musical tastes but please take this note of caution: If unsure and just wanting initially to learn a general approach then opt for a reasonable beginner range acoustic instrument. A bit further down the track you’ll know more about the guitar and will be able to buy another instrument with confidence about what you need musically. If hand-size and/or strength are an issue then you are well advised to not use a steel-string acoustic; they require good hand strength to play well and cheap examples have been the cause of many a frustrated beginner thinking that playing the guitar is ‘too hard’ for them (the guitar is not what is ‘too hard’ for them – it is their choice of instrument that is defeating them). Electric guitars are comparatively easier to play and are a good choice of steel-string instrument if hand-size is an issue. The opposite problem arises for some men with large hands and fingers; electric guitars are frustrating for beginners with big hands. Whatever your choice of instrument, go to a shop with a good range of models and try several different ones; find a guitar that ‘fits’ you!

Nope! It will take you three months just to learn the intro, and a shaky version at that. Learn properly, be patient and you will get to the songs you aspire to play all in good time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say!

Alright, if you insist!