Guitar Lesson

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Guitar Lesson

Being prepared for your guitar lesson will ensure that you get the most out of your time spent with your teacher. Following the few steps listed below will help facilitate a better understanding of the material covered in the lesson.

No Distractions

Keep all distractions at bay for the duration of your guitar lesson. It may be hard to explain to your curious younger brother or your new puppy that you are in a guitar lesson and that you need to concentrate to get the most out of it but, no distractions amount to quicker learning and a thorough understanding.

Metronome

If you don’t already own a metronome treat yourself to one and your guitar playing will thank you for it. Have it with you at all the lessons even if you don’t use it in every lesson, there will be many times when it will come in handy. By practising with a metronome you will quickly realise the importance of timing. Being a guitarist is about developing control over all aspects of music and timing is crucial to this. It is just as “wrong” to play the right note at the wrong time as it is to play the “wrong” note at the right time.

Practice Material

Have all you previous lessons notes with you as you or your teacher may need to refer back to them. You could use a file to keep all your practise material in one easily accessible place.

Comfort

Set up a comfortable environment for your lessons. Get two armless chairs that allow you to sit in the correct playing position. Soft sofas are not really suitable as one tends to sink into the chair. Bar stools or dining room chairs are normally perfect for guitar playing.

Tuned Guitar

Tune up before the lesson so that you and your teacher can begin right away. Time is precious during a lesson and you want to get the most out of it.

Practice

Make sure you have practised the last week’s material. This will ensure that you improve at a steady pace and that you are ready for your next set of practise drills and songs. When practising, spend time on playing something well, even if it means slowing down the piece. Nobody likes listening to a sloppy guitarist. One way to make sure that your piece is well practised is to pretend that you are going into the studio to track that part. In other words, no string buzz, bent notes and keep one ear aware of the metronome.

Complete Understanding

At the beginning of the lesson ask your teacher any questions that you may have about your practise material.  It is important that you completely understand everything that is covered in your lessons. If the teacher is going too fast, stop them and ask them to explain that concept further. They will be more than happy to accommodate you. Sometimes it’s difficult for your teacher to remember just how tricky certain aspects of guitar playing really are. This is because these skills were acquired many years ago and now seem second nature.

Guide Your Teacher In Your Guitar Lesson

Let your teacher know what direction you wish to take with your guitar playing so that your guitar lesson can be shaped to facilitate this. There are many styles of guitar playing so let your teacher know which ones interest you and which ones you would like to work on first. To be a complete guitarist you will eventually cover all styles but by all means guide your teacher to your interests.  If you are unsure of what direction to take, ask yourself what drew you to the guitar in the first place. Was it seeing Eric Clapton play Layla or Kurt Cobain running amuck around the stage? Hopefully your answer will give you an indication as to where you what to take your guitar playing.

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Profile photo of Richard Oldfield

* Plays for the band Your Name In Neon * Has been playing for 9 years * Has 3 years teaching experience * Is in love with the Beatles * Has been gigging for 7 years * Has a secret crush on The Bangles * Is a beginner specialist * Has been a session guitarist

2 Comments

  1. Profile photo of Tyrone Mayer

    Also having a PC with an internet line will also help you get additional material for the song perhaps even see other lessons/videos of your lesson on YouTube ext.

  2. Pingback: The Benefits Of Having Lessons With An Instructor | Guitar Excellence

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