What Makes a Great Guitar Teacher?

[RR-ElectricAngel]

Whenever I teach the word "MODES" I usually get a blank stare from my student. I therefore usually tell them it's just really like a major scale exept you start/end on a different note of that major scale. That usually helps, otherwise I've mistakenly taught them defective knowlege that will cause them to drive on the wrong side of the road and run all stop lights without a care in the world.

[NicDots]

I recently stopped my lessons with my classical and flamenco teacher I'd been going to for 4 or 5 years. He was a good teacher, very patient, and encouraging. But what I didn't like about him is that I'd try to express my opinion or play a note with the ring finger rather than the middle finger and he'd FREAK OUT. My or the highway. It got to be too much. But I'll be damned if I can find another as accomplished/affordable classical teacher like him though. I wouldn't be surprised if I went crawling back in a few months time.

[Paul Wolfe]

Sounds like Segovia, Nicole. He was notorious for that attitude of "this note on this string with this finger or it's wrong." That's why I always liked EVH, "If it sounds good, it is good."

[Cpt Matt Sparrow]

Hi Nicole

Sounds like quite a strict man! Sometimes these kind of fellows are good for ironing out lazyness in our technique.

You would love my coach for the last few years Carlos Bonell! He is in his mid to late 60's, but really is a musical maverick. He is completely open to all styles and various ways of doing things; so much so that he loves the use of plectrum in very fast solo classical guitar sections. Like I say he is very open!

He encourages various fingerings, dynamics etc that suit your own vision of the piece

Matt

ps Paul, I have never heard that about Segovia

[Paul Wolfe]

Paul, I have never heard that about Segovia

I can't recall where I read it, but it always stuck with me...

[Tito]

me too i saw an old video where he would grimace and look at the student like he was getting pissed!!!!lol i was whoa!!!!!!

[rice_pudding]

Whenever I teach the word "MODES" I usually get a blank stare from my student. I therefore usually tell them it's just really like a major scale exept you start/end on a different note of that major scale. That usually helps, otherwise I've mistakenly taught them defective knowlege that will cause them to drive on the wrong side of the road and run all stop lights without a care in the world.

I spent a heck of a lot of time studying modes a long time back. And to be honest modes always seemed overstated to me. Yes, they are obviously important but unless they are dogmatically implemented as a scale for an entire piece their influence is only fleeting at best. Context withing the moment, the bar, the beat and to the ear is everything imo. Modes can be so subtle as to be imperceptible unless careful analysis is applied to a piece.

In some musical frameworks it may be more critical, but i think of modes more as an embellishment than anything else. But after so much neglect my music theory is scrappy, so i'd be interested to hear what others have to say

Rob

[Paul Wolfe]

In some musical frameworks it may be more critical, but i think of modes more as an embellishment than anything else.

I agree. It seems to me that Randy used modal phrases as an embellishment. He'd most likely have gone further, but what we have is mainly straight rock pentatonics with modal embellishment.

The other night I was working on Schenker's Rock Bottom solo which is predominantly Dorian mode. I think Randy would have gravitated in that direction on the next record... he was showing signs with Revelaton and Diary but was quite there yet.

I think a lot of players are just playing what sounds good to them and use modes unintentionally - playing by feel and upon analysis discovering they were playing modally (?). RR on the other hand seemed to be doing it intentionally..

[Cpt Matt Sparrow]

me too i saw an old video where he would grimace and look at the student like he was getting pissed!!!!lol i was whoa!!!!!!

I occasionally come across people of a certain age who say their piano teacher would whack their hands with a ruler if their hand wasn't curved properly or freak out if the pupil kept playing the wrong note LOL

Matt

[NicDots]

It was more than just finger placement or calling me out on me being lazy. It really came down to what I liked the sound of and what he liked the sound of. Take for instance Asturias. When the bar chords come along, he prefers to strum them (ala Segovia) whereas I prefer to sort of strike them as if they were a chord in flamenco (ala John Williams). He threw a shit fit every time I played it the way I liked it, calling me "unprofessional." WTF, John Williams does it and he sure isn't "unprofessional." He also thought it was unprofessional to put my capo on the 3rd fret instead of the 4th fret when playing flamenco. He was just a very controlling sort of person. He idolized Segovia and saw him several times in concert. I suppose he was a "purist" if there ever was one. All that aside, I really did think he was a fantastic teacher...as long as I played everything the way Segovia did.

For examples of what I'm talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDAHl54V0CU
John Williams at :40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7YusOtj-s
Segovia at :49

[Tito]

ive always liked johns rasqueado better than segovias way...sounds more spanish the way john does it..

[Paul Wolfe]

He was just a very controlling sort of person. He idolized Segovia and saw him several times in concert. I suppose he was a "purist" if there ever was one. All that aside, I really did think he was a fantastic teacher...as long as I played everything the way Segovia did.

Sounds like some Randy Rhoads fans, huh?