Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I
need weekly lessons?
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Most people
know someone who has owned a keyboard or guitar for years,
but they've hardly made any progress in learning how to
play it. That's because just wanting to practice isn't enough. Life
gets in the way and we need to set deadlines.
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Having a
financial investment in scheduled lessons will motivate
you to practice regularly.
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Weekly lessons
with an instructor will encourage you to grow faster.
Why
shouldn't I just learn my instrument
for free by watching YouTube videos?
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Random videos
aren't likely to present your lessons in a logical order,
according to your ability.
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Pre-recorded
videos can't
tell if you're picking up bad habits (which can be very hard to
break).
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YouTube can't
see or hear you Only a private teacher can assess
your skills, personalize your learning and help you
improve your performance and sound.
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Good teachers
are
experienced in finding sheet music at your particular level, which are enjoyable to play and which sound good.
Should I put stickers with
letter names on my instrument?
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Definitely not.
It will only encourage you to stare at your hands instead
of reading the music.
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It's a crutch, and crutches will
hold you back.
Should I
write letter names or finger
numbers on every note on my
music?
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That's the
equivalent of highlighting every word and paragraph of a
book. You haven't made it easier to digest -- you've
only made yourself focus on each individual note.
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As
your arrangements become more challenging, this will hold
you back.
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Certainly,
you'll want to write a letter name or fingering on your
music here and there -- especially in difficult passages.
Should I buy a left-handed guitar?
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Unless one of
your fingers, hands, wrists, or arms is functionally
impaired, I believe that most left-handed people should
not buy a left-handed guitar. Full disclosure:
I'm left-handed when I bat, throw, write, or open a door,
but I play right-handed guitar and bass. Here's why
I made that choice:
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The fact that
you lead with a particular hand doesn't make it easier
to fret or pick with one hand vs. the other.
Fretting and picking are unlike any other muscular
movement you make in your daily life.
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You'll be
learning and practicing completely unfamiliar
movements with EACH of your hands, no matter which hand
you favor.
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If there's a
guitar at someone's house or at a campfire singalong and you're
asked to play, there's a 90% chance that it will be right-handed.
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If you ever
want to sell your guitar, the market for left-handed
guitars is smaller (10% of all players).
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Most
instructional guitar photos, demonstration videos and
teachers will be right-handed.
If you've
read all of these reasons and you still feel you should
buy a left-handed guitar, then it may be the right
personal choice for you.
Why Shouldn't I Buy Popular Music Collections?
-
Folios, as
they're called in the sheet music business, often group songs together
by category, like your favorite artist, style, era, etc. These
collections are sold with attractive covers that are often
labeled "Easy." But typically, you'll end up
learning only a few songs from the entire book, because
the others are not arranged at the same difficulty or they
don't sound right, even if they do appear "official."
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Although
individual sheet music can be more expensive, your teacher
can shop online for a song-by-song fit for your abilities,
each of which are enjoyable to play.
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Also, some
teachers can write great-sounding arrangements of your favorite songs
-- at
your playing level -- for free. These arrangements
can look every bit as professional as sheet music that's
available to buy.
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