Recommend a Lesson - What's the point

Feel free to get outside the box here.
AndyT
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:06 am
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 11:49 am

Taking a look at the "reccommend a lesson" page and began wondering what the point is? There are songs there that have a lot of votes but then we get a lesson on "Midnight at the Oasis" ? Honesly I think the song choices that Neal has been making have gone steadily down hill. Seem like he is doing what he likes and not what his customers are asking for. I'm actually a charter member and if it was not for the some of the older lessons - I probably would drop my membership. Or maybe I'm just in a bad mood today (and I really hate that MATO song!)


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 12:22 pm

mshrad wrote:
Taking a look at the "reccommend a lesson" page and began wondering what the point is? There are songs there that have a lot of votes but then we get a lesson on "Midnight at the Oasis" ? Honesly I think the song choices that Neal has been making have gone steadily down hill. Seem like he is doing what he likes and not what his customers are asking for. I'm actually a charter member and if it was not for the some of the older lessons - I probably would drop my membership. Or maybe I'm just in a bad mood today (and I really hate that MATO song!)

Hi mshrad,,sometimes I have the same mood has you have today ,,I must say I have a lot of work with so many song lessons that I want and are a lesson here but I still dream on some new ones high in the recommend a song paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages,, I also think that they don't vote anymore,,or a friend must ask..

cheers

Willem


Chasplaya
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:41 pm
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 1:03 pm

I took a look and unfortunately you can't scroll through all the completed lessons, but you can count 109 completed lessons out of the list. Given the link to further pages (next >) doesn't go past 110 you can't tell if there's more. Anyway at a 109 that's not bad going. Also some of the recommendations quite likely don't lend themselves to good lessons, maybe great songs but not lessons.

Any advance on a 109?


drfuji
Posts: 0
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 12:06 pm
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 1:38 pm

Mshrad,
definitely feeling your pain...Made a comment a couple of months ago showing my frustration and thought I was going to be thrashed....I have been on here for a long time as well and kind of feel that our requests are being ignored. Probably the most frustrating thing is...I have no doubt learned more from TG than anywhere else and am aware that there is still much more for me to learn from this site....but feel as a customer, should be able to have certain expectations...
Kind of feel that the regulars that are not going to the guitar camp are on the back burner, but am still paying my money every month. Wish I could afford to take the time off and attend the camp, but just can't do that right now.
I have been apprehensive about saying anything, almost feel like the soup kitchen on Seinfeld...might tell me I cant have anymore soup...

I don't plan on quitting, but sure would be nice to see some of the things that people are asking for. I logon daily looking for whats new. and to be honest...I really don't get much out of the fly-on-the-wall sessions. I am sure some of you do, and that is good. I do continue to work on all the lessons that are on here...but it is just exciting to logon and see a song that you have been hoping for.

Sorry if I hurt anyones feelings. but I am a paying customer, and hope that someone wants to know what some of us want out here..
Thanks for listening


unclewalt
Posts: 58
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 11:14 am
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 2:23 pm

The great thing about living in a market economy is that one has a choice to either buy something or not. It's not like there aren't other lesson sites out there, though if you find one that has anything like the selection and quality of lessons found here, please let the rest of us know. I've never thought of the "recommend" thing as being a "you must create a lesson on this" thing. Otherwise, it would be called something else.

I will also ask what I ask whenever I see these complaints on here: have you mastered all of the lessons on the site that you *are* interested in? If so, then, yes, I would recommend quitting the site. If not, what's the point of the complaint?

It would probably never occur to me to want to learn "Midnight at The Oasis," but I watched the lesson and decided that it will be a great way to exercise my minor 7ths and ninths and whatnot. To me, that's one of the great things about the site -- lessons often come up that totally surprise me. For God's sake, I now play "In the Year of the Cat" almost every day. My 15-year-old-self would be aghast. But it's a great guitar song, and I learned stuff from it that I didn't know before, and can apply that knowledge to other things. Perfect.

Those of you who know me know that I am the furthest thing from an asskisser there could be - and there are some fairly shameless asskissers on this site. I say these things because I truly believe them. If you want to learn classic-rock type stuff on acoustic guitar, this is the best place to do it, at least that I know of. It's also very, very good for blues, Christmas songs, and other stuff. Its strength is based on what is already here, not on the new stuff that gets posted -- that just adds to it, marginally.

I rarely watch the fly-on-the-walls or the reviews myself, but that's not why I'm here. I also get that people like to see what's new here, and even get being a little disappointed that "Clap" or "The Rain Song" or whatever isn't here (yet). But I don't think the site is here to make you "excited" on a daily basis by what's new, but rather to help you learn stuff on the guitar. Don't worry so much about what's not here -- look at what *is* here, and get practicing.


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 3:18 pm

unclewalt wrote:
The great thing about living in a market economy is that one has a choice to either buy something or not. It's not like there aren't other lesson sites out there, though if you find one that has anything like the selection and quality of lessons found here, please let the rest of us know. I've never thought of the "recommend" thing as being a "you must create a lesson on this" thing. Otherwise, it would be called something else.

I will also ask what I ask whenever I see these complaints on here: have you mastered all of the lessons on the site that you *are* interested in? If so, then, yes, I would recommend quitting the site. If not, what's the point of the complaint?

It would probably never occur to me to want to learn "Midnight at The Oasis," but I watched the lesson and decided that it will be a great way to exercise my minor 7ths and ninths and whatnot. To me, that's one of the great things about the site -- lessons often come up that totally surprise me. For God's sake, I now play "In the Year of the Cat" almost every day. My 15-year-old-self would be aghast. But it's a great guitar song, and I learned stuff from it that I didn't know before, and can apply that knowledge to other things. Perfect.

Those of you who know me know that I am the furthest thing from an asskisser there could be - and there are some fairly shameless asskissers on this site. I say these things because I truly believe them. If you want to learn classic-rock type stuff on acoustic guitar, this is the best place to do it, at least that I know of. It's also very, very good for blues, Christmas songs, and other stuff. Its strength is based on what is already here, not on the new stuff that gets posted -- that just adds to it, marginally.

I rarely watch the fly-on-the-walls or the reviews myself, but that's not why I'm here. I also get that people like to see what's new here, and even get being a little disappointed that "Clap" or "The Rain Song" or whatever isn't here (yet). But I don't think the site is here to make you "excited" on a daily basis by what's new, but rather to help you learn stuff on the guitar. Don't worry so much about what's not here -- look at what *is* here, and get practicing.

thats why I started practicing Dawes song ''How far we've come'',, I will never learn to perform that song in matter of the harmony singin but its great for my pickinfingers and I like that guitar part too,,thx for the tip on the 7th chords practice in the song ''Midnight at the Oasis..

Willem

PS still dreaming on a few song/lessons


NKenny
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:22 pm
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 4:16 pm

I'm kind of in the middle with this one. I do feel that the reccomend a lesson should be important. If a song has alot of votes, then paying customers should have a say in what song lessons are chosen. Even if it's not a great song to learn something besides how to play it. But then on the other hand I'm sure Neil picks the songs that he feels will teach us something. I trust his judgement or I would leave the site. I have been hoping for a lesson on [A Whiter Shade of Pale] HINT :) for a long time, it has many votes. I cannot figure things out myself and each day I hope to see it. I also understand every song can not be chosen and everyone can not like every song that Neil does choose. So I still find each day exciting to see what has been added even if its not one I would want

Kenny


BigBear
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:02 am
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 6:55 pm

I joined the TARGET program the week it began so I've seen this whole thing develop. "Midnight at the Oasis" is not a song that really inspires me but so what, maybe it floats someone else's boat. I think the point is, this has never been a "request-a-song" site. Never, and Neil has said the same over and over. But since it began I'll bet Neil has hit about 90% of my all-time favorite songs. Maybe that's because we're the same age or it's just coincidental. But it has taken him time to get to many of them.

There are sites out there where you can just buy lessons individually. I think Neil and Matt made a deliberate choice not to follow that model. Neil is a teacher, first and foremost. I'm not convinced he even particularly cares which songs he teaches from as long as they have instructive value.

But Dan is right. If you can find a site even close to the level of this one please let us all know because I certainly haven't found it. I'm guessing that Neil has produced about 400+ song lessons by now. I have a 4" binder with all the songs I want to master and I'll never get to them all in three lifetimes. So sure, maybe it would be fun to request a song and have Neil do a lesson. But all that would do is add to the pile.

Finally, I strongly disagree that paying your dues buys you anything special. For the small amount these guys charge it's crazy to expect Neil to do a lesson on "your song". How on earth could any site satisfy all their customer's demands when there are well over 1,000 customers? It simply isn't going to happen. Dan is also correct that no one is forcing anyone to pay their dues to belong here. There are many choices on line and if one is better suited to your tastes then your path becomes clear.

Call me an ass-kisser if you want, but this site is a ridiculous bounty of riches. If you can't find enough to keep you busy here, you need to become a singer/songwriter and quit covering other people's songs!

Cheers! :cheer:


familyman4
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:29 pm
Location: Arizona
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 8:34 pm

Please, please, please, No-one is disputing the fact that this site is fantastic. Please allow folks, fellow members, to voice their own concerns without makng a speed bump out if them.

Bart


kelemenj
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:40 pm
Status: Offline

Wed May 08, 2013 9:46 pm

I can see both sides of this. On one hand, it is frustrating to feel that the site is not responsive to a request. On the other hand, it is my perception that the lessons are chosen because they offer a way to expand guitar playing skills in general. It may be expanding chord vocabulary, fingerpicking skills, rhythm, alternative tunings, etc. Or perhaps to introduce the subscriber to artists they may have overlooked. There are a myriad of other resources that can teach just about any song you can think of. But to reiterate, I believe Neil is using his lessons to teach translatable skills that will eventually help the user to become more knowledgeable and well rounded as a guitarist and as a musician.
John


Post Reply Previous topicNext topic