Who guides your learning? - Poll attached

[michelew]

After reading Lynn's recent thread, I'm curious about how you all work out what you need and want to learn. I imagine that most of you don't have a teacher who you sit down with regularly, who can help you to work this stuff out and keep you on track. Maybe I'm wrong. Neil and Ness know a little about our abilities (those of us that post videos anyway), maybe more than a little for some of us, but neither of them has the capacity to completely guide our specific learning needs. For starters, neither of them really knows everything we can and can't do and what we'd like to be able to do. Don't get me wrong, they (and members of the community generally) do a great job of helping us to identify things we need to work on for specific songs (and their techniques). Actually, I guess that goes beyond specific songs too.

I've attached a poll out of curiosity. I'm interested in knowing how you work out what to work on (practice).

Thanks

M

Oops - I forget that there's a limit to how long the option can be.

The first one should say "...TG provides some of the learning material"
The second - "I have seen a teacher before and that has helped me to know what I need to work on"
5th "...I'm doing OK at guiding myself"


As per usual, I haven't put all of the right options in here. Obviously a combo of approaches is likely to be true for most of us, so pick your main one and then tell us about the combo.

[suziko]

Hey Shel! Good question. I answered that I guide myself, but that's not entirely true. I definitely take advice that I get from far more experienced players and try to apply that advice to my playing. Neil and Ness are obviously hugely influential on me and they've both given me great guidance during my playing. But I also take feedback that I get from a few guitar-friends who are more experienced than me, and try to apply that advice to my playing. As I mentioned in my comment in Lynnie's thread, I really strive to vary my practice. A good example would be my recent experience with "As Tears Go By." I started playing it and thought, "Heck, this would be a lot easier if I just fingerpicked it!!" That is because fingerpicking is a much easier technique for me (due to practice) than picking out individual strings with a pick. I find that really, really hard. But what I want to do is to get better at a technique I'm not good at- NOT learn As Tears Go By as fast as I can. So I'm persevering with learning to play it as Neil plays it. Sure, it'll take me a lot longer to get down, but who cares? It'll make it that much faster next time to learn a song with a similar technique.

Suzi

[Music Junkie]

Hey young lady!....lol Another good question... Are you pondering this weekend?

I answered other, only because I could answer 2, 3 and 6.

2. I had an instructor for about 2 yrs or so, and he was perfect for me. Patient and encouraging. Learned a lot of theory from him (I am still a novice there, but I can get around).
3. Neil has been amazing over the last few years. The techniques and theory have been so helpful and fun. Ness has added to that most recently. Although my eclectic music tastes don't always parallel TG (mostly because there are not a lot of teaching opportunities in the tunes I am playing these days...lol), I have been introduced to some music I had otherwise overlooked. Not only have I enjoyed that, but the techniques I talked about have helped me learn many of my own songs. I think that is the whole point, and TG has nailed that for me.
6. I am less than focused in my studies to be completely honest. However, my goal was to be able to play some campfire songs. I am able to do so now. Now I am just wandering aimlessly and enjoying every minute of it. I go through spurts, but always seem to have about 5 or 6 songs in various stages. I enjoy it.

J

[michelew]

In truth, I'm wandering around a little aimlessly at the moment, but I've received enough advice from Neil, Ness and the forum (including inspiration) to know what I still need to work on.

My goals are another thing...they change almost weekly.

Whether I'm working on all of the right things, ... Well that's probably another story all together.

[Catman]

I feel that I've been stagnating lately (in guitar playing, not literally), so I've started a search for a local flesh-and-blood teacher:

a) to provide focus and a framework
b) for feedback

-David

[neverfoundthetime]

Exactly, Shell, wondering aimlessly... my apologies to Mr. Wordsworth...

I wandered aimlessly as a cloud,
That floats on high E's, chords and frills,
When all at once I hear aloud,
A song of wonder, full of thrills,
From my laptop, between my knees,
Fluttering and dancing in drop-D.

Countless as the stars that shine
And twinkle on through the age,
The songs of Neil stretch in a never-ending line
Along the margin of the page:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance?
Enticing me in their sprightly dance.

And that was it, lost forever in a cloud full of goodies, too many to ever devour...

I think I am guided by some inner Elf with ADS and an allergy to treble clefs, semi-quavers and other such non-understandables and no sense of achievement! :woohoo:

[michelew]

neverfoundthetime wrote:

Exactly, Shell, wondering aimlessly... my apologies to Mr. Wordsworth...

I wonder aimlessly as a cloud,
That floats on high E's, chords and thrills,
When all at once I hear aloud,
A song of wonder, full of thrills,
From my laptop, between my knees,
Fluttering and dancing in drop-D.

Countless as the stars that shine
And twinkle on through the age,
The songs of Neil stretch in a never-ending line
Along the margin of the page:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance?
Enticing me in their sprightly dance.

And that was it, lost forever in a cloud full of goodies, too many to ever devour...

I think I am guided by some inner Elf with ADS and an allergy to treble clefs, semi-quavers and other such non-understandables and no sense of achievement! :woohoo:

Mischievous elf! I think he's been whispering in my ear too. birds of a feather. B)

I love your poem/ode, I giggled out loud at the elf remark especially. Sue's looking at me VERY strangely.

Shel

[michelew]

Catman wrote:

I feel that I've been stagnating lately (in guitar playing, not literally), so I've started a search for a local flesh-and-blood teacher:

a) to provide focus and a framework
b) for feedback

-David

Hey David, good plan. I wonder about that from time to time myself. Ahhhh...but then I might just need to get serious and stop fuffing around doing as I please.

M

[neverfoundthetime]

My confusion about wandering and wondering is genuine!

[michelew]

neverfoundthetime wrote:

My confusion about wandering and wondering is genuine!

And I wander, wonder, wonder, wander who, WHO!...