I just fired my guitar teacher ...

[snoopy64]

... because he didn't know Neil Hogan.
That's not the only reason ... but part of it.
He didn't know (before I showed him some youtube videos) Tommy Emmanuel either.
His guitar playing is good and he could answer all my questions, but still ... something was missing. TG is a fabulous place and any real life teacher has to be (should be) aware of what's going on and what's possible on the internet. Mine wasn't. I showed him all the interesting stuff and he got the money .

Although this is the teacher's corner ... maybe you could write why either you "fired" your teacher or what students told you why they no longer wanted to pay for your service.

Cheers
Birgit

[willem]

Well Birgit,i did'nt fired him,,but,, I had a half hour practice with him and then went house to do it by my self,,, i forgot all the stuff and after two weeks i went to him with nothing and started at the same point,,,here i can go to the vid and playback again,,i must say it was a good player/teacher,but no one beats Neil..we only beat our self....

[Music Junkie]

Interesting topic. I am currently taking lessons with a great instructor. We are mostly working on ear training and he is really trying to develop my transcribing skills. My goal with him is to become much more self-sufficient in breaking down songs for myself. I love getting lessons, but when I want to learn a song, I don't want to have to wait forever for it to make it to some list. By applying the tools that Neil has given us (strumming techniques, fingerpicking techniques, chord fingerings, etc.) and the tools I am getting from lessons, I am having so much fun right now. I usually go in with a song and we start to break it down and over a period of a week or two, I usually get a complete song that I can put into an easy to read format (for me anyway). My instructor can usually transcribe a song in about 15min, and it takes me a week (working at about 30min/night), but I don't mind. At least I am getting better. I got really lucky with my instructor. I can tell he enjoys teaching, rather than just passing time til his big gig come along.....

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks

[tovo]

I recently tried a well recommended fellow to teach me some Blues as it is ultimately a style I'm keen to play. He proceeded to ignore what I had expressly asked for and tried to teach me a song in open chords (not that there is anything wrong with open chords but I don't like focusing on learning simplified versions of my favorite songs). Plus I just couldn't relate to him at all, PLUS he needed a shower...So I fired him without hesitation and fired up my laptop again. I can watch Neil's lessons over and over, he never annoys me and he doesn't smell.

[BigBear]

Birgit- this topic came up a few months ago and I remain convinced that there are literally millions of good guitarists in the world but darn few really good teachers. Knowing how to play is obviously important but it is only a small piece of the overall learning experience.

Many/most people teaching the guitar are starving artists who teach out of economic necessity not a love of teaching. Truth be told, most would be happy to not be bothered by those of us striving to learn this challenging instrument.

A truly good teacher is a rare gift. A person like Neil, who can teach long distance is rarer yet. That's why I remain in awe of Neil who projects an aura that he really, really cares about all of us students. Not easy to do when you don't know them personally.

I've taken private lessons several times and have never found a really good teacher. I recently found a good teacher (by a friend's referral), who is booked almost solid, but I'm having so much fun with TARGET that I don't need the added cost of private lessons. And I hate the typical half hour lesson! I always come away feeling unsatisfied.

And Neil has me so busy that I don't have time for anything else right now! I practice 1-3 hours per day and that's all I can do and still have a life. I'm obsessed with the guitar right now!

Oh well, there are worse hobbies to have, right? :cheer:

[Chasplaya]

tovo wrote:

he never annoys me and he doesn't smell.

That could present the back room boys of TG a bit of a challenge lol.

I had a really good guitar Instructor a couple of years ago, a professional musician played mostly Bluegrass, but taught you through the music of your choice, one week would be theory the next would be a song, always trying to introduce the theory component previously learnt into the song. Not disimilar to Neil really, trouble was I went through a bad financial patch and had to stop going. When I could afford it again he had a years waiting list to get back in. So the search on the Net began, I would never have fired this guy. My daughter on the other hand in South Island fired the teacher I found for her and rightly so... Online this lady sounded quite good for real beginners; trouble was she was very old fashioned and also very religious and insisted on teaching religious tunes , she was Dutch and again insisted on teaching Dutch folk tunes, now my Daughter 13 years old at the time couldn't handle that so it was a real Donald Trump
'You're Fired!!' Now religion and Dutch folk tunes might sit well with some but hey this is a 13yr old Scots/Kiwi of a different religious persuasion, say no more...

[AndyT]

Tony,
That's really sad. When you fired him did you you add a bar of soap to his severance package? Bad odors are not professional and anyone that is interacting with others on a professional level needs to be told. But in a nice way. B)

Neil is a great guitar teacher because...: (insert all the reasons we have all given many times here.)

I am nowhere near Neil's skill level, unless you remove one of his arms and 3 of his remaining fingers..., But I do think I am a pretty good teacher.
I very much want my students to learn and they know that. I do care if they have been practicing or not and I get after them when they don't. (lovingly) I bring to them everything I have at my disposal to make them a better guitar player. I have a student that started with me and is now a far better player than I am. (He's young and has lots of time to practice.) I create individualized lessons for them that will correct bad habits. I am able to explain things to them so that it makes sense and breaks thru the understanding barriers. I call them up to see how they are doing if they miss a class. I sit with them and help with whats going on in their lives that's keeping them away from their guitar. The best part, My lessons are free. You just have to invest the time.
I get great feedback from my students. They learn and I watch their playing and their lives overall improve and that is my pay for doing what I do. I think those things make me a good teacher.

What are you looking for in your Teacher?

EDIT:
This is not meant to be a 'Toot my own horn' kind of thing. Almost everything Listed here Neil also does in one form or another. I'm just drawing some lines and see what I get.

[neverfoundthetime]

I think I must have an in-born sense of "only the best is good enough". I've been very lucky to have been "spoilt" at university by being exposed to some of the very best coaches and performers in their field. Then I was lucky enough to spend time with more world's best performers in a number of sports. You start to recognise excellence. It took a 5 minute lesson from Neil on You Tube showing how to play the riff in the Moody Blues' Story in Your Eyes and I was sold. Not that I had had a real teacher before. My first music theory lesson lasted about 5 minutes before I slammed the lid shut and ran off from the piano where my dear sister was explaining the notes, names and scales. My sister was playing the organ at the local church at 14, I was 7 and couldn't fathom what the hell she was on about. My mother later showed me some stuff on classical guitar, just how to make a sound, that was more fun. Later I met a friend who played and and we swapped guitar lessons for tennis lessons. Later still, I would learn songs with another friend who I played with when we could get together over a period of 25 years. Otherwise I was teaching myself. Tried firing myself but I wouldn't go away!

Coming across Neil and TG was a big time BINGO! The only thing I could possibly still wish for is to be able to ask, hey how do you play THIS? right there and then when I want it and get a video lesson same week! Would that be unreasonable? Like I said, spoilt!

[johnrfeeney]

i usually reply to only a few topics of discussion and even then with a few words

but i remember relying to the original topic and i had some things to say

again - great teachers are a gift

they are given a gift and i don't think they will ever be fulfilled unless they teach

many many people teach - our parent teach, well i don't want to get into it - nearly everyone and everything is set up to teach but there is still a massive distinction in a great teacher

in any field

and when you have one or have been exposed to one (if you are a great student) you will recognize it