Guitar Post: Teaching

[Sleeping in EQ]

I'm doing a little teaching. One student, a pure beginner, a teenager, and I've never done this before.

Any tips?

[Moliere]

Yes, record the lessons and post them here so I can learn as well. I play but I'm self taught so I know I'm doing it wrong.

[wuapinmon]

Yes, record the lessons and post them here so I can learn as well. I play but I'm self taught so I know I'm doing it wrong.

Seriously, two of my kids need lessons, and I can't find anyone who doesn't want a king's ransom for an hour a week.

[Sleeping in EQ]

That's what I'm charging. Parents are starting to figure out that some YouTube videos and a book are the high road to half-assing it.

Good teachers are worth the $. They motivate, correct, measure progress, and save time.

[Shaka]

I found out long ago that I'm a horrible guitar teacher. One tip I can give you is to have the kid bring some sort of video recording device to tape the lesson. That way they have a video reference when they get home. An iPad or a phone works for this. I got this from a friend of mine who is one of the top studio guys in Utah and one of the better teachers.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I found out long ago that I'm a horrible guitar teacher. One tip I can give you is to have the kid bring some sort of video recording device to tape the lesson. That way they have a video reference when they get home. An iPad or a phone works for this. I got this from a friend of mine who is one of the top studio guys in Utah and one of the better teachers.

That's a great idea.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Any suggestions on when to introduce the dreaded F chord?

The F chord might be the second worst killer of aspiring guitarists (IME, the junk guitar that doesn't fit the player is the worst).

[Shaka]

Any suggestions on when to introduce the dreaded F chord?

The F chord might be the second worst killer of aspiring guitarists (IME, the junk guitar that doesn't fit the player is the worst).

I learned only a simple version of it initially but pretty much figured it out at the same time I learned other bar chords.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I learned only a simple version of it initially but pretty much figured it out at the same time I learned other bar chords.

Did you learn the abbreviated open form, the one where you mute the high e string and strum only the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings? That seems like a reasonable substitute for a beginner. I'm not keen on using the "D" shaped chord on the 5th fret as it won't fit well with most of the other chords.

[Shaka]

Did you learn the abbreviated open form, the one where you mute the high e string and strum only the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings? That seems like a reasonable substitute for a beginner. I'm not keen on using the "D" shaped chord on the 5th fret as it won't fit well with most of the other chords.

I use the same shape as the bar chord only playing strings 1-4. In this version you just bar the high E and B strings on the first fret with your index finger. I still play this version quite a bit oftentimes wrapping my thumb around the neck to hit the low F.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I use the same shape as the bar chord only playing strings 1-4. In this version you just bar the high E and B strings on the first fret with your index finger. I still play this version quite a bit oftentimes wrapping my thumb around the neck to hit the low F.

I call the version you describe the "Hendrix F." That could be a good option too. It certainly wouldn't require as much of the hand.

[cowboy]

I call the version you describe the "Hendrix F." That could be a good option too. It certainly wouldn't require as much of the hand.

After 21 years, that's still the only way I know how to play an F. Frankly, I've never thought the F that big of a deal. My daughters, 10 and 13, have been playing for about a year and didn't even blink at the F. The B was the big killer for me, and took me about 4 years before I would play it in front of anyone. My 13-year-old made me look like a ham-fisted dunce when she started playing bar chords after 6 months. Having her take lessons from a jazz player was the best move we could have made.

[woot]

John Mayer uses his thumb a lot that way and I started doing that at some point to do bar chords or to add the F# to a regular D. I literally haven't picked up my guitar in months though. Ok I'll do it right now.

[Shaka]

I love JM. He's a very good guitarist who plays with a lot of soul.

[woot]

Here's a good example of JM's thumb usage (you can get the point in the first few seconds).

Edit: Also his guitar is really out of tune for that one. He's got the E dropped to C so the intonation goes bad but it's usually better than that. It's weird I specifically remember that performance from his early days.