Ever decide to rededicate yourself to your instrument?

[Big Ben]

Yeah that's a good way to look at it. However I feel that I also benefited greatly from doing some things on my own while taking lessons at the same time.

I would go home and meddle around and find some cool chords all by myself, bring them in to the lesson and he would be like "oh, change this one note and now you have a C9!" or whatever. I found some chords by myself, basically, so I would get both my own familiarization as well as the proper way of doing things at once.

Also I would try to learn some songs by ear, then bring the tab in to my instructor and learn the "proper" way of doing it, however all the work before it made me that much better at recognizing notes on the guitar.

I feel that what I did on my own was almost equally important as what I learned formally.

[7Dime7MetalMassacre]

Here is my take on it...I think PFloyd will agree.

Self teaching allows you to pick up bad habits and do things "the lazy way" or allows you to "cheat". Then when you go to take actual instruction, it is twice as hard. You now not only have to learn the lesson, but break bad habits also. It took me an estimated year longer to get where I wanted to be as a player because of all the bad habits I had to "re-train" myself.

LoL, That is why you probably sound like a fucking robot now. You tried to go your own way, sucked, then had someone show you what They thought was the right way. There is no fucking lazy way or cheating, its called being original, and if you want to play something a certin way , do it. I fucking hate you lol

[Big Ben]

Not that I agree with you son, but I always felt like playing just straight scales and shit was kinda unoriginal so I always tried to go out of scales a lot, but I find it always sounds better to be musically correct. Oftentimes when I went out and did my own thing it was very similar to some other scale I didn't know yet anyway.

Not that it always sounds bad to go out of scale/key at times but it's always best to return.

[Pfl?yd]

Here is my take on it...I think PFloyd will agree.

Self teaching allows you to pick up bad habits and do things "the lazy way" or allows you to "cheat". Then when you go to take actual instruction, it is twice as hard. You now not only have to learn the lesson, but break bad habits also. It took me an estimated year longer to get where I wanted to be as a player because of all the bad habits I had to "re-train" myself.

LoL, That is why you probably sound like a fucking robot now. You tried to go your own way, sucked, then had someone show you what They thought was the right way. There is no fucking lazy way or cheating, its called being original, and if you want to play something a certin way , do it. I fucking hate you lol

I'm pretty sure no one would ever accuse me of being unoriginal musically and training does nothing but makes the path of inspiration from your brain to your hands the shortest possible. Anything else is just throwing up roadblocks.

All you're doing is rationalizing your laziness and lack of work ethic and I guarantee anything you come up with is just rehashed bullshit anyway. The most truly original musicians have forgotten more musical knowledge than you'd ever hope to know.

[croninburg]

Here is my take on it...I think PFloyd will agree.

Self teaching allows you to pick up bad habits and do things "the lazy way" or allows you to "cheat". Then when you go to take actual instruction, it is twice as hard. You now not only have to learn the lesson, but break bad habits also. It took me an estimated year longer to get where I wanted to be as a player because of all the bad habits I had to "re-train" myself.

LoL, That is why you probably sound like a fucking robot now. You tried to go your own way, sucked, then had someone show you what They thought was the right way. There is no fucking lazy way or cheating, its called being original, and if you want to play something a certin way , do it. I fucking hate you lol

I'm pretty sure no one would ever accuse me of being unoriginal musically and training does nothing but makes the path of inspiration from your brain to your hands the shortest possible. Anything else is just throwing up roadblocks.

All you're doing is rationalizing your laziness and lack of work ethic and I guarantee anything you come up with is just rehashed bullshit anyway. The most truly original musicians have forgotten more musical knowledge than you'd ever hope to know.

Good post! Musical theory doesn't force you to do anything, it's a way of communicating.

[PABassPlayer]

Here is my take on it...I think PFloyd will agree.

Self teaching allows you to pick up bad habits and do things "the lazy way" or allows you to "cheat". Then when you go to take actual instruction, it is twice as hard. You now not only have to learn the lesson, but break bad habits also. It took me an estimated year longer to get where I wanted to be as a player because of all the bad habits I had to "re-train" myself.

LoL, That is why you probably sound like a fucking robot now. You tried to go your own way, sucked, then had someone show you what They thought was the right way. There is no fucking lazy way or cheating, its called being original, and if you want to play something a certin way , do it. I fucking hate you lol

It's ok to hate me, because I feel sorry for you.

[DBS]

i'd love to be able to read music, understand modes and play every scale. however, the tutor i had tried to teach me all that kind of stuff but i couldn't understand it. what i got out of those lessons was a better understanding of fingering / technique (in before tb double-entendres the fuck out of that) and the proper way to practice. that kind of thing is far more helpful, imo, than theory.

[Three Second Doom]

Getting good finger strength, practice routine, etc is great for the mechanical aspect... I think where theory really gives you something to work with is improvisation. It can really help with your musical vocabulary.

[PABassPlayer]

I'm really not a big theory guy either, it's just that shit that 7Dime7MetalMassacre was spouting off was immature and ignorant. I do think that "lessons" are a good way to go for a while. I still go back and take lessons every 3-4 years.

[chuckbuksquared]

Wow. Very interesting and dead on dueling guitars there.

[7Dime7MetalMassacre]

I'm really not a big theory guy either, it's just that shit that 7Dime7MetalMassacre was spouting off was immature and ignorant. I do think that "lessons" are a good way to go for a while. I still go back and take lessons every 3-4 years.

I am not immature or ignorant buddy. I just have my own way of learning. I am not the greatest guitarist by any means, and my improv. skills are def. lacking due to me not knowing much theory or many scales. I can however, play just about anything I try to learn because I am self taught and I half ass know where the notes are on the neck. I wish I did have someone who was a bad ass musician and knew theory and could teach me at a resonable price, but with a little one, work, and other day to day things, its just hard to go out and take lessons.

[PABassPlayer]

I'm really not a big theory guy either, it's just that shit that 7Dime7MetalMassacre was spouting off was immature and ignorant. I do think that "lessons" are a good way to go for a while. I still go back and take lessons every 3-4 years.

I am not immature or ignorant buddy. I just have my own way of learning. I am not the greatest guitarist by any means, and my improv. skills are def. lacking due to me not knowing much theory or many scales. I can however, play just about anything I try to learn because I am self taught and I half ass know where the notes are on the neck. I wish I did have someone who was a bad ass musician and knew theory and could teach me at a resonable price, but with a little one, work, and other day to day things, its just hard to go out and take lessons.

Cool, glad you came around and explained yourself in a mature manner.

[CFH Eternal]

This Easter Break I just sat down with my half-stack and SG and told myself to have no expectations except one: Have fun with my instrument, don't try to strive for perfectness. Man, it made me remember why I enjoyed playing music so much.

[Lord of This World]

Scales aren't "rules", they're a way to describe a series of tones. No one's forcing you to play anything.

[Hailblaze]

I am currently rededicating myself to guitar since I have an audition for a local band in maryland... I must learn all the songs (3 of em) by the end of this month!