Topic: Anybody use online lessons?

Has anybody used any online lessons to learn specific techniques? I've always wondered if they were useful or not. There are so many that it's hard to know where to start.

Anybody know of any good lessons?

2

Re: Anybody use online lessons?

Yes I find that online lessons can be very helpful. There are some very knowledgeable people out there who love to share their knowledge.

Of course do not forget to check out our own Guitar Lessons here at Olly' Guitar World

Re: Anybody use online lessons?

yes, olly
you are right...
When i check it guitar lessons, there i found more information
thanks for the information...

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Re: Anybody use online lessons?

yes, check out my lessons and let me know what you think

http://guitarmanual.typepad.com/blog/

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Re: Anybody use online lessons?

No just try myself

Imagine if the words of Imagine ever came true.....

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Re: Anybody use online lessons?

It depends on what you want to learn.

For many things, I would say that if you are learning to learn basics like songs, strumming etc, its really easy.  For other things, like theory, mastery of the guitar, it's harder.  You'd either need a site that teaches it, or get a private instructor that not only understands it themselves, but can teach it.

In many cases, the information is the same, but what differs is the approach.  Theres a great difference between knowing it, and being able to break it down so that the student can learn it from where they are.  Many sites, think that simply writing something is "teaching", it isnt, thats passive and redundant.  Teaching is putting yourself in the students shoes and teaching from their perspective, and not your own.  Good teaching takes what someone knows, and applies it to something they dont yet know, and shows the bridge, and the best teaching can take what was a seemingly complicated idea, and makes it simple, to the point that it's almost too easy.  The vast majority of places don't do that, and this is where it falls short and students are left on their own.

Merely conveying information is not "teaching".  Teaching is a personal, involved process, not a "lesson dump", and those are few and far between, however, that's our online approach, so I know that they are out there.  I have also seen this approach on JamPlay, though I am not affiliated with them, it's only relevant to the beginner level, as far as their quality of instructor.  Another great example of this would be Justin Sandercoe, though again, I would say his depth is more towards the basics than the advanced, like ours is.

Instructor

http://rnbacademy.com

Online Guitar Academy

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7 (edited by Instructor 30-11-10 18:45:57)

Re: Anybody use online lessons?

wipeitaway wrote:

yes, check out my lessons and let me know what you think

http://guitarmanual.typepad.com/blog/

I think your method tries too hard to do all things.  It fails in my opinion in considering the time that it takes, and is no better than anything else out there.  In my opinion, you write a book or do something, because you "do it better" and you have something "different" to offer.

In my opinion, your method is flawed on a number of counts.  One, for the beginner it does what many books have done and in my opinion, incorrectly, or in a way that has had a detrimental effect on the student.

The number one priority of the teacher when starting out with a student on the guitar should be, in my opinion, (and I have taught well over 500 students in the last 7-8 years, not including the hundreds of online students I now teach and mentor around the world) should be to get them to fall in love with the guitar, and keep playing it.  Experience has taught me that this can only be done with little victories.  They need a payoff quickly or they can get bored, discouraged, feel that theres more work, pain and too little payoff.  Books fail to recognize that learning the guitar has a steep learning curve, and so they jam what they think is teaching, into their methods, when it's little more than "information".  I do believe your efforts are sincere, and it's clear that you've taken the time to try and do a good job.  I just think that we start off at the wrong place.

I'll give you an example.  Take chords, for example.  The chords that you introduce and many do, are 3 finger chords. 

Well, if they don't know about fret placement, intonation, blocking of strings and fingers, and such they may become very frustrated.  However if your first chord, is say, a D sus2, and then you follow that with a G6 and then an Em, and a Cadd9, and an Am7 etc, you quickly help that student isolate their fingers to only 2, that are giving him problems. 

Also, you can teach transitions quite easily, and just as important to learning how to play a chord, is how to change it to another chord that will likely connect to it, ala D to G.  Since D sus 2 and G6 are 2 fingered variants of these chords, it allows them to get their 2 most important core fingers set and strengthened over a short time, where when they add that 3rd finger later, they have the first two solid like tree trunks.  Plus they are already in the habit of transitioning.

This also means that early on you can teach them songs using two finger chords, and give them practice transitioning.

For example, Sweet Child of Mine uses D sus2 Cadd9 and G6, and is quite recognizable to the beginner, while not the exact chords.  Cant you see is a Dsus2 - D/C and G, but it can be made into a  D sus2 Cadd9 and G6 very easily.  Brown eyed girl can be played with all 4 chords, G6 Cadd9 Dsus2 and Em, all 2 finger chords.

Thus, when friends and family ask the student to play a song, they can do so, and at the same time they are strengthening their finger placement, sense of rhythm, transitioning, and progressing faster.  One of the fatal flaws about the traditional method of learning guitar is the enormous failure rate.  I belong to NAMM and the industry stats are, for every 100 that begin a music book, 87 of them never make it to the end.  That's a 13% chance of success.  Sure some, will make it, but if the idea is to teach as many people as possible and reach them with the message, then we have to do more than convey information, we have to teach from their shoes, in ways that are relevant to the student, and which acknowledge the need for buy-in and small victories for the student as they learn.

Otherwise, we are just fooling ourselves that we are making a difference. 

Just so that people understand, that I am speaking from experience and this works, I do this every day all day.  My record of success among online students to date is 100 percent, which means that of all the students that have ever enrolled, 100 percent of them have stayed and are currently active. Our level of withdrawal from the Guitar Academy in person is less than 2 a year, out of over 100 enrolled, usually due to moves, grades, or graduation.

Instructor

http://rnbacademy.com

Online Guitar Academy

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Re: Anybody use online lessons?

I like the way you see things instructor.

When i teached students i usually focused on their goals and all of them were interested in learning how to play tabs and stuff like that.

Personally i focused first on teaching them some relaxation exercises so they don't develop tension. I would show them technique exercises and teach them theory.  I believe that once you understand a concept you are really able to play it and use it.

I like to go after that saying: " Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime".

That's  how i teach i find it more logical that way.  I don't have instructors experience but that's why i am here to learn from someone who is better then me default/smile.

www.guitarlearningtips.org - my website


The Guitar Blueprint to Success - my free 57 pages and 6 chapter Ebook

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9 (edited by Instructor 28-12-10 13:32:15)

Re: Anybody use online lessons?

Thanks Nicolae,

I think we can learn from everyone.   That's the point.  In the end we share what's worked for us.  I'd love to be able to watch someone like you and don teach,  I think I'd learn from it.

The one thing I can tell you for sure, is that in spite of the numbers that I have taught, I don't "know it all" - not remotely.....  it's more like trial and error and adapting and learning from the initial mistakes that you make.  Well, sure enough, Im still making mistakes, and I always will be, and that's the truth.   This just means I make a lot of mistakes default/smile

One thing it allows me to do then, is learn from others, regardless of their background and experience.    And a forum like this allows us to come on and share our experiences, and learn from one another.  I think humility and teach-ability go a long way.  Ego and pride can hurt ones ability to learn from others, but its (learning from others) something that I think is so very important if you want to grow and improve at anything.

I have thought many times about taking lessons locally just so I can learn how others do things well, in order to make me into a better teacher.

Great post!

Instructor

http://rnbacademy.com

Online Guitar Academy

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