So I started taking lessons again...

[Mondy]

Hi there,

It seems I have been trying to run without being able to crawl. I started lessons again. Before, the guy lived right over the other end of town, and I'd get stuck in traffic. Plus he never seemed to be that organised. So in the end, I gave up on him, and decided to find somewhere else.

Well, I've found this new guy now who is just around the corner from me. Had my first lesson on Saturday. He just sat me down and we talked through all the major and minor scales. Nothing special about that. However, he pointed out all of the patterns in there, and then explained to me why certain chords fit into that key. Then we went onto the minor scales. Again, I had to find all of the notes. Then saw the pattern of relative major / minors.

Most of the time I was going [img]images/smilies/icon_doh.gif[/img]

Such simple stuff, but I'd never realised that's why that note / chord fit or sounded good with another one. Then he gave me all the positions of the major pentatonic, which I kinda knew already.

Anyway, now I have a better understanding of how the scales and chords fit together. It's stuff I sorta knew already, but now I feel as though I've got the missing pieces to put the jigsaw together. Finally I have someone who can explain it to me so I can understand. I've gotr this book that explains exactly the same stuff, but it does it in such a complex way that I end up going [img]images/smilies/headscratch.gif[/img]

Anyway, all I gotta remember now is that there is no note between B & C, or E & F !!! How many times I kept saying B#, or E#. [img]images/smilies/wutblau.gif[/img] Such simple things, but I always do it !!!

[img]images/smilies/icon_rant.gif[/img]

[Stiglar]

good to hear your taking lessons again mondola
i tried learning from books before and just went wtf ?
lol but learning from a good teacher jsut does wonders !

[mab8485]

I used to have a great teacher. He could solo over pretty much anything. I only ever had about 15 lessons, but i think they made me at least twice a better player.

[Mondy]

Yeah, just the diagrams and the charts and the terminology make me go [img]images/smilies/icon_confused.gif[/img]

But this guy is explaining everything like it's nothing fancy. Plus I said I'd want to play Eruption one day, and he just shrugged and said, "Fair Enough".

So it's nice to have a teacher who believes anything is possible. Hopefully that will rub off on me as well, instead of going, "Nope, that's too hard, let#s try something else !"

Heh heh heh [img]images/smilies/icon_lol.gif[/img]

[Stiglar]

hehehe it's true though . it's good to have something to aim for . when i was learning theory and all that guff when people would explain it to me i'd be so confused but once it clicks your just like ahhhh that's nothing !

[Mondy]

Well, it's pretty basic now. I think it's clicking, because he's making me come to the conclusions, and giving me guidance to discover the patterns in there.

Rather than just dictating it to me. I think that's what is making the penny drop this time.

But, man, the number of times I said E# or B#. [img]images/smilies/wutblau.gif[/img]

I'll get there in the end !!!

[img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img]

[CanyonCarver]

Mondola, as you prolly know, I've been taking lessons non-stop for over 4 years now.
I can't believe how much they have paid off in terms of being able to improvise on the run and conform to just about any style.
My teacher gives me the tools to do all osrts of things. In fact I'm running out of time to study all that he's giving me. But it's a rush for instance to one day understand how and why you can or should play a harmonic minor run over certain chord prgs and so on.
I remember getting a hard on the first time I went through the harmonic minor scale and it sounded so exotic and evil!

Keep it up, bro and make sure you apply what you learn. Work on your scales up and down the neck in each box pattern while you watch TV with the wife instead of twiddling your thumbs.

Also think of working first on the things you're not familiar and comfortable with, moving on the stuff you know, as a reward and not the other way around. Look who's talking! I wish I practiced what I preach! [img]images/smilies/icon_lol.gif[/img]