Re: Teachers and students -Method criticisms

On Dec 31, 12:56 pm, "Lare" <Lmcdona...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The most common criticism that I hear about guitar methods (mine included)
from instructors is that they "move too quickly."  I've always been of the
opinion that you should learn fewer pieces real well (all mechanics,
combinations thereof, style and phrasing) instead of lots of pieces
superficially.  So texts like Pujol, even Carcassi, were OK in my studio..
If it takes 2 weeks to learn 16 measures well, so be it.

I understand that there needs to be "consolidation/reinforcement" learning
as well as "new material" learning, and this is where a slower text can
help.  But 15 years ago, when I used a text like Noad (which accelerates,
and then inexplicably stalls, IIRC), I end up skipping too many pages.  Of
course one needs to find the right balance with each student.  I
occasionally need to compose a few custom, didactic pieces to reinforce
specific mechanics.

So, this is what I do in those critical first 6-8 weeks...

Currently, I begin students by spending the first 3 weeks only on the
right-hand.  I used to spend more time here, but the quality of work by the
student begins to drop off about then, and students begin to lose interest
in what I was teaching (I'm only so charismatic, y'know).  We were learning
too many pieces in those later weeks superficially.

Now, in week four, I begin to incorporate the study of the left hand.  I
spend between 2-4 weeks just on the third string notes after introducing the
right-hand.  I insist on continued high quality right hand work and review
r-hand only pieces.  I also introduce the 4th finger approach on the third
string (Bb) to keep the left hand from pronating.  It is at this point that
the students habits are developing so I have extra reinforcement (I've added
several pages of supplemental lessons at this point in the 2008 edition of
my method).

Some of you spend much longer on the right hand alone (up to 3 months,
IIRC).  Some of you begin with the left, like Mel Bay/Hal Leonard.  Some
start with scales and arpeggios from the first day.  Teachers, what are your
thoughts about the pacing in the first 10 weeks or so?  Students, what
helped you the most, and hurt the most in the long term?

Larry McDonald


In several posts I have sung the praises of Stanley Yates' repertoire
books. Each time I play out of Book one, I am more convinced that
having easier (and beautiful) repertoire is so useful. For the year
and half I have been playing I have just gotten sick of pieces that
take several weeks (or longer) for me to learn. By the time I have
the pieces under my fingers, I am absolutely sick of the song. I
never applied good strategies to learning music, because even though
my teacher would explain these strategies, the pieces were too
difficult for me to effectively do this. Any interpretive practice
was out of the question. Now that I am playing pieces that are
shorter and easier, I am going back and correcting my process for
learning music. Not I am learning better memorization strategies,
problem solving and making the music "musical" much earlier. (I am
also using Richard Provost's "Art and Technique of Practice", great
book!) I am enjoying the playing so much more, and am able to apply
these skills to my existing repertoire. I think there is value to
undertaking challenging pieces from time to time, but it seems to me
that I am making more progress playing easier repertoire.

As for what was most helpful early on, its hard to say. How many
guitar students actually show up never having played before? Is there
anyone who ever picked up a guitar and didn't first try and teach
themself? When I did start playing classical, I followed the new
Shearer books, which start out on the open B, G and D strings using P
only. I liked this approach. The lack of decent music didn't bother
me until later in his books.
.

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