[Todd Tipton]

Originally Posted by colchar

That's a superb post up above.

Perhaps in addition to figuring out how to find a teacher, there should also be some discussion of what should be taught or how it should be taught. .

This can be a very loaded question. There are many fine teachers who have many ways of doing things. One of my favorite quotes was told to me by Jeffrey Van:

"A good teacher will teach well regardless of the theory he suffers from"
-- John Barth, The Sot-Weed Factor

What I can tell you is some of what I do and why I do it. A significant portion of my students are strictly classical. But over half of my students "cross train." It isn't so much about learning particular styles of music. Rather, it is about learning how to work. How to use the body. The mind. Everything is comprehensive.

Personally, I am frustrated with some classical teachers who pretend no other styles of music exist, or pretend other styles of music have nothing to teach them. Hopefully, this idea will continue to go away. On the other hand, I am personally frustrated with what is sometimes a lack of structure in other styles of music. That too is beginning to go away.

In my studio, I fully bridge the gap to the best of my ability? Why? For many reasons:

1. We are learning how to use our bodies, our arms, hands, and fingers. Understanding good default positions gives us the freedom to explore many other positions on many types of instruments as we seek the music that interests us.

2. We are learning how to work. It doesn't matter if it is a new student repeatedly confusing a G for a B or if you are trying to learn an advanced solo tablature. The principles of knowing how to practice is the key from just starting a piece to actually completing the piece, and ultimately learning to perform it with security and confidence.

3. Our tastes will evolve. We probably can't predict how this will happen. But when we start making significant progress on our instrument, it will begin to start making unexpected changes in what we choose to listen to, and what we desire to play.

For those reasons, I develop a good strong foundation with all of beginning students regardless of what type of music they are interested in. I also use the material as needed with students in need of remedial work, or where basic foundations are lack. The process takes a few weeks, or a couple of months. Everyone is different.

A rank beginner with me first learns a good default seated position, a rough glance at how the entire arms of both hands work, and how we find a compromise in order to allow optimum potential with both hands working together. One of the first things I do is shape the right hand and have a student focus on tone and accuracy with P (thumb). Reading isn't a problem because we only focus on two notes and two rhythms. Very gradually, and most thoughtfully, we learn a new note or two also teaching a new fundamental for each hand.

At the very beginning, students are usually able to sight read the material. That is, they are able to play it correctly the first time they see it. Soon though, there comes a time when the student hesitates. This is a key moment, where we begin learning how to practice by isolated the passage in a very particular way.

After a few weeks (everyone is different), a rank beginner has made many accomplishments that will save them time for the rest of their lives. They have learned to read the 17 basic notes in open position with a few accidentals. They have established a good right hand foundation with both rest and free strokes. They are playing repertoire and exercises that utilizes all of the right hand fingers, P, I, M, A (well, maybe not C yet).

After a few weeks, they have established a good left hand foundation for maximum leverage using the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Left hand finger independence and dexterity has gradually unfolded and developed. A few scale patterns have already been learned. A good tone has been developed. Students have established a respectful amount of control over dynamics. Students are able to achieve various tone colors.

Strong practice skills have been developed with me in the trenches working with them. Repeatedly, students have quickly gotten results in the practice chair, during the lesson with my reinforcing that I am merely showing them how I want them to try to work when they are home.

With a rank beginner, I work with some of Aaron Shearer's Learning the Classic Guitar" Part Two. This is the primary book that allows the left and right hand fundamentals to gradually unfold in a logical way. After a week or two, I use Julio Sagreras Guitar lessons, Book 1, lessons 1-37 in a very particular way in order to assist in the reading and speed up the process.

This is a somewhat detailed, and somewhat rough snapshot of those first crucial few weeks. I've no doubt left things out. As you can see, it is no short list of accomplishments. After a few weeks, a student has a good foundation to begin venturing out on their own.

At this point, I shift most of my attention on repertoire, and various exercises gradually unfold. This is where things start to become different depending on the students' goals. For classical repertoire, I start with The Bridges Royal Conservatory of music series. Specifically, the preparatory book. The title is misleading as this really is a second level of work. (The later Book 1 is really a third level). All students, regardless of interests, are in love with the carefully handpicked modern pieces we begin working on! The more of this I can get them to enthusiastically do, the stronger the foundation. The repertoire is a delight to learn how to play, and it is a delight to play for others.

Assuming someone was a rank beginner and is a cross trainer, this is where we branch out and begin learning other things guided by a student's interest. For many, this is where the pay off really begins. Students begin approaching the various types of music that interest them, with my guidance. Students begin building more foundations as begin exploring the easiest of the music they love so much. Students begin seeing more chord diagrams, scale forms, tablature, song books, etc. The things that they may have already been somewhat familiar with are suddenly approached again in a far more effective and intelligent way due to the past building of basic foundations. Many of my students learn differnet things from various fingerstyle to death metal...LOL

Again, this is what I do in MY studio, and it is some of what I do specifically with a rank beginner, someone needing remedial training, or just quickly reinforcing some forgotten or never taught foundations.

More important, if someone only remembers one thing, it might be this right here: Their wheels might spin at home. But when they get in the lesson, the teacher and the student actually work together. The teacher shows the student how to get great results almost immediately. Significant progress is made right then and there in the lesson (sort of the opposite of "just keep working and you will eventually get it"). What I mean exactly is, a teacher has guided a student in a very particular way isolating small passages, and putting them together with the teacher as the guide. The student, in the lesson after working for several minutes, learns to play a section of a piece of music well. Very well. The teacher reminds the student to try to use what has been learned every day at home. Not the work, but how the work is done. If a teacher does that, you have something very precious. Not only is the student learning how to practice, they are accidentally nominating themselves as band leader in the near future...LOL