Hiring someone to teach you a way to play a song

[LiveMusic]

I am mostly talking about original songs. I am working towards touring listening houses for original, acoustic music. Me and geetar. I am not a great guitarist by any stretch. Pretty good rhythm guitarist, good strummer. Lots of chord strumming with walk downs here and there, little fills. I also do fingerstyle.

I am wondering if I could hire someone to take my songs and figure out how to play them better than I can do on my own. I mean, some people are just better than me! Sometimes, I will find a youtube video and I'm thinking, wow, that guy sure played that (cover) song good... I would have never figured that out. But, I can learn it.

Anyone have any thoughts on this and where I could find such a person? Studio gun?

Especially, playing solo, I need to make them sound as interesting as I can.

[Tony Burns]

Whats the fun in that ? Its your tune . Try a capo or some differnt tunings like DADGAD - take a few lessons .

[JoeCharter]

I think any teacher or session musician could help with this. I guess in clear terms you'd ask someone else to arrange the song for you.

That being said, if you're a beginner, your compositions are most likely at the beginner level as well. I would rather learn from the masters and then improve my own compositions when I have better skills.

[LiveMusic]

Originally Posted by Tony Burns

Whats the fun in that ? Its your tune . Try a capo or some differnt tunings like DADGAD - take a few lessons .

I am not a beginner. I am strong intermediate, playing for 40 years. But I will never be as good as some people are. And I do not have years to make this happen, I need to spiff these songs up within a few months.

My thought is that just hiring a guitar teacher wouldn't be as productive as hiring a studio gun. These guys arrange songs every day for a living. And yes, I do play in alternate tunings.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by JoeNewbie

I think any teacher or session musician could help with this. I guess in clear terms you'd ask someone else to arrange the song for you.

+1. Just get a local player who wants to do a little instruction.

[Hack Amatuer]

I went to your blog but couldn't get anything to play because I couldn't log in so I don't know how you play. I can tell you that I am considered Intermediate/advanced and when I take private lessons it's like a steroid shot to a baseball player. I mean I really start catching things. I keep going back, then break awhile to absorb all the new stuff and get back in. A musician will play your song and arrange it for you, but you will have their feel and style on it, not your own, if you are the composer then at least the primery script should be yours. But they are YOUR songs, and only you can deside.

[Glennwillow]

Bill,

Whoever you hired to rearrange your songs would have to be at a high professional level to do you any good. My own experience is that I have been almost universally disappointed to see what other people have done with my music over the years.

But if you know someone or can find someone who is really good at guitar playing, song writing, and arranging, maybe it's worth a try, maybe one song to see what he (or she) does with it.

Good luck with this. I went to your myspace page and enjoyed your music, by the way.

Regards, Glenn

[SteeleString]

What is your ultimate goal here? There may be a few ways to accomplish what you want/need--depending on what that is.

Partnership, bandmate, etc.

[endpin]

Steely Dan concept gone acoustic?

[JoeCharter]

Well I went to your myspace page and enjoyed your music as well.

Frankly, given the type of music that you play, I can't think how an arranger could make things better/different without changing your signature sound. If anything you may want to put a band together but in terms of solo arrangements for this type of music you want the sound to remain your own.

If you want to play pop music, make sure you follow the structure. Otherwise, who cares? I think your playing is more than adequate. If you want a hot solo in the middle of your tune then hire someone for the solo.

Otherwise I don't think you need anyone to "teach" you how to play these songs. You may not be a virtuoso (and a teacher wouldn't turn you into one either) but I hear very solid playing here.

Augment your band? Sure, if you feel like it. But otherwise keep up the good work!

[LiveMusic]

Someone asked what the ultimate goal is... it's for playing solo, to figure out a few little fills and notes and runs here and there within the song that I would never dream up on my own due to my own limitations.

On my Myspace page, the first song is me on acoustic playing rhythm. If I play it solo, it sounds fine, it's a strumming song and I just naturally hit a few bass notes here and there. But on that (live) recording, there is a band mate playing some fills here and there. Plus a bass player. No problemo there, as I have the trio. But... my goal is for solo playing.

The second song is solo, fingerstyle. That song is a rather interesting song from a songwriting standpoint, so, I think it has merit. I like the lyric, yes, but I mean, the arrangement. I think there might even be two keys in there. Not sure, I don't know enough theory. Kinda sounds like a key change. I just wrote what came to me, haha. Point is, I think that song is a real keeper. Songs like that, I want to make them shine.

Then again, I understand what others say about someone might arrange it NOT to my liking. I agree. That wouldn't work. I suppose I could only know by trying one song and see what happens. I'm just limited, I think I am a very adequate player but... I think I could do some songs better if I only knew a few more licks here and there. And, if this worked out, I think if I did several, I would naturally soak some of this up and it would improve my playing.

I guess one way I am looking at this... it's kind of like taking lessons, except I'm not. I'm getting someone to help me with my playing a particular song, but it could have the effect (over time) of something like taking lessons?

[Fliss]

I think what you're talking about is a specific type of lesson with a good teacher. My guitar teacher does this for me; when I take one of my original songs along to a lesson, he'll listen to the song and show me different ways to play it.

Fliss

[Kitchen Guitars]

I have played for 4-5 years total. I am a slow, methodical, non conformed learner. I gave up on notes and books after 2 years. Now I just chase sound. Since about the beginning I came up with "Katie's song" It has morphed as I have grown. I am so pleased with where it has gone as I grow.
I have had the same thought. But, I think if I had someone "arrange it" I would end up picking it apart. However, that is not all wrong either.
I love spice. If someone kicked my A with my own tune I might not deal with it well?
Sounds like you need a collaboration.

[Glennwillow]

Bill,

I think if you asked an accomplished player, songwriter, and arranger to work on one of your songs, he/she would probably come up with something quite different, but there's no telling whether you would like it or not.

Let me throw in an experience I had. I visited my grown up daughter a few months back; she has two little boys, 3 1/2 and 1 years old. The older one loves music and the guitar. So she handed me music for a song that my older grandson knows but that I never heard before. So I figured this out and started having fun with it, and my daughter commented, "That's very interesting, very different, as if the Beattles were playing the song, it's more bluesy." So I asked if she had a recording, she did, and then when I heard the song, it sounded like a bluegrass piece. Totally different. So I said, well how do you want it played? My daughter liked it my way, but my grandson wanted it to sound like the recording. So I shifted to bluegrass mode.

The point is, we all have different musical perspectives and different experiences and preferences. You may or may not like where someone else takes your song. I suppose if you show them your approach first, they may be able to stay with your style but show you some places to add interest in the accompaniment.

Best of luck,
Glenn