I agree with Tony & Toby on quite a bit of this.
I have a dislike to DVD, VHS lessons simply because I developed a lot of habits that went uncorrected. Skype has never been a choice for me to utilize. Simply because I hate having to have my computer or tablet on-line in order to play guitar. My preference is to sit in front of an instructor and get immediate guidance & feedback. But that's just me & my personal preference coming into play.
There have been great and not-so great instructors in my journey.
I've encountered a few that seem to have no clue what to do with intermediate or advanced students & reply on the student to dictate the lesson plan. Or those that have a strict rigid structure to their plans and refuse to deviate from it or adapt to a students needs.
One instance for me was after taking lessons with an instructor for 2 years, I asked "what do I need to work on next?"... the response was "well, what do you want to work on?" After 2 years of weekly hourly lessons, the instructor should have a feel for my weaknesses and what should be the next steps.
Another instance was with a classical guitar teacher. I was very upfront that I wanted to use his instructions simply to improve my left and right hand technique. I had no intention of playing classical music. Unfortunately, his method relied solely of the strict hand position for classical. Which really doesn't apply to playing fingerstyle jazz or pop.
I've also encountered great instructors who adapt their approach to the needs of the students.. Such as teaching theory as needed instead of it being the focus. Teach me the ins and outs of key of XYZ when we reach the point of learning a song in that key.
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Originally Posted by Toby Walker
Thank you Tony, and I'd like very much to elaborate on what you've written.
I absolutely agree with you that it is up to the student to take what a teacher has shown them and apply it to their future studies. In all of my lessons I strongly emphasize that point. I pride myself on teaching students how to fish, rather than just giving them a fish. It is my sincere hope that the student will be able to take what I teach in the lessons and continue down their path with more confidence, knowledge, and skills. I believe that if a 'horse' is truly thirsty, being shown a solid, time-saving path to the water hole will help them not only quench their thirst, but hopefully teach them how to find other paths with less stress and strain.
One of the things that I offer each and every one of the students that purchases my lessons is free, additional support, whether it's in the form of email correspondence or by them sending me a YouTube video of their progress. I believe that without feedback, a student can develop some pretty poor habits that without being corrected, can wind up impeding their progress on to the goals. Of course in the event of live, Skype lessons, that part of it is automatic. I'm sorry if it appears as if I'm trying to sell something here, which I sincerely am not.
I have to admit, as most people can see from my posts in this thread, that offering services like this for free on a consistent, personalized, and structured basis seems to be highly unlikely. Additionally, I believe that in most cases, but not all, it can seriously devalue the reputation of the instructor and the quality of the content.
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