Article 2 - LESSONS or “Hey, Beethoven never played CBGBs”

Sure I hope to talk about big lessons – like how to properly use pepper spray when clearing out a crowd at 2:30 am. But this time, I am talking about music lessons.

It is likely anyone reading this already plays an instrument and has taken lessons. Or maybe you’re the kind that learned all they could on their own. Great. There are always those stories of players who never took a lesson but are amazing anyway. Most people, however, at least took a few months of lessons to start. For some, that is all they need. Natural talent and drive takes over. Others, even top performers, work with vocal coaches, mentors, and instructors all the time.

You need to keep learning your entire career. Challenge yourself as often as you can. Are you a great metal player? Try learning to play some bottleneck blues and see what that does to your style. Have you been playing drums in a rock band? Try a bit of jazz or country just to see what they can offer.

You can do a lot on your own, but if you work with an instructor, you can have greater success – or waste a lot of money.

Whether it is your first lesson on an instrument or you are trying something new later in your career, I want you to remember that when you go to a lesson, that instructor is in realty your employee. That’s right, you are the boss. Not him.

He or she should know a lot more about the instrument or style of music than you. That person should have more experience than you. But that does not negate the fact that you are smart enough to hire that person and therefore, they work for you. While you can control a great deal of the lesson plan on your own, you must humble yourselves enough to listen to them. To be boss and student at the same time. Most students feel the need to take on the role of passive recipient and don’t realize the control they have over their progress.

Too many people quit music because they don’t like their instructor. That is sad. Their love of music never grows past that initial seed because of a personality conflict, poor teaching, or simply cookie-cutter lessons. When teaching one on one, there is a need to customize each student’s progress. I think if people took charge of their instructions, or had real goals, they would stick with it longer and find the fun.

Lessons are going to suck if they are not fun. Practicing is not going to happen if it feels like a chore. Yes, I do believe that learning to read music and going through repetitive exercises is necessary to building the skills you will eventually need to succeed. That does not eliminate the possibility that it can be fun.

You need to talk with your instructor and let them know what you want to accomplish. Is there a song you would love to learn? If so, then maybe focus your lessons on learning the skills you need, but also a little more about that song. For example, what if you are going to take piano lessons and your teacher wants you to learn Bach, but you want to know how to play Lady Ga Ga (or some other artist I don’t really like, but will use as an example). As you start to learn certain notes and your instructor shows you how to use those notes to play a Bach piece, ask him or her to also show you where they appear in Lady Ga Ga sheet music. If you are learning bass and your instructor wants you to learn blues but you want to know Social Distortion, again, just ask them to help you relate what they are teaching to your preferred style.

Many times, you and your instructor will not love the same music. That is fine. A good instructor will help you get better at the style that you want to play. If they can not do that, or you feel you have already learned all you can from that instructor then like any employee that does not meet their goals, it is time to release them and go find another.

Throughout your musical life, it is good to go and get lessons from time to time. You may be a great guitarist in one area, but are getting stagnant. Hire someone who can show you new things, or teach you a new style. The more you learn, the more versatile you get, the more fun you can have.

But what do you look for in an instructor? Here are my tips:

1. You have to get along. This person must be someone you enjoy working with. Intimidation or fear can lead to proficient playing. We’ve all seen those child prodigies whose instructor probably used electro-shock treatment in their lessons. They’re good, but they hate it. Unless you are being forced to take music lessons, this is your choice. And who wants to spend time and money on someone you dislike or fear?
2. The instructor must like teaching. If they don’t like teaching, you’re going to not like learning. Simple as that. Maybe they are good at playing, and are even in the most popular band in town. That does not make them a good teacher. My friends who got the most out of lessons learned from old geeky grizzled veterans who mixed old school discipline with current music. They wanted to teach because they loved it – not just to make a few bucks until the record label calls.
3. Professionalism happens in music too. If your instructor is disorganized, is late to lessons, takes phone calls in your lessons, forgets where you are in training, or frequently seems distracted, then you are going to get very little out of those lessons. Find another who will give you the time you deserve.
4. The instructor must have the tools to help you. A space that is free of distractions is great – or at your home if you can keep the distractions out. Access to music books, speakers to play example recordings, maybe even a way to record you to play back your performance. Each instrument is different and has its own set of tools.
   
   

Most of all, though, you need to practice. You get out of it what you put into it. Even if you don’t understand the part, play your instrument every day. Have fun with it and see if you can’t incorporate the lessons you are learning into your own unique style.

If you get a good foundation, you can do a lot of things on your own. But don’t stop there. Feel free to take lessons from other instructors who are better in different styles. Take lessons in another instrument to gain an understanding on how they work together. I’d even advise paying a pro to teach you how to set up your instrument to create different sounds (like amps, effect, drum materials). There is always someone around who knows more than you. Many times, if you are doing it right, you will learn just by hanging out with other players. That doesn’t mean you can’t hire someone to teach you more.

Remember, you can always get better.

And yes, don't sweat the title. I know CBGBs is closed. I played there a few times. Allow me to still dream of a venue that every artists wants to play once.