Lessons or not?

[Peaceful]

To take lessons or not to take lessons, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the spirit to

stumble along, learning from friends and by listening to bands, or is it better to have a regular teacher show the way?


Me? I am taking lessons, both on the bass and on the treble guitar. The two things are complimentary as the music theory is the same. I find an advancement in one leads to an epiphany in the other. I also read all the primers I can lay my hands on.


What do y'all think?

Who took lessons and who didn't?


Can one tell the difference?

[eexplorer505]

Didnt 7 years expreenice and i still have trouble with theory wish i did take lesson wouldve known a lot more by now :( most times u can tell the difference other not so easy :hmmm:

[shake a leg]

i would definately say that lessons has helped me progress so much more quicker, mainly because when i started learning i didnt have the internet and found that alot of books became tedious and hard to understand exactely. So much ive learnt and also a teacher can correct your mistakes where as reading something does not.

[t_shirtsnjeans]

I took lessons on bass and guitar from guitarists. I wanted to learn theory and all they would 'teach' me was tab and songs. Frustration set in and I got bored so I started learning on my own and just played the stuffin's out of my guitar and bass.

Look where I am now!!!! Homeless and broke down.............................






























Not really :p , but I do really enjoy the freedom of just hammering away on my guitars :D

[Rogue Axel]

TAKE LESSONS!!!

i was at guitar center and i was testing out a bass, and the guy asked me how long i had bin playing. I said like a yr and a half, and he practically fell on his face or imploded. He thought I had bin playing since i was like 5.

[Globe_Dasher]

Both work. But lessons on a certain instrument, for the most part, only make you ‘proficient’ on that instrument. Especially when you are only taught with the very limiting tablature notation. Knowing music theory is the important part. The best musicians know their scales and keys and can play them on the piano. If one knows theory, they can take it to any instrument as long as you know which notes are where.

However, knowing what note should be where only helps me when writing changes for a song, or free jamming.

The truly beautiful music comes from instinct. You may call it the soul, or the heart. It is all mathematics.

[t_shirtsnjeans]

It is all mathematics.
Hmm, that statement just doesn't add up............................. :p

[Globe_Dasher]

This page may help you add it up, your-self.

http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/music.htm

[Rogue Axel]

Hmm, that statement just doesn't add up............................. :p

No he's right. Math is a major factor, which is why the smarter you are, generally the better you are at an instrument. But once you know that, you can become creative too. You have to put yourself in your music.

[t_shirtsnjeans]

No he's right. Math is a major factor, which is why the smarter you are, generally the better you are at an instrument. But once you know that, you can become creative too. You have to put yourself in your music.
The 'math' joke, 'doesn't add up' was my intention. I understand the mathmatical implications of music, just gotta understand my 'humor' :p

[darragh666]

Its not impossibe to learn without lessons but it speeds up the process.I took lessons and found them great.I tought my friend some basics and he was gonna learn some stuff himself.It didnt work out.He got lazy,I would would learn something and pratice it for next weeks lesson.He would take a month to learn some basics.Lessons keep things tight.
However some people dont have those problems.

[madvora]

If you can afford it, I would say to take lesssons. It's common sense. Of couse you will hear tons of stories about people who are awesome and never needed lessons, but that's the exception. That WHY you hear those stories.
The more people you talk to, you will hear more and more people saying that they wished the had taken lessons way back when they were starting. If you think of it, how could learning from someone who already knows how to play well be bad?

I wish I would have taken lessons. I got myself to a certain point through books, then realized that I didn't know what else to do next. I started taking a couple lessons later on to get more advanced and I really wish I would have done that from the beginning.

[Peaceful]

It helps if you have to pay for the lessons out of your own pocket. I feel then I really have to get some value out of the lesson. I try to listen to the teacher (what a concept). He commented that his younger pupils whose parents pay for the lessons do not pay as much attention.


(Hear that all you moms and dads????????)

[Rogue Axel]

The 'math' joke, 'doesn't add up' was my intention. I understand the mathmatical implications of music, just gotta understand my 'humor' :p

oh. I gottta now. :D