I had allowed my membership, here, to elapse, while trying to find a better way at progress.
You see, I'm an impatient sort of guy, and when I'm left to my own devises (translated as: studying at my own pace), I tend to skip stuff that I don't find relevant, and music theory wasn't what I wanted to devote time to when I signed up at GT. I wanted to learn how to play the newest song I just learned, and I didn't want to spend time on stuff I found unrealted to my goal. I got impatient with Lisa's fingerpicking lessons. Being the uninitiated soul that I am, it seemed too slow to me; I wasn't learning the songs that I wanted to learn, and with all the legal restrictions, well, it was simply frustrating to me.
But, back to the subject.
My teacher was very good at this (about 60 years old and playing all his life) style, and had planned out his lessons for me in advance. Lots of homework on picking patterns, and thumb independence patterns. I think he's a good teacher, as far as knowing what he's teaching.
However, the downside is that he's not agreeable to practice sessions (spending more than 30 minutes) with me. Perhaps his schedule won't permit it, but it's a real downside, in my opinion.
Thirty-minute lessons are (for me, anyway) absolutely not enough. By the time I got in there, got setup, tuned, reviewed the past week's lesson, etc., 10 minutes had elapse. There was no time for warming up, getting relaxed, etc. The new stuff would be presented, and as one who is, for the first time recently, learning a new picking-style, the lessons, and the practice left very little time. Anxiety-driven frustration would set in, and I'd find that, once back home and practicing, I'd forgotten a few tips that were offered.
So, my experience is that, while I agree that a personal teacher/coach jam session is invaluable (exactly what I wanted), if you can't find someone who's willing and able to put in at the very least, 60-minutes, your money, and your time, can be wasted. Don't settle for the 30-minute lessons. Many times, they can be detrimental to one's learning, as a result of frustration.
I've just come back to GT with a new appreciation of the lessons and services available here. The instructors are great, both in the lessons they produce, and the time in which they spend answering our questions and concerns in the forums. They are very knowledgeable in what they teach, and have just all-around great personalities.
I like this, and have pledged to make this time here more productive as to quality vs. quantity. Of course, both is offered, but what I mean is that I'm going to take the time to study as much as is presented here as is, for me, possible.
Thanks to all the instructors, and the newbies (who, whether or not they know it, advance alot of great ideas through their possibly self-seeming "silly questions"; they aren't !!), here at GT.
AND TO LISA: I didn't mean to disparage your efforts; you are a great singer/player and teacher! My problem was with ME, not YOU :)
It's good to be back.
Terry
