Problem #2: Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Another common problem with most ‘how-to’ music books, and even many music teachers, is the overwhelming plethora of information they want to share with you. Many music teachers (who write these books) want to pass on every bit of knowledge they have on the subject. You end up getting an encyclopedia of everything they think is important. But the human brain can only learn so much at one time, and finding your way through those books can be tedious.
On the same line of thought, many music teachers are just not skilled in the art and science of 'teaching'. They tend to throw random lessons at you and move at a very fast pace, believing that you are home practicing 10 hours a day. Most never stress the importance of the fundamental skills. As a kid of about 13 learning the Guitar, I remember being taught the Dorian mode of the G scale at about the third week of lessons! I remember because it was written in one of those practice books (and it was a painful experience). The Pentatonic Scale was the first week, the Blues Scale was the second week, and the Dorian Mode the third week... I think the fourth week was the Mixolydian.

This is just one small example of many, but the point this; just because you can play it, doesn’t mean you can teach it. Don't set yourself up for failure. If you want to learn how to build a house, where would you go to learn? Google it and teach yourself? Hire a construction worker? Or go to a Trade School or College and learn from the professionals? The old saying is very true - 'You get what you pay for.'

Problematic Lessons - Beware!

Throughout more than 25 years of taking various music lessons as well as teaching my own students, I've compiled a list of faulty learning strategies that all beginners should be aware of. If any of these sound familiar to you, than you're getting off track, or perhaps you might just need a new teacher.

1. Lessons that focus on reading sheet music.

For some reason, most lessons start with learning how to read sheet music (or Tab). From an educational perspective, though, this is counterproductive. Learning to read music is very difficult, especially when learning chords and melody as on the Piano. When learning a new skill, you should focus on easy tasks - especially those fundamental to that skill (instrument).

When taking Classical Guitar at East Carolina University, I learned to play specific songs exactly as they were written. At the college level, this is your goal - perfection (or near perfection). But is this your goal in Grade School or even High School? High School maybe, Grade School no! Through 10 years of lessons (3rd grade through 12th), band practice - jazz band, concert band, and marching band, I had learned only how to read music, and that's all. Basically, all I could do with this knowledge was to try to learn another song. I had no understanding of the theory behind the music. I could not look at a sheet of music and improvise, or even make up my own song. I had no idea that certain Chords and Notes sounded good (or bad) in a particular Key.

Now I can look at a piece of music and quickly get the feel for the melody and rhythm, and have fun playing it. Before, it would take a couple hours to painfully push through the sheet music when inevitably I would give up after learning only half the song!

So what am I trying to say? Well, there is a progression to learning. Start with the fundamentals and master them – the foundation is what makes you strong! Then, learning how to read music will be much easier, and you might actually enjoy it.

Next post – ‘Everything But the Kitchen Sink’

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