Guitar
Keys
Piano
Learning to play a musical instrument can be challenging when you begin... and even as you progress you'll encounter numerous frustrating blips along the way. So, I recommend learning your chosen instrument by completing graded pieces, since they provide great benchmarks as you progress. The pieces you'll learn are fun to play and have technical aspects aimed at just the right level...
That said though, you want to play the music that inspires you to play! After all that is the most important thing - playing what you want!
...and that's exactly what we'll do together... get you playing the music you want in the shortest amount of time possible whilst developing key skills and your musicality.
During your consultation we'll consider a few key aspects to get your playing off to a flying start, such as: -
What do you want to learn? i.e. if you could pin point 2 or 3 songs/pieces of music, that made you sit up and say to yourself - "thats what I want to play" "I would love to be able to play that" etc.. What would they be?
Write them down and bring them them with you!
What style(s) do you want to play? Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Rock, Classical, Metal, Funk, Pop... Folk... Acoustic, Electric, Dance, Experimental, Singer Songwriter etc, etc... there are many genera of music and you may just like one, but if you are anything like me, you may well like absolutely everything (which brings its own problems!). Either way... playing in your chosen style(s) is one of the many keys to successful learning.
Who are your influences & who / what are you currently listening to?
How much time can you dedicate to lessons?
For example, some of the really serious students prefer 2-3 lessons a week composed of a 1 hour lesson, 30 min guided practice session and a 20 min "clinic" (to work out any technical issues). Others prefer just 1 lesson a week typically 1 hour or 30 min in duration. Whilst others like having 2, 30 min lessons per week... The choices and combinations are endless and entirely up to you!
How much time will you dedicate to daily practice? 10 minutes every single day is the absolute minimum... and depending on your level 1 - 2 hours is optimal. If you are really, really serious 3 or 4 hours may be expected (but no matter how serious you are 4 hours dedicated practice should be the max - you can always fill more time with learning theory and of course listening to music if you 'have' too!)
Are you learning to play just for fun?
Are you learning in combination with school / college / university (i.e. doing your GCSE / A-Level Music / Degree).
Do you want to learn music theory? (or do you have to learn music theory!?)...
Does the thought of learning theory scare you half to death!?
We'll discuss any issues or concerns you may have and any possible obstacles we may have to overcome too... In all honesty once my students begin learning music theory and its application to the music they want to play, more often than not they absolutly love it!
So, What are you waiting for?
Book your 1 hour consultation today and let's get you learning, practicing and playing the right way, right from the start.
Goals, Influences and How to Practice.
How do you get the most out of what you have learned during your lessons?
The best results come from doing focused practice little and often. So, practice a minimum of 10 minutes every single day.
It is often useful to split practice sessions up (e.g. 2 mins on technique, 4 mins repertoire and 4 mins musicality etc). The break between sessions significantly helps your fingers find the right positions and helps both memory and muscle memory.
It’s also much more achievable to allocate a few minutes per session dedicated to a specific goal, to practice on each day. If you can, set your daily practice times and stick to them. However, this isn’t always achievable, so you may have to grab 5 minutes at lunch time, 5 mins before work or before going to bed. As long as you are doing your minimum, daily 10 minutes everyday it's all good!
Make sure you eliminate distractions and focus on your practice session.
Having big long term goals which are broken down into achievable daily tasks is essential too. This puts you on a learning pathway with milestones along the way that reinforce key skills and concepts keeping you motivated.
Jimi Hendrix
... It is very important is that you do your 10 minutes every single day. Get in the zone without distractions and always use a metronome / backing track and a timer! ...
It’s easy to track success when you're on the right path!
That said, learning how to play music isn’t easy!
It takes hard work, dedication and daily practice… and most people fail at the first hurdle… knowing how to practice, when to practice and what to practice! Don't worry though, I’ve created your daily practice routine, complete with specific tasks to keep you on track. Oh and remember mistakes happen! They are a valuable part of learning, so making mistakes isn’t a bad thing! In fact the opposite is true. Mistakes are good - they help keep you on track, inform progress and let you know when to move on to the next level.
There are of course a few important caveats when it comes to mistakes...
1. Own your mistakes. Acknowledge them so you know where improvement and focus is needed.
2. Never worry about mistakes! They happen.
3. Correct Mistakes Immediately (when Learning / Practcing) - Slow down and 'positively correcting' any mistakes right away makes them less likely to occur in the future.
4. When playing through a piece of music - Continue through any mistakes... Eventually you'll make less! Being in time is more important! So, if you make a mistake, forget about it and keep on playing! At the end of the piece, take note of any mistakes made, then correct them. e.g. if you missed a chord change take a minute to practice that change slowly and confidently so it's less likely to happen next time.
Listening is an essential part of learning and practice... spend as much time as possible listening to the songs you are learning and ones you want to learn.
If you are Local you could come for face-to-face lessons (based upon availablility). Unfortunately, I don't offer online (i.e. zoom, Skype) Lessons. But of course you can use the site, download tabs / sheet music and make full use of the backing tracks, drum tracks and metronomes for practice. If you do use them, please consider supporting the upkeep of the site and YouTube Channel by "buying me a Coffee"...
Thanks for your support and good luck on your Musical Journey!