Should I Learns Guitar Chords First Be for Doing Anything Else?
Posted in learn guitar on 08. Jul, 2011
What’s this week’s question? Let’s dive straight in…
Question: Ok so I had my first guitar lessons this week and for some reason my teacher wants me to learn stairway to heaven(which is hard). When we met he asked my if i could play anything, so i played a couple of riffs i learned on my own, and now he wants me to learn stairway to heaven, while my friend has another teacher and hes learning the basics like minor and major chords and all that, while im stuck on an impossible song. So should i tell my guitar teacher that i want to learn the chords first and then try to learn easier song, or rush like a maniac trying to learn stairway to heaven.
Answer: Truth is, there are some really crappy teachers out there, I’ve had some of them myself. It’s your money, if he is not teaching you the way you feel comfortable with then quit and find another teacher. I can’t even imagine giving a new student something like that.
Those riffs might have conned him into thinking you’re further along than you are.
Usually you start with either chords or scales.
Honestly your teacher sounds like an idiot. If you are completely new to the guitar your first lesson should have been proper picking technique and getting use to alternating between strings. If you already had a pretty good handle on that, they probably should have showed you some open chords. A good teacher will give you the building blocks and fundamentals of playing so you could successfully learn any song you want on your own.
I question your instructors knowledge of the guitar if he is just making you learn a song for the sake of it. By teaching you just one song, you’ve in affect just learning the ONE song. Personally I feel the best way to teach would be show someone "Hey this is what we call a G chord, This is a C Chord, Now practice this…ok now it seems you have a handle on those chords, here’s a song that uses these chords!" Not "Hey learn this song without understanding what you are playing"
I would highly, highly suggest you switch teachers. You are paying that person good money and I don’t think you are going to get quality lessons from them.
Drop your teacher and hire your friends teacher. Learn the basics and build upon that knowledge. Learn to read music and it will open a door of opportunities to what type of music you want to play.
If you learn how to play Stairway to Heaven by simply memorizing the fingering, then your doing yourself no good. Start with sheet music, actually reading notes. Learn the notes on each fret and get used to them, then move onto chords. Whatever you do, do it with real sheet music. It’s no point playing something if you don’t actually know what your playing. Also, tab is a piece of crap. It doesn’t teach you anything accept how to make yourself think you know how to play guitar. Sheet music is the way to go. Tell your guitar teacher you want to read music.