Rock U School of U Rock and Kids' Jams

Twice a year I host a Kids' Jam for my non-adult students (www.youtube.com/tlschafer). I always get someone who calls it a recital and that really makes my hair stand up, what little is left. When I was a kid, I used to hate recitals; going to them and being in them was always dreaded. They were stuffy, cramped affairs that only the parents and your siblings attended. Never much fun, never did anything to inspire me. Just had to do it.

I started doing Kids' Jams a while ago to have fun helping the kids learn a song they could perform in front of their peers. I also wanted to give them a taste of what performing was like, either alone or with others. I didn't dissapoint myself, I have loads of fun doing it!

So. what is the difference between my Kids' Jams and recitals? Hey, it's obvious. So much so that I won't even discuss it. A better question is how are my Kids' Jams different from what the latest local music store's School U of Rock You etc, does? They have popped up all over the place. They gave me a night's worth of concern for my business. And then I witnessed one for myself.

The idea is the same as my Jams, get kids together, work on songs, then perform. That's what they want to do and it's a lot of fun. They spend 8 to 12 weeks working on a song. The school sets a night, rounds them up and they all go over to a local restaurant or sports bar. The kids get up on stage and start to wail. When they are done sombody applauds. The same thing happens with my Jams, but not at a sports restaurant.

At the school performances I've seen, mostly at restaurants, they usually have a small audience. The performers parents and the other performers. Unless you have a lot of them, the audience is usually small about 20 or 30 people. And you might have the clang of people eating dinner or drinking or just not paying attention.

I hold my Jams at larger venues, usually a local church. There is a full sized theater, a good PA system and plenty of seating. In fact, the last four Jams had a total attendace of over 150 people each! One of the Jams was SRO at around 200 people. While these are mostly students and their families, there are enough of them to give the kids a feel of a real concert; no dodging waiters trying to rush to your parents table for a big tip. And when the audience applauds, it is never just the polite clapping of the other kids' parents!

I try to  make sure everyone gets to perform on stage if they want to do so. I usually put the more advanced kids up first; this gives the younger kids a chance to be inspired and see what can happen with practice and hard work. From the last Jam alone, I've had to teach Blackbird to more than 10 of my students because they saw Kyle play it!

Dude, you can always play for your parents and friends in your garage. But get up and play for every one else at one of my Jams!  Check out Kyle Tiltges playing Blackbird/Day Tripper medley. http://youtu.be/y-o0HBGzrLs

Guitar Lessons as Presents

Over the years I have been someone's birthday present, christmas present, valentine's day present, anniversary present , graduation present,  just-because present, mother's day present and now, once again, a father's day present. While I've never jumped out of a guitar-shaped cake, I've had the opportunity to join in on the fun of the surprise, usually the birthdays. It's great fun. Sometimes it can go a little off-plan.

I was paid in advance for a month of lessons for a woman's husband. She said they were driving down the road when Wanted Dead or Alive started playing. He said, "Man, I wish I could play guitar like that!"! Well, fishing for a birthday present after 30+ years of marriage, she thought guitar lessons would be a great idea! She wanted me to come to the house and help surprise him. I was there at the agreed upon time , she opened the door and yelled surprise as I stood there with my guitar in hand. He said "Wow, that's great, honey. Thanks! Where's my guitar?"

Note: I had a spare in the car that I rented to him. That was years ago, I now know to ask!

It's also important to make sure that the spouse really wants to learn to play and not just excited about a song. Or maybe they do well at Guitar Hero/Rock Band and think they can play guitar by default. A good indication is when they buy a guitar and try really hard to learn on their own but can't seem to get it. If they put the guitar down and never touch it again, they probably shouldn't take lessons. Lessons won't perform miracles, they'll just show the path, you have to take the steps. If they don't have 20-30 minutes a day to practice, they aren't ready to take lessons.

Another High School project!

HI, Terry. 

Thank you so much for answering my questions. They were exactly what I needed to get a better understanding of the guitar and the life of a professional guitarist. You have helped me with my project and inspired me to keep playing , and therefore I thank you. Thank you for your generosity and I will be sure to tell you my grade.

    Thanks, Si M.

HI, Si. Below are my answers to your questions .

 1. What inspired you to play the guitar?

 I just wanted to be part of the music I liked to listen to, like Led Zepplin,  Niel Young, CSN, etc. I had been playing drums since I was 11.  Actually my motivation to start guitar at the age of 19  was to impress a girl. I was going to Purdue and dating a girl at Ball State. She was a music major, played guitar and piano. I would hitchhike to see her on weekends. We would sit around talk and listen to music. She would play her guitar and I really liked it. I'd go back to school , borrow a guitar and start bugging everyone to show me chords. I'd go back to see her, play a song I'd been practicing all week long. She was never impressed. We later broke up but I got more out of the relationship; I learned to play the guitar!

2. Do you think your age, when you started playing the guitar, was prominent in your success?

 Yes, I do believe it was good to start early. I was 19 at the time and now, 40 years later, I'm glad I invested the time to learn to play. I had more time to spend learning , less distractions.  Time to play and practice is very important. But you can start at ANY age ( I have a lot of adult students) as long as you commit to learning.

3. Why did you decide to pursue music into a career? I've always given guitar lessons, most of the time it has been part time. About 2 years after  I started playing/learning , a friend of mine told me if I really wanted to learn guitar, I should teach it. So I did. He was right. About six years ago, I kept telling my wife "I should have given guitar lessons full time 30 years ago". She said that I should go ahead and try it because she didn't want to be hearing that same old thing 30 years from now! It's fun, I get to control my schedule and I love it!

4. What is challenging/difficult about your profession?

Finding new students can be difficult. It takes time and money to find new customers. Once you have them, you must keep them happy. But I would say finding them is the most challenging and most expensive.

5. Did your family/friends support your musical career?

Yes, my wife was my biggest supporter. She encouraged me to do what I loved. She helped me and continues to help me. She took it seriously even when other family members wanted to know if I could even make a living doing it.

6. What type of guitar do you prefer and why?

I love to play acoustic guitar , that's probably my favorite. But I do have a lot of fun playing and teaching electric guitar. 

7. What is you favorite style/genre of music to play and why?

On acoustic ,  I like to play Howie Day, Doc Watson, Neil Young. On electric I like to play Red Hot Chilis , rock, classic and newer stuff.  I play a lot of styles, country, folk , rock , some jazz, some classical. Why, I guess because it makes me feel good.

8. Who are you idols?

My true idols are probably any person that I ever heard play guitar. But I really like Doc Watson on acoustic and Eric Clapton on electric.

9. Do you prefer performing or teaching and why?

I prefer teaching, I guess because I love to help people. But I do like to perform, not as much as I used to when I was younger. I hold Adult Jams almost every month and I perform at those.

10. If you could give advice to starting musicians what would it be? My advice to starting musicians is listen to as much music as you possibly can , practice/play as much as you can and try to learn as many different styles as you possibly can; variety is important.

I hope that helps. I'm a little tired so if there's anything you don't understand please let me know.

Hey, let me know what grade you get! Good luck with the guitar playing.

Thanks,Terry  

High School and Guitar

Mr. Schafer, 

 Hi, I am a freshman at Naperville North High School teaching myself to play the guitar for an English project. Part of this project requires me to interview a professional guitarist and as I was searching for someone, I came across your website. If it's not too much of a hassle, I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me through this email. Also, I'd like to let you know that I will be quoting some of this interview in my paper, so if there's anything you'd like to remain off the record, please indicate that portion as such. Any length of reply would be greatly appreciated!

1. How long have you been playing guitar? How did you get started?

2. What is the most important technique/skill that you have learned on the guitar?

3. How do you usually start lessons for a beginner?

4. Are there certain aspects of the guitar that are particularly difficult? Which technique/aspect took the longest for you to achieve?

Any additional comments:

    Thank you so much!

            SP,  EPOC class 

Hi, S. I would be happy to answer the questions.

1. I've been playing for over 40 years. I got started because I was trying to impress a girl. She was a music major at Ball State and I was going to Purdue. I would hitchhike to Muncie to see her on weekends. During the week I borrowed a guitar and started learning some songs. I would play the guitar for her but she was never impressed. Every week I'd learn a new song and play it for her.  We later broke up; I got more from the relationship, I learned to play guitar.

2.It's hard to say what is the most important technique or skill since it takes several skills on several levels. But, I would have to say that probably coordinating the fretting (LH) hand and picking (RH) was very important. I wasn't able to do much, especially sing and play, until I got that down.

3. First lesson for a student usually starts by learning the string names, names of some of the guitar parts, how to hold the guitar, how to hold the pick, how hard to press down, where to press with the left (fretting ) hand, hand position, intro to reading tab, some simple song, a simple finger exercise and I give them a questionnaire to fill out that gives me an idea of what they want to learn on the guitar and what type of music they want to play on the guitar. (How's that for a run-on sentence?) People want to learn to play an instrument because they want to be part of the music they like.

4. The most difficult thing to learn about playing guitar is the picking, both flatpick and finger-picking. Most people worry about the fretting hand, how to play chords or what notes to play for that hot lick or cool solo. That's easy, just look up the tab or music and memorize it. But , if the pick or finger doesn't make a string vibrate you don't have sound , let-a-lone music. The real finesse is the rhythm , what the RH ( in my case I'm right handed) does.  That's why Collide , Hey Soul Sister, and other songs that share similar chord progressions sound so different; the picking/strumming hand is what creates most of the rhythm. I have had people that have been playing for many years come to me to learn how to finger pick, flat pick or learn new strumming techniques. Learning to use a pick most effectively took the longest time. I continue to refine my pick technique even now, 40+ years later.

Additional :  The resources available today are incredible. 40 yrs ago we didn't have the Web ( however in the early 70's I got a glimpse of the ARPANET), videos,  Skype / iChat, or even a good reliable source of tab/music. I really love and embrace the technology. But , with all the ways to learn how to play an instrument some people still need that face-to-face contact with a teacher. I am grateful of that and that I am able to make my full time living helping others learn to play guitar. And I love every minute of it.

I hope that helps. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you. Good luck playing the guitar.

Terry

   

Terry Schafer

www.napervilleguitarlessons.com 

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http://www.napervilleguitarlessons.blogspot.com/

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March Adult Jam

Well it's time for another Adult Jam! We're going to try a series of hopefully fun songs. We're going to start learning some One Hit Wonders. Since there are way too many of them and we only have so much time, I thought we'd limit them to just the OHW's that made it to number one on Billboard's Hot 100 list. I mean , you can look at hits from many different sources , you can look at top 100's , or 50's or 40's. But when it comes right down to it, IMHO, it's the artists that made it to BB's number one , then faded into oblivion, that really counts as a OHW.

So, here's my list for the next Jam, song title, artist and year that it made it to BB's #1.


At the Hop      Danny and the Juniors  1958
One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater     Sheb Wooly    1958
Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini    Brian Hyland        1960

Please Mr Postman    The Marvelettes    1961
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do   Niel Sedaka 1962
I'm Telling You Now    Freddy and the Dreamers    1965
Hang On Sloopy     the mccoys    1965
Wild Thing    the Troggs    1966
Sittin on the Dock of the Bay  Otis Redding        1968
In the Year 2525    Zager and Evans    1969

Next Jam we'll tackle the 70's! See you then, Terry

Kids' Jam Winter 2011 Success!

Hi. We had a great time at the Jam , Saturday. There were almost 50 students and 100 guests! It was a great place to have it, The Underground , in Naperville. Kids from 5 to 17 played. Everyone did a great job. I had three people making vid's so hopefully I'll have some good shots. As soon as I get something I'll post it.

After another successful Kids' Jam I think some thank you's are in order for all the help I had.

First I want to thank Wendy Daly for suggesting The Underground at Alleluia Lutheran, it was a nice place to play music. She also did a lot to setup/takedown chairs and to get the show started.

I want to thank Craig Johnson, Katie Khoury and Scott Dahl for taking video during the performance. This way I don't have to run around looking for snippets of video and trying to put it all together.

I want to thank Missy Wichhart and her daughter for keeping track of the smoothie coupons. I anticipated 55 students running around and she did a great job getting liquids into their empty stomachs.

I want to thank the parents of the performers that made sure their students were able to practice. And to the students for diligently practicing in-between homework.

I want to thank the parents who brought their kids just to watch and had to stay an hour longer than I said. 

I want to thank Morgan and Hannah for working so hard to sing songs they didn't know. They did that to make some of the bands more complete. Well done, ladies.

I want to thank my student and associate teacher Joe Pillatsch for running around with a tuner so kids didn't sound too avant-guard. 

I want to thank Alissa McCoy for popping popcorn even though we couldn't have it at The Underground (my misunderstanding).

I want to thank my son, Brendon, for helping put amps in place, running extensions, setting up chairs, helping with the organization and getting some of his students to perform.

I want to thank my daughter, Tegan, for putting up with me when I made her practice and learn a very difficult acoustic guitar part.

Most of all, I want to thank my wonderful, beautiful wife of 36 years who has to put up with all this and my general madness in the week leading up to the jam. She did a great job rounding up adrenaline-crazed, smoothie-high musicians for their performances. 

If I forgot someone, I am sorry. Please let me know.

It was really, really fun... and I think the kids had a good time , also! 

Terry

Kids' Jam Winter 2011

Hi there. Saturday , January 29th, we will have our next Kids' Jam at The Underground in Naperville! I'm real excited. There are over 30 performances on the schedule. The kids have been working real hard to get ready for it. I'll post videos and pictures as soon as I have them.

Adult Jams

We just had another great Adult Jam. I'll be posting pictures soon. In the mean time you can see pictures at www.facebook.com/napervilleguitarlessons?v=photos
You do NOT have to be a FB member to see the photos.

Here's what a couple of my adult students have to say about the Jams:   STUDENT TESTIMONIALS

"I love the jams... now.  As you know, the first jam really took me for a loop because everyone else seemed so much more proficient than me.  I went home extremely humbled and really doubted myself.  I continually thought of giving up the guitar because it just seemed too daunting.  In fact, I put the guitar down for a good week to just take a break.  It was at my next lesson with you, however, that I really re-committed myself.  It was your understanding and encouragement that really helped me move forward.  You were never negative and really took the time to listen to my concerns.  I left that practice with a new focus, which I hope was seen at the next jam when I got up in front of everybody to play "Picture."  There's no way I would have envisioned that after the first jam!  So as you can probably guess, I love the jams now.  They are great barometers of my own progression.  I also really enjoy the time with all your other students.  No one takes themselves too seriously - you especially - and there's always a few good laughs to be had.  The fact that you take the time out of your busy schedule to do this for your students is not only commendable, but a true testament to your commitment to each and every student.  I can't thank you enough."
Derek


"I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the adult jam last weekend.  I really felt like I was not just palying a series of chords, but really playing my guitar for the first time.  I was so nervous initially, as I know only a limited number of chords.  It did NOT matter- I was able to keep up the best I could.  It was extremely worthwhile and I know going to the jams will ultimately make me a better musician.  Plus, it was a lot of fun.  Thank you so much for offering your personal time for your students. You are the best."
Alisa M.

"I am pretty fortunate to take guitar lessons from Terry who has 4 decades of experience. Terry makes guitar playing pretty easy for a newbie like me. He understands exactly where the student's learning difficulty is, and helps to get through it with a step by step aproach. There were several instances when I struggled for weeks on chords and Terry could fix my problems in minutes.
Renting a guitar before buying, really helped in my case. Terry gave some very useful tips which helped me to buy a right guitar the very first time.
Learning Bar chords was a difficult thing but with Terry's help it became simpler."
 P.G.

Adult Jam 10-16-2010

We had a great Adult Jam Saturday, October 16th at Jim and Mary Trussell's house. There were about 15 of us and we had a lot of fun. We normally end at 9 but since everyone was having such a good time we kept going and got done after 10.

Our Adult Jams are intended for the beginner adult to get a chance to play with other adults. Not everyone has a friend that plays guitar. These Jams serve as group practice, social networking and a chance to learn to perform in front of others. 

You don't have to perform, you can just strum along. Or sit back and enjoy the performance.

Each Adult Jam is hosted at different locations, hosted by one of my adult students. We have a lot of fun and learn a few songs along the way. It's a lot like a loose adult guitar club.

If you have questions about our Adult Jams or adult lessons in Naperville/Aurora/Bolingbrook/Plainfield please visit www.napervilleguitarlessons.com or call me at 630-983-6674

Thanks, Terry

Second Annual (kinda sorta) Kids' Jam

This last Saturday, the 21st, we had an incredible Kids' Jam! I invited all my non-adult students and most of them showed up. My son, Brendon , had two students there and my associate, Kevin Conlin, had four students attend. There were over 40 students and a total attendance of about 120 people! 20 of the kids performed for the audience and we all jammed on some songs. The turnout was very humbling. The kids did a great job and the parents were very supportive. If anyone has pictures and/or videos they would like to share please give me a cd, dvd or send them to tlschafer@gmail.com . We will do this again, I'll let you know when, where and how.

I want to thank all the parents that helped make the Jam possible and Grace United Methodist Church for the space. Vendors that contributed free handouts were Music Solutions in Bolingbrook, Lunaguitars.com, Daisy Rock guitars, Ernie Ball strings, D'Addario strings and Dunlop accessories. ( BTW Fender ignored my requests and Gibson didn't send anything ). 

This September 4th (a Saturday), we will be holding our first Annual John C. North Memorial Outdoor Jam. John was a student, associate teacher, a friend and an all-around good guy. It will start at 6PM and go until we run out of songs. This will be at Nancy Bolliger's house in Cress Creak next to the forrest preserve. Please send me an email so I can tell her how many people will be there and I'll send you her address. Please bring a lawn chair and munchies or food or whatever.  We will only have something to drink. Since John was a family man, families are welcome.

If you send me an email I will send you a list of the songs we'll be playing. I'm still working on the chord sheets. You don't have to play, but you can perform or play along or just listen. We're going to play some songs and have a good time. Be there or be L7 (jk).

Thanks, Terry

Kids' Jam 2010

Hi. This August, the 21st to be exact, I will be holding my 2nd Annual (kinda, sorta) Kids' Jam. I'm inviting all my non-adult students, Brendon's students, Joe Pillatsch's students and Kevin Conlin's students. We are going to get together and play some songs, play some jams, have some contests and listen to some solo performances. The last one I had was a lot of fun, this one should be just as fun, and more.

The kids get to play with other kids, durning the jams they get to play anything they want and they get to play it as loud as they would like. This is about as close to a recital I can come. I used to hate recitals, being in them and listening to them. No fun.

And this isn't about showing off. We're just going to play and share music and try to have some (loud) fun for a while.

Right now I have over 20 students registered and, with parents and friends, it totals almost 100 people. Ernie Ball and D'Addario have sent some goodies for the kids. Luna Guitars said they would send some soon. I haven't heard from Jim Dunlop.

I'll post updates as I have them.
Terry

2nd Annual (kinda sorta) Kids' Jam

NapervilleGuitarLessons.com is proud to present the 2nd Annual Kids' Jam August 21st , 6-8 PM at Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville Il. The Jam is by invitation and registration only. We are going to get a bunch of guitar , drum and bass students together and just play a lot of music. There will be some contests ( some hard some easy) and any kid that wants to perform alone (shiver) for the group will be allowed to.

I have also invited Randy Buescher to speek/demo his voice teaching philosophy . Randy shares the same values I do as a music teacher; we both help the student reach their musical goals. Visit his website a t www.speechlevelvoice.com/

Here's the location for registration

www.napervilleguitarlessons.com/kjam.html

See you there.
Thanks, Terry

Adult Jam 6-19-2010

Hi there, everyone.
Last Saturday we held another Adult Jam. There were seven of us banging away on guitars. Lots of fun. Katie and Joseph Khoury hosted and I appreciate it. I led the group in playing Cripple Creek as I debuted the results of 6 months of banjo playing. I couldn't find banjo teacher so I started teaching myself. Weekly practice and keeping it on my mind resulted in a rousing repertoire of two songs! But it was worth the effort. I know know how to play a lot of the rolls used in bluegrass banjo.

Then, Katie and I played Old Joe Clark. She played the lead and I played rhythm. Then I dropped into harmony. After that, I switched to banjo and Katie played rhythm . She did a great job and it was a lot of fun.

Julie sang and played The First Cut is the Deepest and everyone played along with her. Good job, Julie.

Jerry played and sang a great rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky. I   played rhythm for him. Jerry made me feel like the Sons of the Pioneers were with us!

We all played some songs together and had a good time.

I plan on having some video up soon. In the mean time you can see some pictures at www.facebook.com/napervilleguitarlessons

You don't have to be a FB member to view them. Just go to the site and click on PHOTOS

Thanks,Terry

Kids' Jam

Hi.
I don't know about you but I always hated recitals. I didn't like playing in them and I didn't like watching them; they were always awkward for everyone except the parents of the kid sweating through Ode to Joy or Moonlight Sonata. Yuk.
Some people like to be out front no matter what they are doing. But I always liked playing with other people. Like in a group or a band. It was fun and you could really expand your music. When everyone is on the same beat and having a good time, there is not much better in life. The guitar is a very social instrument as well as a very personal instrument.
So, I don't force any of my students to perform. That's very personal and I feel it's up to them. I give them the chance to play with other kids. If they would like, they can play solo for everyone. But I don't like show offs. You can go to Guitar Center just about any day of the week and get your fill of guitar hero wannabes. That's not what it's all about.
It's making yourself feel good about the music. If it's alone or with others that's good. If someone listening likes it, great. If not, that's ok also.

I'm starting to work on my August Kids' Jam. I expect to have a lot of fun. It will be loud, but fun.

Adult Jam 5-22-10

Saturday, the 22nd, we got together and had another Adult Jam. It was a lot of fun. I want to thank Colin and Heidi Blair for hosting it. I also want to thank everyone that showed up and played guitar. We played Beatles songs, some CCR , some Poison and even a Monkees song! You can check out some photos at http://www.facebook.com/napervilleguitarlessons

Years ago I realized that my adult students don't always have an outlet to play guitar. Sometimes , as they are learning, even their families don't want to listen to it. They can be shy performing for non-playing friends. But when you get a bunch of beginners together, great things can happen.

It helps them practice in a live situation; there are no do-overs , you have to keep going. You get to see how well you've progressed and what you need to learn. You also can pick up tips from others, see how they play things , and help fellow beginners.

We'll hold more this summer. In fact we are starting to think about a big one in September. I'll post more information later.

Student Guitar Instructors

Hi, Everyone!
This summer I am helping a few teenagers find employment giving guitar lessons.

 My son , Brendon Schafer, is home from college and is giving beginning guitar lessons. He has experience working with kids (they love him!) and adults. He has been playing guitar for over 5 years and teaching for the past several years.

I have a couple of other student instructors available. Please contact me for more information, tschaf@aol.com or 630-983-6674 . They usually charge $15 per 1/2 hour in-home lesson.

Adult Jam 5-1-10

Hi, Everyone.
We had a great time at Jim Trussell's house this Saturday. Jim played drums and I played bass. It really help's having a steady beat to keep everyone in sync; like a living metronome!

You can see photos at www.facebook.com/napervilleguitarlessons

Click on PHOTOS
You DON'T need a facebook account to see the photos.

We're going to try for another one later this month. Stay tuned.

From time-to-time I try to get my adult students together to play some songs and learn a few things. Adults don't always have friends that play guitar so this is a way to get together and play some songs. We usually have someone that wants to perform but it isn't required. You just have to have a good time. No guitar hero/gods are invited; they can go over to Guitar Center and jam with the 16 year olds!

Terry

What does it take to learn to play guitar?

Hi, everyone.
For over 40 years, since I started playing guitar, I've thought off-and-on about what it takes to learn to play the guitar. At first, I wanted to know for myself, so I could learn to play. Then, as I started teaching , I needed to know so I could help my students. I've looked at and written all kinds of lesson plans, I've talked to other teachers and students. I've read a lot about it online. If you ask just about anyone what it takes, they will say "practice!". But, from watching my successful students and the not so successful ones, I now know the answer and I can sum it up in one word. Persistence. You have to keep at it. When you get frustrated at the F chord you have to keep trying. Even if you give up for a week or two, you have to get back into it. If you go on vacation, you have to get right back on it when you're back home. It has to be a focus at least until you get closer to your goal, or the level of playing that you want to achieve.

I see it all the time. Kids take lessons and, no matter how easy the teacher makes it, the kid decides it's too hard. He/she thought the teacher would just show them where to put their fingers and they would play like EVH/Orianthi/whoever. Or they go on vacation and they loose their momentum.  They give up. But I also see kids and adults stick with it and get better. I work hard to help them over the humps. Ultimately it is the student that overcomes the difficulties. You need to be persistent in practice, in learning technique and new songs. The more you keep at it the better you'll get. You need to know when to take a short rest and how long.

I tell the following story to my students. About a year after I had been playing , a friend of mine ( who played very well ) and I were at a party. We were playing guitar. There was a guy there, a beginner, who was trying to play his guitar with us. We felt he was cramping our style so we acted like he wasn't there. He got the message and stopped playing, annoying us. About a year later I was at another party and, sure enough, that beginner guy was there. Only this time he was playing like an old pro, better then I or my friend. Really showing us up. I asked him what happened. He said, well, since the last party you and I were at (Ha, he remembered!) I lost my job, my girl and had to move in with my relatives. All I had was my guitar. So I played a whole lot, I kept at it and kept trying. I didn't even realize I had gotten that much better until tonight when I played with you guys!
Yeow. We deserved that. I learned two lessons that night. Persistence and don't slam on a beginner. Treat him/her with kindness for someday you may want to jam with that beginner.

Keep at it. Keep playing guitar!

Adult Jam 3-20-10

Hi everyone.
Saturday, 3-20, we had a Mini Adult Jam. There were about 10 guitar players and it was hosted at Katie Khoury's house. We had a great time. Jim Trussell played bass ( for the first time EVER) on Stand By Me. We had a couple of false starts but over all it was loads of fun.

Toward the end, Katie played Angie by Bert Jansch and a little of Old Joe Clark on flatpick. Nice job, Katie.

Near the end of the evening I gave a little seminar "How to change your strings in FIVE minutes or less (or more)". It was a lot of fun. But, if I can believe Jim's watch, I did it in 5:50 . OK. Good enough. Then Katie volunteered to try it. But, I helped and used a power winder. We got it down to 5:15. Oh, well, it's still better than 1/2 hour!

My lovely daughter, Tegan, took pictures for us. You can see them at www.facebook.com/napervilleguitarlessons

Thanks, and keep playing guitar!

THE PHONE!

So, I just came home from a long day of teaching. I sat down to watch Criminal Minds and I nodded off. While visions of guitars and sweet melodies floated by, Eric Clapton came to me in my dream and said I had to get the Fender MyTouch phone! When I woke up, I found I had T-Mobile and I was due for an upgrade! Eric was right!

So I now have it and I love it. I never had a touch phone before. My old phone was two years old, very hard to text ( two years ago we didn't text as much). And I've found a lot of ways to use it in my guitar lessons.

I was at a student's house, he wanted to learn Back In Black but couldn't remember how the intro sounded. I played it for him. Then, I spoke into my Fender Fone and brought up a YT vid of AC/DC. Then, I went to Ultimate-Guitar.com , found the tab for him and emailed it to him. Wandgo bango! In the old days (last week) it would have taken two lessons to do that.

I also update my calendar through my Gmail account and it instantly appears on my phone. No syncing, no installation.

I have a tuner with a freq analyzer which is very accurate. And the chord dictionary plays the chord so you can hear it.

I can't wait to find other ways to use it. I told my wife I didn't care if it was a good phone or not, it just looked too cool to not get!