Self Taught or Lessons

[leeferdude]

How many of you are self taught or took lessons. im self taught. i like the whole accomplishment thing

[darkstar54mm]

im sorta in the same boat the guru is in but sorta in a differnt lake, lol i learned from others i dunno if u would call that lessons ,infact youve got to be extremly creative to be totally orginal u pick up certain skills from songs u learn or from people you see maybe u can call it inspiration.....but i learned from experementing and tabs some ear stuff but not much ive only been playing for 7 months or so

[Wir-Click-Wir]

I started out self-taught, but eventually took lessons just to make sure I wasn't picking up any bad habits. Once I was good enough to teach myself new techniques, I quit.

[buttahz]

im self taught, but i wouldnt mind lessons in other styles , like jazz for instance.

[LesPaulStrat]

I studied classical guitar for 6 years with a guy who was taught by John Williams so that counts as lessons.

I also took some lessons with a jazz/blues guitarist who had played with Chuck Berry!!!

Rock is fairly easy to learn though if you have already had a musical background.

[The User]

Self taught all the way. wouldnt have it any other way

[flamekaster]

I played for 8 or nine years all self taught,learning all i could from who ever i was around. I am always learing, the day you stop learing is the day you become worthless, in my opnion. In 99 i moved to Soth Plains Colleg and took 3 years of lessons. SPC is a great music school. Several big stars came from there, buit any way. I learned alot of theory in college, and i was able to understand it because i ne w my way aroung the guitar already. It was quit funny when one if my teachers asked me to play a eminor penatonic scale and i coundt, but i could solo all day long in the and around the e- penatonic. So you need both, if you want to be an all around guitar player, if you just want to play and have fun, then i dont think it matters as much.

By the way i can play an e- penatonic scale now.

[BossMXRHarmonix]

Had 1 year of lessons with a jazz/swing guitarist but self-taught afterwards. Still am

[khingpynn]

I'm self taught and though it has it's strenths it has it's limitations.
After 18 years I want to get lessons and learn to be more well rounded but I need a teacher who can take what I have allready got and develop it from there. Hard to find that though.
I do not do covers unless they really inspire me, I left the covers thing behind years ago. What I do now is extract only what inspires me and then hopefully, when I take it in then let it out, it will sound like me.
I remember back in the 80's playing speed licks that no one else was playing, my main thing was avoiding all the cliche licks and tricks but I was in cover bands too back then so I had to learn other's parts. It was very hard to do so at times because I had developed such an unusual way of playing. Still I allways found a way to make it my own but because of that I allways got flak for not getting my parts completely right. Oh well such is life.

Craig

[galaxee]

i took guitar lessons at a local music shop for four years. after i stopped taking lessons, i barely played for another three years. only now am i learning how to play with music and with other people.. the teacher tried to teach me improvisation and how to play with other people.. but when you're used to having what you're supposed to play right in front of you, it's a little difficult to just come up with something. however, everything he ever taught me, i still have on paper. so i can always go back and learn something up. and i learned a lot more than i probably would have ever learned on my own about theory and different styles. too bad i managed to forget most of it. :(

[joeinthebox1980]

self taught in guitar, classically trained with the clarinet... so i got some music theory.

i would like to take guitar lessons in jazz or classical guitar.

[wihaga83]

Self taught.......

listen from Zeppelin, Deep purple cd ... figure it out ... nah.... i can play classic rock.

find a form of blues licks via internet..... nah .... i can licks some SRV, Hendrix.

buy a Racer X cd ... figure it out ... nah... i can play some shredding things.

get a tape recorder ..... then i record my own stuff.

that's all.

[jamie.pope]

I'm way too ignorant to be taught how to do something.

I'd rather accomplish something myself and say that i did it instead of saying:

"Yeah he taught me this and that."

I went out.....bought a book entitled Guitar for Dummies, learnt a few chords (E,D and A)

Expanded my media from transfering from acoustic to electric guitar (Tele), acquired a Chord Dictionary and broadened my horizons.

That was four years ago, it has been fun all the way.

[The User]

Music is art. I dont want art taught to me as a science.

[BlueOrb]

self taught, i wanna rock, not spend 3 weeks learning how to hold my pick right

[jamie.pope]

That is exactly what i'm getting at BlueOrb, who the hell wants to learn how to rest their palm on the bridge at a 90 degree angle so you can strum comfortably, let it come naturally for **** sakes. That's how you build your own technique.

[boyecho]

self taught. completely. i had one lesson scheduled when i started, but i didnt go to it.

i would like to take a few though. so my fingers can finally learn where they want to go when they want to go there. i just picked two random scales and i'm learning them as time goes by. but i've got enough school right now lessons aren't economical!

[stratocaster83]

both. you have to discover the music as well as being trained to music theory. only super sensible dudes can be self tauhgt, and they must have a natural propension in their hearing...

to me, it is 50/50, period!

[adrien]

self taught
no question

[guitardude5489]

im self taught and lessons,but i mean if ur only slef taught and cant read music know nothing about chords or music or anything,u will get no respect from any musician,i can read music and know basically every chord shape and stuff so i mean if u want to be really good,id say lessons.

[diagnosisgtr]

Im self taught with a few tips from friends and other players here and there. I think if you teach yourself you develop a more distinct style. If you are stuck in a rut learning wise though lessons couldn't hurt.

[johnny]

i took lessons for 6 months until my instructor told me i was progressing to fast for him and that i'd be better off on my own, i learned the basic chords and ****, and my teacher got me into zeppelin and other classic rock stuff, so it helped but 80% of what i know i've done on my own

[fiveways]

Both, plus I have a singing and piano background. I value my lessons as I can sit in with anyone and not be out of place as long as I know the key the song is in, and even if I don't, that takes no more then 5 seconds to figure out. Also, lessons help you break out of blues based soloing.....If soloing is your thing.....

[sk8punck7976]

singing in chorus all elementary school, and i took some piano lessons and learned how to read music, i also took trumpet lessons... and then i got a guitar abd had it for 3 years, then i started playing it. and ive been playing for the last like 2 or 3 years, first lessons, then none, then every once in a while ill get one, its basically like playing with someone though, because i dont go all that much...

and the metal method videos,

and people in punk and melodic hardcore and metal bands locally,

and the worsip team at church,

and the internet,

and friends,

and my uncle,

and any one else i can find,

and by watching live performances

and the internet,

and cds

and last but not least, myself.




its not possible to be completely self taught cause you got it from someone, who got it from either somone, or a teach, and so on and so forth until you get to cavemen with strings on sticks

jk but you know what i mean...

[TheGrinnan]

My father tried to teach me twice. Eventually, I did a cross between using the books and chord charts he gave me to teach myself enough to get by when my friends and I started SCP.

I even took guitar ensemble in college to further educate myself. Learned some pretty easy jazz barre chords out of that!

[Alecto]

Do both. Learn from other people, AND teach yourself. And, as soon as you can, get out and play with other musicians. Music is a conversation; learn to speak with as many people as you can.

[Greyskull]

Originally posted by Alecto
as soon as you can, get out and play with other musicians. Music is a conversation; learn to speak with as many people as you can.

That's the most important thing - develope your ability to play with (not over or against) other musicians.

No matter how good you are in the bedroom/garage, if you can't play with others, you suck.

[State]

I took lessons starting when I was 9 years old cause I wanted to play guitar but being 9 made for some self-discipline issues. When I was about 12 I quit lessons and taught myself every song I liked. Then starting from when I was about 14 I took fingerstyle lessons from a friend of Leo Kottke's (heheh i felt like doing a little name dropping) for 2 years or so and since then I'v been playing in bands and teaching myself what I want to know.