Stephen's Guitar Lessons
"What is the Best Path for Someone to Learn to Play Guitar?"
SO MANY FOLKS SAY THEY HAVE THE BEST WAY. WHO IS RIGHT?
Many traditional musical instruments have a pretty distinct path for a player of that instrument to follow, in order to be able to properly play that instrument. These paths are generally long and tedious because they are exhaustive, but they generate players that are well-rounded and ready to fit into a traditional musical situation (like an orchestra, for instance).
Guitar has an instructional path like that, too—but unlike almost every other musical instrument, guitar has many paths that a contemporary player can conceivably take to arrive at whatever their destination is (unlike more traditional instruments, there is really a very wide range of intentions that a budding guitar player can have: wanting to play for their own enjoyment, wanting to play with friends that already play drums/bass/keys/etc., wanting to write their own music, wanting to accompany their singing, wanting to play in a band…the list goes on and on). Those paths can be as varied as the guitar players that take them, and there are so many players—and teachers—that claim to have the one and only “best path” for all guitarists.
So, which one should you choose? The Suzuki method? An instructional book from a guitar player that you really like? Watching a video on TikTok or some other social media platform, from somebody who promises you that you’ll become 10x better (or 100x, or whatever) after watching their videos? Going to a music store or lessons studio and following all the advice from whichever instructor you end up with at that facility?
The choices can be overwhelming, and pretty much all of them will claim to be—some will even insist that they are—the best option for everyone. It doesn’t take much contemplation to realize that such claims just simply can’t be true. So, what do you do?
That’s where I can really help. I have decades of playing experience (almost 40, at this point), I studied music education, and I’ve been teaching professionally for over 15 years now—plus, I’ve taken lots and lots of lessons myself, from some of the best players and teachers around, and I’ve been consuming guitar instruction from one source or another for almost as long as I’ve been playing. But I don’t claim to have the one path that everyone should follow; on the contrary, my goal is to help each individual student find their own individual path. I help each and every student find the best way for them to move forward, in general and in many specific situations.
In short, I help guitarists find their ideal path to whatever their musicial destination might be. I commit to taking the time to learn about my students and their musical goals—at the very beginning, and regularly as we move forward—so that I can dig into my vast and varied instructional experience to help the student find the approach that works best for them.
So what’s the best way to learn guitar? The SGL way, which is customized and specifically designed for each individual student, of course!
Give me a call (or send me a text) at VIP-PLAY-GTR (847-752-9487), or contact me through the website to set up your FREE intro lesson today!
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