What is the best guitar lesson you've had?

[Inflames626]

Basically, the subject line.

If there's a video link to it, it would be appreciated.

Edit: by "best" I suppose I mean a topic.

For me what comes to mind is one of the old REH/Starlicks Vinnie Moore videos where he gets some pretty cool ideas out of fairly simple stuff. Alternate picked 3 note per string is right down my alley.

Those tab overlays were terrible in such low resolution, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKOvlsTvjic

[Mincer]

One of the best was Frank Gambale's lesson about modes in Guitar Player in the mid 90s. It explained things in ways my current (at the time) guitar teacher and later composition classes couldn't. For the first time I was actually able to hear the differences between the modes.

[Inflames626]

One of the best was Frank Gambale's lesson about modes in Guitar Player in the mid 90s. It explained things in ways my current (at the time) guitar teacher and later composition classes couldn't. For the first time I was actually able to hear the differences between the modes.

Mincer, I think of them pretty much as parallel lanes of traffic where you can merge or exit at overlapping chords. I tend to think of chord progressions as modal.

When doing melodies, I think to emphasize whatever that mode's unique note is (Mixolydian's b7 for example).

I really only look at it as "major scale starting from X note" when soloing or improvising and I need to think of the shape quickly.

Being a metal player my default mode is minor anyway, and I'm much better with those shapes. Relative majors tend to only get used for a briefly sweeter sound.

What prompted this is I'm considering trying True Fire and keeping a permanent, annual yearly subscription in place of some other streaming service. I'm wondering if anyone has any positive experiences as far as lessons. Most guitar people I've talked to seem to get a lot out of Robben Ford's stuff.

As far as Frank Gambale, I remember getting a lot out of his 80s Chop Builder lesson, but as with all things that takes a daily commitment.

[DankStar]

I gotta give a shout-out to Aceman. He gave me some online lessons in the past based on pentatonic scales. It was informative and made me think outside of the boxes. I'm not very regimented these days so I couldn't keep keep going but it was cool of him to take the time.

When I get in a rut I will use a few blues books with tracks and tabs to play along with. One of my faves is by David Hamburger.

[Mincer]

Mincer, I think of them pretty much as parallel lanes of traffic where you can merge or exit at overlapping chords. I tend to think of chord progressions as modal.

When doing melodies, I think to emphasize whatever that mode's unique note is (Mixolydian's b7 for example).

I really only look at it as "major scale starting from X note" when soloing or improvising and I need to think of the shape quickly.

Being a metal player my default mode is minor anyway, and I'm much better with those shapes. Relative majors tend to only get used for a briefly sweeter sound.

What prompted this is I'm considering trying True Fire and keeping a permanent, annual yearly subscription in place of some other streaming service. I'm wondering if anyone has any positive experiences as far as lessons. Most guitar people I've talked to seem to get a lot out of Robben Ford's stuff.

As far as Frank Gambale, I remember getting a lot out of his 80s Chop Builder lesson, but as with all things that takes a daily commitment.

Up until his article, I couldn't hear the differences. More importantly, I couldn't figure out what chord progressions to play them over.

[Clint 55]

The single best lesson I've ever seen was how to explain good time feel. I posted the question how to have good time feel on the jazz forum and most people were saying it can't be explained you just have to do it. While one person unexpectedly posted a clip which precisely explains it so you can understand it and do it. I vaguely knew the goal was to play in time and while adding some expression but I couldn't quite get my head around it. This explained how it could sound bad if trying to play expressively but not being in good relation to the time, or playing evenly in time but no expression and have it sound lame. It also explains how great players can sound really tight, but at the same time playing really expressively in relation to the time.

So for good time feel you're really doing 3 things simultaneously: keeping time well, playing precisely so all of the notes are in relation to the time, not some on and some off, and then with the time established, phrasing in front or behind for effect, excitement, or expression.

The clip. You can skip through the parts about exercises and just focus on the 3 topics. He explains it as 4 topics with subtlety being the last, so consistency, precision, flexibility, subtlety.

[Inflames626]

The single best lesson I've ever seen was how to explain good time feel. I posted the question how to have good time feel on the jazz forum and most people were saying it can't be explained you just have to do it. While one person unexpectedly posted a clip which precisely explains it so you can understand it and do it. I vaguely knew the goal was to play in time and while adding some expression but I couldn't quite get my head around it. This explained how it could sound bad if trying to play expressively but not being in good relation to the time, or playing evenly in time but no expression and have it sound lame.

So for good time feel you're really doing 3 things simultaneously: keeping time well, playing precisely so all of the notes are in relation to the time, not some on and some off, and then with the time established, phrasing in front or behind for effect, excitement, or expression.

The clip. You can skip through the parts about exercises and just focus on the 3 topics. He explains it as 4 topics with subtlety being the last, so consistency, precision, flexibility, subtlety.

This brings up a good point. Some of the best lessons for guitarists are by piano players. Because you can do larger intervals on piano than guitar, I feel like piano teachers cover things like chord melody better than guitar teachers do. Guitar seems to be limited by whatever fits the hand best unless someone is a masochist like Eric Johnson.

[Securb]

My best guitar lesson was the one where my teacher taught me to tune by ear. I'm not even joking. It was the beginning of being able to recognize frequencies and later intervals. I remember it like it was yesterday, moving the tuner and hearing the waves in the notes align.

[8eezrule]

I have no idea what any of you are talking about. Never took any lessons. I can hear or listen to something a couple times and play it. I bought some Guitar Grimoire books and just learned the patterns, tried reading the text but it was like everything you guys are saying and I got lost. Sorry, music theory idiot here. Been playing since 11, now 53. Been in bands all through the 80's and 90's so I guess I'm pretty good considering.

[solspirit]

My best guitar lesson was the one where my teacher taught me to tune by ear. I'm not even joking. It was the beginning of being able to recognize frequencies and later intervals. I remember it like it was yesterday, moving the tuner and hearing the waves in the notes align.

Can you vocalize notes?

[Securb]

Can you vocalize notes?

Ear training at Berklee everyone learns to solfege from day one.