Guitar lessons or learn yourself??

[Hog]

Just wondering what you think is better.

Dimebag- self taught

Hendrix- self taught

and I think they have/had their own unique style because of no external interference

However

Vai

Satriani

Hammett

Know their way around a guitar and can probably play a wider variety of musical styles.

What do you think?

[ghost]

I think self taught.... WITH THIS BOOK!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3721069397

eyethankew

[psydoll]

I like self-taught players as well 'cause as Hog says you learn your own sorta style without anyone else pushing methods onto you and you can learn what/how you're comfortable playing on guitar.

What about you Hog you never mentioned if you're self-taught or not?

[Dayeth]

I think a combo of the two is good....bit of your own style, bit of input from someone who really knows their stuff.

[Hog]

Originally posted by psydoll:

I like self-taught players as well 'cause as Hog says you learn your own sorta style without anyone else pushing methods onto you and you can learn what/how you're comfortable playing on guitar.

What about you Hog you never mentioned if you're self-taught or not?

Me... Im 99% self taught (if you class 3 weeks of guitar lessons) I really try to carve a style for myself but Im sure I could play better if I had lessons...

[Mouse]

Both players can be good, but self-taught may gain a bit more admirability.

[Monk Rocker]

Even if you teach yourself you will end up having your playing tainted by the people that you listen to and whose songs you have learned. Also, if you are entirely self taught then you probably end up missing out on loads of knowledge and techniques.

[feeble!]

Yeah, I think it depends more on how well your teacher can teach you as opposed to just getting lessons.

I think both are acceptable, but yeah - it's easier to get your hands on stuff if you have lessons

[Guest Neubeatz]

Yes, a good thing is that an experienced tutor can show you tips and tricks that you might take ages to learn on your own,

I also think that "individual style" is quite important, it's not something that you can learn from a book, but a good tutor/teacher should enable you to develop your own style to a greater degree,

But a lot of tutors are like driving instructors and will show you copycat shite for 20 per hr that you could learn from a book anyway, Try to find a tutor who is genuinely interested in your development as a musician, not just after your wallet..lol!!!

[Tav]

I think a guitar teacher is good to get people started but after a while you can teach yourself. If you are willing to seek new techniques and practice them selves. Teacher or not you are going to be influenced by other players be they pros or friends.

[Paulscoconutass]

I'm self taught but i've given myself some disabilities which i'll probably never lose - making it harder for me to play solo's... Although the satisfaction of knowing that i've got so far on ym own is quite a feeling.

[Jimmygoodein]

a teacher is a useful person. However learning from yourself is just as important.

[bryn]

Start with lessons, but theres only so much to learn about rock guitar + most teachers are shit if your not a beginner.

[-matthEw-]

self taught. picked up a few bad habbits along the way but overall i dont feel i would have been any better off with a teacher.

[Guest Ibid]

Moray College do 12 x 2hour lessons for 50, but only for absolute beginners.

[bryn]

Originally posted by -matthEw-:

self taught. picked up a few bad habbits along the way but overall i dont feel i would have been any better off with a teacher.

A while ago I thought like that but then I got a set of 8 lessons at Bruce Millers. Although by the 8th lesson it started getting pretty shit, the first few have been invaluable for my progress.

[Leckie Gilman]

self taught is the way to go.

although i sometimes wish i had someone to show me how to do shit that sounds ace on cds but not a teacher though.

teachers can git tae fuck.

[Alan Cynic]

I'm self-taught, but after too many years to mention I still only know a few chords, and can't bar. I think I must have skived, or not paid attention when I was showing myself what to do.

Mind you, I can't stand techno-flash guitarists anyway.

[Lawy Lawson:Attorney]

Originally posted by Alan Cynic:

I'm self-taught, but after too many years to mention I still only know a few chords, and can't bar?

Really? It's one of the first things I learned, but I'm backwards sometimes.

I agree with you. Really flashy-flashy stuff only seems to impress other musicians, but it's like vocaublary, the more you know, the more eloquently you can express yourself.

[bryn]

Originally posted by Lawy Lawson:Attorney:

but it's like vocaublary, the more you know, the more eloquently you can express yourself.

I've never thought of it like that but that statement is really accurate.

I don't understand people who play guitar but don't want to be good.

Maybe I shouldve been 17 in the 80s.....

[Tav]

Yeah the more you know the better in my opinion I can't stand that anti-technique point view a lot of punk type players adopt. Fair enough if your music is like that but it doesn't mean you have to be a gash guitarist the rest of the time.

[Alan Cynic]

You're probably correct, but I was fired-up by punk really, when all you had to know were 3 chords, and attempting to learn a fourth was selling out to "the man", so the anti-technique was bred into me. Mind you the polar opposie is equally irritating....the guitarists who spend all their time practiscing "hammering-on" or whatever .....it just makes my teeth ache when it's overdone (although I think I spotted Hog doing it to excellent effect on Friday).

Lawy's right, though....nowadays I'm limited in what I can do, and I'm not proud about that.

(note to self: buy another copy of Bert Weedon's "Play Guitar the easy way")

[Tav]

I don't think there's any harm in spending lots of time practicing certain techniques. It doesn't mean you have to fill a song with flashy playing it just means that when it comes to doing a certain part you are skilled enough to do it well. It also lets you delve into different styles if that takes your fancy...or take influence from different styles and put them in your own playing. Perhaps someone who just sticks to three chords has good music but as a guitarist it's a no show.

[Lawy Lawson:Attorney]

Originally posted by Tav:

I don't think there's any harm in spending lots of time practicing certain techniques. It doesn't mean you have to fill a song with flashy playing it just means that when it comes to doing a certain part you are skilled enough to do it well. It also lets you delve into different styles if that takes your fancy...or take influence from different styles and put them in your own playing. Perhaps someone who just sticks to three chords has good music but as a guitarist it's a no show.

I'm by no means a good guitarist, I get by...I think. But I definitley want to learn so I can apply diffrent sounds and textures to what I do. To get back on topic, If I had the time and money for lessons, I'd like to smooth out some of my technique a little and learn without the temptation to just mess around, as self teaching can become. I totally agree that you can go TOO far though. When I attempt to write, I want to write something I could hum or I'd that'd hook me easily. I think that's more important than being able to shred lightning fast or whatever, although I'd like to be able to do that myself and try and implement it in stuff I do, just so that option is open to me and so I could use it if necessary.

[feeble!]

Originally posted by Lawy Lawson:Attorney:

I'm by no means a good guitarist, I get by...I think. But I definitley want to learn so I can apply diffrent sounds and textures to what I do. To get back on topic, If I had the time and money for lessons, I'd like to smooth out some of my technique a little and learn without the temptation to just mess around, as self teaching can become. I totally agree that you can go TOO far though. When I attempt to write, I want to write something I could hum or I'd that'd hook me easily. I think that's more important than being able to shred lightning fast or whatever, although I'd like to be able to do that myself and try and implement it in stuff I do, just so that option is open to me and so I could use it if necessary.

But the lightning shredders may get hooked easily on more lightning shred.

Maybe they want something they can rock out to, I don't know

It works both ways I guess.