I make my living as a teacher of a body of knowledge that is hard and complicated (computer programming, but that's not relevant). The vast majority of my students are smart enough to teach themselves but they come to me anyway. And they are not fools. They come to my classes for many reasons. They are busy and need the structure of formal classes. They are confused by all the different technologies and don't know where to start. They are smart enough but lack enough self-confidence to do it on their own. Some have severe learning disabilities and need to hear things differently. I have spent a lot of time adapting my teaching and materials to all my students, including my blind ones.

I spent a decade studying with a master guitar teacher. There is no way I could have learned everything I learned from him with just books. He had actual real-life experience as a professional, just like I do with computers. Some of my students only need me to point them in the right direction and they do the rest. Some need me to sit with them every week and talk them through that hard parts. Some don't even come very often and do fine. But, everyone is different and everyone has a different learning style.

Tritone, I'm glad that you don't need teachers and help, but most people do. Calling us all fools does not help anyone and just alienates you from this new forum. I call on you to please acknowledge that not everyone is not like you and to please stop your insults. They are not welcome.

What is welcome are your ideas and challenges for people to be more independent. If you think a certain book would help me please give me a link and I'll check it out. If you think a concept would be helpful let me know what it is, just stop insulting my learning style.

Thanks,

-Eric

This is probably a blatantly obvious observation, but I'd say a healthy approach is to balance instruction of experienced players/teachers with your own initiative/application of musical ideas, with emphasis on the latter.

On one hand, because of my particular tuning, I'm often my own as far as developing a style and coming up with strategies for song arrangements. The primary influence on my Stick playing is not another Stick player but perhaps Ian Anderson (frontman of Jethro Tull) whose acoustic guitar techniques are a big part of my left hand Stick style. I'm not interested in sounding like Tony Levin or being in a King Crimson style band (even though I love those guys), having always had a passion for the more folky/pastoral/baroque side of English prog. As a developing musician, when I heard something I loved I wanted to know everything I could about it, and so I set out to assimilate my musical influences. In the past this involved the long and often difficult process of learning the bass, guitar, and/or keyboard parts of songs I love, or trying to figure out chord progressions by ear. Now I'm attempting to take a lot of these ideas, both in the music theory and instrument technique realms, and adapting them to the Stick and hopefully it becomes a more unique and personal style. It's enormously fun and rewarding.

On the other hand, if I hadn't had a couple lessons with Greg when I first got stared with my tuning, I would have easily developed some bad habits that limited my potential to make progress. By focusing on instrument position, using the whole body and not putting all the stress on the fingers (a common pitfall when starting), and having the opportunity to meet with him in person to go over technique fundamentals, it gave me a foundation for going off and being creative/productive with my "rogue" tuning. When it comes to technique fundamentals, video or personal meetings are much more beneficial than simply reading ideas from a book... you need to see it in action. And I think guys like Greg and Steve would be the first to advocate the idea of "enabling" players to pursue their music goals, not creating mindless clones of themselves.

...But to place such importance on these people and to place their pedestal so high... to propegate the idea that their teaching is vital for your accelerated growth and that their "life experiences" are gonna make you play your instrument better is just dishonest.