The fact that you are reading this means you are a
guitar teacher who is using or thinking about using my teaching method, Vertical Truth
- Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar. I would like to give you some ideas about how I
use the books as well as inform you about this web site.
It is my contention that information, which is what my
books are all about, is easy to come by and can be had for free. Just type "guitar
lessons" into a search engine and see what comes up on your computer. It never ceases
to amaze me how much time people put into web sites that just give away information. I
should clarify that and say "basic information". I think it's true that you
would have a hard time finding double-altered ninth chords or
any kind of bitonal material for the guitar. Much less organized as it is in my books.
However, only one out of 200 students will ever get that far. The vast majority of guitar
students will be struggling with bar chords and learning to play the Blues. That
information is out there to be had for free to anybody with a computer and modem. Many web
sites advertise "interactive lessons". Wrong. What you do is download
a file
or listen to an audio file. That is not interactive. Interactive is when the student
and teacher "interact" - that means they can see and hear each other in real
time. True interaction is what happens in a guitar lesson. No interaction takes place when
you read a book or watch an instructional video.
Information, which is what you get by reading a book or
watching an instructional video, is only a small part of playing the guitar. The
overwhelming majority of the time it takes to master an instrument is spent on technique.
The physical aspect is the part that takes the practice. You don't practice learning
a Blues lick. You practice playing it. Learning something and playing something are
two different problems. Learning is easy - playing is the hard part. There are people who understand
bitonalism but they can't play anything. Good technique - the playing - cannot be
learned from a book or video. It can only be learned from someone who knows what they're
doing. A book can't say, "Your making mistakes because your thumb is in the wrong
place." The teacher has to be able to see the student play in order to properly teach
good technique - which is the ability to actually play. That is why there is
only one page on technique in the entire book. A book can't teach good technique, only a
person can and developing good technique is the largest part of learning to play any
instrument.
With that in mind, I'm not interested in using the web to
distribute information. There are thousands of sites already doing that. I want a site
that facilitates interaction - real interaction - between teachers and other
teachers and between teachers and students. So here is the basic concept. It will be
refined as we go along.
Any teacher who buys any books at the
wholesale price gets:
1) Access to me with a response time
guaranteed within 24 hours if you have problems or comments concerning
the books, the web site, or teaching in general.
2) I will advertise you on my site.
This includes bios, gig info, CDs, pictures, links, mp3s - anything that's pertinent.
You will have your own free page.
3) I will link to your e-mail address
&/or web site.
4) I will refer students in your area to you that
inquire about lessons through the web site.
5) You pay wholesale price for the
books. You can charge retail and make a profit or discount from retail
price and impress your students with what a nice guy you are!
6) You will get updates, information
about changes in the books and general blither from me on a very
irregular basis via email. (I promise not to spam you!)
7) In the near future, in order to help teachers
optimize the use of my books, I'm very interested in giving
lessons to teachers who are using my books via some kind of video
conferencing program where we can see and hear each other in real time.
If any of you reading this are knowledgeable in this area I would
appreciate some info.
The idea is to create a network of real teachers
giving real lessons to the people who want them, using my method books. You are not
limited to my books of course. You may use them however you see fit. Incorporate them into
whatever you're already doing. As the introduction to the book states, they are only
an outline of what is in my head. A teaching guide, if you will. Every teacher is
different and every student is different. You will have complete freedom to apply the
books however you want - that’s what I do! That is what software or a book or
an audio file cannot do - apply the information individually.
So the focus of the site is not the books so much as the
teachers who are using the books. I think the potential for everyone involved is obvious.
I’m interested in any comments or suggestions you might have.
CALL OR EMAIL FOR INFO PACK
Studio:(816)509-0331
Email
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