Conceptual Learning

I distinguish between two types of learning: Conceptual and Perceptual. Perceptual learning involves rote memorization of facts. An analogy would be learning to read by memorizing the shapes of words. This is the way most guitar teachers teach. "Here's a page with 24 chords on it. Learn these and then we'll do more!" The problem is that there are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, each with it's own shape, and there are hundreds and hundreds of chords, each with it's own shape. Not to mention scales and arpeggios. There's just not enough hard disk space if you know what I mean.

Conceptual learning involves learning principles or concepts and applying them to particulars. To continue our analogy, instead of memorizing thousands of word shapes, let's memorize 26 letters that stand for about 40 or so sounds and then learn how to put them together into words. Even if we see a word we've never seen before, we now have the understanding to sound it out so that we can get it. This is the way I teach guitar. Actually, I teach music theory. It just so happens the guitar is the instrument I use but the principles of music are the same no matter what instrument you play. Of course, you must master the instrument, that's the difficult part, the part that takes practice, but music is what I'm really interested in. The goal is to transcend the instrument and deal with the music and not to let what you play be dictated to you by the limitations of whatever instrument you happen to use. That is my agenda with every student.

In one sense, few students ever get there (I'm still workin' on it!) but that's the goal. My job as the teacher is to know the material and to organize it in the most logical and linear manner possible. In another sense, if you study with me long enough you will learn:

1) How to think about music (as opposed to the guitar) and

2) You will understand the way the guitar neck is laid out so that you can apply your knowledge.

Then you won't need me anymore.

Another thing that needs to be stated is: you'll get out of it what you put into it. I give you the tools and the concepts and ideas about how they can be used but you are the only one that can make it work for you. Self-motivation has to be there. I don't care what kind of music you're into, my goal is that whatever you do will be better and more fulfilling for you because you have studied with me.

I'm convinced that music is (at least) a language that originates from and speaks to the right side of the brain. That is the intuitive, emotive, non-linear part. What we deal with in the lessons consists of the left-brain (linear, sequential, defined) elements of that language. How you use it and what you express is your responsibility. Teaching somebody how to really play has to involve just doing it. I think everybody already knows how. It's just that we have forgotten. In our culture and way of life and in the way that we think we have cut ourselves off from the conscious use and expression of that part of ourselves. This is demonstrated by the fact that we are generally very inhibited. In my growth as a player and performer I have learned to let go of my inhibitions more and more and just be what I am and do what I do and let the music flow from that. That is something that's teachable only by example. I’ll give you the tools – but the music must come from you. I will demonstrate real music as much as I can in the context of a lesson but to really get it you need to expose yourself to real players in performance situations. So to get the Zen of guitar you should come to the gig and watch and listen - absorb and learn.