Hello everyone, and Happy New Year
It occurs to me that over the years, learning methods have undergone some significant changes. I started guitar and drums/percussion at the tender age of 12. In 1982, no one had heard of the Internet, let alone had access to a decent computer at home or even at school. I remember intently studying an actual book, trying to figure out how to actually make a chord sound anything like decent, and short of actually having physical lessons, I and my fellow learners were basically “on our own”.
Contrast that with the situation today. There is a huge amount of material available online, much of it free, on the likes of YouTube, specialist learning sites etc etc. Now, I will stress that it can be a minefield in terms of the quality of the information available, but at least there is somewhere to turn to provide some guidance. The same goes for learning songs – chord charts can be found on line, and although not always accurate they provide a basis to start learning a song.
So, why do I mention this? Well, the point is that these days learners are very lucky to have such a massive range of resources at their fingertips. As a teacher this can only be a good thing. Students still require the hands on guidance that only actual physical lessons can provide, but outside the teaching studio the inquisitive learner can find limitless ideas, songs, suggestions on the web which enhance the whole learning experience.
Far from all the material out there is decent quality, and indeed some is just incorrect or misleading. This is where a good teacher comes in, filtering and correcting so that the learning experience remains of a high quality. Indeed, there comes a point at which a student knows themselves what is good or othersiwe, at which point the technology available to us provides endless opportunities for self learning.
in 1982, when I started, we had the radio, Top Of The Pops, shops and the library. How things have changed….
Until next time.
Chris