Who Needs Lessons!

By Randy Torno.

As a full-time banjo and mandolin instructor, over the last twenty years I have taught lessons in my studio, at a large bluegrass music store, online via videoconference, long distance over the telephone and to individuals, and groups large and small. With the huge amount of learning material available now in DVD’s, books, transcriptions, even free lessons on the internet, more and more people are buying an instrument and the latest “How to for Dummies” book and just going at it without an instructor. When I first learned how to play, in the early 60’s, qualified instructors on any of these instruments were almost impossible to find and most people learned the hard way, by slowing down records and trying to figure out what Scruggs & Co. were doing. I still remember that feeling of “I will never be able to play what they were playing”. The learning curve seemed too steep to be able to conquer it alone. I recall spending an entire summer trying to play a Scruggs lick unsuccessfully, wearing out the record. That fall I saw my first live bluegrass band and learned instantly how to play it. I managed to take a few lessons while they were in town and a whole world of playing opened up to me. Without having a live model, I had been playing the licks wrong for over a year and had to relearn everything.
In my opinion very few people can or should try to teach themselves how to play an instrument. Most people just don’t have the time, talent, motivation and natural ability to learn it in a vacuum. When first learning any mechanical skill you need a visual model of what you are trying to achieve. Each of us human beings respond differently to stimuli, and since as a teacher I am trying to stimulate my students, there is no one best and ultimate way to do that: it varies with each student. That is why I feel that the beginning student needs positive interactive feedback from a live qualified instructor either in-person or over the internet. Once they have the basic biomechanical skills down, that is the time to start delving into all the DVD’s, transcriptions, books etc.
As everyone reading this piece must realize by now, this music stuff is unlike anything else they  try and learn. There are so many overlapping aspects to it that when we begin the journey it seems difficult to find the right direction. In fact it is a journey without an end, for as long as you keep playing you will continue to learn new things about your instrument: you may get good at it but you will never master it. A good instructor should give direction to a student’s musical education and help keep them motivated.
Whether you take private or group lessons I always suggest recording the lesson and then listening to the recording before starting to practice. Students that can’t quite remember what the instructor said reinterpret moves incorrectly and we spend a lot of the next lesson straightening them out. This is also the reason for taking lessons A WEEK APART and no longer. A week is just short enough for an instructor to correct the bad habits that have crept in during the week’s practice. You will have a hard time changing a habit that you have taught yourself if you play it much longer than a week. It is thought that to correct a bad biomechanical habit, you need to make the move correctly seven times for each time you did it wrongly. If you only plan on taking a limited number of lessons, they should be a week apart whether you are just beginning or trying to improve.
Speaking of listening, I believe it is an extremely important aspect of being able to play an instrument such as a banjo that is not played off a written score but rather performed from memory. You should spend at least as long listening to the music you are trying to emulate as practicing it. By listening I mean picking one song and playing it repeatedly. Rather than hear it as a song you need to educate your ear to pick out the separate parts. Each time you listen, concentrate on a specific aspect of each instrument. Isolate each part, whether it’s a break or the backup, and then listen some more to see how they all fit together. Be sure you are listening to material that is a strong example of how you are trying to sound. A good instructor can help identify it for you.
Above all have fun. Music is supposed to be a joy not a chore. Don’t stress out about being good enough at your next lesson, just keep working at it and enjoying.

Randy Torno
WWW.Musiclessonsource.com