PlayJazzGuitar.com Forum

burke1 · Joined: 07 Jan 2009 Posts: 13

I am currently taking guitar lessons again (my college instructor now gives private lessons at a store) and it seems that the basic 1/2 hour lesson goes by really fast. I am not a beginner, so I catch on quickly, and now since we are concentrating on Jazz, and just touching on classical enough to keep up on sight reading, it does not seem like enough time.

For those who take or give lessons, is a half hour the standard? What if the student is more advanced?

JakeJew · Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 2192 Location: Boston, MA

burke1 · Joined: 07 Jan 2009 Posts: 13

I thought about seeing what he would charge for more time (an hour), but I think that would get expensive! Some times if his las student cancels we spend more time, he has a full schedule on the day I attend.
I just wanted to get a feel for what others were dealing with.
Thanks

stratocasturbator · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 286 Location: South Orange, NJ

I was self-taught until just last year when I decided to study privately, which I did for about a year. those lessons were an hour long. I think that's fairly typical.

burke1 · Joined: 07 Jan 2009 Posts: 13

stratocasturbator · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 286 Location: South Orange, NJ

I don't mind. the guy was/is a pro...jazz and session guy in nyc area. lessons ran $50/hr out of his house.

burke1 · Joined: 07 Jan 2009 Posts: 13

Jake Hanlon · Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 525 Location: Nova Scotia

My students through the University I teach at get 45mins a week with me 1 on 1 and a 1hr 15 minute Rhythm Section class every week with all the rhythm faculty.

My private students on my own time get hour long lessons unless they are beginners to the instrument in which they get 30 minutes.

Children under the age of 16 automatically only get 30 minutes because they cannot pay attention for any longer then that.
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tkearn5000 · Joined: 13 Oct 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Pittsburgh

From my experience a one hour lesson is pretty standard when the student is advanced. Especially if you plan on covering aspects of both classical and jazz a half hour lesson is not going to give you enough time. When I was in college I had hour lessons and alternated one week on classical and one week on jazz.

As far as pricing it kinda depends on the instructor and the location. I've seen hour lessons in music stores for as low as $35, and lessons from well known guitarists up to and well over $100 per hour. The only way to find out is to do some asking. Let your teacher know that you think you need more time to cover the material and see what he thinks.
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Viper · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 566 Location: Bristol, UK

I've hardly had any lessons (and it shows Sad

) partly through lack of bread and partly because I am mean. The lessons I have had have been disappointing but maybe I wasn't advanced enough.

What I to ask is what is it about personal lessons that makes it worth $x an hour, because it seems a lot to me and I would like to gain real and lasting benefit after all you can get DVD say with Jimmy Bruno for about the same or less and go over it at you leisure.

JakeJew · Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 2192 Location: Boston, MA

Viper · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 566 Location: Bristol, UK

Quite possibly, but what would a good teacher teach? I know people develop very good relations with their teachers.

I have had lessons from guitarists whose names would be recognised by other contributors at least in the UK if not internationally and although I have a profound respect for their playing they were not able help me. I did not get anything that I would not have got from a book or a master class.

Jake man, maybe we should consider another hypothesis that it was not teachers who were crappy but the taught.

JakeJew · Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 2192 Location: Boston, MA

Viper · Joined: 04 Oct 2005 Posts: 566 Location: Bristol, UK

Thanks to all. I think you have answered my question. Now I shall have to find such a person and the money. I did know somebody who could have fulfilled this role but he passed away. We just used to have a couple of beers together and chat about the jazz and players that we had known.

MangoTango · Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 307 Location: UK

I'm very lucky as regards teachers - I have one guy for theory and one for guitar, alternate weeks. They're both former NYJO (National Youth jazz Orchestra) of Great Britain players and are regulars on the London session, gigs, recording circuit.

Plus my theory guy has at various times been MD for the bigger theatres in London's West End. He has, maybe once or twice, given me the full hour for the hour's lesson. Most of the time it's a lot more than that, normally an hour-and-a-half or so, and he's always dishing out stuff on disk etc for me to listen to and try out. £20 for that ($32) is a bargain.

The guitar teacher tends to stick exactly to the hour, but to be honest, so much of what he does is pretty detailed and quite intense, so I'm not sure that my tiny brain could cope with a lot more. I'm not complaining.
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