Yesterday was a good day. I saw three students and then played last night. That was a good music day. My students were a 12 year old, a 42 year old, and a 54 year old- so it was a broad spectrum. The thing I forget and what makes teaching guitar so interesting, is you have to go back to the rudiments (hand position, pick technique, upstroke/downstroke, etc) and I realize how awful my own technique has become due to just playing without thinking. So last night when I played, I did put some thought in to technique and I have to say – it made a difference.

Another thing is, I find that teaching guitar can’t just be mailed in. It’s about teaching the right way to the right person. Everyone is unique in how they look at a guitar and think about it, especially when they are just starting out. For instance, the 12 year old was having a real problem playing certain chords because his hand is small! Duh. So I put a capo at the 5th fret and made him play the basic chords that way. It worked like magic. That little discovery inspired me and makes this whole thing worthwhile. It’s a good clean living I guess.

“Let me explain something about guitar playing. Everyone’s got their own character, and that’s the thing that’s amazed me about guitar playing since the first day I picked it up. Everyone’s approach to what can come out of six strings is different from another person, but they’re all valid”
Jimmy Page