hey everyone...
Well I went to my first official lesson yesterday for about an hour and a half yesterday... First let me say I just picked up this guys card at a music store and called him up Friday and don't know anything about him... Except for what his card says he has done... I just wanted to ask those who have had experience with a good Teacher, what are the things to look for in selecting the right Teacher? Let me say that at first I was a bit uncomfortable with him and got comfortable more as time went on... But this guy is like totally different personality from me, he is very clean cut, I think sternly religious background guy...And Im from East TX, so thats common down here..... But I have absolutely no problems with anything Ive said above, I just want to know how do I know this guy is right for me? Does any of that other shit matter? Or does all that matter is that "hey this guy knows how to play!"..... Which yeah he does know how to play... He also primarily plays soft-rock and jazz, which I have no problem with... But I am definitely of the alternative/metal/hard rock background... With the soft-rock and jazz being his primary styles, will this ever effect me as I'm learning?....He says he can teach me any genre, I have yet to see him play much... All we did was mess with the A Major Scale and Chord Progression introduction yesterday... but the stuff he did play, he is definitely a seasoned vet..... But I'm asking this because, there is another teacher here in town and I actually know him pretty well.. He works at a local music store, well he used to, he basically just gives lessons now.. And hes a more liberal type and younger..... And ofcourse I get along with this guy really great... I just didnt know if or what might interfere with me picking out the right Teacher....

I've been at this for only about 4-5 months but don't have a teacher.  I have a "coach".  He is a good friend of mine that has been playing over 40 years.  It works for me because at 60 years old, I have plenty of time and patience to learn what I want to learn.  When I'm ready to learn something new I get together with him and work on "whatever".  If I were looking for a "teacher", I'd definitely look for someone that shares my goals in learning as far as style and genre.  Then, get referrences as to his teaching methods.  Some people can play like crazy but have a hard time 'teaching" and communicating.  the biggest thing is if that teacher can keep it FUN for you to keep your interest UP.

Good Luck and welcome to a new "experience?"

Newbie

excellent question! my answer is no none of that stuff matters when you ae starting out. you are going to have your hands full learning basic stuff to start with. my advice is when starting out find someoe who is affourdable because you are going to be learning basics for some time. in  other words there is no need to pay twenty dollars a half hour for someone to teach you how to play G C and D chords. when i started i found a woman who taught me cowboy chords or open chords to start with for 5 dollars a half hour. i think that is all she really knew, as time went on i did find a teacher who was more progressive and into rock which was what i wanted to learn at the time.
   sounds like you have a good teacher to me if he didn't spend all of your tme showing of to you but instead taught you some fundamentals to get you started.
    an added thought is remember your teacher is there to help but the drive to learn has to come from you and in my case the teacher i have is not the only source of knowledge i use you tube and this site as supplemental learning devices. ok enogh said good luck. and welcome to my favorite site.
    another thing is learning different styles will certainly broaden your horizons for example if you have access to a jazz musician as stated you will find that style is complex and uses hard chord that are going to make other stuff alot easier to do. power chords fo rock songs are going to be a breeze if you are taught a bunch of seventh and 9th and 13th chords.
   this may be getting a little bit ahead but is certainly on the way , learning the modes is the secret to the universe.

great post ; i,am going to start lessons again in daytona beach and i was looking for the best price ($20 an hour), and the best teach for me; i have come across (sam) who works for a music store called total entertanment what do you guys thank  >>>>http://electricchurch.musicteachershelper.com/

starting lessons again has totaly reinspired me and made me twice as fast and twice as dedicated as i was when i was a teen. now the funds come from my own coffers perhaps that has something to do with it!

Thanks for all the fast replies guys! Well I think this guy may be a very decent teacher, he says he has 29 years of teaching experience alone, besides his playing experience! And I was definitely I guess you could say "humbled" also.. All I've been learning on my own is Scales, basic Chords, and I always play a lot of Guitar Tabs in Guitar Pro and Power Tab! So I went in yesterday, and he started schooling me in the whole idea of Music Theory... And we first covered the first 8 notes of the A Major Scale... And he is wanting me to practice getting that down fluently, ONLY the first 8 notes, and learn how to substitute each note with a chord, for the "Chord Scale".... And thats something else I wanted to ask... Well, the first 8 notes in the A Major scale are:

A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A         (I hope these are right?)

But he wants me to practice substituting each of those notes with a chord, to where I can play ALL 8 notes using a Chord Scale.... So if the above notes are right, do I need to get out my Guitar Chord Sheets, and would the proper way to play those in a chord scale be just the way they are listed above?


Like so:

A Maj
B Maj
C# Maj
D Maj
E Maj
F# Maj
G# Maj
and back to A Maj...

Is this right, or did I miss something in this? It seems like I remember him first playing an A Major, then a B Minor? I do know it was a B Minor he was helping me get my fingering right for, but I don't remember if it was part of the above chord scale? But all he told me about the above made perfect sense and really opened up my mind to learning Music Theory.... Do any of you guys have any good websites that teach the above methods? I guess taking a Major Scale and Learning it with a Chord Scale? I hope I'm saying this all correctly! I tried to remember to the best of my ability what he said exactly, forgive me if something is not accurate!

Hello MicahNTX, welcome to chordbook, I'm sure you're going to like it here. Your instructor sounds like the real thing from what you've mentioned and to answer your question about A B C# D E F# G# A, yes that's the A Major scale. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that when your instructor asked that you substitue chords for the notes of the scale, and where you refer to that as 'chord scale', i'd guess he called it 'chord progression' perhaps. You'd have to check with your instructor.

I notice you said ' I tried to remember to the best of my ability what he said exactly', so here's a suggestion that has always worked for me in classes of any kind.... take notes....

As far as finding the chords for each of the notes in the A Major scale, just go to the 'chordfinder' section here in chordbook and be amazed. You can even sound them....loop them...play along with them....to see if you're getting it right. Good luck !

GuitarZen

...although I'm not 100% sure, your instructor MIGHT have been asking about the "harmonized scale", which is the CHORDS that accompany the Ionian Scale. For instance (in triads):

Key-of-C: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bm, C'

Key-of-A: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m, A'

...notice the "sequence" of the chords:

two frets above the Root-note is the II-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
two frets above the II-degree is the III-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
one fret above the III-degree is the IV-degree note, and its chord is MAJOR.
two frets above the IV-degree is the V-degree note, and its chord is MAJOR.
two frets above the V-degree is the VI-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
two frets above the VI-degree is the VII-degree note, and its chord is MINOR with flatted-5th.
one fret above the VII-degree is the octave I-degree, and you're back to the Root chord which is MAJOR.

Hey Tele-Man! I do believe you got it right.. Because he did talk about the Ionian Scale... And he did mention "Triads" also, and I just can't remember what it was he wanting me to practice for the Chord Progression... I'm definitely going to take notes next time......But the Key of A thing you listed with the:
"Key-of-A: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m, A'"
I do believe that might have been the one he was wanting me to work on.....
and OK the first 8 notes in the A Major Scale are:
A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A   (right?)

So with those being the first 8 single notes...
What are the exact chords I should play to substitute those notes for I guess the "Chord Progression" in the Key of A?
would it be the:
Amaj, Bmaj, C#maj, Dmaj, Emaj, F#maj, G#maj, Amaj
or
"Key-of-A: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m, A'" ?

I do hope I am wording all of this right, so bare with me! But I have a strong desire to learn Guitar and Master it one day! I am the kind of person who either does something all the way or not at all!!! And I am very passionate about the Guitar and I feel almost like it is my calling! I have not been able to put it down since I picked it up a month ago......
But also, is there any good reading Material with Images that can explain the above things for me? I hate using the word "things", I'm just not familiar with all the terminology yet! But I guess what I'm looking for, is the material to where I can learn to substitute Chords for Single Notes on any of the Major Scales... And just learn the whole Music Theory in general... I am going to keep going to my lessons, but I play everyday as much as I can and I need some good material that breaks it down for beginners... Because basically all I do is play Tabs right now..... But thank you everyone for all yer help... Yer all definitely the coolest bunch of guys I've had the pleasure of talking to! I'm so glad I actually found a forum like this that is filled with people that are as passionate about learning as I am!!

the chord progression would be

A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m(flat 5/diminished), A



as for the teachers style. i don't think it matters so much that he has a different style from what you would like to play as the begginers 'stuff' is more or less always the same. it may have a slight twist towards his style but thats nothing to worry about. it just means when you start your 'hard rock' then that may also have a slight twist and you can create your own sound.

learning many different styles will help you create your own sound when it comes to that stage.

GuitarFreak, thanks man! Thats some really good advice... I really dont think his style of playing matters either, as you said, all the basics at the beginning are gonna be the same for starters.... Thanks for clearing me up on the Chord Progression there... That is it! The only thing I do not understand about the:

A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A 

The first 8 notes above of the A Major Scale, what I dont understand is why is the proper Chord Progression:
A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m(flat 5/diminished), A

And not just:

AMaj, BMaj, C#Maj, DMaj, EMaj, F#Maj, G#Maj, AMaj

Since the first 8 notes of the A Major Scale are just, A, B,C# etc etc on my fretboard map I'm looking at...
I'm not saying I'm doubting you! I know that yer right! And I know my teacher will get to explaining of why that is, but in the meantime, I would like to find a website that will help me to know *why* the Chord Progression for the A Major Scale is what it is..... Do you have a good link for me you could post me? Or tell me what phrase I should google exactly? Thanks once again everyone!!

MicahNTX wrote:

But also, is there any good reading Material with Images that can explain the above things for me? I hate using the word "things", I'm just not familiar with all the terminology yet! But I guess what I'm looking for, is the material to where I can learn to substitute Chords for Single Notes on any of the Major Scales... And just learn the whole Music Theory in general... I am going to keep going to my lessons, but I play everyday as much as I can and I need some good material that breaks it down for beginners... Because basically all I do is play Tabs right now..... But thank you everyone for all yer help... Yer all definitely the coolest bunch of guys I've had the pleasure of talking to! I'm so glad I actually found a forum like this that is filled with people that are as passionate about learning as I am!!

there is a product out called the guitar wheel (im pretty sure the website is guitarwheel.com) that is fairly inexpensive. you can rotate it around for all the keys and it will tell you all the chords, notes ,modes, inversions , etc. it also has a side for piano. i think that is what you were talking about? let me know if this is helpful

Hello again MicahNTX, everyone is giving you your answer and you've actually pretty much answered your question yourself. I think you're going overload and i understand that as in the beginning of my theory training i was so eager i'd get headaches and have to shut the comp down.

I think the best way to answer where you want to be confused regarding the chord progression presented for the A Major scale is to have you refer back to Old Tele Man's post where you'll find this....:

...'...although I'm not 100% sure, your instructor MIGHT have been asking about the "harmonized scale",...'

that statement, coupled with this....:

...'Key-of-A: A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m, A'...'   and this...:

...'two frets above the Root-note is the II-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
two frets above the II-degree is the III-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
one fret above the III-degree is the IV-degree note, and its chord is MAJOR.
two frets above the IV-degree is the V-degree note, and its chord is MAJOR.
two frets above the V-degree is the VI-degree note, and its chord is MINOR.
two frets above the VI-degree is the VII-degree note, and its chord is MINOR with flatted-5th.
one fret above the VII-degree is the octave I-degree, and you're back to the Root chord which is MAJOR...'

the above has all the words and theory to answer your question. Hope this helps and if you're still not sure, please ask about the above statements...

Key i think are the words 'harmonized scale' and the sequences part, i.e. 'two frets, two frets, ONE fret, two frets, two frets, two frets, ONE fret which yields a sort of formula which reads:

Whole (two frets)
Whole (two frets)
Half     (one fret)
Whole (two frets)
Whole (two frets)
Whole (two frets)
Half    (one fret)...or WWHWWWH for short...also, remembering that 'A' is the root note and the formula goes from there.

GuitarZen

MicahNTX wrote:

The first 8 notes above of the A Major Scale, what I dont understand is why is the proper Chord Progression:
A, Bm, C#m, D, E, F#m, G#m(flat 5/diminished), A

And not just:

AMaj, BMaj, C#Maj, DMaj, EMaj, F#Maj, G#Maj, AMaj

i'm not sure WHY it is like that (although i may of been told and am just being stupid atm) but it is true for every major scale.

the chord progression in every major scale will always go...
Major Minor Minor Major Major Minor Diminished.

the chord progression in every minor scale will always go...
Minor Diminished Major Minor Minor Major Major.

i basically just repeated everything old tele man and guitar zen said here but a bit shorter lol.

...to continue GuitarZen's explanation, and maybe answer "why?" the chords are as they are:

1) the NOTES of the Ionian Scale (which was the Key-of-C for the Greeks) are named for their "degree" within the scale:

I = First-degree, also called the Root (R) note
II = Second-degree or 2nd note
III = Third-degree or 3rd note
IV = Fourth-degree or 4th note
V = Fifth-degree or 5th note
VI = Sixth-degree or 6th note
VII = Seventh-degree or 7th note.
VIII = I' = Eighth-degree (seldom used) or "Octave" (8th in Italian)

2) the triad (3-note) CHORDS associated with (and built from) each degree note are:

I = MAJOR (R, 3, 5)
II = minor (R, m3, 5)
III = minor (R, m3, 5)
IV = MAJOR (R, 3, 5)
V = MAJOR (R, 3, 5)
VI = minor (R, m3, 5)
VII = minor (R, m3, d5) <---often called a minor as a triad chord, but is really a diminished chord due to diminished 5th (d5) note.

3) Now, going back to Key-of-C, lets apply both the NOTE names and CHORD names to each degree:

I = C Major
II = D minor
III = E minor
IV = F Major
V = G Major
VI = A minor
VII = B minor with b5 ...or more correctly B diminished triad.

...notice there are NO notes or chords called out between each degree (Greeks didn't have or use them).

4) Now, we use today's equally-tempered scale (twelvth-root of two) and "fill-in" the blank spaces and apply some Italian musical names:

C = I = Root = C Major
C# = minor 2nd note
D = II = 2nd = D minor
D# = minor 3rd note
E = III = 3rd = E minor
F = VI = 4th = F Major, also called a "Perfect 4th"
F# = diminished 5th or b5 note
G = V = 5th = G Major, also called "Perfect 5th"
G# = augmented 5th or #5 note
A = VI = 6th = A minor
A# = minor Major 7th note, usually called dominant 7th (as opposed to Major 7th) note today
B = VII = 7th = B minor b5, or B diminished triad.

5) Whether the chord is MAJOR or minor depends upon the III-degree; if it's a pure III, then it's a MAJOR chord, but if it's a mIII or flatted-III, then it's a minor chord.

6) The addition of a diminished 5th to a minor chord creates a "diminished" chord.

7) The "in-between" notes are typically (but NOT always) filled with a true diminished 7th chord (has 4 notes and symmetrical interval spacing between notes), ie: G# diminished 7th would commonly 'fit' between the G Major chord and the A minor chord, etc..

...something to remember, the CHORDS are Major, minor, etc. but the notes may or may not be!