![]() Let’s play, I said, and we counted ourselves into “The Best of My Love”. I heard myself welcoming everyone like I owned the place. We were greeted by some thirty faces of all ages, relaxed and polite. The leadoff musician was a no-show, so Pat introduced Dave, and he introduced me. Pat positioned a floor lamp at the back wall, dimmed the overhead lights, and we were bathed in a cozy glow. The room was cold and every string on my guitar had pulled sharp. I was about to unplug when I remembered the volume control on the pickup in the sound hole. I plugged my acoustic into my Fishman Loudbox. I introduced myself and helped Tom test the mics. A staffer, Pat, busied herself setting up refreshments, as our sound guy, Tom, unraveled extension cords. The meeting room held forty chairs, tiny cafe-style tables with candles, two mics, and a baby grand piano. I arrived early and lugged my gear to a back entrance. ![]() Now, there’s a hiccup after the second verse right here….” We’d need a synthesizer for that eighties vibe, but two guitars can carry it.” ‘Your Wildest Dreams’ by the Moody Blues. What if after we’re done, the library sets up the room for an AA meeting?” And we’re going to be at a library with moms and kids. “Dave, this is a fun song to play, and I can almost sing it, but it’s a drinking song. After about the seventh run-through, I stepped back from the mic and shook my head. We tried Margo Prices’s “Hurtin’ on the Bottle”. ![]() What songs? Who sings? Any solos? Who introduces whom? I didn’t have rose petals to sprinkle around the living room floor, so instead I put down an amp and a microphone for rehearsing. It was a jam a little while ago, as we all paused between songs, when he softly said those three little words that melt every woman’s heart: “You’re getting better.” He loves the blues, I love my ballads, but our tastes are similar. I’m as envious of his stamina as his improvisation. Warm, self-effacing, and possessing an exquisitely light touch on his Martin, he prefers to play standing - even for two hours. We met a few years ago at our monthly acoustic jam. Ten minutes at the library? Why not?ĭave is a veteran of open mics. Yet again, Dave was gently coaxing me to play an open mic with him. "Old and all that?" did you say? Ahem! Unless you were born in the first three minutes of 1953, I'm older than you! □♀️ I wish you success, but keep in mind that luck has almost nothing to do with it. When you have those, the monetary cost is practically trivial. But a student and teacher do need to share a mutual love of learning for the subject, and the ability to communicate, to recognize what works and what doesn’t. I offer this as one who’s now starting my sixth year of private lessons - the fourth with the same teacher - and also as one who has tutored my own students (in another discipline) for 30 years. Does your teacher inspire and challenge you? Does he, or she, respect your skill level and goals? Do you practice what you agree to work on? Do you bring specific questions to each session? Are your expectations realistic? Randy, whether you should continue with your teacher or not depends mainly upon the relationship.
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