Welcome to The G aka Gool’s Guitar Gossip – blogging about anything music related
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10 (or more?) red hot benefits why learning with a tutor is better than learning alone
We’ve all at some point asked : “Should I learn music alone & save money (or at least that’s what who decide to learn alone think) OR should I contact someone more experienced to show me the shortcuts? Certainly, it’s a dilemma between the stairway to heaven or the highway to hell? Or was it a highway to heaven & a stairway to hell (as explained in the video)?
#1 – Saves you time
We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare! So let’s say you want to build a room in your backgarden? Unless you know how to build it yourself, would you get an expert or spend time to learn building it?
#2 – Saves you money
Paying someone else saves you money! As much as an oxymoron that may sound, in the long-term it saves you dosh from your piggy bank!
Let’s say you know how to build a room in your back garden already, but it’s not your main job. So to build it, it will eat the time from you making money for your own living.
Similarly if you are going to learn music, if you choose to do everything by trial and error vs guided by the shortcuts an expert in the field shares with you, in the long run either it eats into other factors of your life/ you do not accomplish enough.
#3 & #4 – Live interaction – you can probe the tutor & the tutor can correct you on the spot
While there are many good videos online, you cannot just ask the presenter on the spot, but you have to email/ leave a comment and wait for their reply. You surely do not want to be kept hanging, when that quick answer can trigger your imagination to ask further about the subject. Make hay while the sun shines!
Similarly, if the tutor notices that you misunderstood something or needs to correct a posture in your playing, nothing beats the here and now, supported by the why and its benefits. More about posture in the video.
#5 – You learn within the reach of your ability
Lo & behold! The main benefit of taking lessons with a pro is that lesson material is presented to you within the reach of your ability, your progress is constantly being monitored within that ability, and challenges presented to you are the next level up.
What happens when we seek to learn anything is that we seek to learn what interests us, which as natural as that seems, we do not know how easy/hard something may be. Yes we want to be as good as our idols sooner without knowing the work they put into it, but take it easy tiger, Rome wasn’t built in one day.
I compare this with a video game. One starts with level 1 progressing gradually level by level. However if one goes on random YouTube videos, one does not know if that video is level 1 or 5, and if e.g. one lands on level 5 they might find the guitar daunting. Whereas it’s just that one would not have gone through the 4 previous levels that build the skills progressively up.
So yes you choose what to learn, and lessons are catered around your objective (no one is asking you to play a different video game than the one you want to), however the tutor is there to break it down to you in the simplest way possible keeping in mind your interests (eg a metal guitarist is more likely to want to learn tapping than fingerstyle, yet it would be advisable for him to first learn different shapes of the same vertical scale & to view the horizontal lines connecting them, as if one goes steadfast into tapping, time would have to be spent backtracking to learn those scales shapes & building that technique).
#6 – Better focus = more value for money
You pay x amount of money to get x amount of tuition time. Surely you do not want to be distracted – eg an appealing thumbnail on YouTube’s sidebar/ a friend calling you, which is generally what happens when one does it alone.
Naturally, a lesson will always drift towards both parties (student & tutor) pushing towards achieving the most value for money out of the lesson time.
For lessons with me, I put my mobile on silent and out of my reach, and suggest the same from you!
#7 – You build a rapport with a friend whose interest is your progress
Learning with someone else earns you a new music buddy. Besides being in a tutor’s interest to show their students the simplest way to play their instrument, over time we become friends and it’s not the 1st time that I have got discounted gig tickets for my students, etc etc.
#8 – Organic dynamic nature of lessons + live advice re sound
As much as technology advances, it never replaces that on-the-spot feel about sound. How e.g. a certain sound can be developed close to a sound of another guitarist you like. From time to time, I help students to determine what’s necessary to achieve their dream sound by adding a bit of delay or removing some noise gate on their current set up, or suggesting better gear if it calls for it.
#9 – Doing it right in the first place to not have to fix it later.
Learning how to play things right from the get-go, the probability of building bad habits that hinder your technique is less, which in turn opens up your fingers to quickly respond to the music in your head.
This brings back the story of the tortoise and the hare. More in the video!
#10 – Nothing worth paying for is free!
This is what it says on the tin.
Am sure some relative/friend of yours has at some point taught you this life lesson! There is modesty to be learnt with each step of any wonderful learning journey (including yours), as the only one way to eat an elephant is a bite at a time. I welcome you to your 1st bite at this link!
Two BONUS benefits
#11 – You quickly find tunes in your head/understand theory under your fingers
Let’s now talk about being efficient musicians.
The way our head functions to produce music is that we get an idea, our eyes ensure that idea is being played by the fingers, that in turn produce a sound that’s confirmed by the ear before the mind accepts it back as the idea it originally was. Seems complex doesn’t it? But isn’t that what you do when you talk (in which case your mouth replaces your eyes), or even simpler, isn’t that what you do when you write? Music is a language, hence it uses senses, and is hence easy when you learn it right!
At the video, you can watch how this happens when learning a new chord or scale comparing it to one you already know. Learning with a tutor facilitates how soon you make that mind-eyes-fingers-sound-ears-mind connection.
#12 – You learn how to get the most out of your practice to be creative
The best tutors always want the extract the best from you! A good tutor will always explain to you what you can achieve by doing any exercise, and is always there a step ahead of your journey, ready to challenge you to the next level. Remember your video game? But this time you have a guide so you do not unintentionally skip levels.
Besides helping you understand why you practise something, you’ll in turn learn when it’s time to stop/reduce an exercise to make way for something more challenging. Like a tortoise not a hare, you do less but achieve more! Quality over quantity of practice.
I hold a once-only training session about this called “Improve Faster – Become Amazing Sooner”. Read more about it at my group lesson page (Module 17), which can be learnt online/in-person, and is also open for non-current students.
For more vidz accompanying similar articles, please subscribe to Cool Gool’s Youtube
For lessons, please book at this link.)
www.malcolmcallus.com
Modern approaches to guitar, bass, ukulele & music theory tuition
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Let your mistakes be your light!
One thing I notice both as a musician jamming with others, and as a music tutor, is the fear of mistakes.
While I understand the concern when playing in front of a crowd, there’s NO excuse when one is learning, as the only critic is your 4 walls.
Yet, sometimes when one is learning an instrument, they forget that the best learning of one’s mother tongue happened while still in the cot, with little to no consciousness. Similarly in music, best to think less – to walk the fire, to swim the water, to take risks.
What do I mean?
When we are writing songs, we should just try ideas and see how they sound. Sometimes (or many times) we think too much wanting to know about the theory of why something will sound right. But how about we instead experiment and if it sounds right then it means we are using some theory rule, even if we do not know which? After all, haven’t we all learnt to listen and speak before how to read and write?
Same when practising. We need to try stuff. Take e.g. a solo – some are scared to improvise, others just go for it. Or a strum pattern of a song – some spend ages trying to get all the down and up strokes exactly like a video by the original songwriter, while others do not look up a video at all (remember the pre-YouTube years?), just sing the song’s rhythm, & start strumming it without understanding how it would be written. So who gets on with it first? The 2nd of course!
Which brings me to the next point – efficiency. When you practice, don’t overthink because if something comes out wrong, your ears will let you know, thus learning how not to do it. Great! So try again! Wrong again? Amazing! 2nd lesson learnt in how not to do it. And sooner than you realize, you run out of all the options of how not to do it, that you will do it right! Get the point here? I am from Malta (a Mediterranean island). Do you know how most of us learn how to swim? Our parents throw us into the sea, and that way through learning how not to swim, there is only maybe 10% of the technique of swimming they later have to explain! Efficiency at its best – of course they are in the water with us to ensure we don’t drown, and that’s where lessons with a pro tutor come in – he teaches you how to swim alone, but never lets you drown.
Quick question here!
You to stranger : What’s your name?
Stranger : Lucy
Verbally ask the above – takes 1 second to get an answer.
Now write the question on a paper & hand it to Lucy, and she’ll write her name on the paper, and you read it back. Surely that took longer didn’t it?
It’s the same with your instrument – go for it, and it gives you answers sooner!
This is also what makes the best musicians live, always confident they can turn any mistake into a clarification, like in a face-to-face conversation vs an endless Facebook argument (we’ve all facepalmed at those endless threads).
And now to writing our own songs. Sometimes we are in our element, and writing the best tunes. But other times we are in a different mood – drunk, or tired, or simply not our usual self. But we feel an urge to play, maybe stronger than when we are our normal self. So whatever your mood, don’t overthink, just film/record yourself. Do NOT think of the mistakes you could do, but go for it, and only later, do listen and watch.
For example, my video above! I just was out and about, and needed to express myself so much that once home I just filmed (as you can see I literally placed my mobile on the chair and started). Did I care about the camera angle/ filming quality? NO….. because music is audio not video! So that’s my suggestion to anyone – when your creativity calls do not clutter your head thinking about mistakes/ lack of perfection/ perfect filming/ bla bla bla, but just go for it! You’ll thus build a library of snippets, and only later when writing a song that you extract the best parts of whatever you got.
Till next time, keep making mistakes, as they will be your light!
For vidz accompanying similar articles, please subscribe to Cool Gool’s Youtube
For lessons, please book at this link.)
www.malcolmcallus.com
Modern approaches to guitar, bass, ukulele & music theory tuition
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What does playing a music instrument mean to you?
Update 2020 : I asked the same questions to different students few years later. Enjoy their video.
Original article from Oct 2016 :
For the last few months, I’ve been asking all my students this very question in view of later compiling it into this blog, an exercise meant both to drive them to want to play more (by understanding each others’ perspective why they love playing guitar/bass/uke), and also for the better good of motivating anyone reading this to pick up an instrument – whatever the instrument – and play. To that effect, I include some videos for further inspiration.
Answers varied from “my way of communicating to Jesus through praise” (Alex, acoustic student) to “a way to develop my creative side” (Graham, online electric student) to “a treat for my retirement” (Martin, acoustic student) to “something completely different so enjoyable that time flies away” (Byron, uke student) to “infinitely deep and rewarding- something you enjoy alone or share with others” (William, online electric student), to the even more out-there “a way to be inspired and tap into the rhythm of the universe!” as Rob, an electric guitar student put it.
However you look at it, playing a musical instrument means different things to different people, and the aim of this article is to highlight that. To me, as a tutor and performer alike, it means a lot, but mostly
a) a way to translate my never-ending quest for being creative.
In my daily life and even outside of musical fields, I constantly seek and am thrilled by novel ideas, hence the guitar is my tool to give my share for more alternative ways to create new music. An artist first, then a musician, then a guitarist. In other words, I always try to feed any audience that element of surprise.
Being creative is a constant challenge to keep the mind fresh, as through finding ways to make dreams an aural reality (i.e. writing songs), one stays young. Read this article for more details about the benefits that learning music has on the mind.
b) a therapy.
If there are long periods of teaching without creating new music, I feel an urge to express myself the soonest possible. So in a way, without a musical instrument, I do not feel alive. Music is a fire in the belly, and the instrument is only a medium to convey that passion.
c) a means to happiness.
As a young professional, I was an office department manager. But I quit as most of the time I thought of the guitar anyway. I took the step of moving from small Malta to mega London to live from what I love – MUSIC! I have persisted long hours of study to be where I am, and I still sacrifice time from other things, but ultimately I am doing what I love, and I would not have it any other way as nothing is as rewarding as seeing others excel in their instrument thanks to my help.
In a nutshell, my life is surrounded by music and the rest fills the blanks, never the other way round.
So one can imagine how it feels to read the same line of thought re-echoed by my budding 14 year old rocker Henry Brewer who thinks that “the guitar means everything to me. It’s one of the main things that keeps me motivated in day to day life, and I would like to become a musician/teacher when I grow up. Whenever I play the guitar I always derive great satisfaction!!!”
Or as adult student George Stein, also a pianist, puts it : “I can’t live without music and sound. I would rather be blind than deaf. As a little kid, I could pick out simple melodies on the piano on my own… it always made sense. I started piano age 7, trumpet age 8, drums at 10 & baritone horn at 12. Later as a young man I started to play around with guitar, but never pursued it. A few years ago I bought a decent Tanglewood 6-string acoustic and started to play more, initially on my own before I realised that I’d get further faster if I took lessons. Fast forward 3 years into lessons, the guitar is starting to make sense… still not like the piano (that will still take a while) but I feel like I can play. I now own 6 guitars, play at least a little pretty much daily, …. I like being able to play, and making music is just such a thrill, every time… I guess for me, learning guitar has enabled me to continue to not only make music, but to also grow and develop as a musician. It’s fun, and it fills an important space to me. Life without music – all kinds – isn’t really life.”
Words of weight there for you! But yes, playing any instrument is a therapy, a challenge, and a reward.
“I have never been particularly musical, but have always appreciated musicianship in all its forms. For me now, I find the ukulele an escape from everything. Because it requires the same concentration as say, reading, but also incorporates participation, it is such a soothing and welcome relief from the day to day grind. It has already brought me immense satisfaction and I have already found a groove with it that I didn’t realise was even available.” opines Paul Gill, an adult who studies ukulele with me, just because “it is different than all my peers learning guitar”. That is uniqueness for you! And I applaud him for that – sometimes it is sound to watch the rest, then take a different path!
Like everything one works for in life, learning does not come without its sacrifice. As acoustic guitar student John Ford puts it : “Playing guitar can be demanding, sometimes frustrating, but it also allows me to switch off from day to day things and focus on trying to create something approaching music. The possibilities of the instrument are endless and every time I pick the guitar up something different will happen – sometimes bad things, but sometimes a chord change, a riff or a solo will fall into place and the world seems a better place”.
Irrespective of how daunting challenges might be, especially for younger students, they still see the rewards, as one Marko Mosquera forths : “To me the guitar is an instrument which can be good but at the same time challenging. It can be really enjoyable and fun to solo as well as play songs but at times it’s a hard amount of work. It’s an instrument which can be used for so much, but I do find it at the same time hard and frustrating. Not necessarily a bad thing as after all we all need to overcome some challenges or do something a bit different, which is why I started playing guitar in the first place.”
But then again – “the guitar is like a lover which your partner tolerates. It is not even forbidden or weird to play with your lover in front of your partner. For me, bass guitar time is when I don’t think about work and duties, and after spending a long time playing I feel relaxed. And I don’t need to have bad feelings about that lover :-)” is how lovely my bass student David Badin verses it. How could you think of the challenges when the rewards outweigh them?
Positivity and persistence! The only mindframes to overcome challenges and become good!
“Learning the guitar is fun yet challenging and I don’t even mind doing my homework. I like the feeling of learning a new song or solo, my guitar is so versatile, you can play almost anything with it.” is how 11-year old Nancy Booker faces it. She already has a Grade 5 exam under her belt, and is currently prepping for Grade 6.
“Something precious, a means to play songs. All my family are musicians so I look forward to play with my cousins on stage” is young teenager Leon’s aim and reason to play acoustic guitar.
Or as adult Paul Killick views his acoustic guitar : “… mainly trying something I’ve always wanted to do, something completely different from anything else I do in life; being creative gets me out of my comfort zone! Also, it helps me appreciate the guitarists I like more!”
As a musician, the moment I decided to pick the guitar, I wanted to do it the serious way. I remember my parents insisted to not buy me a guitar as a gift on a plate but wanted me to work for it (maybe that boosted my persistence after all), so for a whole summer I worked for one, and once I got it, I sought a guitar teacher. I had this will to become as good as possible the soonest possible to form a band, so the expertise of those who had been down the road before me was not an option but a must.
26 years later, as a tutor, I know that learning alone (off friends, the internet, going to gigs, etc) does not even start to compare to finding someone to guide you. Like the tortoise and the hare story, learning alone is like jumping from here to there without plan, whereas with a tutor you are presented with steps one at a time, facing up to challenges gradually rather than eating more than you can chew.
So I also asked my students how they feel about lessons and how they view their playing as compared to when they started…..
Kicking off with the previous Paul Killick : “I have got a little better than I was, and when I do exactly what is suggested, I have got a bit better again! It’s teaching me the discipline to follow instructions. I have always tended to shy away from/give up on things that I can’t immediately do, so it’s good for me to keep at this, even when sometimes I feel I don’t have the natural aptitude for it. It’s teaching me to persevere I guess. Lessons definitely teach you the good habits, the framework you need to be able to grow as a musician. And it gives you little goals each week, which leads to a sense of achievement weekly.”
Or as online student William Ayerst put it : “After a few months of struggling, I was able to play without wanting to clamp my fingers over my ears, and after a few years I’m finally starting to feel like I’m passable. The biggest realisation for me was that there was no shortcut – no trick or hack to get better – just hours and hours of hard work. Having lessons has given focus to that work and ensured I’m always pushing my boundaries further, instead of spinning my wheels.”
For bassist David Badin it’s a matter of confidence : “I feel more comfortable playing and holding the bass than before. I could play tabs before but I didn’t have the basics. Learning about rhythm, notes, scales, etc. clarified what and why I’m actually doing and I feel more confident while playing.
Young 11-year Nancy, a complete beginner when starting few years ago opines that “Lessons have enabled me to progress at a much faster pace than just watching the internet. A teacher can help you not only learn new things but also master them”.
Slightly older Marko reckons that “I think it’s fair to say that I’ve advanced a fairly good amount from when I started playing. I learnt a lot more different topics on the guitar I thought did not exist. I have gone from starting to play with an acoustic guitar to moving on and playing with an electric guitar where you need to conquer different and more fast paced genres of music as well as being able to use it for different things because they are very different.”
Fellow young chap Henry believes that “my playing has vastly improved in the last 3 years that I have been studying the guitar. I have managed to get to a Grade 5 Level in 3 years thanks to lessons. Lessons are beneficial as they give purpose to the study of guitar, as you have something to work towards rather than sitting on your bed learning riffs off the internet. It also means that you can improve your playing much more quickly, because if something is wrong with your playing, a teacher can tell you, but the internet cannot.”
To the words of adults, bassist Lyn Hanrahan finds that “taking lessons has been essential for me. I need the structure to keep me practicing and help me learn correctly. Malcolm, gives me that structure.” and Rob Cruise feels “much better – before I was floundering around just trying to rigidly learn the songs I liked with no understanding of how they are put together or basic technique. The most satisfying thing about lessons so far is that I have been able to start to improvise and solo quite quickly, which I never thought I’d be able to do”.
Speaking of rewards – persistence pays back sooner than you think!
As reflected in the words of some ukulele students…..
Letting young 8-year old Charlie Walton go first : “There is a big difference from when I first started as Malcolm has taught me a lot. Also I can play a song and lots of rhythms now.”
In addition, adult Byron Heard is “amazed how your fingers learn their way without you thinking about it, if you practice enough.”
And maverick-minded Paul Gill (the adult who plays the uke to vary from all his guitar mates remember?) reckons that “considering that I couldn’t strum a melodic note before I started my lessons, the difference between my musical knowledge when I started and now is astounding. The benefit of having a teacher who can acknowledge your ability and push you when you need to is invaluable.”
Some students are more specific to what they want to learn and how they look at their instrument. For example, Graham Seabrook, an online student from Malaysia finds “My playing has developed considerably since taking lessons. I think one of the main differences is the progression from being able to play a vertical C major scale to understanding how I can play it horizontally to connect along the fingerboard. Personally I feel this is the foundation of being a good player, as developing this further would eventually allow me to jam with other musicians in any key”.
John Ford, sitting comfortably in his London lounge, writes : “I have been taking guitar lessons for approximately 9 months, after spending a long time bashing around on the instrument with no real purpose. In that time I have seen my playing, instrument understanding, scale & chord knowledge, techniques and musical theory have all improved considerably. The lessons have been really useful as they not only focus on individual areas but also help me appreciate how they all fit together.”
And acoustic student Alex Achikeh views it that “I am much more confident in playing and my rhythm has improved drastically. My technique has improved in what chords I knew previously especially when it comes to using the 1st and 2nd position to change between chords. There is a lot more structure to my learning and it allows me to develop in many areas that I would not have explored otherwise. It has given me the foundational knowledge of the fretboard which in terms makes it much easier to play scales and to play music rather than let music play me.”
“To play music rather than let music play me!” is a motto anyone learning any musical instrument should pick up as a creed!
Last few words from multi-instrumentalist (now predominantly a guitarist) George Stein – “I understand the skill set, and know better what’s required to play what I want. Other people have told me that I sound good, that I can play now… I am still pretty self-critical, but when I record myself and play it back, I do have moments where I think… “gosh, that’s me?” So I’m learning, I’m improving, and I’m getting more confident. I recognise this feeling, because I’ve had it before with other instruments… the point where you think, ‘yeah, I got this!’. Without a level of technical skill, even the most talented person will not be able to really express themself & make music, on any instrument.
I think I now know how to practice, and how to get better. Finding the time to properly practice is often a challenge, but lessons have given me a body of knowledge that allows me to develop much faster than if I were to try learning alone.
I’m probably not always the easiest student, because at one level I’m a beginner, on another level I am perhaps a bit more advanced (and impatient). But the structure and the education I’ve got from lessons have really benefited me. I’m familiar with a few instruments, but I always loved guitar, and the different styles of music you can make with guitar. And I always dreamed of playing guitar. So in some ways I’m realising a dream. Maybe it’s not too late to be a Guitar God??”
It’s never too late!
Feeling inspired? Book a lesson today
Or you already play but having a bad day, you feel rusty, or you need some words to motivate you how to find time for the guitar among other things in life? Just watch Steve Vai talk about the guitar.
For more vidz accompanying similar articles, please subscribe to Cool Gool’s Youtube
For lessons, please book at this link.)
www.malcolmcallus.com
Modern approaches to guitar, bass, ukulele & music theory tuition
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If you can feel it, you might as well try it!
To quote a great inspiration to most of us (more about him later) : “If you can feel it, might as well try it”.
But first, a story from when I shared lyric duties for 1 of my bands. Our vocalist had better English than mine, yet wondered how I wrote better lyrics than his. My answer was that what I presented would be the 5th/6th draft, as actually I’d have corrected a lot. With each draft, I’d let the words talk to me back, seaving the manure from the gold in a bunch of hay.
How I differed from him was that I never expected amazing lyrics at my 1st attempt, but would rather let the good parts shine through the bad as I re-read them over and over again. Nothing that a novelist wouldn’t do when writing a book, and as soon as he applied that approach, his lyrics improved!
Similarly, let’s bring this to the table how to become a good improviser, which is music on the spot without time for drafts. Yet, drafts do happen, in our practice time. So what I generally suggest to my students is –
RECORD YOUR SOLOS.
LISTEN BACK & SEAVE OUT YOUR OWN GOLDEN LICKS.
REPEAT THEM TO GENERATE NEW GOLDEN ONES.
Time and time again, this approach made them understand that fire only burns the 1st time, and once you know how to walk it without getting burnt, it’s fun! And it works! Every time without fail.
So back to the quote above, by none other than Joe “Satch” Satriani!
With “If you can feel it, might as well try it” Satch tells us that after hours of training and singing scales (your drafts), melodies and fingerings become sort of attached to each other with less effort. So when you actually improvise, whatever you hear in your head can be translated onto your fingers. Be adventurous!
The main thing is knowing how and where to resolve, purposely repeating “mistakes” before resolving. The safe bet is to play a semi-tone up/down to find the note that sounds right (within the key), as explained at malcolmcallus.com/fingerboard & malcolmcallus.com/jazz
In closing, here’s some Satch talk…..
For more vidz accompanying similar articles, please subscribe to Cool Gool’s Youtube
For lessons, please book at this link.
www.malcolmcallus.com
Modern approaches to guitar, bass, ukulele & music theory tuition
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If you forget your dreams, you die! So hold on to your dream that is music!
“If you forget your dreams you die” is a line a friend once quoted me from “Run to the Light” by metal band Trouble.
Basically I was having a bit of a bad day as despite all the efforts my band was not going anywhere. Or at least I thought. The restless teenager I was, I had no patience once we released our demo to wait for the reviews to start rolling in (hence my blues). But hey presto, some months later and we actually ended up being received stunningly well around the globe.
We all get good & bad times – that’s life! But each time a student comes to me feeling they are not improving, I mention my above example from my teens, that the fact they keep on practicing, they are stocking more information into their subconscious which will come across naturally without pushing it. And that in blocks of 4-6 months they will see improvement in how they play. Without fail, it always works. So the point here is always give time for the flower to blossom, for the caterpillar to become a butterfly, for yourself to improve, and never expect too much too soon, as that is a demotivator none of you need.
Now let us focus on an actual dream I had lately, but first 4 realities that happened lately in my life
– To ensure I meet people from all walks of life not just music, I also work in an art gallery & when there I go to Prets for lunch.
– I have an Australian student called Trent who loves wearing flip-flops & has lately moved house
– I reward students who recommend their friends for lessons
So a few days back, I dreamt I was outside Prets eating while taking registrations for the ukelele course. One lady comes up with the uke. Once she left, I noticed Trent with his flip-flops & his Peavey Composer guitar (I got the same model as a uke) and 2 guys talking in Aussie accent holding ukes. I ask Trent if the others were his friends, and he tells me that he came with them to get a £10 reward for each. So he got £20, a tenner for each of them!
On the course start date, the guys came but the girl not (turns out she was Trent’s mate’s girlfriend, so Trent’s mate will be teaching her later himself). So did I loose a student? Actually not, the guys decide to change plans few days later, and ask me if I could teach all 3 back at their place, which is something I do, as I teach at students’ homes too, in group and separately. So this is an example of when I was waiting for my band reviews in my teens, every loss is a blessing in disguise that opens future doors. Always stay positive, love your instrument, and play!
That parenthesis aside, the dream forths on that the first time I arrive for the lesson, these jolly Aussie folk are having their house-warming party, all in flip-flop & drinking Fosters 🙂 So that’s a surprise party for me 🙂
So what’s this dream suggesting? The ‘strangers’ in our dreams are actually people we’d have seen when out and about as the brain cannot make-up new faces for us to dream about. So given the amount of true facts that happened at about the time of the dream, its narration all makes sense to me. How reality comes into our dreams, or at least mine, is something one cannot understand (is there a need to?), although I think this is the same way one learns chords & scales, or to a higher degree, songs come to us while asleep.
Yes we do practice chords and scales while awake, but we really learn them while asleep. How many times have you been rehearsing with your band, and that same night or the day after, you get the riff B that connects Riff A to Riff C?
So the next time you start dreaming music, it means you are actually improving, and that is your subconscious reacting to your daily practice.
Also back to reality, daydream as much as you can that you can become a rockstar. But do not stop at that. Life will throw you many setbacks – the way to make it to the top is what you learn from each setback, and how you soldier on with perseverance. But never, and for no reason, should you stop dreaming! Good luck my friend!
For vidz accompanying similar articles, please subscribe to Cool Gool’s Youtube
For lessons, please book at this link.)
www.malcolmcallus.com
Modern approaches to guitar, bass, ukulele & music theory tuition
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