How long a lesson do you take?

AddictedtoBass · #1 07-15-2010, 08:34 PM

As a beginner did you take lessons for 1/2 per week, or one hour, or what?

I have been going to lessons once a week for 9 months. I was told by the school that a 1/2 hour lesson was "enough" for a beginner. Honestly though, 1/2 hour doesn't seem like a lot of time. By the time we review what I was supposed to practice, play it a couple of times and talk about anything else, it is time to go. I learned to read music in my lessons and I can play all of the pieces that have been assigned to me from my lesson book. I tend to be methodical and slow, so I can only really play a couple of "real" songs all the way through. I am an adult, so I work, which means I practice the bass for 1/2hr. to 1hr. per day. I am trying to find more time for practice, but it's tough.

For those of you who take a full hour of instruction did it make a difference or not. I'll ask my teacher next week if I should consider 1hr. lessons in the fall, but I am curious to hear from others of their experience.

bigtiny · #2 07-15-2010, 08:50 PM

I think that unless the student is exceptionally young or has a hard time fighting distraction, an hour is required. As you so accurately point out, it takes a while to get settled, go over the previous week's lesson (I'm always amazed at how unimportant a lot of teachers seem to feel this is...) which is incredibly important, then time to really get into the week's lesson with time for demo and questions.

bigtiny

subject42 · #3 07-16-2010, 06:57 AM

I'm still a beginner over here. I'd like to take full hour lessons, but the music store where I take lessons only offer half hour time slots. It always feel a bit rushed.

dalkowski · #4 07-16-2010, 07:11 AM

When my teacher and I went from 30 minutes to 60, the difference felt exponential.

With 30 minutes, we always seemed to run out of time just as the little "aha!" switch tripped in my tiny brain. Now with a full hour, he can go into greater depth on whatever concept we're working on that week. (But after about 50 minutes, I'm often feeling drained.) I can't imagine taking a 30-minute lesson now.

If you're just starting out, 30 minutes is fine. But when you decide you're really ready to commit and really learn the instrument, you'll benefit much more from a full hour.

AddictedtoBass · #5 07-16-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subject42

I'm still a beginner over here. I'd like to take full hour lessons, but the music store where I take lessons only offer half hour time slots. It always feel a bit rushed.

They wouldn't give you the option of taking two 1/2 hour slots back-to-back? Seems to me that they would want your money. My school has 1/2hr. slots too, but you can "buy" as much time as you want.

Like I said, I have been taking lessons for 9mo. and while I am still a beginner, I just don't get enough out of the 1/2 lesson. It's like the post above says...I get an AHA moment just in time for the class to end!

I am thinking that I need to bump it up to 1hr. based on what has been said here.

subject42 · #6 07-16-2010, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AddictedtoBass

They wouldn't give you the option of taking two 1/2 hour slots back-to-back? Seems to me that they would want your money. My school has 1/2hr. slots too, but you can "buy" as much time as you want.

Trust me, I'd love to get a full hour time slot, but they only have one instructor that does bass and he's pretty swamped with students.

AddictedtoBass · #7 07-16-2010, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subject42

Trust me, I'd love to get a full hour time slot, but they only have one instructor that does bass and he's pretty swamped with students.

Rats, that's too bad!
My school has (I think) three bass teachers. I know I can't get an hour time slot until Sept. I'll need to set it up this month, because even though we do have more than one teacher, they are in pretty high demand - although not swamped. I guess we are pretty lucky!

Meatbass · #8 07-16-2010, 08:31 AM

Well, it's what you want to pursue so if you're not getting enough from 1/2 hour, do whatever it takes to get a full hour. talk to the teacher over and over and if they can't assist you, find a new one that will. Take charge and get what you want. Don't settle for less.

AddictedtoBass · #9 07-16-2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meatbass

Well, it's what you want to pursue so if you're not getting enough from 1/2 hour, do whatever it takes to get a full hour. talk to the teacher over and over and if they can't assist you, find a new one that will. Take charge and get what you want. Don't settle for less.

A-MEN!

SUBJECT42: do you live in a small town or something? Or do you live in a bigger place where you could find another teacher/school that would give you longer class times? I don't even mean that you should give up your first instructor, but maybe you can suppliment his 1/2hr. class with an hour lesson from someone else. I guess that would also be dependent on time and money.....but it's an idea.

dave64o · #10 07-16-2010, 12:32 PM

My lessons are currently 30 minutes long. However, my instructor no longer has a student in the time slot after me so he regularly keeps me there for the second half hour just to so we don't lose any momentum from the "Aha!" moments that always seem to happen around the 28 minutes mark. Every week I try to pack up and leave and say I'm not scheduled for that time and the store isn't charging me for it, but he tells me don't worry about it, he wants to keep going farther down whatever path we were going down.

I just want to make it clear to him that I'm not expecting the freebie and trying to take advantage of him or the store. As long as he's telling me to stay put and the store manager isn't chasing me out, then I figure that's their decision and I'll stay. I'm also fine with leaving if I get told to leave since that's I'd still be getting all the time I'm paying for.

Marton · #11 07-16-2010, 12:39 PM

I have 1 hour lessons at school, but I think that the best is 45 minutes. 30 minutes is really too short, and the last 15 minutes of a lesson are generally pretty hard for the student, and IME, sometimes for the teacher too.

Already In Use · #12 07-16-2010, 12:59 PM

I've had 30 minute lessons and one hour lessons. Right now I'm doing 1 hour lessons. I really like it this way. I may try 1.5 hour lessons a few months down the road($$$$). I dont do a lesson per week. Every 3 weeks or so. I get enough home work to practice and material to learn over that time period.

subject42 · #13 07-16-2010, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AddictedtoBass

SUBJECT42: do you live in a small town or something? Or do you live in a bigger place where you could find another teacher/school that would give you longer class times?

I don't live in an incredibly small town, but I live in a college town with a mostly-transient population. There are only two places that aren't the university music program that offer lessons. I've actually spoken with the music store about it and they've offered to give me a ring if the bass instructor ever has a full one-hour slot open up during my hours of availability.

gre107 · #14 07-16-2010, 01:12 PM

A half hour lesson is not worth it. By the time you get settled in with the hello's, plugged in etc... 15 mins have gone by.

An hour minimum is required for a lesson in order to get somthing out of it.

AddictedtoBass · #15 07-16-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gre107

A half hour lesson is not worth it. By the time you get settled in with the hello's, plugged in etc... 15 mins have gone by.

An hour minimum is required for a lesson in order to get somthing out of it.

Yeah, see, that is exactly what I mean.

DudeistMonk · #16 07-16-2010, 02:30 PM

I take ludicrously long bass lessons...

I've never left with a question un-answered, I actually have to get up and start packing after about 2 hours or else I won't get home to eat until 10:00.

At first I thought my guys policy "I charge by the lesson not the hour and lessons are over when they are over." was a scam, but I was very wrong, to be fair there is a fair amount of BSing and such that goes on but there is always at least an hours worth of bass content.

Billnc · #17 07-16-2010, 04:26 PM

I've had and given lessons of varying lengths. I've taken lessons as long as six hours. The best teacher I had gave only 1/2 hour lessons. He was very concise, clear and hand wrote every lesson. I was to enter the room tuned up, warmed up, lesson materials in order. We were all business and got a lot done in that 1/2 hour.
He would shoot the breeze after the lesson, or if I showed up and he had free time at the store etc.