New Player- Are Lessons "Worth It"?

[Coolhandjjl]

Neal Peart kept on taking drum lessons right up to their final tour.

 

[AdeptBerry]

That's how a lot of old folks, like me, refer to the "circle of fifths."

What's to learn? C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, going up by 7

 

[Papageno]

What's to learn? C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, going up by 7

7 ?
Do you mean 5, or do I miss something ?

 

[Jazzdogg]

What's to learn? C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, going up by 7

What's to learn is how to hear a II V change approaching, and know what the next chord is no matter what key you're in; relative minor keys, and from there modes and so forth...

 

[White Beard]

7 ?
Do you mean 5, or do I miss something ?

7 frets.

I haven't gone through and read all 104 posts in this thread, but I'm going to put my two cents in anyways.

So, I'm not a guy that has had graduate level composition classes, but I've played music since I was a child, took music theory in high school and college, played double bass in orchestra and jazz band, and has continued to play on, even now, when I'm 41. I also love bass guitar. When I was 16 and I heard that big fat open A string to start off THE ENTIRE ALBUM of Ball-Hog or Tugboat, I knew that Mike Watt was my spirit animal. I was changed from that day, and I will never have that experience again.

If you want music and guitar to be "magic" and learning about music would just destroy your creativity and people that don't know about music are actually better musicians than people that do know about music... then don't take lessons. Let it all be magic. It's fine. You'll annoy some people and enchant others.

If you want to treat music and guitar like it's a subject that deserves to be taken seriously, then take lessons from a credible source. Read books about it. Pick up your bass guitar and apply your book learning to your understanding of that instrument. I had a friend in college that played guitar and was never in band or orchestra as a kid in public school. He now has a PhD in music and teaches composition on a university level because he chose to take guitar seriously (even though as an undergrad he had to learn trumpet because they wouldn't accept guitar as a principle instrument).

The decision is up to you.

 

[Benjamin Earl]

I suggest you do both. It is important to learn things on your own. Figure out songs/basslines, learn scales that sound cool to you, learn how to play the whole fretboard by studying your instrument. A teacher is also useful to answer specific questions from your self study. You are paying for lessons, so a teacher will also motivate you to practice. Some teachers may also have a specific method that would be eye opening and may save time.