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Teacher got mad at me last week.

#41
I can learn, play and retain some pretty hard complex stuffs but holy %#@%$# does Dock of the Bay lose me. i've had to learn that tune 50 times for gigs and I still can't remember the changes. no other song has given me such a hard time.
 
#42
I think getting mad was out of line, disappointment maybe? But the important thing about your mistake is this: Did you learn anything from your mistake? Mistakes are fine if you can turn them into lessons.

Part of chart reading is about the notes for sure, but there is lot more information on the page that needs to be digested before you even start playing. Key signature, time signature, dynamics and form navigation markings.

I know you weren't sight reading, but that's the first thing the great sight readers do - they analyze the piece and do a quick mental walk through looking for codas and DSs, DCs repeats etc - just to get a big picture map in their head. There are a few seminars at SBL talking about this and even an example of a top session guy being handed a lead sheet for the first time and see how he reacts to it. You can see his eyes scanning the whole piece and then Scott has him verbalize what he's doing. IN this case, it's a jazz piece and he's also looking for chord patterns and determining what written parts he needs to use and wher he can just wing it over the chord. I know all this doesn't apply to what you are learning, but the premise is still the same - familiarize yourself with the big picture first thing. Make that part of your routine while learning new pieces.

Good for you for taking on this type of challenge. I used to read pretty well on horns (100 years ago), but find it very hard to read in time on bass.
 
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#43
Dr. Cheese said:
When he gets mad, I often get better.
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i think some here are confusing respect and dignity for each other with teaching and learning.

the best teachers know what each student requires to get to the next level. if my teacher insults my pride/esteem, my preconceptions, my habits, etc., the teacher may be taking advantage of my 'position' as a student in the best possible way...for me to learn.

rigorous (real!) lessons are not for the squeamish. good luck to you all if you think 'participation trophies' (and the culture it spawns) is the best teaching method. if snowflakes had real skills = they wouldn't be snowflakes! :D

re: the OP: the cat cares about your progress! good luck with your reading chops, doc! :thumbsup:
 
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#45
Stumbo said:
A teacher who gets mad at students for making a mistake is a bad teacher.
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A good teacher knows what it takes to motivate a student. Some students respond to 'anger' and disappointment.
It's probably all an act, so don't take it too personally...
If it's real anger, it may indicate a personality flaw.
As OP notes the teacher's approach brings about renewed effort and subsequent improvement, it may be the teacher is on to something...
Adult learning is fundamentally different than teaching children.
 
#47
I have been teaching String Orchestra for 19 years now. I have also been teaching private lessons for 30 years now as well. I would suggest www.sightreadingfactory.com. my students use it and is very helpful with skill level from 1-5. Covers various rhythm, key signatures, time signatures, etc. This is a good site. Sightreading is reading a piece of music you have never seen or heard neccesarily for the first time.

May be time to find another teacher, "just cause they may play well, does not mean they can teach well".
 
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#48
I need to say I have known my teacher for maybe 18 years. I knew him for maybe nine years before I first took lessons from him. Teaching me has been an adjustment since I think he thought I knew more theory than I did because I know a lot of music history and he heard me play some fairly hard stuff by ear. My teacher is a fine player, and some of you have probably seen him on the Tonight Show, Steven Colbert, or Austin City Limits.
 
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#49
JRA said:
View attachment 3459357

i think some here are confusing respect and dignity for each other with teaching and learning.

the best teachers know what each student requires to get to the next level. if my teacher insults my pride/esteem, my preconceptions, my habits, etc., the teacher may be taking advantage of my 'position' as a student in the best possible way...for me to learn.

rigorous (real!) lessons are not for the squeamish. good luck to you all if you think 'participation trophies' (and the culture it spawns) is the best teaching method. if snowflakes had real skills = they wouldn't be snowflakes! :D

re: the OP: the cat cares about your progress! good luck with your reading chops, doc! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I know he cares about my progress. I am a 100% adult. I would not stand for anyone who disrespected me as a person. Learning is just humbling at times for a man who feels he can play a bit.
 
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#52
fearceol said:
I'd say you are the exception here. If you DO get better, it is despite of him/her rather than BECAUSE.. When you think about it, why on earth should he/she get mad ? Surely encouragement and understanding is the way to go ?
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+1

If a teacher gets mad at a student, it's a failing on the part of the teacher, not the student. If you aren't smart enough to figure out how to motivate your students without getting mad at them, you should find another profession.
 
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#53
Ed Fuqua said:
!. if you're trying to learn to read, you should be reading through etudes etc. not "songs", particularly not pop songs that you're going to be playing along to what you hear in your head already. That's not reading.
2. you don't need a teacher to teach you how to read music
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"Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing." :blackeye:

Yet here you are shilling a book that teaches fundamentals. :whistle:
 
#55
MotorCityMinion said:
"Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing." :blackeye:

Yet here you are shilling a book that teaches fundamentals. :whistle:
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not sure what you are getting at here. Ed just gave very reasonable, good advice. his book has nothing to do with his post..

if you wrote a book about bass playing, would it not be stated anywhere on your profile?

you don't need a teacher to learn how to read. i think good teachers can make the processes surprisingly easy. bad teachers can make slower than with no teacher. if you seriously want to get to a place where you can glance at something, know what it should sound like, and be able to execute it in a way idiomatic to the style, you really should have a teacher to facilitate that process from start to finish. but it absolutely can be done without a teacher.
 
#57
Another opinion on who needs a teacher. What I'm getting at, IMO, was a direct hit at the OP, a long time contributor to this forum. How one adult believes he can tell another what he does or doesn't need with regards to education is kind of nuts, followed by the book on fundamentals. You could easily learn Jazz fundamentals on your own in the same manner that you can learn to read on your own. That's what I'm getting at. I just saw irony in that statement.
 

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