Another "Teaching" Question

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 3 Nov 2017 7:26 am

Does a GREAT player necessarily equate to a great teacher,,,or could a mediocre player be a great teacher?

Bobby Hearn · Post by **Bobby Hearn** » 3 Nov 2017 9:25 am

Sometimes, those who can't do, teach. I've taken lessons from 2 great players and one could teach. I think it just depends on the person but not everyone can teach well just because they are gifted players and some people aren't gifted players but they are very knowledgeable and can teach well.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 3 Nov 2017 9:58 am

You have to have a lot of patience to be a good teacher and I think a lot of good players might lack that.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 3 Nov 2017 10:46 am

Great players (and I'm talking any instrument here) often have such natural talent that they've never had to analyse their playing, and thus have no way of explaining what they're doing.

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 3 Nov 2017 12:21 pm

Some of the best lessons I ever got some 35 years ago were from a guy that couldn't play crap but he was a great teacher and knew how it should be done. Great players come from natural talent and many many hours of practice. Some people will never get it and some will come to easy.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 3 Nov 2017 12:26 pm

huuummm,,,what I'm hearing is,,,a great player may not necessarily be a great teacher,,,in fact it may be a hindrance considering his natural talent may make him unaware of the needs of someone without the natural talent. LIkewise someone who is not a great player,,,but has a good knowledge and understanding of what a student needs might just be a far better teacher. I think we mistakenly assume that,,,"gee, that guy is a great player, I'd like to take lessons from him".

Luckily we've already had BOTH of those people rolled into one,,,,I miss Jeff Newman,,,and also luckily, he has left us with a lot of instructional material,,,at what I consider a reasonable price. JMHO,,,YMMV

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 3 Nov 2017 3:11 pm

Does a GREAT player necessarily equate to a great teacher,,,

No, not necessarily. Teaching is a different kind of skill. A good teacher can explain things clearly and simply. He can see what the student needs to improve and he can patiently demonstrate techniques, the basics, in a way that the student can understand. Jeff Newman was excellent at that!

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 3 Nov 2017 7:46 pm

Sonny Jenkins wrote:huuummm,,,what I'm hearing is,,,a great player may not necessarily be a great teacher,,,in fact it may be a hindrance considering his natural talent may make him unaware of the needs of someone without the natural talent. LIkewise someone who is not a great player,,,but has a good knowledge and understanding of what a student needs might just be a far better teacher. I think we mistakenly assume that,,,"gee, that guy is a great player, I'd like to take lessons from him".

Sonny, that is an accurate summation. I have encountered some great players who just didn't have what was needed to be a great teacher. There also seems to be some sort or "Murphy's Law" corollaries which state that the better the combination player/teacher you find, 1) the greater the odds he/she will have a busy schedule limiting lesson opportunities, and/or 2) the greater the driving distance between them and you.

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 3 Nov 2017 8:45 pm

I've been playing for 45 years, and teaching for 23 years. I've LEARNED how to teach, and almost every student reveals some new way for me to think about how to convey technique and content. I am always evaluating how things work, and making big and little adjustments to improve my teaching. Not every player is so analytical, and patient. I certainly wasn't when I started.

John McClung
Pedal Steel Lessons, Casuals, Sessions
Olympia, WA 98512
Email â€“ steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net
Website â€“ http://steelguitarlessons.com
Skype name: professortwang
Cell & text: 310-480-0717

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 3 Nov 2017 9:50 pm

Great players play great.
Great teachers show you how to practice your instrument and how to understand music so you can become great.
A great player can be a great teacher, but neither is necessarily both.
Nobody is born great.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 3 Nov 2017 9:51 pm

Like football players and coaches.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 4 Nov 2017 12:56 am

Fred is dead right - if you look at a list of coaches in any sport, some you remember as players and some you don't.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 4 Nov 2017 1:59 am

No, one has nothing to do with the other.

which person a can create a spark for learning ?

Ever go to a seminar with a so called expert on anything and fall asleep ? I have.

A great teacher doesn't even need a presentation, it's already in their head. They can tell in a NY minute just by discussion with the student what the goal of the lesson should be.

A great teacher knows when the lesson is completed by the response of the student.

A great teacher knows when the student can't absorb anymore and/or has reached the plateau for the lesson.

A great teacher doesn't show the student how many great licks they know or talk about themselves.

A great teacher may not be a great player but very well may be.

All great players are certainly not great teachers. But they are great players !

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 4 Nov 2017 6:30 am

Hey John,,,you said the "magic" word regarding teaching,,,,ANALYSIS!,,,that was what made Jeff Newman so effective. He could,,,and did,,analyze down to a frog hair!!! He was determined to find the how, why and why not of the most minute movement,,,or sound.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 4 Nov 2017 7:04 am

The great coach/great player analogy is a good one. A great coach inspires his players. He doesn't necessarily have to be a great player himself. He needs to be a good communicator.

A great teacher doesn't show the student how many great licks they know or talk about themselves.

Very true, Tony! Students are not paying to sit and watch the teacher play hot licks or brag about his gigs. The student gets nothing from that.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 4 Nov 2017 7:37 am

Doug is right,,it wasn't related to this thread,,,,so I deleted my comment.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 4 Nov 2017 8:39 am

In the related thread over in the Music for sale section, there was a lot of discussion as to the cost of the program.

Sonny, I don't know what program you're referring to, but my comments here were about teaching in general, not about any specific teacher or program.

Ga McDonnell · Post by **Ga McDonnell** » 5 Nov 2017 2:58 am

One of the most interesting and inventive C6 players from the old days was continually doing things that boggled the mind to hear and watch. Lots of times you couldnâ€™t help but interrupt his playing with a question about something he did.
However, the converstion was usually fairly short, likeâ€¦â€¦ â€œ Wow, can you show me how you did thatâ€ â€œDid whatâ€

End of lesson.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 5 Nov 2017 7:32 am

I've mentioned this here before... in the early 1980s I took a two day C6 seminar with Buddy & Jeff at Jeff's school in Nashville. Buddy played some of his well-known intros and endings, and the C6 "pockets", playing to tracks. His playing was inspirational and awesome, but he said very little at the seminar. Jeff did most of the talking. Jeff gave us tablature booklets and backing tracks of standard swing patterns and taught us how to use the pedals to play 9ths, maj7, aug, dim chords and where and when to use those chords in standard chord progressions. Very useful stuff that I could use immediately in my playing and I continue to use to this day. Jeff's clear, simple, down-home way of teaching was very understandable. Like all great teachers, he knew how to connect with students. It's as much about communicating and explaining as it is about playing the guitar. Not everyone can do that.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 5 Nov 2017 8:24 am

Very well stated Doug. Yes,,both were (maybe equally) GREAT "players",,,but from there their talents went in different directions,,,,Buddy the innovator,,,Jeff the analytical teacher.

Landon Johnson · Post by **Landon Johnson** » 5 Nov 2017 10:52 am

Tony Prior wrote:No, one has nothing to do with the other.

which person a can create a spark for learning ?

Ever go to a seminar with a so called expert on anything and fall asleep ? I have.

A great teacher doesn't even need a presentation, it's already in their head. They can tell in a NY minute just by discussion with the student what the goal of the lesson should be.

A great teacher knows when the lesson is completed by the response of the student.

A great teacher knows when the student can't absorb anymore and/or has reached the plateau for the lesson.

A great teacher doesn't show the student how many great licks they know or talk about themselves.

A great teacher may not be a great player but very well may be.

All great players are certainly not great teachers. But they are great players !

This, all the way.

Tom Beck · Post by **Tom Beck** » 5 Nov 2017 1:54 pm

Newman has what so many have missed; A well thought out method for teaching, for each pedal and knee, right hand, etc. So much more than a tab book and a demo cd.

Bob Jennings · Post by **Bob Jennings** » 5 Nov 2017 3:34 pm

I've heard the saying:

If you can......Do

If you can't....Teach

Bob Jennings

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 6 Nov 2017 8:06 am

Bob Jennings wrote:I've heard the saying:

If you can......Do

If you can't....Teach

Bob Jennings

I guess Jeff Newman shot holes in that one!

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 6 Nov 2017 8:20 am

AMEN Don!!!,,,a few "sayings" are true,,,,most are just cute,,,

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