Fair price for steel guitar lessons???

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I don't teach much these days, not enough time on my part or interest in steel in the area I live..

I have tried in the past but usually the student loses interest and sells the steel.
So anyway, I get a call from a nice local lady that has just got her ebay acquired MSA Red Baron back from Jim Palenscar [nice job Jim].
She has NO real idea about music theory, steel or otherwise .
Just knows she is in love with the sound and wants me to teach her.. I said yeah, sure, why not, be happy to, etc
She came over for her first lesson and indeed was as green as anyone I have ever seen.. I started by showing her how to assemble her guitar in its case. { She had been doing in on the floor]..
First lesson was the instument, set up, basic tuning, holding the bar, picks.. all the very beginning basics.. it went well, but I can see it will be a long hard road for her as she is a musical neophyte.
Good attitude and thats a big part of the learning curve, so I think she will do ok....
Anyway, I want to be fair about fees.. I know some guitar teachers give lessons by the half hour which would seem pretty useless as far as pedal steel lessons are concerned. The half hour would be gone with set up time..
.. I plan on doing about hour and a half lessons @ $25 per lesson... Does this seem fair??. I am not desperate for money, but it helps me buy gear of course.
I don't want to scare her off with perceived high price lessons.
I am the ONLY game in town as far as steel lessons are concerned, and some years ago I used to charge about $10-15 a lesson and even that scared some people off... Money is tight around here.. anyway, am I in the ballpark as far as fees???... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Daniel Davis · From: Washington, USA

I will be looking for lessons soon, and I figured I would be spending about $20 per hour. This sounds like a fair price to me.

Mike Archer · From: church hill tn

Bob i would say your price is very fair

I teach myself I have 3 students

and I get 30.00 for an hour and a half

you and I both have many years under our belts

my friend we are worth it I think

its good to teach the young I have one girl

who is in school shes doing good

good luck Mike Very Happy

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

$30 for a "flexible" hour is my rate. I've paid much more.

I also provide a CD with an MP3 recording of the lesson, for no additional charge.

If a motivated student can't afford my rate, I offer a barter deal for yard work, or any skill they have that I could use.

I believe that payment is necessary for the student to understand the value of the received info.

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

dude, it was 25$ an hour ......back in 1979!!!

$40 an hour is the bare minimum I would expect to pay, and i woud consider that a bargain.

If you are just being generous, or the student in question is dirt poor, more power to you and kudos on your generosity.

Stephen Silver · From: Asheville, NC

I have been paying $35 a half hour for banjo lessons, $50 an hour for dobro to brush up skills and learn some new tricks.

I have three students at $60 an hour. All three do two-three lessons per month and they do not pay any additional for materals.

SS
_________________
Life is mostly Attitude and Timing

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

$40/hr and I have a Carter-Starter set up at the house so they don't have to bring their own and spend time on set up and tear down.

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

$40/hr and I provide the guitar and written synopsis of each lesson.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Ben Steve and Jim.. I can dig what you guys are saying, but look at where you guys live.. In the heart of metroplexes!.. This is Candor!!!... The only thing that resides here is liquid cow flop spread across the landscape,, a few run down trailers, women that drive bucket loaders, etc...

$25 scares students away, believe me.
But that IS bare minimum I will accept for steel or guitar lessons these days, and ONLY if they come here... Years ago I used to travel to students homes@ $10 for an hour and a half... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Bob, charge whatever you think is fair and what you think the local population can afford i guess. You asked...we told you.

I look at it this way. Im not just paying for the hour lesson.
the teacher:
-spends time preparing for the lesson, maybe writes out some tab, makes a cdr, at least thinks a bit about what they are gonna cover. This takes time and energy apart from and in addition to the lesson.
-invites me nto their home. For me this would mean tidying up, prepping some gear, getting rid of the wife or pets.
-has years of hard earned and costly experience.
-lets me use and learn about their gear
-makes the commitment to interupt their day when they could have other commitments chores or even possible make other income during that time
-is giving me something that really is beyond monetary value , corny as that may seem.

but to answer your basic question Bob, yes $25 for 1.5 hours lesson is more than fair, especially from a player of your caliber and considerable experience.

enjoy and know you are doing a good thing for someone.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Bob - typical 6-string guitar teachers here (there are no pedal steel teachers I know about) gets about $20 per half-hour lesson, and this is Central PA, not far different from where you are. I'm in a big university town, you're close to one. Most anything more than 10 miles from the university is very rural. I don't know anybody that charges less than that, and some charge more.

There are very few places to take guitar lessons out in the country here. I'll bet the main place for guitar lessons in your vicinity is Ithaca - no? People come in from the surrounding area to take lessons here - I did a fair amount of guitar/b@njo teaching 10 years ago. If I had time to teach pedal steel, I can't imagine taking less than the guitar teachers, and I probably could charge more.

Suffice to say, I certainly don't think $25 per hour and a half is too much - not by a long shot. $10-15 per hour and a half would be at or near the minimum-wage level. I think you're worth much more than that.

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Bob, I think you should go with the $25 a lesson. Like you say, you don't want to scare her off, and you are not hurting for money. It's obvious you enjoy what you're doing. Don't let money and lack of students rob you of the pleasure.
That said, I know that with your experience, I would gladly pay you 30 plus an hour, same as I would gladly pay Mike Archer his 30, or if in Texas, I would more than gladly pay Johnny Cox his $40.

I think you are going all out to keep this new student.
Bless you my man!
Bent

Don Sulesky · From: Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH

I have been charging $25 an hour hear in Florida because most of my students are retired on a fixed budget.
If I was back up North I would be charging close to $50 an hour. I also give out printed material of everything that is covered at each lesson.
I do suggest that they may tape the lesson if they wish too.
I have yet had anyone complain about my teaching and cost per lesson.
I am as far as I know the only one in the north Tampa FL. area that is teaching steel at this time.
They are also allowed to use my 2nd guitar or bring their own.
Don

Robbie Crabtree · From: New Mexico, USA

I paid $20.00 an hour 26 years ago.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I also factor in the knowledge that I am not REALLY a teacher... Some guys are great teachers.. I am not really at my best as a teacher.. I am more of a band player guy... I usually try to get someone started on the right foot, and then pass them on to a teacher that has a better handle on musical theory, and can teach sight reading and such.. This is what I have done with advancing electric guitar students..

I guess with steel she will have to take what she can get as far as my teaching ability!
To be honest, I have had, oh, maybe 6 or 8 steel students, but not one stuck with it,, They all gave up, even when real progress was being shown.. NEVER could understand this.. I think its lack of time personally.
The girl last night asked if 1/2 hour a day was sufficient practice time..

I kind of mumbled and told her maybe an hour would be better.. Or more if she can find the time.

THERE lies the biggest problem I think..... Most steel students I have tried to teach were younger adults with families.. usually guitarists ar other musicians wanting to add steel to the arsenal.. Invariably, they could not dedicate the required time and effort, got discouraged, and sold out..

We'll see how this works out.. She is getting the Winnie Winston book and I plan on working her with that early on, and spending a lot of time on bar, pick,and foot basics... I hope to mix in a few simple melodies too, but that seems like a little bit much to ask at this juncture.. That Red Baron isn't helping much.. they are ornery to try and tune up!!!...sounds ok tho'.. hey wish me [and her!]luck my friends!! bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Jeff Evans · From: Cowtown and The Bill Cox Outfit

Twenty dollars in 1982 equals $44 nowadays.

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

If you were getting $100 a show in 1978 and are receiving $100 a gig today, your pay has effectively been cut to under $31.

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Bob, I heard you give a seminar once a couple years ago..i think you explain things well and I bet you are a fine teacher. As with your excellent playing , you are always a bit hard on yourself and very humble. I wouldnt take it personally that your students havent stuck with it..its kinda the nature of this instrument that it requires more fortitude than most. I would also say sight reading and theory isnt really an absolute requirement for a good teacher to teach (Ive gotten very little of that in all the lessons Ive taken...theory is more like book learnin homework type stuff ...not something I'd be thrilled to get in a lesson unless it was directly applied to the instrument in a practical application).
As for time practicing, I rarely get more than 20 mintes a day. Everyone is differnt and has differnt time constraints and patience etc. You have no control over how much your student will or can practice. "You can lead them to water....."etc.

anyhow, I wish I could get a lesson from you, your student is VERY lucky. Best of luck to you and to her. Smile

Daniel Eaton · From: Weare , NH , USA

Before my job went south I was paying $20.00 per half hour. I'd say you go with your gut. If you don't really need the money I'd say your being quite generous.
_________________
Sho-Bud D10 With 8 & 4
Peavey Reno

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Bob - your description of yourself describes an awful lot of the better guitar teachers around here. Some teachers focus more on theory, others on practice. In the right context, they can both be very useful.

In addition - on pedal steel, there are a lot of physical and mechanical issues. In fact, for someone who already plays guitar at a good level, I think it's that specialized pedal steel knowledge that is really critical. Don't sell yourself short. I would have given my eye teeth to have someone close to me who is so much on the same page as we are for that first year or so.

This isn't aimed at you - this is an editorial "you". But if you're going to act as if you're not worth much, lots of people are going to assume you - and your teachings - are not. I'm not saying worth is valued entirely by money - but that's the coin of the realm in a lot of peoples' minds.

I like this script excerpt - from the company president Azae to Spence Tracy in the movie "Desk Set", 1957 -

[Tracy] You know something? This office is bigger than the whole research department.

[Azae] Well, it's supposed to be. If the office of the president isn't big enough to impress the sponsors, then there's nothing for the girls down in Research to research. I have another office just like it on the first floor. You want it?

[T] No, no. No, thanks.

[A] You don't care whether you impress people or not, do you?

[T] Wait until you get my bill. You'll be impressed.

Good script writers back then. Cool

Bo Legg · Posted 13 May 2008 9:22 am

For psg charge about twice the going rate in your area for standard guitar lessons.
I started out teaching psg and lead guitar. It seems ratio of about 50 to 1 in favor of lead guitar. You don't make any money with so few students no matter what you charge. I now just sell my lessons for psg in booklets. Most are guitars players who want to play psg and they think they already know everything and are happy just to pump that B to C# pedal and think they're R. R.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I charge $50/lesson, which can be anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours, sometimes even longer. Much of it depends on how much can be absorbed by the student. All students know this before they arrive.

I don't give weekly lessons, I recommend a lesson every month or two, time is needed to work out the physicals.

I have 3 or 4 students that come back around every 2 or 3 months for another round of stuff.

I am pretty certain that if I was teaching everyday, at the end of the day I would probably murder the last student of the day ! Sad

t

Russ Rickmann · From: Texas, USA

I am of the opinion, and what I’ve always said, that the knowledge is free, no charge. I charge for my time…….which is not free. So what a person charges for teaching should be based on how valuable their time is to them. Make sense? Russ

richard burton · From: Britain

I teach occasionally, and prefer my students to bring all their gear with them, as I have found that a large part of teaching is to show them how to get a good sound from their equipment, with amp settings, volume pedal technique etc.

As I am not an academic steel player, with only limited music theory knowledge, my fee of £10 ($20) a flexible hour reflects this.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

when i'm asked to teach, i say i don't give lessons. i don't even know what i'm doing...but they can come by and i'll answer questions and show them as much as they want!

i always learn more myself during these sessions!

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Bob, I charge $25.00 for 30 minutes. $40.00 for an hour. I furnish the tab of the lesson. Jody.

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