|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Skype lesson experience
Skype lesson experience
Page:
1
CapitalG
43 posts
Jan 09, 2015
11:27 AM
|
Hi,
I would like to hear from those who have experienced Skype lessons from experienced players for intermediate/advanced students. Who would you recommend? what genre they taught the quality and structure of the material provided. Oh and the value for money,
Cheers
G
Last Edited by CapitalG on Jan 09, 2015 11:28 AM
|
arzajac
1541 posts
Jan 09, 2015
12:06 PM
|
If you are looking for intermediate/advanced lessons with high quality and structured lessons, I first think of Carlos Del Junco.
----------
Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
|
teba
7 posts
Jan 09, 2015
1:02 PM
|
If you want to get high quality private harp Skype lessons, so you don't need to look any further than take Jasons lessons. I took last summer somewhat 5-8 lessons (I don't remember the count at the moment) and I became immediately better player after lesson one and the learning curve was amazing!
I had learned all the techniques (overblows, tongueblocking etc) by my one in nine months of playing, just by woodshedding like a hell, so with Jason I learned mostly about music, about scales, how to work them, harmony and so on. Even though there is many free harp lessons out there (by Adam and Jason himself has plenty as well) on Youtube, so there is no way that you can compare recorded lessons to live lessons. And those things applies to every style of music and instruments, have being playing guitar again (played it when I was a kid) and taking Jasons harmonica lessons (and playing harmonica) improved my guitar playing more than going to guitar lectures.
My recommandation to any serious (beginning) harper is to stop buying harp gear and put the cash instead to lessons.
I had really great time and it was really inspiring, and when I just get some cash together again (being a university student is economically hard, and I'm starting to reherseal with a street music project so need to invest to some new harps and put my equipment into good shape) I'm going to send Jason an e-mail and beg him take me back.
If I had played and practised just on my own I would NEVER reached the point I'm at this moment. No kidding. Even though that basic shit is out there in free lessons so sometimes you just need the guidance of an experienced teacher to really understand and apply those principles into your own playing.
|
Todd Parrott
1282 posts
Jan 09, 2015
4:17 PM
|
I think it really depends on what you're looking to learn.
I would recommend Michael Rubin, not just for theory, but for some cool ideas. I always enjoy trading ideas with him at SPAH. He's really good at playing in other positions too.
For country licks, there's Mike Caldwell. Mike's also good with theory and music in general. I've spent a lot of time with him in person, trading ideas and licks.
I can't comment on guys like Jason Ricci, Carlos Del Junco, or Ronnie Shellist, other than to say I have heard really good things about all of their lessons.
I also teach on Skype, but my lessons are more lick-based lessons than anything. I also use the piano to discuss notes that work well over common (and not so common) chords. I try and keep my rates affordable, and in line with the material covered.
Regardless of who you choose as a teacher, I think it helps to have a list of things you'd like to focus on ahead of time.
Last Edited by Todd Parrott on Jan 09, 2015 4:37 PM
|
gad wagon
69 posts
Jan 10, 2015
2:06 AM
|
I've had lessons with Jimi Lee and Scott Albert Johnson via skype and have met with Tollak Ollestad. They had totally different techniques and approaches. You can get a decent feel for the way a person will teach by the way they play and the how their music sounds.
For example, Jimi Lee is quite structured and really harps on precision (no pun intended... but still applicable). You can hear this in the clarity in his notes and the phrase changes. He taught me the importance of being clear and precise with the music.
Scott Albert Johnson was a bit more loose, really emphasizing the importance of making the music yours. You can hear this in the way he overblows, changes harps/positions, etc. He helped me to grow in confidence and to more freely play what I'm feeling.
If you can take one nugget away from each teacher/lesson, you will be doing really well.
You MUST have fun. Professional lessons are too expensive to be miserable. Take lessons from a guy (or gal) you like listening to.
Lastly, you will be the student. Listening is KEY.
----------
-- "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts" -- C.S. Lewis
http://www.youtube.com/user/gadwagon/videos
|
RyanMortos
1487 posts
Jan 10, 2015
6:45 AM
|
For me, Michael Rubin has been the best. I've taken Skype lessons for approx 4 years with a bunch of different teachers starting with the late Chris "Buddha" Michalek who gave me a free Skype lesson with purchase of custom harmonica. And I've taken 1 or more Skype lessons from pretty much all the teachers who give Skype lessons who are a name you'd recognize. Mr. Rubin explains things clearly, has an actual education plan, is willing to work on what you feel is most important, & is highly encouraging. He teaches how music works, how to figure out solos on your own, and then work your playing them up to speed. He can teach diatonic & chromatic which not every Skype teacher can. He's active in the community, has actual past & current experience playing for audiences, recording for musicians, even trying out for commercials. I learn to play in all keys on diatonic & chromatic. He's open to working on other genres of music aside from blues. Not to leave out, that he's punctual, if he schedule's a lesson date/time, he will be there or you'll have plenty of notice for rescheduling. You won't be left staring at a blank screen with nothing but a harp in your hand waiting for a teacher who no calls no shows which I've experienced from even the biggest names. You can get a feel for Michael Rubin's lessons from his website: http://michaelrubinharmonica.com/pageVideoArchive.html .
I would recommend not prepaying for 4 lesson packages or 6 lesson packages that some Skype teachers offer. These have bitten me in the butt with some teachers who for some reason fulfilled part of the lessons & then decided to no call, no show to the point where I gave up trying to get the last lesson or asked a refund.
Skype is really cool for harmonica lessons. It opens up options. I can name maybe 3 in person harmonica teachers in a 90 minute radius of where I live. Dozens available on Skype. I feel I get round about 90% of the same lesson if I were in person based on in person lessons I've done. Harmonica isn't really an instrument the teacher seems to need t see you play on. Not like they can watch mouth/tongue technique in person. I mean, people give piano Skype lessons but at this point I myself wouldn't bother.
In my experience, I'd prefer in person lessons, workshops or teach-ins at SPAH, followed closely by Skype lessons, over the phone lessons work okay but feel odd. Signing up on a website and watching pre-recorded lessons doesn't work for me & I've tried most of them as well (I tend to just not keep up or not practice), YouTube lessons felt okay before I was more intermediate player. But I don't think the pros on YouTube are giving away much advanced for free, haha. Buying lots of books by Dave Barrett, for example, only take you so far and you don't get to ask questions to books. Sometimes hearing something phrased differently can make all the difference when getting the concept.
In summary, thumbs up to Skype lessons, two thumbs up to Skype lessons with Michael Rubin, thumbs down to pre-paying for X number of lessons from someone you don't know you can trust, even if there a well known respected name. If you do try Skype lessons interview some of the teachers or take a (sometimes free or discounted) intro lesson just to talk about your experience, what you want, what they charge (there's an average but some charge significantly more for their time), what they can bring for you. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing 1-4 lessons with every Skype teacher until you find one that fits YOU, which is most important, IMO.
----------
~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
Last Edited by RyanMortos on Jan 10, 2015 7:08 AM
|
Rontana
18 posts
Jan 10, 2015
7:34 AM
|
Those are very good tips Ryan. I would add - and this applies to any sort of lessons - that a person be very specific with a teacher from the onset. This entails being very honest with yourself before starting.
For example, decide if you want to perform, or if you just want to learn to play for your own enjoyment (not everyone seeks to be a working pro). Do you want to learn to read music, or is reading music something that makes you want to bang your head into a wall? Do you want to focus on blues, country, rock, bluegrass (etc) or any combination thereof?
Some teachers (again, any endeavor) feel they should teach you what they think you should learn, rather than what you want to learn. Ask yourself if you'd frequent a restaurant if they only served you the items they thought you should eat.
Of course you need the basic building blocks, and when in that phase it's imperative to trust the teacher's knowledge and judgement. But, after that, it's up to the student to pick a teacher that will follow the game plan the student is paying for.
----------
Marr's Guitars
Offering custom-built Cigar Box Guitars for the discriminating player of obscure musical unstruments
|
KingBiscuit
253 posts
Jan 11, 2015
2:50 PM
|
I took Skype lessons with Jimi Lee for a little over a year. He ain't cheap, but he is well worth it. The lessons worked out great as long as you have decent bandwidth. Jimi's lesson's are an hour, but many times, we went way beyond that because he won't stop till you get it.
I can't say enough good about Jimi and his teaching methods. If you're not familiar with Jimi's playing, I'm sure pretty much anyone here will tell you he's a top notch player.
|
Michael Rubin
1003 posts
Jan 12, 2015
4:20 PM
|
Thanks Todd Parrott and Ryan Mortos. I love trading ideas with you as well, Todd.
I recommend me. ;)
Here's what I have found as a teacher:
I cannot play a rhythm instrument for you because of the time lag. We have to use jam tracks such as Youtube or Band in a Box.
Making sure we both have the same piece of music either audio or written is challenging, not impossible.
We cannot play two harps at the same time. The time lag plus sometimes two competing sounds causes one to get cut out.
I cannot insure your foot is tapping correctly on downbeats unless you place something to make your foot sound loud or your use your hand on the table.
Other than that, it's the same thing as far as I am concerned. I have a bunch of testimonials on my website concerning skype. Michaelrubinharmonica.com
|
Harp Study
65 posts
Jan 18, 2015
9:46 AM
|
I've taken a couple lessons with Todd Parrott and would defiantly recommend him. He is very patient and is very reasonably priced. As most people on this forum know Todd is an absolutely fantastic player, but he is also a great teacher as well.
Just my two cents. I haven't taken skype lessons with anyone else yet, but have had a few lessons in person. I thought the skype lessons were essentially as useful as my in person lessons, but I wasn't as found of the in person instructor as I was of Todd; so that could be part of it too.
|
WoozleEffect
43 posts
May 16, 2018
12:31 PM
|
I goofed the spam code and my message was lost!
Let me edit and retry!
Sorry for reviving a thread from 2015. I'm wondering if there are any new names to add to those mentioned above?
I've decided I really want an interactive lesson from a real person, and out here in the-middle-of-nowhere Manitoba, Canada, instructors are more elusive than the bigfoot...
Cheers,
-Rob
----------
Rob Laferrière
Russell, MB, Canada
www.woozleeffect.com
Last Edited by WoozleEffect on May 16, 2018 12:33 PM
|
Gnarly
2481 posts
May 16, 2018
1:02 PM
|
Winslow Yerxa--he's Canadian, and he wrote the book (several, actually).
|
Post a Message
|
