Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with lessons

Horseback riding for big kids

Meifa — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:43:32 -0800

I want to take horseback riding lessons. I'm 24 years old. Oxymoronic? Details follow. Way back when I was... Oh, I don't know, 8 or 9 or something, I took English riding lessons. It went on for awhile, probably closer to two years than not. I'm not sure why I stopped; my mother says I got spooked from falling while learning to jump. I beg to differ, but who am I to say?

A few days ago, for whatever reason, I thought "Man, I wish I could take horseback riding lessons again." Soon thereafter, however, doubts came a-knockin':

1) I would be starting pretty much from scratch. It's been ages since I've been on a horse. 2) I live in suburban south Florida, so there aren't a lot of stables around (there are some "horsey areas," but they're a bit posh); cutting to the chase, while adult group lessons seem really attractive to me, I don't think there are many around here. So it looks like if I follow through on this, I would be going for private lessons.

My sticking points: Is 24 too old to learn how to ride seriously? Am I going to stick out like a sore thumb, an adult among children? And something I haven't mentioned: I'm not in any great shape. Can I hack it?

Drawing me on are a few big pluses, though. One, I really want to do it. What's more, I really need to develop new hobbies and meet new people. I think this might help me there.

Any tips, suggestions, advice? Help me get over my horse fright!

Piano on a Budget

Fairchild — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:02:16 -0800

Our children are taking piano lessons. They need a piano. We don't know what we're doing. Our kids, ages 5 and 8, started piano lessons this week. We need to buy them an acoustic piano for practice at home.

My partner and I have no idea what we're doing. We don't know how to shop for a piano. We have never played a musical instrument. We would like to buy something used, with a price tag of $500 dollars or less. Is this reasonable or realistic?

I know to avoid stuck and chipped keys, but what else?

I saw an ad today for "BALDWIN PIANO Acrosonic. Excellent condition. $500" Another ad stated, "Kimball upright piano, good condition, $150" I have no idea what this means. I know nothing about brands. If I went into a home to see these pianos I wouldn't have a clue as what to look for.

We aren't considering electronic keyboards because the instructor is against them. We aren't against upgrading to a nicer piano in the future, but for now, we need something adequate for them to practice on.

Also, what are your views on children learning and loving music if their parents don't know diddly? We listen to a wide variety of music and we sing (poorly), but that's where it ends. We have never played an instrument and do not know how to read music. We (I) have some anxiety about our kids being able to practice and learn effectively when we don't know the first thing about music. We did sit in on the first lesson ,and we'll probably sit in on a few more (the instructor prefers it this way), so we do feel somewhat comfortable helping them with posture, finger placement, etc., for practice at home.

Any advice appreciated. We need a piano and we're clueless!

Guitarfilter

kjl291 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:39:56 -0800

Guitarfilter: Looking for the best online guitar instruction sites. By the best I mean any and all of the following: Multimedia, Comprehensive coverage of styles and skill levels, Lots of material and lessons, Professional presentation, availability of tabs.

Would expect to pay, but don´t have any problem with free if such an animal exists.

In the last few months I came across a couple of very impressive sites that meet the above criteria (also with downloadable tabs/sheet music - copyrighted stuff required a small fee each) but I cannot remember them or find them now. Any help would be much appreciated.

Learning to sing

frankly mister — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:56:46 -0800

What's the best way to learn to sing? I want to learn to sing. But I want to have a sort of natural, un-classically-trained sounding voice. I listen mostly to indie type rock, and that's also the kind of stuff I play on guitar. So I don't wanna sound anything like Freddy Mercury.

What's the best way to go about it: take lessons? And what's a reasonable amount of money for the kind of singing lessons I'd want -- $20 an hour? Or should I find some voice-training DVD set or something? I'm well aware that it's not the lessons that make you get good, but rather the practice time; so assuming some DVD set or whatever knows what it's talking about, maybe I'd save money in the long-run that way.

What do you think?

Thanks!

Makeup lessons for my girlfriend

bobadoci — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:17:22 -0800

My girlfriend admittedly struggles with makeup, so her routine is quite simple. Can anybody in the New York area recommend a great place to learn how to apply makeup, get makeup tips, and purchase makeup in person with a stylist. I am looking for a business, stylist, or salon in Manhattan. Excellent customer service is key and somewhere they will take the time to teach (willing to pay for lessons) here how and what makeup to apply and not something like going to Macy's to the makeup counter. Open to paying for lessons, makeovers, etc. Any ideas?

Toronto cello teacher

mendel — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:55:10 -0800

Can anyone recommend a cello teacher in Toronto, for an adult amateur new to cello but not to strings? I've recently rented a cello, after years of playing the double bass (about 2/3 jazz and 1/3 classical, German bow) followed by years of not playing the double bass.

I'm looking for a teacher who's used to adult amateurs with busy lives but who's still going to push me, building up basics and working on standard classical repertoire. Ideally, that person would be on my side of town (Annex/Dovercourt).

Your recommendations are appreciated!

Teach me how to unce unce

nitsuj — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:13:51 -0800

I want to learn, from a teacher face-to-face, to use the various tools in an electronic (as in "dance," including hip-hop) music producer's arsenal. Do classes/lessons exist? How about in Chicago? Drum machines, synthesizers, sequencers, samplers, etc -- you know the drill. I want to learn how to learn how to use these tools properly to create music.

I've used a number of different pieces of software that mimic popular pieces of hardware (Reason, for instance), but I really want to work hands-on with hardware, from a musician who knows how to use these instruments.

Do classes or lessons exist, like they do for guitar and other instruments? How about in the Chicago area? The Google isn't being very helpful in this department.

Accordion & Uke Lessons in MN

Waitwhat — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:07:30 -0800

I'm interested in taking accordion and/or ukulele lessons in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Does anyone know where I might be able to take lessons? Additionally, does anyone know of places where I can rent either instrument?

While my guitar gently weeps... for me?

pixlboi — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:09:02 -0800

At what point do you give up on trying to learn a musical instrument? Are some seemingly "normal" skills impossible for some people to learn even with time and instruction? Can lack of skill trump desire? I have been taking guitar lessons, a half hour once a week, for 10 months. I practice approx. 5 hours a week, an hour at a time. My teacher is supportive, knowledgeable and seems to care.

I have read endless guitar forum and AskMeFi questions on how long it should take to "learn" the guitar. Answers seem to range from "I bought a guitar and learned my first song that afternoon" to "It will take a few months to develop calluses, a good sense of rhythm strumming and decent chords but a lifetime to master". I laugh at the ones that say you will have a decent repertoire of songs after a month.

After 10 months I can't play a single song. Not even the simplest two chord campfire favourite. I can't change chords fast enough to play actual music. My fingers simply will not go to 3 or 4 different places on different strings and frets in one movement in the space of a split-second. So, boo-hoo, poor me, I suck... just admit I have no talent for it and give it up.

Except there are also endless articles on how anybody, absolutely anybody, can learn to play the guitar and if someone says they can't play or weren't able to learn their teacher must suck (he doesn't) or they didn't practice (I do) and there are endless articles on how there is no such thing as natural talent and its all just hard work and practice. My BS-meter tends to go off when I read there is no such thing as natural talent. I have a hard time believing anyone can be Tiger Woods if they just put in the hours (not to suggest he doesn't work hard).

Obviously I am so far behind the average learning curve for guitar that it borders on the ridiculous.

So how do you know when you are just not suited to learning something even when you really, really want to learn it? Are some skills just impossible for some people to learn even with professional instruction, practice and time? If so, how do you know it's time to throw in the towel?

(And has anyone else in history taken longer than 10 months to learn how to switch from a G to a C in tempo?)

Would it work to RE-learn Piano AND learn Violin?

DetonatedManiac — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:39:42 -0800

Given that I have a somewhat substantial history playing the piano, how difficult would it be to take up lessons for the piano again after years out of practice AND start, for the first time, lessons on the Violin? How beneficial would such "cross training" be? How difficult would it be to find a teacher who could guide me on such a hybrid path? Other Thoughts? I have to say, from the start, that though I played for more than a decade, I never considered myself all that musical, so forgive me if any of this sounds overly simplistic.

I played the piano from when I was 5 or 6 up until I was 18... however I had many teachers and ended up with a quasi "Suzuki" method, never really learning to sight read or any theory. Also I quit for varying lengths of time due to power struggles with the parents.

It has been 5 years without seriously touching the keyboard and aside from the key movements of one or two of my favorite songs, I feel I have retained nothing from years of practice.

I kinda feel like if I take up a new instrument along with resuming piano practice it may allow me to practice the fundamentals of sight reading and theory on the violin while still playing the more impressive pieces I used to on the piano. Additionally I always loved the sound and sight of a violin, in all its forms.

Is this dual approach misguided or too simplistic? Does it have any merits? Are Piano and Violin theory and sheet music similar enough that this cross pollination would work or are they like oil and water?

Also, what should I do for a teacher (or teachers)? Two separate teachers or just one?

We Can't Dance If We Want To (Yet)

blapst — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:03:14 -0800

WeddingDance Filter: Need recommendations for a place to take dance lessons in NYC. Bonus points if it's close or convenient to Park Slope. The lady and I are getting married. I like dancing, and can fake my way through ballroom and swing stuff. She's not a big dancer, and is very hard to lead (she always tried to guess where she'll be lead, and invariably guesses wrong). We need a good place to learn social ballroom basics. And as much as I'd love to learn salsa, mambo, or merengue, I guarantee our first song won't be in one of those styles, so no places that teach exclusively Latin dances.

"Swim to me, let me enfold you."

mykescipark — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:33:23 -0800

Recommend a voice teacher in Los Angeles, if you please. Where can a idiosyncratic but ambitious songwriter go for some non-American Idol-poisoned singing lessons in Los Angeles/Hollywood?

I recently moved out here from Boston, where the talent pool is a lot smaller and the music scene is slightly less ... well ... insane. Although I'm an accomplished enough musician, my voice (quite good in its raw form) would be amazing with some sustained work. Also, as a self-taught muso, I never learned to properly read music, so I'm starting at a bit of a handicap versus all my conservatory-scrubbed brethren.

Although I generally believe the underlying principles of voice are fundamental to all singing styles, in case you need to know, I will primarily be performing in a sort of Liz Fraser-meets-Joni Mitchell sort of vein. (And, yes, I'm a boy.)

Any suggestions for Voice 101 lessons in my neck of the woods?

Surfing lessons in NY: Far Rockaway or Long Beach?

Malad — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:18:34 -0800

For a 15- or 20-person group of people with no experience in surfing: lessons (in New York) at Long Beach or Far Rockaway Beach? Also, which is more fun to be at and has more stuff to see around it? Finally, any recommendations for surf lesson companies?

Recommend a classical piano teacher in Cambridge, MA

Pontius Pilate — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:44 -0800

Recommend a piano teacher in Cambridge, MA. I had about 6 years of classical piano training, oh, about 10 years ago, and it's something that I'd like to pick up again. The problem is that I have no idea how to pick a good music instructor. I'm throwing in some info that may or may not be relevant.

- I live in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA (no car)

- Mainly interested in classical training rather than modern

- No piano at home, but I do have access to practice pianos at a grad school music department

- Semi-broke grad school student, so it would be nice to find someone at a reasonable price

Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Anyone can play guitar

ludwig_van — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:05:35 -0800

Advice and resources for a guitar teacher? I've recently taken a new job at a music store/school where I teach 55 students a week for half an hour each. I have students as young as 8 and some in their fifties. Most of them are 12-16. They range from brand new musicians to a few that have played for a couple years. My place of work is a fairly traditional music school that offers guitar, vocal, piano, drums, and woodwind lessons.

I've played guitar for about 7 years and I went to school for composition, so I tend to focus more on theory than technique, although I have a decent array of chops-builders. I usually start students off with Hal Leonard's Guitar Method for reading. I try to spend half the lesson working on reading/theory/exercises and half working on music of the student's choice, if they have any.

I'm interested in any web resources for guitar teachers (good exercises or etudes in particular) as well as any general advice on how to be an effective guitar teacher. I have a couple of specific issues as well:

1) A few of my students are bassists. I usually work with them on scales and arpeggios and rhythm exercises and reading, but I've never owned a bass and don't have any bass technique to speak of. Is there a particular approach I should take with them, or a book I should pick up that will help?

2) I took over this schedule from another teacher who left. I get the impression that his lessons were very unstructured, and it doesn't seem to me that his students were learning much, but they seem to have liked him. I'm having a tough time transitioning with some of them. Some of the ones that have been playing for 2 years+ have decent technique, although most are lacking in theory, chord vocabulary, and reading. However, some seem resistant to learning these things, but are also unwilling/unable to tell me what they do want to learn or what exactly they were working on with their old teacher. Any ideas on how to approach this?

Opera Teacher in Dallas?

Sangermaine — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:57:40 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good opera teacher in the Dallas area (ideally reasonably near Garland or Plano)? The person I'm asking for is a mezzo-soprano with many years of singing experience in choir and other vocal activities, but is looking to learn operatic technique. Thanks a lot for any help.

Boxing Lessons in NYC

glooper — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:15:46 -0800

Looking for boxing lessons in NYC, open to group lessons or a personal trainer. 1. My girlfriend and I are looking to learn, have fun, and get a workout. I don't think we will make it to the Olympics, hopefully we can find a place tolerant of beginners.

2. If possible, I would like to purchase a series of lessons only and avoid buying a full membership at a parent health club.

Google produced a lot of listings and phone numbers but I had trouble finding any reviews or personal experiences.

Buy & Learn Guitar

BeaverTerror — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 01:15:51 -0800

I've decided to start taking guitar lessons. Where should I buy my guitar? Know any good instructors? I'm in San Francisco. I don't know much about guitars, and I'm looking for a guitar store in San Francisco with a knowledgeable staff that actually cares, instead of just trying to make sales.

I'm buying a classical guitar.

I'm also looking for a good, non-expensive guitar instructor with experience in the classical and folk genres. I work normal hours so I'm looking for evening and weekend classes.

Please give me your recommendations.

I live at Civic Center, and I get around on a bike, so location is important.

Gone Chopin. Be Bach in a minuet.

not_on_display — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:18:22 -0800

Hello, hive! Advice sought for acquiring, moving, and maintaining a used piano, and in getting my 12-year-old son set up with lessons. My 12-year-old son is finally expressing his innate love for, and talent in, music by starting to teach himself how to play various things on our 60-key touch-sensitive keyboard. As a Christmas present to my son, my parents have agreed to cover the costs of moving a piano to our apartment. So we're looking for a used (or free) one. I figure, for space reasons, we'd be looking for an upright. We're also a family of limited financial means, so economy is an issue. So: questions, questions...

Acquiring a used piano:
- Where's the best place to look for used pianos? What should I expect to pay for what level of quality? Free pianos: yay or neigh?
- What should I be looking at in determining whether a piano is solid, or is going to become so much scrap wood? Some people I've asked say, "Make sure ths soundboard is good." Which is good advice, I suppose, but I wouldn't know the soundboard from the elbow. What about the hammers, the keys, the pedals, the undercarriage, the tires?

Moving the piano:
- How much should I expect to pay a moving company to haul one of them suckers?
- If, instead, I got a U-haul and two or three friends, would this be not such a good idea, or would it be do-able, given that we pay attention to X, Y, and Z?

Maintenance of a piano:
- I understand that whenever a piano is moved, you should get it tuned. How often afterward?
- What else will we need to do to keep a piano in good shape?

Lessons for the kid: My son's teaching himself, and is learning quickly, by watching instruction videos via YouTube. We don't want him to fall into bad habits, technique-wise, and we want him to learn how to read music. My son is a very friendly kid, "ADHD," learns well when self-motivated, rebels when pressured. Like most other 12-year-old-boys.
- What qualities should I look for in a piano teacher?
- There are plenty of colleges around our area (Boston/Cambridge), and I assume there are many students looking to give lessons for an xtra buck. Is this a good, cheap alternative to getting a "pro"?
- If we want to start him on lessons without having a real piano (i.e., using a pedal-less, non-weighted-key, touch sensitive 60-key Yamaha), would we be shooting our son in the foot?

So there you go. Am I forgetting anything? (I must be.) Your collective experiences have shed light on so many things, so thank you in advance for your insight. And happy holidays!

Help me give the gift of dance

Zaximus — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:06:33 -0800

My girlfriend has made it pretty clear she wants dancing lessons for Christmas. Any recommendations for the San Jose, CA area? Google lists plenty of places where we can learn how to dance, but I'd like to make sure that the place I pick is of high quality and was hoping that some Mefi members living near the bay could help me out with some top picks. There is no way I can go visit each place beforehand to check it out, and I'd still like to retain some of the surprise so I can't have her check it out either. Some additional info:

* Any kind of partner dance would be ok, but I think we are shooting for Dancing with the Stars-ish ballroom.

* I live in Fremont, she lives in Santa Clara. Since it is her present and my working hours can go a lot later than hers, I'd like to pick a spot closer to her so that if I have to bail she can still go by herself.

* Small-ish group lessons are ideal - see above.

Thanks for your help!

I'm a little bit country, but New York's not.

supercoollady — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 07:45:26 -0800

I'm not a pro (and I don't play an instrument...) Where can I go to sing early country music in New York City? I used to take a great singing/music class ("early country ensemble") at the Old Town School of Folk Music, in Chicago--everyone got together and they'd put together little groups and people played various instruments and sang, etc. and it was just a delight. I've since moved to New York City, and I haven't had a lot of luck finding something like that. The closest meetup I can find is the New York City folk music group, and they tend to sing things more like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, whereas I'm more of a Jimmie Rodgers and Carter Family kind of gal.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this? I'm not really interested in choral singing, I'm not prepared/inclined to go up and do an open mic thing, and I would pay. Thanks for any suggestions!

I need to find cooking lessons in Los Angeles. Not looking for a formal degree program, just the basics.

Mr_Crazyhorse — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 13:35:11 -0800

I need to find cooking lessons in Los Angeles. Not looking for a formal degree program, just the basics. Google is overwhelmed by various cooking schools, and nothing for the beginner or casual learner.

Craigslist has also been similarly un-helpful.

Basically I am as useless in the kitchen as I would be in the control room of a nuclear reactor.

TIA

maybe learning to drive is enough of a challenge?

hector horace — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:12:03 -0800

Would I be crazy to take driving lessons/learn to drive during the winter (ie in the snow)? Ok, so it seems like winter is rapidly approaching here in Montreal, Quebec, which means the snow can't be far behind. I would like to get a start on practicing for my road test but I'm wondering if it might be better to wait until the spring when road conditions will be back to normal and easier to navigate.

How much sense does it make to learn to drive in the winter? Is it crazy? I don't have a lot of experience behind the wheel but I also don't have and anxiety about learning to drive either.

Obviously living here in Canada I'm going to have to get used to driving in the snow eventually so maybe learning to drive in winter conditions could be to an advantage?

oh, I would be taking lessons through a private company using there car...

ok thanks!

Manhattan Vocal Teacher

captainscared — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:30:20 -0800

I need a recommendation for a Manhattan singing teacher for an actress in a movie. I am producing a short film and need to have an actor sing a short a capella number. She has no prior experience and needs to be on key. I am looking to find her a vocal instructor in Manhattan for a few brief, relatively inexpensive lessons. I know I could pick a teacher at random on Craig's list but I'd prefer someone that comes recommended.

Thanks so much.

How Can I Get More Students?

rossination — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 20:22:47 -0800

Musicians -- how do you attract students? I'm a trombonist and college student (music performance and music ed) in Seattle. I have one private student, and I teach semi-privately once a week at an area school. I'm looking to pick up a couple more students. Everyone says to put an ad on Craigslist and to talk to area band directors. I've done both, and (so far) I haven't had much luck.

I realize that I'm not teaching piano, guitar, or drums -- it's not like there are thousands of people out there just looking to get their trombone on. But I'm looking for suggestions from others who teach privately (not just music) as to how they got the "gigs" that they have now.

If for whatever reason you don't want to post here, email is in profile.

[Final note -- hope this doesn't seem like I'm trying to advertise on AskMe. I'm not.]