For guitar, bass, keyboard and piano students, there has always been that lingering questions of whether to learn traditional notation or contemporary chords styles. Chords are faster to learn and provide you with a quick fix when learning new songs, however the detail and expression available in traditional notation is unsurpassed. So which method is the best for you?

1. Shortcuts vs Investment
Before we answer this you need to think about yourself and your unique needs. If you are a seasoned musician transitioning over to another instrument, you may need a quick fix to get you playing that song as fast as possible. Perhaps you are a total beginner and are wondering where to start? Or maybe you are an intermediate self-taught musician but would like to know what you are missing out on. All of these factors come into play when deciding where to go on your musical journey. Start by deciding if you really do need just a quick shortcut, or if you are actually serious about learning your instrument and wish to invest in your long term musical abilities. Tab and chords will provide a blueprint shortcut with the basic structure and harmonic changes in the piece, however you will be missing on a lot more such as dynamics, expressive techniques, meter, tempo changes etc. Learning to read requires much more time and effort, however it will ensure that you learn to play each piece just as the composer or artist intended.

2. Need vs Want
A common excuse is “I need to learn to play that song, but without the extra stuff”. This is mistaken as you don’t actually need to learn the piece, you want to learn the piece. A want will normally be based on extrinsic motivation, and if you are not a serious student, the novelty may soon fade away as your limited technique will leave every new song you learn with chords and tab sounding much the same. A need would be you filling in for a gig or studio recording and there is a part which you need to get perfect. This is when knowing how to read music will definitely pay off. However if the gig is not that important, or you have been asked to improvise and add your own interpretations then perhaps chords and tab will be fine. Like I previously mentioned, chords and tab are quicker to learn, however reading music provides much more detail and accuracy, so decide whether your situation is a need or a want.

3. The best of both worlds
A serious musician is driven my intrinsic motivation, that is to say the desire to pursue the practice of an instrument purely for its own purpose and not due to an external or meager reward. Hence all serious students should learn to read music as it forms the basis of your musical grammar. That being said, it is also important to understand the use of harmony in compositions, and to know how to improvise or ornament at any given moment. This is when a solid knowledge of chords and progressions is important, and hence, learning to read contemporary notation, graphs, chord charts and tab will be beneficial. My experience started with learning classical piano, then transitioning to notated jazz pieces, then jazz harmony and finally chord charts with an emphasis on improvisation. However if you are not planning to dedicate a lifetime to your instrument, the I simply recommend you get the best of both worlds by learning to read at a grade 2 or 3 level, then simultaneously learning to improvise over a set of simple progressions such as [2, 5, 1], [1, 6, 4, 5, 1] and [3, 6, 2, 5, 1] in all 12 keys.

Want to sample a bit of both? Then vcheck out IMSLP's extensive collection of traditionally notated sheet music. Then don't forget to visit the infamous Ultimate Guitar website which has hundreds of thousands of songs in simplified chord and lyrics charts. The best way to fast track your progress is always by seeking advice from a seasoned professional who has spent years developing their sight reading skills and knowledge of chords. At Contreras Music we pride ourselves on our teacher’s knowledge and experience of both the classical and contemporary arts. Why not come in for a free chat and see which method is the best for your individual needs? Visit ContrerasMusic.com and book in a free trial lesson today!

The difficulty with music educators working as private tutors is that they may need to compete with other extra-curricular activities that students and parents choose to do on top or regular school work. The majority of these are fun, challenging and engaging. Music encompasses all of these elements, however is not as easily noticed by parents or students. We as musicians have a passion for our subject and for the practice of it. However put yourself in the shoes of an average 10 year old.
What would you rather do?

• Attend your Karate lessons at the local dojo where you will jump, scream, punch and kick butt!
• Play footy or soccer on the weekends as part of a team, running, scoring goals, and hearing cheers from the crowd!
• Dance as part of a performance group with lights, loud music and motivating physical exercise!

          OR

• Sit in a chair for 30 minutes listening to your music teacher telling you what to do. Attempt to learn scales and random songs you may not like, then be told you need to go home and practice this or else you won’t get to do the FUN stuff!

Do you see the context? Do you feel what the student feels? Can you empathize with a parent who also sits in on your lesson and observes the above?
Now let’s get some credit musicians. We are not child ENTERTAINERS, we are not CLOWNS, we are not DAY CARE CENTRES, we don’t work for PLAY SCHOOL, and we are certainly not APPRECIATED enough for imparting the wisdom we have acquired through relentless decades of practice. We are however expected to make music enjoyable, even if our personal background or musical upbringing was not so stimulating. Students today are different to when we were children, they are far more active, far more restless, and need far more to keep them fully engaged. This is when quality teachers rise above from the rest. Quality 21st century teachers understand this and thus make an effort to engage each and every one of their students on a personal and musical level. It is their job to impart wisdom and skills to their pupils, but they must do it in an engaging way for it to have any success.
So here are 7 ways for any music teacher to make their lessons more enjoyable. Feel free to adapt them and make them your own in your next lesson:

 1. Say G’DAY! 
Greet each student and parent as they walk in by their name. Remember that these are not just walking cash flow tickets or client numbers, they are people just like us. So ask the student about their day, or about something interesting they did during the past week. Keep the topic on non-music related subjects and be sure to listen to what they have to say. Perhaps you can share something interesting you did as well so that the student sees the other side of their music teacher.
 
2. SMILE & BE HAPPY
Remember that your personality can be just as important as your performance skills when dealing with students and parents. To illustrate, would you rather pay money for your child to learn to cook from a happy, smiling, caring Jaimie Oliver who will nurture and support your little one, or would you prefer a grumpy and arrogant Gordon Ramsay yells abuse you every time a mistake is made? Teachers, put on your fun teacher hat and enjoy the lesson with your student. You are helping a person to develop, grow and achieve milestones in their lives. If you can’t enjoy the lesson, how can you possibly expect them to enjoy it and return?
 
3. CHILL
Seriously teachers….chill. Music may be your life, but at the start it will only be a fun hobby for students and parents. They have not spent the many years you have studying, practicing and developing a passion for it. So don’t be too strict or disappointed if they don’t take it all too seriously at first. Relax, be friendly, be positive, and eventually they will come around. You would not want to have scared off a potentially great musician because your lessons were too strict at the onset, thus putting them off music altogether.
 
4. EASY DOES IT
At the very basic level, start with a healthy ratio of more songs than scales. Even though they do need scales and technical exercises to develop their technique, the best way of motivating a student to practice is by getting them to learn songs and enjoy their music. When they see that they need to get better in order to learn that new song, you can stress the importance of more scales and technical work. My personal favorite is to make the scales themselves a song. I simply play some accompanying chords (usually 1, 6, 4, and 5) then ask the student to join me with the matching major scale. Not only do I get a great cycle of fifths transposition work out, but I also engage my student in actual music making. This is an important role in the development of great musicians, especially at the early beginner’s level.
 
5. LURE THEM IN WITH FAMOUS RIFFS
Picture a student walking in for their first music lesson. They sit down and their teacher says “Right, you need to start by developing fundamental techniques which will strengthen your physical dexterity and fine motor skills, thereby allowing you to attempt harder and more challenging aspects of the instrument which eventually will lead you to performing difficult and challenging repertoire. Let’s start with scales”. How motivated would you be?

But what if that same student walked in to their very first music lesson and their teacher said “You are about to learn the most awesome instrument in the world! I’ve been playing it for the past 20 years of my life and I never get bored of it. Want to see why?” INSERT AMAZING BRAIN MELTING GUITAR RIFFS AND SOLO HERE!!! Which of the two will inspire, engage and excite? The point is simple, start with the easy but Fun basics and ensure that the student is engaged with the material. How about teaching them a few riffs from ACDC, Star Wars, Jaws, Another one bites the dust, James Bond Theme, or Seven Nation Army? Why not some easy jazz licks or a walking bass line? How about the melody from Beethoven’s Ode to Joy or 5th Symphony?
 
Whatever your instrument or teaching style, you can be the best teacher for your students. To do so, ensure that you say hi, smile, relax, be positive and outgoing, and keep it simple at the start. Your students will admire you for it, and then parents will recommend you to others for being the amazing teacher that you are. So teachers, don’t see your next lesson as another day at work, instead see it as an opportunity to engage and shape the next Miles Davis for tomorrows music industry.

​These are just some of the techniques our professional teachers utilise to engage our students here at Contreras Music. We believe that finding a teacher with the right balance of experience, knowledge and skills is the key to a quality music education. This is why we are proud of our teachers and our pedagogy. Why not come in and experience our difference for yourself? Book in a Free trial lesson now and start your musical journey!
 
© 2016 Cristian Contreras. 
www.ContrerasMusic.Com
Please share with anyone who loves good music!