Choosing a Tutor and Maximising Your Learning Experience

by Andy and Nadine Highfield

If you want to learn to play or sing bluegrass music, you need to find someone who specialises in this genre. Bluegrass has a very specific sound (especially in terms of timing and accents) and it cannot be taught adequately by someone who doesn’t play and/or sing it themselves. So, when considering a tutor, ask where you can see them perform, and find some of their bluegrass recordings. Most professional musicians have websites or can be found on MySpace.

Does the tutor have the sound you are looking for? For example, if you are looking to develop a hard driving traditional sound, taking lessons from someone who themselves has a soft, jazzy-type of sound may not advance you very far: more to the point, it could even set you back several steps. In bluegrass music, tone counts for a huge amount, and if a tutor does not have the sound you want to achieve, they are not really the ideal person to teach you. So, listen carefully to potential tutors and be very critical of their strengths and weaknesses. Know what they can offer you, and think about exactly what you can (or cannot) learn from this person.

It can also help to do as much preparation in advance as possible, and to think about what your targets are. Is it to develop new techniques? It is to improve your tone? Is it to gain psychological insights into what makes a really good player? Is it all of the above? Think about it, and make some notes about exactly what it is you are hoping to achieve. Do not be afraid to ask questions. You are there to learn and owe it to yourself to get the very best out of the time available.

Many students are nervous and worry that they are “not good enough”. This is very common, and tutors are well used to it! Do not let this become an obstacle to taking part. A good tutor can work with students of all levels, and wherever you are, with good tuition you can get an awful lot better! Many techniques are fundamental and if you learn them right in the first place, they will stand you in good stead throughout your entire musical life. Good tutors know this, and will help you to lay the best possible foundation for future development.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those who take the attitude that “I am so brilliant I cannot possibly learn anything more”! Wrong. No matter how good you are, you can still benefit from being exposed to fresh ideas or new techniques. Even if you can play “the notes” you can still learn a lot about inventiveness, originality, the psychological aspects of musicianship and performance, etc. If you really believe that you are past the point where anyone can teach you anything, I’d respectfully suggest you need to think again. Even advanced players can benefit from going back to basics from time to time, too.

It is worth noting that in the field of science and technology the world’s top experts in various fields routinely get together to share ideas, give presentations, and to brainstorm! In these areas, such gatherings are called ‘Symposia’ or a ‘Congress’. In fact, nearly every profession encourages continued education and holds seminars and conferences with presentations and workshops led by experts in the field. In bluegrass, we tend to call them camps or schools…

Remember - before setting out for a class or session with a tutor, make sure you have a fairly fresh set of strings on that stay in tune and carry some spares – just in case. Make sure your instrument is properly set up. Take a notebook or small personal recorder as well, as this can really help when going over material later. Most tutors will allow sound recording, but ask before expecting to video anything, as there are copyright and other legal implications to this.

The golden rules, then, are:

1) Know what you are looking for

2) Look at a tutor’s bluegrass experience

3) Don’t get apprehensive about taking a class – it’s fun!

4)There is always more to learn!