What Constitutes as "teaching myself to play"?

What exactly is being taught to play? Is being taught taking lessons in person? Watching youtube tutorials? How does one teach themselves to play? Sorry if I'm confusing anyone, I'm trying my best to put it into words. What are some examples of teaching yourself to play the uke and what are some examples of being taught to play. I was told that I am teaching myself to play. Basically I'm just watching videos and looking at tabs. I see that as being taught how to play, so what is the difference?

Most people would define learning from videos, books, websites, apps, etc. as teaching yourself.

Taking a class or private lessons would, obviously, involve a teacher teaching you, either in person or online, like Skype lessons. The difference between teaching yourself and being taught by a good teacher is that a teacher can give feedback. They evaluate your progress, push you to work on more challenging material, force you to work on your weaknesses, find alternate ways of teaching when you struggle with something, etc.

The difference between teaching yourself and being taught by a bad teacher is that you save a lot of time and money by teaching yourself!

I've had 3 different teachers for 3 different instruments. 2 had a "lesson plan" they were following, but did not address some problems that I told them I have. Perhaps some of my problems could have been solved with practice and time, but they never mentioned that. Another teacher was never prepared for the lesson or gave out assignments. I caught on to that pretty fast so I would just bring up questions that I had. I was looking for more structure though. I live in a small town and there's not a lot of teachers here. My main goal in having a teacher was to keep me from developing bad habits. If possible, I suggest that you try and check with others who might know/recommend a good teacher. I think that, had I found the right teacher, it would have been a real help to me.

So now I'm basically teaching myself via youtubes and I also have some books and a couple of dvds. Did you know that you can subscribe to youtube channels of people who you think give good lessons? One thing that's helping me is Jim Beloff's books. I learn more by doing that watching. Since I'm a visual learner, I need both. There's so much great info out there for free! Lastly remember that playing ability does not necessarily equal teaching ability; It can, but not always.

Shastastan said:

Lastly remember that playing ability does not necessarily equal teaching ability; It can, but not always.

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:agree: This in spades! I have a very good friend who is an absolutely amazing blues and jazz guitarist. He's been in bands for years, done some session work, and doesn't just have the licks, he also knows a lot of theory, and has taught individual guitar off an on. So, one day I'm telling him about something I picked up from a YouTube video that had really improved my playing and he said, "I've been telling you that for nine years!"

Whereupon I answered sweetly, "Then, I guess you didn't explain it very well..." (We're good friends so I can get away with that - besides, he's blind so I can duck his punches pretty easily.) :biglaugh:

John

I have pretty much taught myself from tabs, and a few videos to start. I'm considering getting proper lessons to iron out things I do wrong without even realising :/

This is a great thread, thanks for bringing it up! After a few guitar lessons in my youth, which passed a long time ago....! I have been teaching myself from videos, tabs and songsheets. I've joined a uke group where the leader manages to keep a couple of steps ahead of the rest of us, and has taught alternative fingerings for chords, which is really useful for certain chord changes... something I might not have come across except in threads on this forum. But someone showing you how to do something tricky that you've been struggling with on your own and couldn't get the hang of until a real human being stepped in the right knowledge/skill is like someone opening a door into bright sunlight for you. It happened to me a couple of months ago with somethig I was really struggling with. Five minutes with someone in the know and I'd got it. I think a good teacher who you can "plug-in" to would be a fine thing. I've always enjoyed the challenge of being self-taught - but if I'd had piano lessons when I was young I'd be a pianist now, instead of someone who can fiddle about on the piano a bit. I think that's the difference - if you want to be really good - a musician- get lessons from a teacher - a proper one who knows their stuff and can give you the theory as well.

The bad thing about teaching one's self to play is that one doen't have another to blame for one's lack of progress...

John

OldePhart said:

The bad thing about teaching one's self to play is that one doen't have another to blame for one's lack of progress...

John

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Oh, you never said a truer word!

In the early 60s I received a banjo uke for Christmas along with an instruction book. Bill F. taught me some chords - Bill and the book were teachers.

I got a Silvertone guitar a few years later with a Mel Bay book. Mel Bay was my teacher.

I bought a mandolin and some books - Jethro Burns and Jack Tottle were my teachers.

People in person have taught me things on all the instruments over the years - Teachers.

My Dad taught me how to tie my shoes. Thanks for the silver dollar Dad. Sorry I spent it years later on cigarettes. I did quit smoking 30 years ago though.

I took formal classical guitar lessons once. He was excellent. Thanks Joe.

I must have figured something out by myself - I know, if you reverse the quantities of salt and sugar when you make bread, it tastes very salty.

I have found many new excellent teachers on Youtube who I haven't paid for the lessons - Thanks and stop by for some bread when you are in the neighborhood.

Doug W said:

In the early 60s I received a banjo uke for Christmas along with an instruction book. Bill F. taught me some chords - Bill and the book were teachers.

I got a Silvertone guitar a few years later with a Mel Bay book. Mel Bay was my teacher.

I bought a mandolin and some books - Jethro Burns and Jack Tottle were my teachers.

People in person have taught me things on all the instruments over the years - Teachers.

My Dad taught me how to tie my shoes. Thanks for the silver dollar Dad. Sorry I spent it years later on cigarettes. I did quit smoking 30 years ago though.

I took formal classical guitar lessons once. He was excellent. Thanks Joe.

I must have figured something out by myself - I know, if you reverse the quantities of salt and sugar when you make bread, it tastes very salty.

I have found many new excellent teachers on Youtube who I haven't paid for the lessons - Thanks and stop by for some bread when you are in the neighborhood.

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You are absolutely right here, good points, well made. The things I have learned for free from videos are thanks entirely to the kind folk who made them and posted them on Youtube, and I shall be eternally grateful to them for that. What you don't get from a video is feedback, and direct teaching aimed at your needs. For a very long time, I learned just from song sheets with chords. So the song sheets were the teachers......

Doug W said:

I must have figured something out by myself - I know, if you reverse the quantities of salt and sugar when you make bread, it tastes very salty.

Click to expand...

All great points and a couple of them extremely poignant, but this one really struck the ol' funny bone. Several months after we were married my wife (who 35 years later can put together a meal but is still not much of a cook, bless her heart) decided to make me a "from scratch" meal. She knew I loved biscuits so she made some scratch-built biscuits and they looked absolutely amazing. I came home from work and saw those big fluffy biscuits and my mouth started watering. I slathered one up with butter, took a big bite, and froze with, I'm sure, the classic deer in the headlights look. We were newlywed enough that I wasn't going to spit it out but I was trying to figure out what to say when she took a bite of hers and about gagged, letting me off the hook.

Turns out she misread the recipe and where it called for baking powder she used baking soda. Those big, fluffy, mouth watering biscuits tasted like Alka-seltzer! LOL

John