Piano vs. Guitar: What is the best instrument to learn first? There are many people who will ask what is the best instrument for a beginner (usually their child) to learn on? It often comes down to the piano versus the guitar. There are many pros and cons to learning each instrument first but what […]
Do you want to be a solo guitarist or ensemble guitar player? When you begin learning to play the guitar, you have to think about what kind of guitar player you want to be. As you progress through the learning process, you will start to consider narrowing your focus in order to deepen your results. […]
Death of the Guitar? We don’t think so! There are so many headlines being written on the state of the guitar industry including the recent bankruptcy of Gibson that it may be easy to predict that the guitar is all but extinct. This assumption, of course, is not true. When a car company declares bankruptcy, […]
Practice Distractions…Insights from David Joel, a NE Philly Guitar Teacher One of the most important goals we set for our guitar playing is to practice every day. This is important because the number of hours you practice is one of the best indicators of playing ability. When you take guitar lessons in Philadelphia, your instructor […]
Should you play guitar left or right-handed? Guitars come in right-handed and left-handed varieties. If you are left handed, you should think carefully about which guitar is right for you to learn. Unfortunately, most people who pick up a guitar don’t immediately show a strong tendency for either right-handed or left-handed playing. That’s because playing […]
Why your guitar needs a setup What exactly is a “setup?” It’s a tune-up for your musical instrument to make sure it’s operating properly and functioning at its best. You should take your guitar to get set up if any of the following conditions is true. It’s been more than a year since you last […]
Why you need guitar lessons If you ask enough people the best way to learn guitar, most of them would suggest taking lessons. Most people have experience with some form of taking lessons whether it’s music, cooking, art, etc. So they know that it can be more helpful than trying to learn on your own. […]
What are some pitfalls beginner guitarists should avoid? It’s so great that you want to learn to play the guitar! Find a great guitar teacher in Philadelphia and get started! But, before you do, be advised that there is some ill-fated advice you will be given by potential teachers or people in general. You may […]
How long does it take to learn guitar? Everybody who picks up the guitar wants to know one thing: how long will this take? What can be accomplished in a month? In a year? The answers may vary but there is one factor you can count on to measure your progress: total lifetime hours spent […]
What styles of music are more represented? The guitar is an instrument that is so versatile that it shows up in all forms of music. It is perhaps the most iconic musical instrument in American music since the 1950’s which includes many genres such as blues, rock and roll and contemporary pop music. It also […]
Should you learn guitar on an acoustic or electric? Beginning guitar players are often puzzled by what guitar they should start with, acoustic or electric. Advice can vary but most beginners will start with an acoustic. Acoustic guitars are now outselling electric guitars so that must mean something. A good guitar teacher in Philadelphia will […]
The basic guitar anatomy So you want to be a rock god? Welcome to the club! Before you even being to take basic guitar lessons in Philadelphia, you should know the basic anatomy of a guitar first. Before you strum that first string or learn your first song, knowing your way around the guitar is […]
Some really cool facts about the guitar Do you play guitar? Are you taking guitar lessons in Philadelphia? If you have a love of the instrument and are eager to learn, keep going! If you thought the guitar was good before, brace yourself because we have some facts to prove that it’s even better than […]
Common pitfalls to avoid when beginning guitar When you are beginning your guitar lessons in Philadelphia, you may feel overwhelmed or even discouraged in the beginning. Whenever you embark on something new, no matter what it is, you will always feel this way. The difference between persevering and quitting is your desire for the new […]
Making the most of your private guitar lessons If you want your private guitar lessons in Philadelphia to go well your teacher needs a few things from you. Without good students, there are no good teachers. To be a good student, here are a few things to keep in mind. Attendance Come to your lesson […]
5 Myths about learning to play guitar There are many myths associated with learning to play the guitar. If you are thinking about taking music lessons in Philadelphia, read on to understand that some myths are just not true about the guitar and what you need to do to learn how to play it. Myth […]
Why you’re never too old to learn to play the guitar Whether or not there is a “best age” to learn the guitar or any instrument for that matter, is not a simple question to answer. People think the best age is a young age and that younger is better. It is true that many […]
Signs of a good guitar teacher Most people who decide to learn the guitar would benefit a great deal from having a teacher. A good teacher can direct your attention to the work you need to be doing the most, help you to avoid forming bad habits and place you along a smooth path of […]
Not all benefits can be measured Research on the benefits of learning music tends to focus on those that can be documented. However, guitar teachers in Philadelphia have seen first-hand many advantages of learning the guitar that is not so easily measured. More than almost any other effort, music teaches you the importance of discipline. […]
Why you need guitar lessons In general, if you ask enough people about the best way to learn guitar, most of them would suggest taking lessons. That’s because most people have some experience with music lessons, at least enough to know that it can be more helpful than just hacking away on your own. Occasionally […]
Are your children old enough for guitar lessons? When children are given the option to start music lessons they either want to play guitar or piano. But at what age should they start? Children who show a strong interest in music and have good concentration can sometimes begin constructive music activities as early as age […]
Great teachers make great players In a world of quick fixes and fast-talking, we need to take the time to slow down once in a while. Like anything in life, the only way to perfect something is to work hard at it and practice, practice, practice. Learning to play the guitar in Philadelphia is a […]
Vintage guitars and equipment: are they worth it? Let’s face it, you can’t get old sounds from new instruments and you can’t get that new sound from an antique. Or can you? In this world of “everything is new again,” we gravitate toward vintage items, no matter what it is, because we are preserving our […]
Does a good teacher have to be a good player? The majority of people searching for a guitar teacher in Philadelphia typically know very little about the guitar other than their desire to learn how to play. You can take guitar lessons for a while before realizing that the instruction you had been given was […]
Who is local guitar teacher David Joel? David Joel is a full-time musician and guitar teacher in Northeast Philadelphia who helps clients overcome their musical frustrations and challenges to become the guitar players they have always wanted to be. David does not exclude anyone due to skill level or age. He started playing guitar at […]
Life lessons to learn from playing the guitar What we choose to do with our time determines the lessons that form our lives and values. It is a life choice to follow in anything we do and learning to play the guitar is no exception. When we decide to take guitar lessons in Philadelphia, we […]
Don’t give up on the guitar. Your guitar teacher is begging you. Every holiday, thousands of teenagers tear gift-wrap paper off shiny, new guitars. They happily pluck at the un-tuned strings, excited to start learning and dreaming of how cool they are going to be once they are rock stars. Sadly, most will give up […]
The art of playing the guitar It’s no secret. The guitar is one of the most sought-after instruments to play. When we are young, we aren’t most likely air playing the oboe, we are air guitar playing! While there is nothing wrong with the oboe or any other instrument for that matter, there is something […]
How to make the most of your #practice sessions We all have days when our guitar practice time is a lot less than we would like it to be. However, does this mean that you should simply accept that you have slower musical progress on these days? Absolutely not! There are many things you can […]
It’s never too late to learn! Something a lot of people ask themselves when they are considering taking up the guitar is, “am I too late?” Many regret not having learned an instrument at school or not having stuck it out if they did try and learn. Some worry that they will now find it […]