How do you know...

[BluesDisciple]

if it is time to move on to another instructor?

How do you judge if it is the inflexible business side of the establishments lesson department OR the direction your instructor wants you to go in that is pushing your angst? One is mixing with the other, coloring my perception of the instructor.

When do you move on? How do you know when, if you have outgrown either the instructor or the system that supports the instructor?

[Doc W]

If you are practising regularly yet don't feel that you are are progressing, it is time to talk to your teacher. Some music schools attached to large music stores have a set programme of study because they handle so many students. It may be that you are at a level when you need instruction more tailored to your individual needs.

That is all I can say without knowing more. Can you fill us in a little?

[BluesDisciple]

Sure.

I am not using a set method or book. While my instructor is easy to talk to and explore new areas and techniques, I am finding the store completely inflexible in a) having to go out of town on business. I realize that keeping my slot open for me is paying the man for his time whether or not I am there. The instructor deserves that. It was the attitude I met that really bothered me.

b) I have been recuperating from back surgery while finishing my Ph.D. The amount of arthritis I have in my back means my day is finished by 6. 30 min. drive there, 30 min lesson (trying to keep the focus) and 30 min. drive home. The only time slot I can get is 6, meaning that by the time I get home I am crawling through the front door, grabbing the Norco and an ice pack to get under for 20 minutes. Hell. Pure hell. Can they help in scheduling earlier? Nope. Don't want to either. All they want is the money up front.

c) Back to my instructor. While I can explore anything with him, it is difficult to break him out of his own special tablature technique. The past year has been a project to learn standard notation and standard 6 line tab - and I have made progress, over his objections. I have been trading off his tab vs standard tab every other piece to keep the playing field (no pun intended) level. I would also like to get out of a lateral "box-style" scales (there has to be more than D pentatonic, right?) and explore a longitudinal scale and fretboard.

Writing this has almost been cathartic. Maybe I just might switch - I really hate to hurt anyones feelings though. The instructor is a really nice guy.

[Don]

Don't worry about his feelings. Be nice, of course, but you're needs, as the student, are most important here.

They're in business. You'll be replaced and forgotten. You'll move on to a new point of view.

[chuckocaster]

if you feel it's time for a change then go with your gut feeling. no offense to the guy at all, but it seems like you need to study with someone else. as with anything, you need to learn as much as you can.

[pauln]

Of all else, you instructor should always be measuring the balance between your hand (what you can physically execute) and your ear (what your mind can musically ask your hand to play). Progress advances fastest when these two aspects are in balance.

If your instructor judges that your hand is ahead of your ear ("you've got some chops but I'm not hearing music") then he should be working with you on ear training, intervals, scales, melody, harmony, and critical listening to recorded music.

If your instructor judges that your ear is ahead of your hand ("I can tell what you are trying to play would be great, but your hands aren't getting it out of the instrument"), then he should be focusing your work on technique, exercises, preparation of pieces for performance, and generally more hands-on time on the guitar.

If I were you, what I would do is sit down and do a self assessment to determine the balance between your ear and your hand. Then next lesson, ask your instructor to do the same assessment on you. If you both find you are in agreement, use that as the basis to plan a path forward which may or may not include some of his current methods for you. If you find you both are in disagreement, explore that and find out why. Either way, what should probably happen is that either you and your instructor re-orient your direction and materials of study, or you re-orient yourself to a more suitable instructor.

Use the balance assessment to help determine that.