Enough with the made easy song lessons


Bobby Barns
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Bobby Barns
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08/07/2018 2:27 pm

it's been weeks since a 'normal' song lesson. Made easy 'training wheels' lessons should have its own separate area & not take the place of normal song lessons.


# 1
Guitar Tricks Admin
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08/07/2018 6:19 pm

Thanks for the feedback, Bobby. We try to release content that works for the entire Guitar Tricks audience, from beginners to advanced players. We've released a string of Made Easy recently, but there are some regular-paced lessons coming up in the next week. Stay tuned!


If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us.
# 2
Bobk42
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Bobk42
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08/17/2018 1:14 am

I agree, "Made Easy" lessons should be in a beginners area. I hate when I check back for new songs and see the easy lessons added as the new song. Feel like I'm not getting my money's worth out of my subscription.


# 3
john of MT
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john of MT
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08/17/2018 2:04 am

Twenty song lessons were published in the last five months. Of those, three were "Made Easy" songs. I see little reason for complaint.

On the other hand, I think it would be logical for each song lesson to be issued with a "Made Easy" version included; not unlike the inclusion of the "For Single Guitar" versions offered in many of the song lessons.


"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
# 4
Papa Rich
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Papa Rich
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08/18/2018 3:52 pm

Good answer from GT. We were all beginners at one time. I agree with the ratio of beginner songs to "regular" songs. It is low. I also think the idea of having a section within most songs for "beginners" is a great idea. It would help the newer guitarists to get the rythmn down and attempt the regular version and maybe vise versa. As for not getting our money's worth, I disagree. Let's remember that GT offers much more than just songs to learn. While waiting for your killing song to appear, try another part of GT. There are hundreds. Enjoy!


# 5
Bobk42
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Bobk42
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08/19/2018 10:13 pm

43 songs have been added between Jan.5th. and Aug. 14th. of this year. Of those 43 songs 12 are "Made Easy." Basicly just over 25% or about 1 out of 4 songs this year are "Made Easy" . Actually it comes out to 31% which makes it "almost" 1/3 of the songs. So, to the other posters defending GT's stance I personally think that's too much.


# 6
fuzzb0x
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fuzzb0x
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08/20/2018 2:45 pm
Originally Posted by: Bobk42

43 songs have been added between Jan.5th. and Aug. 14th. of this year. Of those 43 songs 12 are "Made Easy." Basicly just over 25% or about 1 out of 4 songs this year are "Made Easy" . Actually it comes out to 31% which makes it "almost" 1/3 of the songs. So, to the other posters defending GT's stance I personally think that's too much.

I have to disagree, 31% I do not think is too much for a website looking to teach people of all abilities, I personally think GT has a very good mix in the songs and lessons added to appeal to all it's subscribers.

There's also so much more to do on GT than just learn songs and Christopher has given us some amazing new lessons this year, infact it was his content alone that made me decide to sign up for another years subscription.


# 7
john of MT
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08/20/2018 3:25 pm

Go back far enough and one will find no "Made Easy" songs and that will significantly skew the percentages.


"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
# 8
Papa Rich
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Papa Rich
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08/20/2018 5:17 pm

You know, after I posted my previous text, I realized that there are links in the "regular" songs to the easier version. Check out Tom's Sweet Home Chicago. Don't know how many are like this but I think this is a perfect way for newbies to start learning a song and then maybe jump to the more advanced version as they progress. One other point deserves repeating here. I started playing when I was about 13 or so. My parents "suggested" that I do so. The lessions then were boring and had nothing to do with enjoying music and songs that I new back then. I quit playing for 45 years and picked it up again a few years ago. Had I used a GT format then, (would have been difficult because there was no internet. Hell there was no color TV yet), I would be on stage with Clapton, (kidding). The fact that songs are used in the very first lessons for beginners here is genious. I feel that if beginner songs were not offered, those newbies would loose interest like I did a hundred years ago. Enjoy!


# 9
Bobk42
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08/20/2018 11:35 pm

Ok, I'll admit my error on the math. It's not 31% it's 27.9069767442%, round it up to 28% and it's not "well short" of 31%. I'm not trying to start a forum war over this. I just happen to agree with the original poster. As you can see I've been a member for 10 years and just have a different opinion on this subject than some others. I'm not trying to change anyone's else's thoughts on this subject nor will anyone change mine. At this point I feel like I'm not getting "MY" money's worth.


# 10
jarkko.eklund
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08/21/2018 5:59 am

Right. There isn't a right or wrong answer to this. Different users are intrested in different kind of lessons. It is easy to understand that beginners are the ones who need the help and guidance the most. If the complete Hotel California is given to a beginner, he/she doesn't get much out of it, rather than total frustration. But with the easy version they can have a feeling of success "hey, I can play this great song", which gives them more motivation to continue learning.

Personally, I can say "enough with the song lessons". I want more advanced music theory and playing technic lessons. Yes, there is a lot already, but you can always have more. My ultimate goal is to learn to transcribe all the songs I want to play byself, without step-by-step tutorials. But that's me.


# 11
Papa Rich
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Papa Rich
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08/21/2018 9:46 pm

Thus the beauty of GT. There is a lot of stuff for everyone. One measure of a good product is the caliber of buyers. Look at these great opinions here. We have real knowledged peeps here. Love this. Enjoy!


# 12
manXcat
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08/22/2018 12:02 am

Good points raised in your post jarkko.

Although there's no right or wrong, rather personal predilection as you point out, fairly obviously GT has to try and keep everyone happy within a finite resource budget - isn't that always the impossible ask? Commercially, that would imply triaging priority to their primary paying demographic with enough to everyone else to keep them sufficiently saftisfied they still see value in subscribing. That's just good business 101.

For myself, I agree with you. Teach me how to fish for myself rather than depend upon someone else catching fish for me. Theory to develop understanding, then applying it in practice along with technique finesse as far as that can be taught vs nuance only truly learned through experience is what I prefer too.

Song licensing is obviously expensive, and there's no way GT can cater to all genres and range of tastes in the same way the wider internet and You Tube can. Especially very popular huge hit songs which must incur quite stiff licencing fees with restrictive performance and publication rights. i.e. lesson not downloadable, score not available either.

For learning songs whether it's easy version, condensed to a single guitar, or multiple parts, You Tube is a buffet. It's the structured learning courses where sites like GT can add value and really shine, especially for novitiates which is undeniably where the highest "it's too hard" or "it takes to long to learn" quit rate is high.


# 13
manXcat
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08/22/2018 12:19 am
Originally Posted by: Papa RichThus the beauty of GT. There is a lot of stuff for everyone.

[br]Right on Papa Rich. When I look at the calibre of instructors we have access to here, 24/7, and so affordably, I only have to remember what it was like to try and learn to play guitar way back when before the internet to appreciate what we have, and share, here. Cheers!


# 14
jdsjones69
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08/22/2018 4:03 am

Enough with the song lessons? I would say that has to be one of the most ridiculous statements ever. On a website that teaches people how to play and probably the majority is new learners. Wow!


# 15
jarkko.eklund
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08/23/2018 5:03 am
Originally Posted by: jdsjones69

Enough with the song lessons? I would say that has to be one of the most ridiculous statements ever. On a website that teaches people how to play and probably the majority is new learners. Wow!

Intentional on not, but you missed word "personally" at the beginnning of my sentence.


# 16
Bobk42
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Bobk42
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08/24/2018 9:36 pm
Originally Posted by: jdsjones69

Enough with the song lessons? I would say that has to be one of the most ridiculous statements ever. On a website that teaches people how to play and probably the majority is new learners. Wow!

The original poster was referring to the 'Made Easy" songs, not all the songs in general.


# 17
Bobk42
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08/24/2018 9:39 pm

Here we go again, just today another "Made Easy" song was added.


# 18
isndavidf
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isndavidf
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08/24/2018 10:09 pm
Originally Posted by: fuzzb0x
Originally Posted by: Bobk42

43 songs have been added between Jan.5th. and Aug. 14th. of this year. Of those 43 songs 12 are "Made Easy." Basicly just over 25% or about 1 out of 4 songs this year are "Made Easy" . Actually it comes out to 31% which makes it "almost" 1/3 of the songs. So, to the other posters defending GT's stance I personally think that's too much.

I have to disagree, 31% I do not think is too much for a website looking to teach people of all abilities, I personally think GT has a very good mix in the songs and lessons added to appeal to all it's subscribers.

There's also so much more to do on GT than just learn songs and Christopher has given us some amazing new lessons this year, infact it was his content alone that made me decide to sign up for another years subscription.

I agree. I joined this site as a beginner. It kind of annoyed me that Jamplay both seems to cater to electric, and tougher songs. I like that guitartricks has a nice selection of acoustic songs, and that I can sort by both difficulty and acoustic guitar.

I think all of us want to ultimately learn songs as the artist intended. But there is a need for both types of songs, and this site is obviously catered more to beginners, as is demonstrated with the "Fundamentals 1" path being so basic. Maybe ask the same teachers that are releasing the "easy mode" lessons to also release an "as the artist intended" version.


# 19

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