Essential Mind-games

What this episode covers

Everything in life is a mind-game and that includes the simple act of guitar teaching. Join Neil as he discusses the illusion that guitar playing is incredibly difficult and how you can  manage your students’ expectations by making things simple. Learn how believing things will be difficult will get in the way of your students, how to demonstrate simplicity to your student and why it is important to create simple teaching techniques to demonstrate to your students.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Everything is a mind-game, absolutely everything. Where the mind goes, the body follows. You can playfully engage how your students think. If you manage that you will become a better tutor.   The mental side of guitar is the intellectual aspect. The belief that something is mentally difficult will get in the way of your student, whatever you’re teaching. The pretentiousness of how music is conventionally taught is nonsense.   Demonstrate the simplicity of things to your students and this then starts to erode the expectation of something clever being done.   Always take your students’ measure and calibration point and calibrate it. Start where they are, tell them “Clapton does this and it is really cool, but it is actually just this..” and demonstrate what is being done to allow them to calibrate based on what they see.   Remind them that they will get what they look for. If they expect difficulty they are going to find it difficult to do things and then they will quit because they have met their expectations. If they expect something to be comparatively straightforward and effortless then that is what they are going to ultimately find.   Think about what your students expect to be, be there, recognise it and then gradually take control and then steer it in a direction that is going to be more productive than any idea of ongoing difficulty. If you manage the expectations then the student can actually get on with the process of learning using the simple and effective techniques you have developed.   BEST MOMENTS “Manage that and you will become a better tutor as a consequence.” “It is moronic and it really won’t help your guitar students.” “It is mostly claptrap.” “Ask them how they can make it even easier, just for the fun of it. “   VALUABLE RESOURCES Listen to The Tutor Podcast on the Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)! Build Your Online Course Week 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724 Course Planning Week 2: Who Am I?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724 Who are They? (Know Your Punters): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/who-are-they-know-your-punters/id1369191372?i=1000478984529 Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/ Contact Neil via this website - com!   ABOUT THE HOST Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! CONTACT METHOD [email protected]

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