Chord changes (beginnerish)

[Mark F]

Ok, just a little update as to how im getting on, and another little question...

The exercises i've been doing as above have changed the position of my fretting hand slightly (its getting more parallel with the fretboard than it was, im looking at my hand more now...), so im getting more accuracy when fretting, and going through a lot of little melodies, im finding i don't need to move me fingers as much as theyre not muting adjacent strings to the extent that they were. The G chord is still a pain, but im getting it far more often than previously, and the D became a little harder to grab (when i do get it with my hand in the newer position, it sounds much cleaner, but my hand has a habit of going back to a slight angle when i go for the D and muting the G and high e strings still, ill just keep trying to grab it with my hand in the more parallel position until it becomes more natural).

Ok, now im working at the mo, and if i can get a turkey out of this job im looking at lessons in the new year, and am wondering about a couple of things.

Does it matter if a prospective tutor is into the same kinds of music as me? (I like a wide variety of genres, but within those, there is a lot that i don't like, probably the same with everyone really, and also im wondering if being introduced to something i wouldn't usually listen to can be helpful as well...)

Also, some tutors teach graded and certified lessons (with optional tests etc, i imagine in more of a school lesson format), and some just seem to teach as they go (i imagine more of a 'learn this chord progression, and strum along to this song' kind of way, possibly with less theory)

Im just wondering in your opinions which would seem best for me (i should point out that ultimately i want to play how i feel, and to be able to come up with something that puts across whats going on in my head when i pick up a guitar, along with knowing quite a few songs that i like, just want to be able to do my own thing as well as play known tunes)

Thanks for the above help and in advance :)

[warmingtone]

Well, you have done well with your prep work. I think inevitably you are going to have to do a lot of stuff yourself, but a good teacher is going to get things moving in a number of ways taht can be invaluable to set you on the right course.

SO...not sure what is available, but it doesn't hurt to shop around a little.

For what you want a good general all round guy that will help you with what you want to do and go and work on some of the basic technique things sounds like the way to go. So, perhaps avoid anything too "genre specific" till you get a feel for things.

As you progress and time goes on, your ambitions will inevitably change, but the fundamentals remain. Look for someone that you like how they play and their manner...the kind of person you want to "impress" and work on the homework.

From your posts, this is my impression. Others respond better to graded lessons and stuff...my daughter for instance is a sucker for that kind of thing.

There are things, even though most of my knowledge has been a "teach yourself" kind of thing...that teachers, especially in the early stages can really help with to set you in the right path and see some problems that need work that you struggle with from the outside.

As a tip...in my younger days, i decided to get super serious and actually got a mirror out so i could see what i was doing from a teachers kind of angle.