Seth Longmire

• Played percussion in College
• Studied a little bit of commercial music at TSU
• Is currently a cop… lives in Memphis

Overall snapshot of how the lesson went

• This session was more of a foundations + gear readiness + literacy (tabs, chord charts, tuning) lesson than a technique drill lesson.
• The student was engaged, respectful, and clearly motivated, but came in sleep-deprived from overnight shifts, which affected pacing and attention.
• Biggest pattern: they learn best through hearing, experimenting, and then getting a clean explanation to organize what they already “kind of” know.

What went well

• You built rapport fast and kept the tone relaxed. The student opened up, stayed present, and ended the call appreciative.
• You did a solid diagnostic without interrogating. You identified their actual baseline: not “beginner beginner” musically, but beginner on guitar language and instrument logistics.
• You connected guitar to what they already know:
• percussion and rhythm literacy
• music theory background
• playing by ear in church contexts
• You gave them clear first-step actions:
• buy a quarter-inch cable
• replace all strings as a full set
• use a tuner app and tune to standard
• You showed real visuals (tabs, chord charts, examples from your student materials). That made the lesson concrete instead of abstract.
• You ended with a clean close and clear follow-up: replay link, resources, string-change video, tuner recommendation.

What didn’t go well (or cost time)

• First ~10 minutes included a lot of setup friction:
• Spotify, unmuting, source recording check
• being late to the meeting
• calendar confusion
• mic switching issues
• The tech interruptions created a “start-stop” feel early, which can reduce student confidence, especially if they already feel lost.
• The content drifted into longer storytelling segments (teaching job story, students, guitar theft story, TSU references). It built connection, but it also took time away from hands-on playing and verification.
• You had a few moments of string numbering confusion yourself on the screen share (“I said that backwards”), then corrected it. You recovered quickly, but it’s worth tightening because this is a foundational concept.

What the student did not know coming in

• Tuning fundamentals
• didn’t know the string names
• doesn’t have a reliable tuning workflow
• has tried and failed before, so there’s a confidence bruise there
• Guitar nomenclature
• basic terms, string numbering, fret language, “what to call things”
• How tabs and chord charts map to the physical guitar
• they had seen things before, but not organized into a usable system
• How to make their current gear functional
• missing a string
• no cable
• no amp today
• not set up to even hear themselves well

What the student already knew (assets)

• Musical background
• played percussion
• has a music theory / commercial music history (TSU)
• understands rhythm notation quickly (they related stems to drum notation immediately)
• Ear-based learning
• church experience, “listen once or twice then jump in”
• naturally experiments until it clicks
• Recording/production gear literacy
• Apollo Twin
• Yamaha monitors
• understands inputs exist (line/mic/guitar), even if they needed your clarification

What you covered (core lesson content)

• Guitar fundamentals:
• string names (E A D G B E)
• string thickness = pitch relationship
• fret concept and numbering
• Reading systems:
• tabs (6 lines = 6 strings, numbers = frets)
• chord charts (grid, thick nut line, circles and X’s)
• rhythm stems and how some tabs omit rhythm
• Navigation:
• fretboard markers (3, 5, 7, 9, 12 double dots, etc.)
• quick note association examples (3rd fret E string = G, 5th = A, 7th = B)
• Tools/resources:
• Ultimate Guitar as a reference source
• GuitarTuna app and why auto mode matters
• replacing all strings as a set, keeping spare packs
• Gear pathway:
• quarter-inch cable first
• use Apollo Twin instrument input set to guitar
• postpone amp purchase

What you said you would send after the lesson

• Unlisted replay link
• Video on how to change strings
• A few beginner-friendly song resources to practice reading and playing along
• A few chord resources you think they should start with
• GuitarTuna recommendation (and you implied you may have a video on it)

Also you asked permission loosely for:

• them being okay with you using clips (not the full video)

What the student should be working on next (you didn’t fully assign it as a structured practice plan)

These are the “missing pieces” that would help this student progress faster, based on what you observed:

• A repeatable daily tuning routine:
• tune every session before playing
• confirm standard tuning and missing string replacement first
• A 2-week “guitar literacy” routine:
• string numbers daily quiz (face vs leg orientation)
• fretboard marker recognition without counting
• basic open-string + 3rd/5th/7th fret note awareness on low E and A
• A playing task, not only knowledge:
• right now the lesson was heavy on explanation and visuals
• they need a simple “play this every day” drill once the guitar has all strings and a cable

Biggest risks to flag for your own awareness

• Readiness/consistency risk: overnight schedule + tiredness + “receiving mode” means they may not act unless the next steps are extremely simple.
• Gear friction risk: missing string, no cable, no amp today. If they don’t fix this immediately, they won’t play, and progress stops.
• Confidence risk: they already feel like they don’t know anything. They need quick wins early next session.

What you might do differently next time (internal notes only)

• Start with a clean structure:
1. confirm audio + recording in first 60 seconds
2. identify goal for the day
3. do one physical task on guitar immediately
4. then explain the reading concepts
• Shorten stories until the end, or use them only when the student energy drops.