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The six actresses also candidly discuss what outsiders get wrong about acting, juggling work and family and how #MeToo has changed the culture for the next generation: "We're getting all the bad stuff out of the way."

A fiesta grandmother. A persecuted jazz icon. A grieving mother. A sexual assault avenger. A pioneering scientist. A girlfriend scorned.

On a mid-December morning, six actresses behind some of the year's most dynamic performances came together for The Hollywood Reporter's Actress Roundtable: Hillbilly Elegy's Glenn Close, The United States vs. Billie Holiday's Andra Day, Pieces of a Woman's Vanessa Kirby, Promising Young Woman's Carey Mulligan, Ammonite's Kate Winslet and Malcolm & Marie's Zendaya. The group, who gathered via video conference from homes and sets in L.A., Montana, Atlanta and the U.K., discussed the business side of acting, their weirdest pandemic habits, the dangerous Hollywood misconception about creative genius — and the fact that "how women's voices are being received [is] the biggest thing that has shifted."

Let's dive in. What's the most surprising thing you learned about yourself during the pandemic?

VANESSA KIRBY I learned a lot about silence. I hadn't realized quite how much "doing" I was doing. Somehow I hadn't quite realized that, when you're still, it's just as present, you know what I mean? And I think it's taught me to do less. I don't think anything else would have taught me that in the way this year has done.

KATE WINSLET I became, and still am, actually, utterly obsessed with sweeping my kitchen floor. But down to the point where if there's just even dog hair, and our dog is a golden retriever, so it's blond hair, but I've got this microscopic vision where I can see the dog hair gathering in tiny little cracks, between the dishwasher and the sink, and I'll be like, "There's dog hair, somebody, quick, get me the broom." I've just become obsessed. And I didn't really care about things like that particularly before. Don't get me wrong, I like to run a nice home, but sweeping the kitchen floor? I mean, who cares about that? So I've become a bit strange about the kitchen floor.

ZENDAYA For me, it's that I never really got to know who I was without work. I've always been working. I started working when I was so young, and I've always just had a consistent thing happening in my life. I just had never spent that much time with myself. I was like, "What makes me happy? What do I like to do other than work? Do I have any hobbies?" I basically get to do my hobby for a living. So it's like, "What else do I even like?" Facing that was interesting for sure.

What is something people often get wrong about acting?

WINSLET I've been doing this job now for, I realize, 27 years or something. I can't quite believe that, but I do find myself getting almost agitated when I feel I have to explain just how hard the job truly is … I don't think people understand that preparation can take up to four, five, sometimes even six months depending on the kind of role you're playing. And also how absent, I think, you are from your family. Even if they might physically be with you — which, in my case is nine times out of 10, I'm fortunate that they are — but emotionally I know that I'm gone. I'm just not there, I'm not just Mummy, I'm not just Ned [Smith]'s wife — suddenly, I'm this other being. And I do find that part quite upsetting sometimes, and I wish I had more of a balance with that.

CAREY MULLIGAN There's a bit of an idea, and maybe more even within the industry, that to make something great, people have permission to behave badly, the idea of someone being a creative genius … that they are so inspired, there's a required level of darkness or unpleasantness that goes along with that, that you need to put up with. And I think people get away with bad behavior because of those reasons. In my experience, some of the most incredible people I've worked with have just been also the most delightful. So that's kind of a common misconception, that there are people who have to behave badly to psych themselves up at work, or that the process is just sort of utterly miserable. I think you can work really hard, but ultimately … the attitude on set should be one of warmth.

ZENDAYA It also is a business, which is something I've had to learn as a young person. Because often you get into it just because you love it, and you just want to be creative, and you just want to do the fun stuff, but it is also a business. There are contracts involved and a lot of things that don't necessarily contribute to the creativity or contribute to this idea of the freedom you think you'll have. I have been learning that as I grow up that there are bigger entities involved … money people … I often encourage young people who do want to do this to read your contracts, be aware, have those conversations, ask as many questions as you can, try to get advice from people, because it's easy to get stuck in a bad situation. And having that knowledge is really, really important.

GLENN CLOSE A lot of people think that anyone can do it. And of course, there have been documentaries and even some movies of people who are not trained as actors — I think that can happen in movies. I really take my craft seriously, and I think people don't know what they're talking about when they think that anyone could do it. I once had a brain surgeon who was the father of one of my daughter's middle school friends … He asked if he could come over and pick my brain about something. And so I said, "Sure," and he came over and he said, "I find being a brain surgeon depressing, I really want to be an actor."

WINSLET Oh my God.

CLOSE And it was all I could do to not throw him out of my house. He said, "But I have to make a living, so how do I do it?" It was astounding to me that he would have such an ignorant idea of what acting was. So I think, for longevity, it is a craft, and I take great pride. There's always something new to learn every day, but it is something that really does count. When you task yourself with becoming, looking through the eyes of another person and telling a story that will have emotional impact, that is craft.

Andra, how did you go about finding the voice of Billie Holiday?

ANDRA DAY Well, first she is very familiar to me just because she is my foremost musical inspiration. I worked with this amazing dialect coach, Thom Jones … Through the breath, that was a huge thing. I remember him always talking about, "Where it is coming from? How is she breathing?" And the emotional part of it as well, too. I look at Billie Holiday's voice as a scroll. And on her voice is written her entire history, every time she had been raped, every time she had been hit, every time she had victoriously sang "Strange Fruit," every time she smoked a cigarette and every time she slammed heroin or did a speedball. Everything is written onto her voice. It was also important for me not to do an impersonation. And that's something [director] Lee [Daniels] spoke to me about, too, we don't want to impersonate her, but sort of bring me through her. … I feel the same way about acting, that not everyone can do it. To be honest with you, I did not think that I could do it, and I'm still a little on the fence about it.

I don't think after seeing this film anyone will have any question about whether you can do it. Let's talk a bit about physical transformation for a character. Glenn, in Hillbilly Elegy, you're physically transformed. How did finding the look of that character help you?

CLOSE I began personally not wanting to be distracted by my own face. I wanted to have very subtle differences so that it was an experience, that you get into the full hair and makeup and costume, and there she is, because she's very different from who I was. But we started with a portrait of Mamaw and just the glasses, the hair, the ears, I changed my nose a little bit. And it was very, very finessed work to make it subtle enough that it wasn't me, but not so … I didn't want people to say, "Oh, there's Glenn Close with a really bad nose." That took a lot of wonderful collaboration coming up with that. We had video, we talked to members of her family who were incredibly generous in talking about her. And I asked just very specific questions: "How did she walk, how did she hold her cigarette? How did she sit? What did she wear?" which is basically what you see in the movie. She was very much a larger-than-life character. "What was her atmosphere when she came into a room?" I mean, all those kinds of things that just was a slow buildup [from] the moment you walk on for hair and makeup, and you feel that there she is.

MULLIGAN With Promising Young Woman, [director] Emerald [Fennell] is very intentional about building a world that felt very enticing. You wanted to build a film that you wanted to see, not something you needed to or should see. Part of the way that Emerald first presented the film to me was this Candyland environment that you're in and that Cassie lived in that in the way that she clothes herself. She's somebody who is very practiced at living with her rage and her sadness and her grief. She's figured out that hiding in plain sight and looking like someone who's functioning, people tend to leave her alone. It's very deliberate that she has candy-colored nails and blond hair. First of all, she looks very unthreatening, so no one would ever suspect that she's about to destroy a life, but also she's someone that you don't need to check on. You can leave her alone … Her main everyday look was just a way of saying, "I'm absolutely fine. You don't need to look at me because I'm just generic, and a girl, and you don't need to take me seriously." Because we so often trivialize the way girls and women clothe themselves. It was just a very easy way of putting up a boundary between her and the rest of the world.

WINSLET Everything about [Ammonite subject, paleontologist] Mary Anning is so, so held and so internalized. I had to learn how to do quite a lot of acting with my posture, or the back of head, or the backs of my hands, or just sometimes my eyeballs. I had to really find a different rhythm for myself, because I'm a very animated person … The longer that you do this, the more familiar audiences become with your mannerisms and how you are or how you sound. I just try to remove everything of myself, and there were days when I would think, "Well, did I do anything or did I just do nothing today?" And it would be really disconcerting, but just finding a completely quiet, physical stillness and heaviness to Mary came hand in hand with the costuming of her and the look of her and making her hair a little bit gray and having no makeup.

Vanessa, you have a harrowing, more than 20-minute childbirth sequence in your film. Can you talk about what that was like to shoot and how you prepared for that?

KIRBY It was kind of terrifying, because I haven't given birth or been pregnant before. We have seen so many deaths onscreen, we've rarely seen birth … I ended up writing to a lot of obstetricians asking if they'd let me come in and shadow them. One said yes, so I went to a hospital in North London and was on the labor ward for many days, which was quite unbelievable for me. I learned a lot from the midwives about what the whole birthing experience is like. One afternoon, my very last afternoon at hospital, one of the midwives came round and said, "Oh, a woman's just come in and she's 9 centimeters dilated. And I'm going to ask if she'd mind you watching." I just thought, "There's no way in hell she's ever going to agree to have some random person sit in and watch this really sacred moment of her life." But she did, she said yes, and so I got to sit with her and watch her go through six hours of … I mean, it was just probably the most profound afternoon of my life. I never, ever could have acted it without watching her, because I saw her go on this unbelievable journey, and I saw the animal in her take over. And it was only because of that, really, that I then felt like maybe I had a chance at attempting it. When we came to it … it was so physical and it was such a primal body thing. We did four takes the first day, two the second, and I think the fourth one is the one in the movie. It was a bit like doing a play, really, where once you're on, you're on, and you can't stop. And there was something magic about that, because you couldn't spend any time doubting yourself, you just have to do it.

Zendaya, when you were making Malcolm & Marie, it was really in the height of the pandemic. Can you talk about how working in that environment shaped how you worked and how the set functioned?

ZENDAYA Obviously, we wanted to do everything as safely as possible, so we created a bubble. I was putting my own money into it, as was everyone else. We were living in a hotel that was empty. It was just us, because everything was shut down. We were in the middle of Carmel, and we shot in this home that was in the middle of nowhere. We weren't allowed to leave for obvious reasons, and in that time of quarantining together, we were allowed the time to work on the material. When we got there, the script was only about 70 pages, and there wasn't a third act. Through that process of every day just being together, sometimes in a parking lot, just working through every moment and having these really long discussions about ourselves, our characters, relationships … Being able to have that time, that space with each other to figure it out, was really, really helpful. And really not having any other distraction, just being in it every single day.

We only had two actors, a very small, small crew. So we're all doing like four different jobs. I'm doing my hair and makeup and using some of my clothes, trying to remember my continuity because we don't have any ADs or scripties [script supervisors] or anything.

Vanessa, you've been shooting the Mission: Impossible sequel. Is there a lot of pressure to maintain safety on these big sets? How does it feel different?

KIRBY My sister's an AD. She started on a movie in the summer, so I kind of learned from her what the new parameters would be and how to navigate. And I was so hopeful when she went back, actually, because it was a funny feeling, I think, for everybody suddenly seeing cinemas closed. All the people that you love and you work with are unable to work in so many different capacities, including my sister. It gave me a lot of faith. But, I mean, you get used to it. There are obviously many guidelines, there are masks and lots of testing and things like that. But it gives me faith in the resilience, actually. And I feel like we will get through it — I can't wait for the day when cinemas are going to open again.

I was skeptical when the #MeToo movement began that there would be any kind of lasting change for women in Hollywood. But now we have more female directors, we have intimacy coordinators, Harvey Weinstein is in prison. Some things that I thought I would not see have come to pass. I'm curious, what has been the biggest change for you, personally, since the #MeToo movement started?

WINSLET The thing that is shifting in ways that will absolutely be long lasting is how women's voices are being received. There is a space that has been created for a younger generation that is going to be safe. My daughter is 20, and she just came into the industry about a year and a half ago. And what's wonderful for me, as her mum, is just watching her have a courage of conviction and self-belief that is just unwavering, because she's entering a time when we're clearing the shit away from them, these girls. These girls are going to change the world, and they're going to be strong, and they're going to be powerful, and they're going to be fucking amazing. And that is because we're getting all the bad stuff out of the way for them and all they will know is to use their voice in positive, powerful ways, to lead with compassion, to be strong role models and friends. And that, to me, is the biggest thing that has shifted.

This is the decade of women championing and supporting other women without judgment. This is happening right now, and that has come as a result of the mass united swell that has emerged from #MeToo. We've all come together, everyone is holding hands and walking in the same direction. And, for me, that is the single most exciting thing that is coming out of the awfulness of the past five years and those extraordinary women coming forward and sharing their painful, awful stories, and the horrendous Harvey Weinstein. The time now is about leading in a different way. Young women being able to lead with courage — in a way that I feel I certainly didn't have, that sense of courage and companionship with my peers, in a way that I think #MeToo has done for this generation of women.

This year, we saw the explosion of the Black Lives Matter movement globally. And at the time it happened, a lot of media companies were issuing statements, making large donations. Do you think there will be lasting changes from that movement as well? Three years from now, will we be talking the way we're talking now about #MeToo in terms of concrete things changing?

DAY My hope is yes. And I hope that it spawns lasting change that moves faster than it has moved in the past. I'm hoping that this is an uprooting of this idea of, "OK, pace yourself, we need to make sure we make people comfortable." That's really not how you achieve lasting change. We can't survive like this, we will not survive. It ends in what? Our destruction, it ends in war, it ends in just unrest.

That was one of the things even on set, there were a few moments that were really quite disturbing, for the cast and me. We were shooting a movie that takes place in the '40s and in the '50s. And there were moments on set that we realized, "Oh, wow, that has not changed." It may have transformed, it may look a little different, lynching looks different, but it's not changed. Truth is going to be a huge, huge, huge factor in seeing lasting change, and sustaining, and transforming, and changing a generation.

As Kate talked about, with the younger generation, I think they have such a need for transparency that will actually be very helpful. Part of doing the movie, the Billie Holiday story, was that the truth of her story had never been told, because the truth of her story was intentionally kept from the public. The respinning of narratives for people of color, or for marginalized people, or for women, has been a constant technique of oppression. And I think that's going to be hugely important moving forward: We have to pop the top off of these things. And we have to tell the truth about them, and understand the scope of certain groups of people, people of color, why the scope of their pain has been minimized or retold.

The retelling of these stories also has to do with telling the truth, some of the gritty, ugly truth about maybe some of our heroes. We have to say, "OK, this isn't for the purpose of destroying people, but we need to know these truths so we can actually move forward and not repeat them."

CLOSE I just have to say I'm sitting here and I'm so inspired by what everyone has been saying. It's quite overwhelming, it's so articulate and so beautiful what everyone has said.

WINSLET Well, we've got you to look up to, Glenn.

CLOSE I can't tell you, it's very moving to me to hear all this. I've been an actress for 46 years, and when I think of the change, the monumental changes that in my short time that I have witnessed, the expectation is going to be phenomenal when we finally can get back to doing what we are here to do. I think there's going to be an overwhelming amount of stories and new ways of telling stories.

What will you do differently in 2021?

MULLIGAN The first thing that came into my mind was that I'm going to go to the theater as much as I can, and the cinema. As soon as we can, I'm going to sit around people and watch something together with them. It just shocked me how much I missed that. I watched a medley of musical theater on television a couple of weeks ago, and it just made me cry. I just want to be a part of that. So it sounds quite trivial, but I think that is something I'm looking most forward to.

WINSLET You know, I never give time to myself at all, really, I don't. People will so often say to me, "Oh, you need to get a massage." And I think, "What? Don't got time for that." So actually, I just have enjoyed, quite honestly, just going really easy on myself. If I had a week where I think, "Oh, I've probably had too much toast. Oh, well." Or, "Oh, well, maybe I should do some more exercise. Oh, maybe I'll do that next week." I'm just kind of learning to go, "Oh, it doesn't matter." It doesn't matter. Life's too short, just enjoy this time, and it doesn't matter about all that crap. I think I'd like to hang on to a bit of that, actually. Because it's easy in this job to have to live by certain disciplines, whether it's just sleep patterns or times that you eat, for example. And actually just letting go of all of that has been really such a joy. Not enforcing any degree of sort of stress or structure on stuff. I've loved all that. So I hopefully I'll carry that on.

CLOSE I came here where I live now [Montana] because my three siblings are here, and I had spent my whole adult life away from them. And we're now in the same town. So, for me, work is so I can come back home. It's kind of changed things, it's not like I'm waiting at home until I go to work. It's really, really valuing the work, because it means that I'll be able to come home.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

#Vanessa Kirby #Pieces of a Woman #Glenn Close #Kate Winslet #Carey Mulligan #Interviews #Roundtable #Videos

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allenmendezsr · 4 years

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What Our Members Say…

…It Makes All The Difference!…

I searched the net and after searching, found this site which for me was easy to follow. I have all the lessons at my disposal, I can go as fast as I want, even go back if I wish. Plus there are the individual emails and videos. And because I have it installed on my net book, I take my guitar and tutor with me wherever and whenever I wish. Plenty of encouragement from Keith when its needed, more like an old buddy than a tutor, it makes all the difference.

Davey M. – Doncaster, England

Easier Every Time I Pick Up The Guitar…

Hi Keith

I just want to let you know that I am enjoying the Adult Guitar lessons and I am finding it easier every time I pick up the guitar. What I enjoy the most is I have the help I need just by logging into your site and it is there when I need it. Also the quick response to my questions from you.

Thanks again.

Dan A.

…Professional Help…

Hi Keith, I’m sending this to thank you for all of your professional help. When I started with the guitar I didn’t think it was my thing to do. I went on-line to find some help and I ran across your web-site for Adult Guitar Lessons. It was not easy to get the chords to sound clear, but with you available through email conversations I can now do the C-A-G-E-D chords with no problem. Thank you so much for the encouragement.

Take Care and GOD Bless,

Brother L.

Precise, Direct Instruction…

Keith,

Your course was just what i was looking for. Precise, direct instruction with excellent tab graphics, and a vibe from you that comes through that you are caring and sincere and excited about teaching us guitar. Thanx.

Ed B., Illinois

62 Year Old Blues Fan…

Hiya Keith,

I would just like to thank you and your team for giving me the enthusiasm to try once more with the guitar. I am a 62 yr old blues fan and have “messed about” with guitars for years without much success, with your course I find it very user friendly and in just a few short weeks am able to play some things that people actually recognize!

I find the video clips helpful and fun and I really like the fact that I can revisit any part of the course when it suits me.

You keep up the good work and I will keep practicing.

Cheers, John S., Gt Manchester, England.

The one thing you must learn to play any chord, anywhere on the guitar

How to train your ear to hear any chord progression

How to use a simple 8 note pattern to figure out any chord progression, for any song

Learn to play a 12 bar blues progression in any key

The secret trick to playing a I, IV, V chord progression anywhere on the fret board

The hardest thing to overcome when learning guitar, and how to beat it

Uncover the mystery behind “Three Chords and the Truth”

How to “punch up the Dixie” in your Southern Rock songs

Discover the one absolute most important rhythm riff you will ever need to know on the guitar

…and Much More!

Is playing the guitar something you have always wanted to do but never found the time to learn? Have you reached a point in your life where you’ve finally decided to do something about it? Maybe you want to learn how to play guitar so you can…

• Join a band and play on stage

• Become a songwriter and record your own music

• Play gigs as a solo performer

• Play with your church group or praise team

• Jam with friends in the garage

• Play songs for family and friends

• Play guitar for personal enjoyment, for therapy and stress relief

Whatever direction you want to go in, this course will give you all the guitar skills and resources you need to accomplish all of your goals and rise to any level you desire on the guitar! This is, quite simply…

The Easiest and Fastest Way Available To Learn How To Play Guitar!

In addition…Did you know that….

It has been known for a long time that listening to music can result in positive health benefits by reducing blood pressure, stress and feelings of pain.

But did you know that recent studies show that playing music has positive and lasting health benefits in older adults?

Learning to play guitar can help with improved brain functions as shown by a Pennsylvania State University study. When the brain is engaged in 60 to 75 minute sessions of “exercise”, the results are improvement in mental processing and reasoning skills, which can increase cognitive skills as much as 5 years later in older adults.

In another study (Music Making and Wellness Project), it was shown that a group of retirees that took music lessons experienced:

• Increasing levels of human growth hormone (hGH)

• Decreases in Anxiety

• Reductions in Depression

• Reduction in Feelings of Loneliness

We all know that playing guitar is fun, and is good for the “soul”. But now we know it’s good for your health as well!

Making My Dream Come True (at 58 years young!)…

Hi Keith, First off I’d like to thank you so very much for making my dream come true. I always wanted to play guitar and try an be a good player like all my friends. Well I think the way I’m going now I will get pretty good as I can already play a number of country songs…To all you people who want to learn guitar at home and with all the help you need by just sending keith a note, he will be right there to help you at all times. Trust me , this is a great site if you really want to learn guitar. Good luck to all.

Paul, Ontario, Canada.

P.S.– By the way I am 58 years young, I took Guitar lessons from two different teachers around 25 years ago at different intervals but have learnt a great deal more from Keith in this past month . Its because he takes his time and takes you step by step through everything, he explains it all right to a tee. (way to go Keith)

…Making Learning Guitar Fun…

Thanks for making learning guitar fun, I like the way you cut to the chase and get alot going so it does not become boring. I am 65 years young and enjoy spending time playing. Great lesson plan and you put alot on the plate, that way you can pick what you want to learn and have funtime at it. I recommend this lesson plan to anyone with interest to getting up and running fast, thanks again.

Bob, Stuart Fl.

…Personalized Touch…

My opinion, I don’t think you could offer any better services than what you already provide. Your personalized touch and attention to specific question and concerns is outstanding. If I had a lot of money I would certainly recruit you for your dedication and passion to run a company.

Renea, Madison, Wisconsin

Adult Guitar Lessons is offered in an online, multi-media format including over 100 video lessons. No more keeping up with books that get torn or dog eared, and DVD’s that can get lost or scratched.

Each lesson is supported with detailed written explanations, music charts, chord charts, TAB’s and color pictures.

Simply log in to your personal account, anytime (24/7), even if it’s 2:00am in the morning, grab your guitar and start your lessons.

Video Lessons

Over 100 Video Guitar Lessons, ranging from Beginner Guitar, Intermediate Guitar, Lead Guitar and our popular Cool Lick Series. We don’t just show you – all lessons are fully explained in detail.

Music Charts

Easy to read charts help you map out songs in a clear cut, simple to understand format.

TAB’s

Every guitar lick and riff is written out in Tablature (TAB) form, and explained in the videos

Chord Diagrams

All chords are illustrated with diagrams and fingering instructions

Text

Each lesson includes in-depth written explanations that compliment the videos

Lesson Goals:

♦ Learn the right hand down stroke technique ♦ Learn the right hand up stroke technique ♦ Become familiar with the music staff and notation ♦ Learn alternating down and up stroke pattern

Now that we know how to form the E chord we can begin working on learning strumming techniques.

Start by practicing down strokes as illustrated to the right. For now just work on getting smooth strokes with all 6 strings ringing clearly.

Do this slowly and keep a steady tempo to begin with and then you can gradually speed up.

Next we will work on up strokes. Again, we are not too concerned with speed at this stage. Just play them slow and at a steady tempo until you feel comfortable with the movement.

Now we can put this all together! In the following example we will practice alternating between down strokes and up strokes.

Color Pictures

Clearly demonstrating how to form chords and patterns

Jam Tips

Extra bits of helpful information relating to each lesson

Jam Tip!

We will talk a lot about visualization as a way of learning guitar fast. Take a moment and visualize the pattern of the E chord fingering so that you can recall it without looking at the diagram. I promise you will see this chord and chord pattern many times in the future!

Unlimited Email Support

You are never alone as a Full Access Member. We are always here to answer questions and explain techniques

Need Help?

Got a Question?

Lesson Help

Unlimited Course Updates

This one is really important! Because this course is online, as a Full Access Premier Member your membership never expires, and you will have unlimited access to all the course updates, improvements and new Cool Licks, automatically!

Caution: Many online courses are delivered as a download and cannot be changed, updated or improved. Similarly, home study DVD and book courses cannot be updated as well, without re-ordering the course.

At Adult Guitar Lessons, we are continually adding new lessons and Cool Licks, making improvements, and updating – and you get them all every time you log in!

Most Comprehensive I have Seen…

Hey Keith, This is the most comprehensive and informative set of instructions I have ever seen and it is helping me greatly. I am actually a performing musician “one man band” and have been playing for over 30 years. I am mostly self taught and have been stuck in a rut for years…I am really enjoying the lessons.

Harry C., San Diego

Helpful and Easy to Follow…

Hi Keith & Staff. I want to let you know how helpful and easy to follow your lessons have been. I am 50 years old and always wanted to learn guitar. I never thought I could learn the basics so fast. I have my own business here in Australia and work long hours, even so I spend a least 45 minutes each evening practising using your tutorials.The way they are presented is first class.I know I still have a way to go but I know I will get there. So thank you for making a life long aim come to fruition. I would have no hesitation in recommending Adult Guitar Lessons to anyone wanting to learn guitar.

Regards, Joe A. Melbourne, Australia.

Far Superior…

Hi Keith. Thanks for your words of reassurance. Adult Guitar Lessons have well and truly exceeded my expectations.You are an excellent forum for learning to play guitar. The tutorials, licks and the email responses have been extremely helpful. From a beginners point of view your site is far superior to any other sites I had previously searched.

Gerry M. Utica, New York

Your path to finally becoming an accomplished guitar player is mapped out for you in step-by-step learning modules. Every lesson, technique and Cool Lick is accompanied by detailed videos that take all the guess work out of it for you. Starting from the beginning at day one, all the way through to learning the skills you need to become a lead guitarist!

Beginner Guitar Lessons – Start from scratch, even if you’ve never picked up a guitar before!

Intermediate Guitar Lessons – Take your guitar playing to the next level with more in-depth techniques and concepts

Lead Guitar 101 – A full “nuts & bolts” course on the mechanics of playing lead guitar and how to apply it to your solos

Cool Lick Series – An ever growing selection of licks and riffs to make your leads soar! Complete with videos and TAB’s

No need to get hung up on music “theory” and abstract concepts. You will learn how to play guitar… by really playing guitar! You’ll be amazed at how quickly you will be playing songs from “our generation” by artists and bands like…

• Eric Clapton

• The Romantics

• Van Halen

• Wild Cherry

• The Beatles

• Loggins & Messina

• The Kinks

• The Blues Brothers

• Georgia Satellites

• Lynyrd Skynyrd

• The Animals

• Joe cocker

• Chuck Berry

• Dwight Yoakam

• Johnny Cash

• Pink Floyd

• Marshall Tucker

• BTO

Think learning guitar is hard or complicated? Think again! In just a very short amount of time you will not only understand the “why” – but you’ll also fully understand “how” to master the following concepts and techniques on the guitar:

• Major Open Chords

• Alternate Strum Patterns

• Chord Variations

• Naming Notes on the Neck

• Barre Chords

• Pull-Off’s

• Blues Rhythm Riffs

• Rock & Blues Scale Patterns

• Minor Open Chords

• Palm Muting

• Octaves

• Locating Notes Quickly

• Chord Roots

• Hammer-On’s

• 12 Bar Blues Progressons

•I, IV, V Chord Progressions

• 7th Chords

• Single Note Picking

• C-A-G-E-D Theory

• Chord Patterns

• Scale Roots

• Slides

• Major Scale Patterns

• Double Note Slides

• Basic Strumming

• Alternate Bass Notes

• Naming Open Notes

• Scale Patterns

• Southern Rock Chords

• Triplets

• Pentatonic Minor Scales

• String Bending

…and Much, Much More!

Thanks A Million…

Hi Keith I have been a life time member now after getting the free lessons. I just have to say I am really enjoying the lessons. I have taken lessons before, but with yours, you are always there for me to go back to if I need the help. Your style really is making it a lot easier to learn how to play guitar. I have a few friends who play and I am now able to join in on some of their jam sessions.

This is great. Thanks a miilion. Walter M. Garden City Beach, SC

Teaching Methods are Awesome…

Well, I have to tell you. Your teaching methods are awesome. As well as your website. I just started learning one of the pentatonic scales…I really cannot thank you enough for your getting right back to me. This alone makes me a solid fan of yours. I look forward to learning more from you. Take care.

Betty

T. Lititz, PA

Super Bonus #1 – One-on-One Guitar Coaching

The next best thing to having your own private guitar instructor! Stuck on a lesson, or have questions? Need more explanation on a guitar concept or technique? Your Full Access Premier Membership entitles you to unlimited email consultations whenever you need it. You won’t ever feel like you’re out there “floating” around on your own!

Super Bonus #2 – 10 Steps to Successful Songwriting

Don’t know a verse from a chorus, a bridge from a hook? This handy guide will give you all the insight you need to get your songs off the ground. Whether you want to write songs for you own personal pleasure, or if you have loftier goals of writing for the commercial market. These 10 important steps will get your songs going in the right direction

Super Bonus #3 – 15 Things You Have To Know About Playing In A Band

If you have ever considered getting on stage and making music with a group of other musicians, this is a must read. Even if you are just starting out on guitar, as you progress, you will probably start thinking about joining a band. Whether you want to play gigs in local venues, play with your church group or praise team, or hit the road in search of a label deal – you will need to know these 15 things before you hit the first note!

I want to take this offer one step further.

I’m going to give you a 100% RISK-FREE, 60-Day Money Back Guarantee.

You can’t lose! Consider this…

There is absolutely NO RISK with your Full Access Premier Membership to Adult Guitar Lessons.

Please pay attention to this part:

Join Adult Guitar Lessons today, follow the lessons, practice your guitar – and if you are not playing songs in the first 30 days, if you don’t think this is the best lesson program available, if you’re not 100% thrilled with your decision – simply send us an email within 60 days of joining for a complete refund of your investment. No questions asked!

What’s more, keep Super Bonus #2 and Super Bonus #3 as gifts from me for taking action and making the effort to finally start learning how to play the guitar. It’s a GUARANTEED GAIN no matter what you decide.

It will only be a loss if you don’t grab this opportunity today.

I Never Believed The Offer…

Thank you, Keith. I am so impressed with your personal response to my concerns. I really can’t believe you responded with such obvious concern. Honestly, when I signed up for your lessons, I never believed the offer we could email you with questions and have a personal response. I just figured, if the videos give me some help-great. Thank you very much.

Renea Effingham, IL

Down To Earth…

Hello Keith..Just wanted to say that I am enjoying your site and the way you teach your lessons. I have been on various sites and even have life time memberships on one, and yours is the only one I have complimented. That is due to the fact that the way you explain things is very down to earth…if anyone decides to use your instructional videos on your site they do not need to feel intimidated. Keep up the good work of making it easy too learn.

Kirk Lakeland, FL

Private guitar lessons typically range from $25 to $30 per lesson. If you paid a private instructor for the over 100 lessons you get with AdultGuitarLessons.com you could easily spend over $2,500!

Home Study DVD and Book courses often cost as much as $150 to $200 and above. Plus you have to keep up with course materials that can be lost or scratched. And, they cannot be updated without re-ordering.

Many online courses charge monthly subscription fees of $10 to $20 making the cost of just one years worth of lessons as much as $120 to $240 or more!

Keeping all of that in mind, would this course be worth?…

$249.95…No

$149.95…No Way

$99.95…Not even close!

With AdultGuitarLessons.com your Full Access Premier Membership, which includes all the Beginner Guitar Lessons, Intermediate Guitar Lessons, Lead Guitar 101 Lessons, our popular “Cool Lick Series”, PLUS, Unlimited Course Updates, AND, Unlimited Email Coaching – for a small, one time investment of only $47 ! (Special Introductory Limited Offer) Your Membership Never Expires!

This special introductory offer of $47 (one time investment) for a Full Access Premier Membership is only available to new members and prices may increase without notice, so be sure to Act today!

Remember – Your Membership Never Expires!

Click Below To Place Your Secure Online Order

Instant Access, Even if it’s 3:00am in the morning!

Wouldn’t you love to be able to pull out your guitar and finally be able to sit down and play songs for your family and friends? Wouldn’t you love to be able to put your fingers on the fretboard and finally prove you can play that challenging chord progression, scale or lead riff that has always been “just beyond” your reach?

Picture yourself in 30 days from now (or less!), being able to play songs on the guitar by The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Loggins & Messina, and more!

One thing’s for sure though. If you don’t take action today, if you don’t decide to finally do something about it now – then 30 days from now you may be no closer to learning how to play guitar than you are today.

…to this incredible offer. It’s a small matter and very reasonable, but may affect your decision. You see, this course is not for everyone. If you are afraid to put forth some effort, not a lot, but a little time every day, or each week – you will not see progress on the guitar. I am giving you all the keys to playing guitar quickly and easily with a minimal amount of effort, but there will be some effort required on your part. Most people understand this, but I don’t want to mislead you into thinking that simply purchasing a Full Access Membership will make you an accomplished guitar player. It won’t happen without the other half of the equation – you!

Let’s Start Playing Guitar Today!

Warmest Regards,

Keith Dean – Pro Instructor

P.S. – Don’t Forget Our NO-RISK Guarantee! Try us for 60 days and if you are not happy for any reason, just let me know for a Full Refund. No questions asked!

P.P.S. – Remember, with Full Access Membership “You Are Never Alone” with Unlimited Guitar Coaching. It’s just like having your own personal guitar mentor!

P.P.P.S. – Even if you decide not to continue with membership, Keep The Bonuses as our gift to you for giving us a try!

Adult Guitar Lessons is available online only – no need to wait for shipping…Start your guitar lessons today!

This special introductory offer of $47 (one time investment) for a Full Access Premier Membership is only available to new members and prices may increase without notice, so be sure to Act today!

Remember – Your Membership Never Expires!

Click Below To Place Your Secure Online Order

Instant Access, Even if it’s 3:00am in the morning!

1. AdultGuitarLessons is a comprehensive, multi-media online guitar lessons course that will provide you all the skills you need to become the best guitar player you can possibly be – starting today!

2. AdultGuitarLessons was designed specifically for the needs and goals of active adults with a busy lifestyle. It’s Guitar for Grownups! No kidstuff…

3. AdultGuitarLessons will teach you how to play songs that we grew up with, in all popular genres including – rock, pop, blues, country and southern rock.

4. AdultGuitarLessons was developed by a professional touring guitarist with over 30 years of stage, studio, songwriting and instructional experience.

5. AdultGuitarLessons is available in an online, multi-media format with powerful, detail packed videos, full written explanations, accompanied by chord diagrams, music charts, TABs, color pictures, Jam Tips, Lesson Goals and Summaries. Easy to follow and understand!

6. AdultGuitarLessons provides you with a Full Access Premier Membership that never expires so you can always have the latest course updates, new features and Cool Licks.

7. AdultGuitarLessons includes Unlimited Email Coaching so you are never alone!

8. AdultGuitarLessons is backed up by an unconditional, NO-RISK 60 Days, money back guarantee!

9. Playing guitar later in life can be Good For Your Health!

This special introductory offer of $47 (one time investment) for a Full Access Premier Membership is only available to new members and prices may increase without notice, so be sure to Act today!

Remember – Your Membership Never Expires!

Click Below To Place Your Secure Online Order

Instant Access, Even if it’s 3:00am in the morning!

See you on the inside…

Adult Guitar Lessons is available online only – no need to wait for shipping…Start your guitar lessons today!

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duaneodavila · 6 years

Text

Dear God, Don’t Go To Law School Unless You Know What Lawyers Do

A couple of days ago, Shane Ferro offered her advice on how to choose whether or not to go to law school. She wrote, in pertinent part: “A lot of people who are lawyers will tell you that you should only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. This is bullshit advice unless you happen to know intimately what it means to be a lawyer.”

Well then! Allow me to retort.

You should not go to law school unless you are pretty sure you want to be a lawyer. And if you don’t know what “be a lawyer” really means, you should absolutely invest time and energy figuring out what that means long before you give any one of these law schools an application fee.

Law schools want you to believe that you go to law school to learn how to be a lawyer. That is false. That is their great trick. That is their origin lie. Law schools do nothing of the sort.

A law school doesn’t teach you what it’s like to be a lawyer any more than having a niece teaches you what it’s like to be a parent. In both cases, YOU CAN GO HOME. You can leave your theoretical kids or theoretical clients to someone else’s ultimate responsibility. Like an actual parent, the job of a practicing attorney involves a lot less “let’s go on an adventure,” and a lot more “oh my God, if you don’t shut up I’m going to murder you and say that a black guy did it.”

Law schools thrive on the common misconception that the life of a lawyer involves lots of… thinking. Check out this line from Ferro’s piece:

What a lawyer does, mostly, is close-read long pages of text that are very dry and analyze them. Then they argue over whether the word “and” actually means “and,” or, alternatively, means “or.”

No. Noooooo. That’s what law students do. That’s what judges and their clerks do. It can be dry, but it can be intellectually fascinating and stimulating and… HAS NOTHING AT ALL to do with client representation.

If you like “reading” and “analysis” and “debate” and “critical reasoning,” being a practicing attorney is probably not for you. Oh, you’ll get to do that sometimes, and you’ll cherish the hell out of those moments. But nobody, no client is paying you to THINK. And if you do “think” there’s actually a very small chance that the client will listen.

No, clients are paying you to organize. They’re paying you to file this paper with that person and that paper with this institution. They’re paying you to do their homework so they can spend their time doing fun things like… thinking and making money.

“Legal research,” that part where you read lots of pages and parse the difference between synonyms, is such a rare opportunity for most lawyers that it’s a GIFT when it comes around. “Holy crap, I spent the whole day thinking about the law! And I could actually bill for it. I’m so happy!” There are very few lawyers whose practice involves a high amount of what a law student has been told is “lawyering,” and those jobs are coveted. Appellate litigators, corporate structuring attorneys, tax lawyers for multi-national businesses. Sure, most law students would love to be that kind of lawyer. In related news I’d love to play centerfield for the Mets.

But for most lawyers, their skill is not in being the most creative legal thinkers in the world. Their skill is serving up solutions perfectly tailored to their clients specific needs and desires, and then showing up to battle having put their client’s s**t together. “Oh, you want to kill your neighbor’s tree? Um, okay, first, you need to file this complaint with the zoning board and… wait, you already cut it down? Alright… when the cops come you’re going to want to fill out this bail application and…”

Law school teaches almost NONE of that. Here are some law school classes that would be offered if schools were serious about preparing people to become practicing attorneys:

“Rainmaking: How to convince rich white guys to tell you their secrets if you are not already a rich white guy.” “Get The Hell Out Of My Office: How to spot a dogs**t case that will never pay out.” “Templates: How to find the ones that are right for you.” “Wellness Seminar: What to do when the state murders your client and you feel kind of responsible.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are lawyers, many of them, who honestly love what they do. It’s a noble and prestigious profession that serves a critical purpose in our society.

And Ferro makes an excellent point that if you don’t know a lawyer — if you are not pretty much related to one — it’s really hard to get a sense of what being a lawyer is really like. But the difficulty in knowing what lawyers “really do” is a fault with the legal profession, and a fault that law schools do not help you overcome. Before committing three years and potentially a quarter-million dollars to the effort, it’s really incumbent on the prospective student to find a way to overcome this deficiency.

Absent personal connections with practicing attorneys, I always like to point out that “court” is “free.” YOU CAN JUST GO THERE. You can sit in the galley for days and days just listening to what lawyers do, how they prepare, what kinds of questions they get asked, and what seems relevant. Obviously, actual trials are as rare for lawyers as any other “fun” aspect of law, but at least it’s an aspect of being a lawyer you can literally see for yourself. You don’t have to watch that on T.V. or read about it. You can go see motion practice, in action!

If you happened to go to an undergraduate institution that is attached to a law school, you can also approach the law school career services offices and inquire about shadowing an alumni lawyer for a day. Note, I said “career services,” not “admissions charlatans.” Going to an admissions person is like going up to a hungry wolf and saying “I’m succulent and defenseless.”

And, of course, there’s always the lightly-paid internship. That’s, I know, the option of the privileged who can afford poverty, and I know most law firms don’t take college-educated interns. But some do. And some legal services organizations do. Hell, I know a person who took a job as a receptionist at a law firm just to get a feel for it before she took the plunge into law school.

It’s extremely hard to get a handle on what lawyers do before you actually become one because the law school mafia has kind of set it up that way. They want to be the gatekeepers to this kind of knowledge, so you have to pay them before they bring out the e-Meter and tell you how many Thetans you have.

But you should try. You should try really hard to know if you want to be a lawyer before you go to law school. Because law school is just going to spend three years telling you what it’s like to be a law professor, and by the time you’re done they’ll have all of your money.

Earlier: Another Person Giving You Advice About Going to Law School

Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and the Legal Editor for More Perfect. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at [email protected]. He will resist.

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