I've been teaching a long time - longer than I should have, most likely. I've had all sorts of students; some good, some bad, some horrible, and some exceptional. The latter ones are pretty rare. Those exceptional ones are those that take what you show them, and assimilate it. They don't just memorize an idea for a certain tune; they figure out exactly what that concept is and how to apply it. They're the ones that modify the techniques to fit their own idea of how it works. They're the ones that soon figure out how to play within the boundaries of their own limitations. Sounds simple enough, but in reality that assimilation of knowledge is what separates the casual player from the ones that go on to be successful. If I knew how to bottle that, I'd sell it.
Trevor is one of those exceptional students. He's driven - motivated even. I showed him some very basic clawhammer a few months back. Last lesson he's already playing some fairly advanced stuff, and he did it on his own! Also, not too long ago he expressed some interest in a couple of Reno tunes. Admittedly, my Reno vocabulary is small. I pointed him in a direction, the rest he did on his own. I figure I need to get him to show me the Reno stuff he's learned. ...and the student becomes the teacher.
He's my current favorite windup toy -- wind him up, watch him go!
Anyway... here are a couple of videos of Trevor (one with his brother).
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