Do I know my stuff well enough to teach guitar?

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I, too, think you would do fine.
You have good knowledge and I'm sure that it will be easier for a student to understand when they actually get to look at you and you can show them what you are talking about.
(I got lost about halfway through the text! LOL) and then it raised more questions for me.

For instance:
the D chord . D F# A
As a student, I would then ask (thinking of the standard, common D chord) "But, the fingers play a A D F# first!". But then you have strumming the guitar which is more than 3 strings.

Luckily for me, I can see that preceding A D F# are the open D and open A strings, which solves THAT problem for me.

I guess my biggest problem is how you figure out how you are supposed to construct this on a guitar. which is probably that kid's problem too. I understood it and explained it using a keyboard. That's pretty simple.

But if I think about it, I could say you could make an open D chord by playing 2nd fret E , open A open D , or you could add the other strings, too, to that.

You explain the chords nicely in theory. Actually translating to guitar I see can be a big issue. That's why I told him he was over thinking it.

(maybe someday I'll actually understand the theory of diminished or augmented chords)

I think your biggest issue will be actually dealing in person with the personalities themselves. I, personally, lose patience very quickly with teaching and don't suffer fools gladly. I guess it's easier to be patient on here where we don't have to look at some of the blockheads, even though we still have to read some repeatedly dumb questions by certain people.

But, since you are metal guy (I think...right?) A lot of kids would probably appreciate you as a teacher.

EDIT: BTW, I am reminded here of what Harry told me after I posted a link to a Youtube post I recently made and asked if I was good enough to be shooting my mouth off around here or if I was just a poser.
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjZMdkoe4Xjhha8ZAOvFrfvBFQx.;_ylv=3?qid=20130714130624AA5FUnW

I think perhaps you, too, are over thinking it!! LOL...Show more

Thumbs up for TommyMc's answer.
In addition to the knowledge and sincerity you've consistently shown here, you now reveal a touch of humility in even asking your question. That's so much better than a few boasts I've seen from others claiming that they already know "all the chords and everything", then proceed to ask something that reveals far less. So I hope you give it a try.
The only questions I would have (aside from your noted love for Schecter guitars? - just teasing!) is how you'll handle a rank beginner, particularly what happens inside you, and when you have to reach back so far to recall what they're experiencing. In many fields, an accomplished person can find that quite frustrating, which is not fun. To teach well requires a nurturing attitude, like raising a child well. I suspect you have that already, too....Show more

You've been a regular contributor to Y!A and seem to have intelligent, knowledgeable answers. There's no doubt in my mind that you have sufficient knowledge about guitar. You have also demonstrated that you can explain what you know (at least in writing). The unknown is whether you can successfully communicate everything you know in a teaching environment. Knowing how to do something and teaching it are often two vastly different skills.

What you've demonstrated here on Y!A is that you can take a specific question, break it down into it's basic elements, and explain it clearly. If you can do the same thing with lesson plans, you'll probably be off to a good start. How are your interpersonal relation skills? Do you have the patience to work with slower learners? I don't think anybody here but you can answer that.

I think you should try your hand at lessons. Here's a suggestion: Why not offer your services pro bono to your local youth service bureau? You can take on a few students to see how it goes, at the same time you'll be helping keep some troubled teens off the street. If things go well, you can justify paid lessons.

Best of luck...Show more

Its not always about how much you know, some people know everytging there is to know about advanced rocket science, but it doesnt mean they can teach it. Teaching is about taking what you know, and breaking it down so others can understand it. Your answer was excellant! I couldn't say it any better, well...I hardly use chord construction so I'm not too big on it...but anyways I'm detracting from the point, you indeed are good enough to teach in the sense that you know how to break it down so a noob can understand(except maybe when you list a c major scale, underneath list the W or H so they can make a connection easier) but the only thing you really need to do before pursuing your goal of a guitar teacher, is to draft a lesson plan, like a teacher at school does, determine what fundamentals the student will need to learn( assume they know nothing of music/music theory) and just go from there, you got the knack for it, compared to lessons I've seen on Ultimate-guitar.com, that was gold...Show more

First talk to your teacher & tell 'em that they need to slow down as its going by too fast. If it doesn't get better, get someone else. These days, with $$ being so scarce, you can't afford to throw it away when you're not learning anything. Plus there are plenty of other would-be guitar 'heroes' who are hard up for cash & looking to teach for a few bucks! Secondly, its better to take the lessons mainly b/c if you have any questions about any concept you read in a "self-taught" lesson there's no one there to answer you or to clarify any confusion. Heck, I've got 2 magazine boxes full of guitar magazines from the early 80s til the mid 90s. In a few issues, going back & rereading this or that lesson, only _now_ am I suddenly comprehending a particular lesson! Don't let this be you! lol....Show more