I agree with Zachary that it's good to do some research first, unless,
as he said, you have no choice in the matter. Asking another player can
be helpful, but they're probably not going to be too objective about
it. Also, not all good teachers need to be great players, and not all
great players are good teachers. There's an old saying--Chinese or
Japanese I forget which--that you don't judge a teacher by how great a
master he is, but by how many masters he has produced. If you can, go
to the summer camp in Boulder, and the next festival in Tokyo, where
you'll be able to have lessons with a number of really fine
players/teachers---hopefully the one you like best won't live 1000's of
miles away! And find out what style blows your hair back--Tozan, Kinko,
Meian, Nezasa, Dokyoku etc. Of course this flies in the face of
tradition, and in my own case I met my first teacher, Kurahashi sensei,
under very serendipitous circumstances, but I feel that choosing a
teacher and style of playing is so important that it doesn't hurt to do
some research. Good luck,
Peter
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Feb 03 2003 - 09:09:50 PST