Guitar for Beginners – Finding the Best Lessons
Starting guitar lessons for beginners can be a daunting task for some people. The notes, the strings, the chords and the strumming are basics that are difficult enough to master on their own. After that, it all becomes much more complex when you have to factor in the distinct feel and soul of the songs you play.
Having a teacher to guide you through guitar lessons is helpful to avoid confusion as to where or how to get started. Picking up the finer points of how to play a musical instrument by watching a skilled player is essential to be able to become accomplished at the instrument.
There are several choices for beginners to learn to play the guitar:
Private Instruction
This was the most common method of learning to play the guitar for beginners before the availabilty of electronic lessons, affordable video and computers with internet access.
A student will be able to receive lessons custom-made to fit his or her needs under the tutelage of a private teacher. With hands-on help, many beginner guitar players progress rapidly with the help of a professional tutor or teacher.
There is a drawback to this intensive learning method, however. First and foremost is the money involved, as tutoring can run up to a cool hundred dollars or more a month. Depending on the city or town you live in, it can cost quite a bit for lessons with a professional. Scheduling the lessons can be a problem if you can’t be available when the teacher has an opening for a new student.
Subscribe to online lessons
An alternative to getting a private teacher is to subscribe to guitar lessons via the Internet.
The lessons can either be similar to or totally different from getting a private teacher. Live tv-style classes streaming from a webcam are one way lessons are taught online – or there are recorded video tutorials. Jamorama is the name of one of the popular providers of online lessons – they have rock, lead, and acoustic guitar courses. (For a review, see Jamorama Acoustic Guitar.)
If you choose the former, then you can expect rates to be slightly less compared to hiring a private teacher, but the lessons will be a lot less interactive and customized because of the virtual limitations. On the other hand, the online lessons don’t cost as much as private lessons but you can miss out on having a personal relationship with a teacher/mentor. You would need to have an Internet connection and a computer capable of playing the streaming videos (or downloading them).
Buy guitar lesson DVDs
A third choice for lessons are those on digital video (DVDs).
These are similar to video-taped online lessons, but come packaged into DVDs instead. You can bring them around with you wherever you want to go, pop them in a DVD player and begin learning at your own leisure. You can rewind and find the spot you need replay more easily on DVDs than with some online lessons. These are affordable and often come with printed materials, as well as, recorded video tutorials. (See a review of Learn and Master Guitar.)
As far as disadvantages to DVDs, about the only one is the slightly higher cost as compared to online lessons – due to their having to be packaged and shipped. Though DVD courses are a great option for beginner guitar players, they may not be enough – sometimes personal input from a teacher is needed. The better DVD courses have online support and community forums, as well as a more interactive type of recorded music that the student can play along with. And really good courses allow students to upload videos of themselves playing for feedback or advice from the teacher and more advanced students.
So there you have it, the three primary means to learn guitar lessons for beginners. Choose wisely, and select the kind of lessons that you can afford or that will help you achieve your guitar goals – and you’ll be rockin’ out in no time at all!