Starting guitar lessons for beginners can be a daunting task for some people. Learning the notes, strings, strumming, tablature, chords, tuning, and other basics can seem like an awful lot to master. Music can be quite complex, with the feelings that songs express, as well as, learning to play different tempos or rhythms.
Having a teacher to guide you through guitar lessons is helpful to avoid confusion as to where or how to get started. Learning to play different songs and different styles of music is easier to learn from a listening and watching a teacher (either in person or on a video) than learning from a book.
As such, there are multiple ways for a beginner to learn about how 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. This is perhaps the most effective method to teach an individual the finer points of guitar playing.
There is a drawback to this intensive learning method, however. Private guitar lessons may not be affordable to everyone – the costs can run over $100 per month. In some towns it is hard to even find an accomplished and experienced teacher (or it’s hard to find one that is affordable). 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. The available video style lessons include those that are pre-recorded, live webcam demonstrations, and there are lessons of diagrams and text, too. 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, subscribing to the former is definitely the most affordable but eliminates any fine-tuning and customized lessons that real-life teachers have to offer. A good Internet connection and a multi-media player that is capable of playing the videos is a requirement for these lessons.
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 have more control over lessons on DVDs since you can watch and learn with or without a computer (and no internet connection is required). The quality of DVD lessons is generally far better than online videos. 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. One of the better parts of a good learning program includes the ability to contact the teacher, have contact with other guitar players, and to upload videos of yourself in order to get constructive criticism, feedback or encouragement.
So there you have it, the three primary means to learn guitar lessons for beginners. Your goal of becoming a guitar player is sure to be accomplished by one of these learning methods – go for it!
