Best Way to Learn Guitar? Online vs. Private Lessons

Learning an instrument takes a considerable amount of time and financial investment.

Enrolling in lessons is a great way to stay committed to reaching your goals.

Everything takes time, so the more efficient your learning is, the sooner you will reach those goals!

Online lessons and tutorials have taken the world by storm over the past 10 years. You can find information on virtually anything guitar-related somewhere online. Even full structured lesson programs are available for a very moderate cost (take Guitar Coaching Online, for example).

With great online resources, guitarists now have to choose between learning online and learning in private lessons.

Both options offer the same learning opportunities, and share the same information, so you can learn what you need to from either. Each option just involves a completely different learning strategy, and you’ll want to pick the one that works best for you.

If you are having trouble choosing between the two, consider these five critical decision-altering points.

1) Cost

Private lessons tend to be expensive. However, it’s an investment with unique benefits (to be discussed in further points).

Half-hour lessons average out at about $25.00 per half hour lesson. Some people charge more, some charge less. That’s about $100.00-$125.00 per month.

If this works within your budget, great! Again, there are many benefits of one-on-one learning.

If you’re looking to spend a little bit less, try an online program. These cost on average about $10.00-$30.00 per month for membership, and some even offer live conferencing, much to the effect of a personal lesson.

2) Personal Connection

One of the more obvious benefits to private lessons is the one-on-one learning.

Through private lessons, you have an expert guiding your personal experience. They can see exactly what you are doing wrong, and they can tell you exactly how to improve. This makes for efficient improvement.

They can also make a social personal connection. Students are more likely to learn under someone they trust and admire. Making this personal connection will help you to develop that relationship with your teacher.

This is harder to find in online lessons, as many of them are pre-recorded videos. However, some programs do offer live conferencing and video uploads to make it a more personal experience. At Guitar Coaching Online, we give students the opportunity to send videos for personalized feedback. 

Some programs offer access to private communities of peers who can help solve your guitar problems and make suggestions.

These are both great resources - and you might find one better than another simply because of your learning style or personality.

3) Accountability

Part of working with a private instructor is accountability. Your teacher will ensure you practiced the week before.

This is good for students who have a little bit of trouble staying committed to the instrument. That encouragement from a personal instructor may be just what you need to maximize your learning.

Alternatively, with the aforementioned online communities available through some online programs, you can have many new friends to follow and compare yourself to. Everyone learns at their pace of course, but a little bit of friendly competition is a good way for you and your peers to get an extra push!

Honestly, this issue is more about finding the right person more than online vs. in-person lessons.

Whatever route you take, make sure you have someone you respect to keep you accountable. Someone who will recognize your potential and push you to reach it.

4) Lesson Structure

A big part of reaching your full potential is having a good lesson structure.

As great as it is having that personal connection with your instructor, it is crucial to follow a well-conceived lesson plan.

Private teachers can develop a habit of catering directly to the student TOO much.

How so?

Well, when the teacher is spending a whole month teaching Wagon Wheel to a new student who loves country, that student is missing out on some important education.

Effectively learning the songs you love requires a foundation of chords, strumming patterns, rhythms, keys, and scales. Learning these aspects of music may take a while, but they will set you up to learn new songs much more quickly.

Although you may have Wagon Wheel down pat after a month, learning that next
song will take you just as long.

Not to say all private instructors develop this habit of skipping the essentials, but I have seen it often enough to issue a warning to new students seeking private lessons.

Now to my point.

MAKE SURE YOU LEARN THE ESSENTIALS FIRST.

Online lessons more often build on the essentials first.

They often share information that is important to all learners. They are less likely to skip important chord shapes and music theory concepts that will be useful to you for the rest of your musical journey.

Don’t learn Wagon Wheel then quit. Learn the craft of music. Learn how to learn songs quickly and efficiently.

5) Logistics/Time Investment

This is one of the most obvious benefits of online learning.

You can do it whenever, wherever, however you want.

You don’t even have to change out of your jammies.

Learning at home will save you both time and money in the long run.

Private lessons require a dedicated timeslot in your day, and they often involve travelling somewhere. Though again, the personal experience is great, if you miss one week, it can be difficult to catch up.

You’ve only got that half-hour window to make it to your lesson, or you’re out of luck.

With online learning, you can learn at your own pace, on your own time, without committing to a strict weekly routine.

Just remember to have an accountability partner.

As a summary, private lessons are a bit more expensive but usually more personal. Online lessons are more structured and convenient, but you’ll need to find a way to keep yourself practicing.

Learn the differences, find what works best for you, and then go for it!

At Guitar Coaching Online, we've done our best to create a program that combines the convenience of learning online with the effectiveness of personalized private lessons. You can find out more on our homepage here: www.guitarcoachingonline.com