Watch this BEFORE Paying for Guitar Lessons
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- Опубликовано: 5 мар 2023
- Here's some honest thoughts about taking guitar lessons with an instructor vs teaching yourself. Hope this helps!
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Thanks for watching!
Like others, I'm mostly self-taught, but signed up for in-person lessons 2 weeks ago. The instructor is showing me new material and teaching techniques I'd never considered before, so yes, weekly 30-minute lessons can bring new things to the table. My short-term goal is to work with the instructor for about 2 to 3 months, then move towards where I'd like to be. My feeling is that if I learn modes and scales, arpeggios and intervals from lessons, then it might be wise to study from RUclips additional material that is freely available.
That’s a great setup
Just started my journey with the guitar. Curious to know for how long you first did self teaching before signing up for lessons.
@@MichaliSarris For many years, mostly listening to recordings, trying to imitate the rhythm and leads. That being said, since my previous note, my lessons discontinued two months in because of cost. Can't afford the $55/week/30 minutes. Have yet to locate a good instructor that can teach structured lessons.
I'm a self taught bass player for over 30 years, dabbled in guitar a few times now looking to learn. Just recently started lessons & the very first thing my teacher noticed, right off the bat, is me playing flat fingured on my fretting hand. Back years ago, when I began my musical journey, I took guitar lessons. One thing my teacher back then didn't teach me was basic technique(s), probably why I got so easily frustrated & quit guitar. So now here I am, decades later, trying to overcome 30 years of muscle memory & spending hours upon hours retraining my left hand. It took me trying learn one song to really spotlight my weaknesses, so to that I'm glad I started taking lessons. I am putting myself through guitar boot camp.
I've been playing on and off for 10 years self taught and I did learn alot but as of the last 6 months I started taking lessons and I have to say, I've learned more in the last 6 months than I did before. The accountability and having a teacher tailor things specifically to me, rather than watch RUclips, has improved my skill so much. I wasn't a proponent for lessons before but now I'll always encourage people to take lessons if they can afford to.
Yeah I think you’re in a good spot to take some lessons. The accountability is unreplaceable. Good luck!
I'm self taught, started in '86. There's no wrong way to play, but there are approaches that will make it easier or harder to progress. My self taught finger picking style makes it impossible for me to play a vast range of classic songs. Now I'm 52 and it's too late to undo it. In some ways I regret not getting lessons.
I think I understand. I started playing bass in 1974, and I had no one to teach me, so I just played for hours every day, until what I did sounded like what I was trying to play. We had no video, let alone RUclips in those days, so it was a matter of putting on a record, and then trying to replicate what you heard. I played my first paid gig 6 months after picking up the bass for the 1st time. But I took every opportunity to play, with anyone, and with as many older/more experienced/more proficient musicians as I could. I switched to lead guitar at age 28, and took the same path, and have had my 1st paid gig as a lead guitarist, 6 months later. I’ve been playing either professionally, or semi pro, for nearly 50 years, and enjoyed life as a musician, during probably the greatest time in popular music history.
That said, I am quite envious of the availability of music lessons of all kinds, today. I can’t imagine how much more knowledge I might have gained, in those early years as both a bassist, and guitarist, much less vocals, harmonica, and recording/production tuition.
However, given the vagaries of my ‘education’, I think that I have developed a way of playing, that has set me apart from the mainstream, particularly as a guitarist.
And it seems entirely possible to me, that had I been ‘taught’ (particularly by a single instructor), I might well have been subsumed into replicating the teacher, and quite likely assuming many, if not all, of their influences. I have seen this in a considerable number of players, who are clearly technically proficient, but bring nothing of themselves to the table.
Naturally, my particular path would not be for everyone, and there are definitely many disadvantages to taking this route. For example, I don’t read music, and as a result, my education in music theory has almost certainly been much slower, and is far less complete, than those who are classically trained. And having an incomplete musical theory, can often slow down certain processes (less so, after 6,000 years of playing, but…), particularly in communicating with other players.
So I guess that maybe you see how well you do on your own, and engage help with whatever isn’t happening for you.
But for me, the most important thing to do, is to play. And play with as many players as you can. The majority of musicians I’ve played with, have taught me something, and very often something I didn’t know that I needed to know.
Great post. Thanks.
No wrong way? Is lil' wayne a joke to you!!!
After 29 years of no lessons, I’ve now taken lessons for a year. I regret not taking lessons much sooner. Tiger Woods has always had a swing coach. Playing guitar is a skill the requires coordination, muscle memory, memorization, technique, etc… not all that different from many athletic activities. Having a coach or instructor watch you and help you troubleshoot problems can really make a difference. There are plenty of golfers who get by with no swing coach or lessons, but they are also no where near the level of Tiger Woods.
Thank you for making these kinds of videos. They're (just as you said previously) what I always wanted to know but that nobody has made in a concise form.
Awesome information well boiled down into two sides! I came to this video after watching your roadmap. Invaluable!
I appreciate the support!
Great video, I’m learning right now, it’s been 2 months, and the approach I’m talking is similar of what you told on the video. I try to learn new things by myself and I use the instructor to point me in the right direction and for resolving some doubts that I might have.
God video. Good quality in audio and video, also straight to point in the context. I have taken clases and can confirm that this becomes an issue when you want to move to a higer level and your structor tells you nope. You can understand bc maybe you are not prepared but if you feel like I mean let your student try, hit a wall or maybe it can advance more and not get frustrated with you!
This was a well-reasoned, insightful lesson and I agree with much of what you presented. After 6 or 7 years of weekly lessons, I am a only a disappointed, low-intermediate .
I think that finding a decent course, with a good online teacher, would be the best way to go. For example, for what one or two live lessons would cost, you could get a whole year with Tim Pierce, Active Melody, etc. Then, I would probably take a live lesson every now and then, for an independent assessment of my progress, helpful corrections, suggestions, etc. It's funny that I stumbled onto this video, after just deciding to cut way back on the live lessons.
2nd video of yours I've watched--a little wordy but great content with a sense of refreshing integrity instilled--nice job.
Thanks Kevin...Great advice🎸🎸
I agree with your proposed approach to learning the guitar. There's so much a motivated player can learn before setting foot in a guitar lesson studio. Then the instructor can teach you the hard stuff.
A big factor I’ve learned being self taught is that the more you learn the faster you learn new concepts. It seems painfully slow and inefficient at first because it is but there are allot of great resources online and regardless of what path you take if you’re passionate about music and have the patience and discipline to put in I can guarantee you will excel far beyond what you originally thought possible. If you play every day you will get better regardless. You just have to work on optimizing your techniques and lesson plan to make that improvement happen most effectively. Good luck, (hu)man.
I try and tell others this having been through the same “painfully slow and inefficient” stuff for what feels like forever with what I can only explain as paying ones dues to reach a point where you can no longer remember the point of breaking through. Of course nobody believes me with the usual excuses about having small hands or not being a natural but looking back I wouldn’t have it any other way now as I’ve already gone past the point that I ever hoped anyway
@@andrewbowen6875 yeah, I can’t speak personally about the small hands excuse as I have pretty good genetics for guitar, but it sounds like the ego trying to defend its playing capabilities. It definitely is tougher with small hands, but throwing around my big ass fucked up fingers was pretty tough too, so I wouldn’t say tougher so much as it just being a different process. Damn thinking back to learning the instrument just made me feel old as hell and I’m only 20 lmao. I think I’m at that like intermediate plateau where I have a fundamental understanding of the instrument and can play what I want easy as humming or whistling but what’s holding me back is in the knowledge and theory aspect of things more so than technical ability if that makes sense.
Revisiting the instrument after years away because my daughter wants to learn - you have definitely earned a subscribe and a like.
Thanks! I’m glad the video could help!
I'm on the horns of this dilemma right now.
Excellent points made here.
And you've got a new subscriber.
you deserve way more subscribers dude, keep up the good work and hope you grow
Thanks!
Thanks for the info dad!
It’s what I do son
I agree. There is way too much content on YT. It can paralyze you or you’ll turn into a gear chaser. I have been playing for years, self taught and I do, when I can, get some feedback on my playing from someone more experienced to check my mechanics.
I found this very interesting. I started learning guitar about two years ago and signed up for lessons. I have played trumpet all my life so I already knew the basics. The lessons were $65 per one hour session, we met twice a month. My instructor was completing his doctorate in music so he was extremely knowledgeable and could answer all my questions in a well presented manner. He was also an amazing guitarist, I think he could play anything on guitar. I learned a lot from him but the structure I was looking for wasn’t there. What I wanted was for him to identify my weak areas and give me an assignment and then review it next lesson. I finally decided to end the lessons and continue with online instruction. I liked being able to select lessons that I thought were most beneficial and I could look at them any time and as often as needed, and I could slow them down and replay over and over. I’m guilty of drinking from the fire hose and jumping from one lesson to the next but I’ve made a lot of progress. I think learning basic theory is just as important as learning to play. In the end, I decided that online gave me much more bang for the buck. As someone else said, I can do a year of online instruction for what a couple of lessons will cost.
whose online lessons do you use?
@@DGKFIT I’m using BGI, Blues Guitar Institute. Great content for $15/month.
I started playing guitar back in 1997 and played pretty much non-stop up until 2002. Life got in the way and it fell to the back burner for a VERY long time. Here it is 2023 and I am just now starting to ponder the idea of picking it back up. I miss it... a lot. Problem is, I know at this point I've forgotten everything I used to know how to play. As such, I am going to be needing to relearn quite a bit and that brings me to the point of my comment, I subscribed to your channel! Hoping you can re-teach me a thing or two. Cheers! I look forward to watching more of your videos.
WELL said my guy! 👍🏼
Thanks!
I'm teaching myself how to play guitar. I'm 64 and have been playing drums all my life, self taught drummer. My body can no longer take the beating playing the drums is doing to me so I bought a guitar and I'm teaching myself. RUclips is a great help, everything you need to know there is a video for. So I'm having fun taking my time and I think it's a great way to learn.
Thanks uncle Kevin!
You're welcome champ
If I ever have time to practice regularly again I'll take lessons. Just having a pro to review your playing, provide feedback, and give specific exercises to fix issues is invaluable.
Excellent advice. I live in the uk.Ive only been playing 3 weeks.100% agree it's not worth paying to be taught parts of a guitar, how to tune it, how to play a d chord etc. There will be a time when I will defo seek some one on one tuition, but I really dont think it's needed in the first 6 months as i learn the absolute basics. Great video. Thanks.
I quit piano lessons as a child because I was bored lmao. Tbh there's kinda no accountability, you can just quit
Guitar Teacher here of 18 years - I also do online content so have a few thoughts to weigh in.
This is a great video but you’ve missed some key aspects.
When teaching yourself, you’ve got no ability to get feedback, and you can’t ask a book or stop a RUclips video and ask a question, so I guess the issue is you don’t have that direct communication. This is hugely underrated.
Secondly, any competent and confident teacher these days should be smart enough to encourage you to learn from anywhere and everywhere, with the teacher being a good source to bring questions too. This is the most effective way to learn - teach yourself and have your teacher guide you. You’re the train, the teacher is the tracks. This also means you won’t be held back by the things you mention. In terms of teachers pushing there students to their style- I’m a rockabilly and jazz guy at heart but not one student that has come to me unless specially to learn those styles, has gone away playing those genres. But it’s fair to say in such a highly unchecked industry there’s probably not a ton of self awareness with guitar teachers, so I can see this being an issue, but it’s really simple. If you aren’t happy with your teacher find a better one.
Yeah I agree. Feedback is the most important thing an instructor can offer and it is underrated. I do think that most teachers push students towards their own style. There’s no doubt that a good teacher won’t do this, but in my experience it’s been hard to find, and I think for beginners it’s hard to know right off the bat whether or not they have a good instructor. To be fair, I think that part of the reason for this is because so many guitar teachers are jazz dudes, and jazz does have a lot offer in the way of teaching the application of music theory to guitar, even if it might not be everyone’s favorite style. Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the respectful comments that actually start a conversation and bring up valid points!
@@kevinnickens absolutely - you make a lot of good points in this video and this is a great conversation to have! In fact, so many musical endeavours have been ruined by bad teachers and people will shut down that path rather than discover it’s not always that way. By the way, your channel is great, your editing/production is great and after 550+ videos .. I know how much work you are putting in. Keep it up! And let me know if you ever have a reason to collaborate!
I think general music knowledge plays a big role. It makes self taught/ learning through youtube a lot easier. But at least for me my technique is all over the place. Decent at some advanced concepts, but lacking in some fundamental techniques. I can tell I’m reaching a point where lessons are inevitable.
Guitar Super System changed everything for me. Amazing instructor, online at your own pace… can’t recommend it enough, it’s like going to Berklee for $10 a month
The sunglasses in your amazon links killed me. 😂
Haha I’m glad you noticed
Love the vids, I am getting a guitar soon and getting going. Just wanted to let you know whatever comp/limiter you have on ur vox is very distracting, its a really slow attack so all the transients come through and it is crushing the life out of your talking.
I have some thoughts on the idea that the self-taught won’t incorrectly … personally I have seen people who are self taught with bad technique and completely unaware of it, so I don’t think it’s an invalid concern. As a guitar teacher myself I’ve seen lots of adults frustrated trying to learn online, who couldn’t get far until they got face-to-face lessons. I think the younger you are is a factor too, most young kids won’t learn well without an instructor. just some thoughts. Great video though
Thanks for the comment! You’re totally right that an instructor adds a lot of accountability, especially for kids. And I do agree that for some, bad technique habits can form, but in my experience it hasn’t been a huge issue. I don’t want people discouraged from playing just because they don’t have access to a teacher, but your point is totally valid. Sincerely thank you for the feedback, I’ll have to keep it in mind for future versions of this video. Best!
Thanks Kevin
Thanks for watching!
Another downside I found of being self taught on RUclips is that a lot of channels are trying to sell you something or try to make longer content for better watch time and it gets boring
Just buy books bro ☠️
4:02 i wanna be in a band some day but i dont have any friends at all and even if i didnt im sure none of them would play guitar and its hard cuz all my family says is “well just learn.” Or “i wont buy u a electric guitar till u learn.” But i just cant get excited with an acoustic guitar when literally everytime i see an electric guitar i start freaking out and fangirling over it no matter the color or how what it looks like
At the age of 12, Robert Zimmerman (known as Bob Dylan) showed me my first chords on his guitar. A year later, I sat on a stage and helped move equipment around for bands like Santana, Sha Na Na, and Joe Cocker. That‘s when I tried to figure out what instrument I really wanted to get into. I couldn‘t make a decision. So I decided to play them all and whatever I could get a hold of. (Today I own 101 instruments and the collection is still growing.)
I did have a guitar teacher for about half a year. My progress was modest, and I wanted to really do what they did at the Woodstock Arts & Music Fair. So I took the things into my own hands and formed a band, organized concerts with the bands I knew from the festival, like Ten Years After, Canned Heat etc., and others, like Kraftwerk, ELP and Genesis, and used every opportunity to talk to the artists about their playing, instruments and techniques. I jammed with Carlos (on congas, Mike on timbales, me on drums), Mick (on djembe, me on bongos), Ritchie (both on guitar), Alvin (on keyboards, me on bass), Rory (on sax, me on guitar), Jon (on piano, me on organ), Florian, Greg, Phil etc. Sort of real life RUclips. 😄
After these primers, my bandmates and me had to get the records, that were not cheap at that time. From them we had to lift the song structures, lyrics, and solo parts. From the money we made organizing concerts, we bought instruments and (mostly used) equipment. Every penny and every spare minute went into the project. Why? Because it was fun and a dream come true - even though it took almost two years of practice and a lot of disappointment to actually be successful as a band and generate some income.
When school was over and everyone went to study in some other town, we had to start from scratch. But the approach to new bands and new instruments stayed the same. The most important thing was to enjoy what we were doing and to constantly try to get the most out of whatever gear we had or could get. With every new instrument I tried to learn the basics from a master and then continue on my own. With one exception, that I keep regretting to this day: I tried to go for sax without the primer. It took a very long time and two very patient instructors to overcome the bad habits (like for the wrong approach to vibrato or the much too stressful techniques for „growling“).
So, my experience says, that the most important factor for learning new stuff is enjoying what you‘re doing. And then there are the primers by the masters of the trade.
The rest will come easy. ✌️
thanks for your comment! and congrats for your successful way to learn many instruments. would be interesting to know what advices you get from the Great Stars 😀
@@amir.zolghadr Hard to remember all the details. But I do remember some of it, because I use it every day. Manuel Charlton from Nazareth introduced me to open tuning and how to play slide guitar. He let me have his slide, which I still have and use. 🙂
Greg Lake from ELP showed me how to play „Lucky Man“. A song I like to open solo performances with or play as an encore with my band. 🎸
Florian Schneider from Kraftwerk let me play on his flute and he showed me how to use different effect pedals. When recording my own voice, I‘m always tempted to run it thru a guitar pedal or some other mod or delay effect until this day. 😝
Christine McVie (then Perfect) from Fleetwood Mac showed me how to play pads on an organ. I don‘t remember the details, but I do remember how nice she was and how much I was in love. 😍
I met Carlos Santana backstage and on their tour bus several times. After one show he talked to Chepito about some rhythm pattern he wanted him to play in one of the newer songs. Carlos is a pretty good conga player. He kept on playing after Chepito had left. Another band mate joined in on maracas. So I sat down on the drumset and jammed along. The road crew around us started clapping and cheering us on. Without much saying, Carlos had us do two bar solos. A fourth guy picked up a cow bell and gave one of the most stunning cow bell solos I‘ve ever heard. I realized how much Carlos was a band leader as he orchestrated everything without even talking and he even managed us stop at the exact same time - making the crowd, that had gathered in the meantime, go nuts. 😁
A lot of people may not know, that Alvin Lee from TYA was a pretty good keyboard player, too. In the 70s you didn‘t have guitar tuners. So you had to use a keyboard or something for tuning up your guitars in the dressing room. Alvin used that keyboard to play a cool boogie. Ric played with drumsticks on the side of a table. I joined in on guitar using a small practising amp. The fun was interrupted by the tour manager, who said that the band had to get on stage. After the show, Alvin showed me how to play that boogie on piano. 😊
Rory Gallagher from Taste was a living data bank. He knew everything about guitar. You could ask him about a Santana or Blackmore lick, and he would not only reproduce it like the original, but also show you the exact fingering. 😊
After a phenomenal Genesis concert, I wondered about the drum and cymbal placements on Phil Collins set, so he explained everything and let me try out his kit. We realized, that our leading hand is the left hand, nevertheless playing a right hander kit (like Ringo). After that we smoked cigars that Peter Gabriel handed out. Boy, did I feel sick. Never touched another one since. 😝
In the 70s and early 80s it was easy to meet your favorite artists backstage after a concert. I had the feeling that groups like Deep Purple, Status Quo, Golden Earing, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Metallica, AC/DC, and even the Stones expected some sort of encounter with their audiences after a good show. But when they had to ramp up security, you had to be a reporter to meet someone in person.
So I became one. 😁
As an author for musicians‘ magazines, I got to interview and sometimes build friendships with a lot of interesting artists of our time, like Mick Jagger, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Anastacia, John Mayall, Eric Burdon, and many more, but somehow the thrill of the early days was gone. But one thing is for sure: If you talk music with any true artist, his or her face will light up and you‘ve got a real conversation going for a long time. 😉✌️
I started playing in 1968 when I was 15. I played for HOURS, each day. I mostly concentrated on Leo Kottke's tunes from his early records. All I had in those days was a record player. That's it. No sheet music, no RUclips, no video of any kind. It was just, hear a note, lift the stylus off the record, find the note...rinse, lather, repeat. (I wore out 5 albums!) When he would come to town, I would scrutinize his fingers and go, "Ah, that's how he does that!" Then I'd go home and stay up all night working on the new licks. Sometimes my fingertips would bleed. I was very driven and in my years since, it's been my experience that the majority of wannabe players are not driven enough to put in the hours, and that is their biggest hindrance. I even learned (with "my" method), most of the tunes from the Christopher Parkening album, "In the Classic Style". My only regret in learning the way I did, is that I was never really able to jam with friends. I could play the sh*t outta Leo's tunes but I couldn't solo or play rhythm to save my life and I had no idea what chord progressions were. I've since mended my deficiencies. But I agree with you here, with endless free resources on RUclips, lessons are not really necessary unless you feel you would fare better in a one-on-one situation. Discipline and attention to detail are the keys.
4:40 there is something, i only use my 1st 3 fingers when climbing the fret board, i recently started trying spider walking with 4 fingers across 4 frets, its easy to go back to the habit
I'm counting on you to keep these videos coming and showing us what to learn in an orderly fashion! As for accountability, im learning with a buddy who is also a beginner. We're doing this together! I also have equipment on the way to record myself practicing. These videos will help me track my progression!
I agree, it's a myth that if you learn wrong technique in the beginning, that it will supposedly be really hard to fix later.
The only way to get good at anything is through trial and error, so you're going to be sloppy in the beginning no matter what.
Over time you will find better more efficient ways to do things, and get less and less sloppy, and be more efficient and precise with your movements. Your ear will get better too, and you will pick up on things that sound off or incorrect and you will fix mistakes on your own.
Lots of good reasons to take guitar lessons. Make sure they have a music degree or some kind of qualification. Also, have them demonstrate musical examples at every step.
I enrolled my daughter on a guitar academy, at the same time I started taking youtube classes. A month later she still learning how to tune the guitar and basic struming while I am playing songs and know about 7 chords. If you are good at discipline youtube is absolutely the best way. Learn guitar has to be fun and the best way for me is looking on youtube "how to" play a song and go from there. I practice for about 15 mins every single day and most of the days twice. I will like just one lesson from a "teacher" just to watch me and correct my postures and "techniques" that I have not noticed Im doing wrong or can be better, thats it, one hour class. Last opinion is that if you still want to take classes do yourself a favor and go to a teacher like in the house or something like that because if you go to an "Academy" in my experience as a business they will not care to have you ready in 6 months if they can earn your monthly dues for 20 years PERIOD. Same concept as why nobody makes cars that doesnt break. I try to follow no more than 3 teachers in youtube, more than that will get confusing as many use different ways and chords to play the same song.
It sounds like you made a poor choice for where you sent your daughter for lessons.
@@SeadartVSG It was not a choice. I don’t have any other academy in less than an hour away and so far have not found any person giving classes in the house in less than 45 mins away. I think she is going to have to start online real soon
Taking in-person lessons should be helpful but the biggest challenge is finding a good teacher whose approach is right for where you are at. Too often it seems instructors try to teach everyone the same way. And yes, the cost adds up fast. I've done both and find I've learned more with online courses and programs than with a teacher.
No substitute for one on one lessons. Ballroom dance is a perfect example. You can watch all the youtube videos on how to do a Feather Step to a Reverse Turn in International Foxtrot but you will fall flat on your face (figuratively speaking) when you try to do this with a professional dancer. You will get stopped after the 1st step. Wrong body alignment, wrong rise, wrong head position, etc. etc.
I started playing guitar 2 times in my life.
1) 1.5 years ago, tried to teach myself for only 1 Month and skipped it until "nowdays".
2) (Today - 3 weeks) with teacher
My first try was goalless, I just tried to play some techniques, builded that muscle memory etc, but as you know there are a tons of youtubers and everyone explain something different and play different styles.
With my second try with a teacher I got clear path to go, he corrected me in already "wrong builded" techniques, he forces me to do things which I didnt like to do solo. It was not convinient for me and he sees that. Even if I use another finger, because right now i can do it better than with another one - he forces me to rework it to correct way. And really, only 3 weeks, but week by week I feel my progress, I feel how things, whcih were not comfortable to me becomming more and more playable. I cant imagine how I would use my "self learned stuff" in the compositions, which I'm currently learning or planning to learn.
Well, as conclusion I would say from my personal exp - IT IS BETTER to start from scratch with a teacher. Ofc you can learn how to tune your guitar before ^^ But even simple cords... It is fresh start for any kind of your memory. The more you play wrong the harder it will be to change
Tried with a teacher 12 years ago, demotivated me for years then. Now selflearning for 1,5 years and I am getting better every day and love it
why demotivated?
@@Therapyxx he told me I would never learn it in the first hour I met him 😅
I'm self taught, all by ear (no books or videos) but damn... I really wish I could've had a few lessons early on.
What about the paid programs online? Seems like it would be the best of both worlds.😊
When I started playing nearly 30 years ago, I learned a few chords for a few months and then got lessons for a year. My guitar teacher went on tour and I was left to my own devices. It became very stop/start with my development. Eventually along comes RUclips and I started progressing again. It’s an incredible resource. I intend to get some lessons in the future but more as an assessment of where I am rather than learning.
If I was advising a beginner now, I would suggest getting a friend to show them the very basics and then spend a while learning online. I don’t think paying a teacher is money well spent until you have a basic grasp and can get your fingers to move where you want them. There’s no point paying someone to physically put your fingers into a D major shape. It’s frustrating for them and costly to you. At least get to the stage where you can play all the major and minor open chords, play a few barre chord shapes and play a minor pentatonic scale. Once you can do all that fairly effortlessly, your money with a teacher will go much further.
Also, play the stuff you want to play whether you have a teacher or not. My parents paid for piano lessons for me for years. The teacher was older and very set in her ways. I always had to (try) and learn whatever she wanted. Needless to say, it didn’t work.
When I switched to guitar, the first lesson was a folk song and when I had that learned for the following week the teacher asked what would I like to learn. I said “Layla”. Instead of laughing at the optimism, he said ok and started to teach it to me. It took weeks but I got it down (apart from the slide part which I’ve never even attempted). But the fact that I could play a song I’d loved and that was fairly technical (for a beginner it was super technical really) was so satisfying that I was addicted. Since then I knew I could play most stuff I wanted to if I put the effort in.
So play what you really want to play.
In India, the guitar teachers focus on teaching major and minor scales and strumming to Hindi songs and in theory how chords are formed. Do you think it is the right way? 🎸 (12/8/23)
I was self taught for a while then once I learned more via myself I took lessons to get smarter By the way I taught myself it was alotta tapping no cords but it really wasn’t bad I learned through gogole an crap pinch harmonics chugging bending etc an j have always been a big fan of being my own style so I only took lessons to get smarter
I bought Fender Play last year and while I haven't practiced as much as I should, the structure of the lessons has helped me move forward gradually and I have definitely learned a lot and improved. It's best for absolute beginners to intermediate. Advanced players won't get much out of it probably.
I’ve wondered about Fender Play. Thanks for commenting!
I found bernth is a great channel for learning
I have to say this. I have been taking lessons from my guitar teacher since 2006. Thanks to him and other musicians, I'm still playing today. I've tried self teaching in the past. Some ways it works, some ways it doesn't. What I don't like about online lessons is this. Sure it's good to know they are free. But I would hate to see good guitar teachers like the one I have lose their jobs because everybody takes advantage of the word free. I pay $100.00 a month for lessons and what my guitar teacher teaches me is damn well worth it. The main goal is once you play music, you keep playing music to learn more.
Thanks guitar mom
aint not u only for 1k subs, my recommended is popping off rn
Can you tell me some guitar tips
There actually is a wrong way to play the instrument. I’ve plucked the strings arpeggio style but I positioned my fingers in a way what I considered to be comfortable at the time (like straightening my right ring finger and using it as a support to “rest” my palm on the body of the guitar, right below the strings) . The problem was, the way I did it cramped up my hand if I played for awhile. When I decided to relearn it with proper approach, eventually over time, the issue with cramps and fatigue went away. It was difficult at first. Unlearning your bad habits was really tough. I decided to let go of the ring finger support method and let my right hand float over the strings. I also encouraged myself to use ring finger and pinky for plucking more often rather than solely relying on thumb, index finger and middle finger all the time. It felt weird and uncomfortable but I had to learn it that way.
Yeah I know, I’m a horrible guitar player/learner but I don’t believe I’m a super rare case who developed this kind of issue.
I appreciate the respectful disagreement. I think I'm going to make a follow up video to clarify my positions but maybe a better way to say what I was trying to say is this: I've never met a beginner who had perfect technique, self taught or taught by a teacher. I think learning the advanced techniques is what forces your technique to get better. For example, I've never seen anyone who can only play at 60bpm who has the exact same technique as someone who can play at 160bpm, just the first guy is slower. I think learning to play fast, or cleanly, etc is the crucible that forces you to improve your technique. And I certainly wouldn't want someone who can't get lessons to be scared away from playing guitar anyway, and at the end of the day so long as you're making music then there's no right way to play. Hendrix had what most of us would call "bad" technique, Eric Gales has "bad" technique but they're still great. Anyway, I appreciate the respectful response, and you're probably not a horrible guitar player. If you think you're bad you're probably a lot better than most people who think they're good. Cheers!
At the time im watching this video its 5 months old. Have you made the video outlining the order of subjects to study yet ?
Yeah
My biggest regret is not learning at the younger age of 11 when I was offered. I taught myself from the age of 25 and, though reasonably competent, think I would be better if I'd began earlier. I would also have liked to have gone to music college and got a degree in music because I would have become aware of structure much faster as my knowledge of structure has all been through experience alone which is a much longer process. However learning music wasn't, and in many ways, still isn't considered to be a proper job no matter how much effort you put into it - another inhibiting factor.
Another benefit to having a teacher is that they can point out any blind spots that you may have. Having a third party to observe can help you to see things that you may have never noticed in yourself. You don't know what you don't know.
I think what’s lost is that when rock was most vital it was street music and you learned it from friends who you jammed with, it wasn’t taught. Sure you could get a handful of lessons to play folk stuff or something ridiculous, but nothing was taught. You had to really develop your ear and play the record over and over or the cassette, and it was all hit or miss, and consequently you derived your own style. If you’re not playing rock I get it, but other than that it’s not supposed to be scholastic. Beck, Page, Van Halen, Hendrix were all self taught, even Andre Segovia and Django were. You can’t argue with that.
Can you teach me freely guitar please it would be a great help
The single biggest problem with lessons is the instructor not knowing what kind of style or genre you want to play in. For instance playing single notes like a classical player is not gonna help the person who wants to be able to write songs and accompany themselves or vice versa? I’m quite driven with things I get into so I can only say that when asked for the secret it really is a case of putting the time in and working through those inevitable periods where you feel you’re stuck as in reality so long as one keeps on going the brain is learning to improve all the time
It’s a great time to learn anything, including playing the guitar. Massive amounts of info are easily accessed in the comfort of your own home anytime of the day. I’ve played for 63 years and also have taught guitar for many years. I was “self taught” for 13 years. Since then, I have had 5 teachers over about 12 years off & on. I would STRONGLY disagree with your contention that lessons at your beginning stages of musical interest are not advised & am shocked that you have not encountered people that have developed bad habits that prevent & limit their continued development. Lessons from a competent teacher are most beneficial at the beginning of your music making. It is important to build good hand habits and amass basic music facts & understanding at that time. Once that is achieved, you are prepared to “teach yourself” & take advantage of all the available info out there. Study early and let the music take you where it will. The path is long if you have the means to travel it.
I teach students how to play, but I teach them how to utilise the internet at the same time. Getting in person lessons while teaching yourself online is the best. Best of both worlds is best.
I never taught myself. My father gave me a guitar when I was 13-14 years old and I've been playing ever since. Now I'm 42. Yes, I learned the basic chords, a few techniques like tapping, string bending, pinch harmonics and one blues scale. Besides from that, I just played because it's the best f**king thing in the world. I had a phase where I tried to learned other bands songs but it wasn't that fun so I stopped doing that. I also played in a band for a couple of years (very helpful, highly recommended). I guess it all depends on your goal. I play only for myself, nobody else. And I write songs, which is 100,000 times more fun than playing what other people have written. So yeah... it all depends on what your goal is. But practice? Nope, never done it. At least it never felt like I did.
The internet is teaching “self taught” players now. Before the internet we had to learn by ear one note at a time and in order to learn scales or chords you had to buy books. It was far more difficult back in the day to learn on your own.
The hardest thing about paid lessons is finding a teacher that can teach you what you want. When you're new, you don't know what you don't know. And finding a teacher that has proper technique and not some Joe from the pub that says "Yeah I do guitar lessons" LOL. So for pro lessons, it's all about getting that proper technique from the start. Yes you can teach yourself and can may be be great at it and hit all the notes. However maybe not as efficiently.
But I think taking some lessons early on is always beneficial just to get correct techniques. Then you can hone in on what you really want to learn.
If getting a teacher doesn’t work well (which you won’t know for at least a year at minimum), they’ll say you just got a bad teacher(s).
If teaching yourself works out, they’ll say you’re a gifted anomaly and find some imperfection in your “form”…round and round we go.
Self taught guitar player here. First of all guitar is the best thing that has ever happened to me. For some background im a 15 year old high school student who plays cello for my school and i've gained a pretty good reputation as both a cello player and a guitarist i've been playing guitar since covid started, or i started bass first but got my first electric guitar soon after and practiced every day pretty much. I only don't practice when i'm either not home or not feeling it, but usually if im home ill pick up the guitar at least once even if its for 5 minutes ive never took lessons but playing cello since 4th grade gave me a pretty good head start so i became pretty good really fast ive been in a band but my music theory centered playing got me kicked from the band so i guess i was too good for them which is surprising because that band has existed longer than ive even been playing guitar
Ive been intermediate player for many years.
That’s a good spot to be! I hope you become advanced!
@@kevinnickens Thanks me too it seems to be a hurdle to jump for me to become advanced.
Self-taught guitarist here.
I disagree with "There's no wrong way of playing anything" statement. If you're playing wrong, you could potentially injure yourself and someday hinder your ability to play. I'm guilty of sometimes having bad posture which results in me having back pain or wrist pain after playing for a while. We're humans. As we grow old, our bodies can and will give up on us. So yeah technically, there's are wrong ways of playing something. So let's all be careful.
"How ever you can make music works" is kind of a different subject. If you're willing to injure yourself in making music then go for it. It's just about the extent you're willing to take to able to create music.
I love being self taught.
But I don't play to learn songs.
I use the guitar for getting my creative fix.
Sometimes teachers can also make itbWORSE! i have personally not experienced w8th guitar teachers ( thankfully ) but certainly in voice, piano, they can ruin yiur voice literalluly if you are not a self aware student. But of course i agree with the right one its very nice.
An advantage to taking some lessons is that you learn to make music with another human, not a clip from a youtube video or a track from your own looper pedal. An instructor will encourage you to sing and to play back up when they sing. Unless you want spend your life playing in your bedroom, the ability to make songs sound like music, knowing the whole song, the leads, rhythm and being able to sing and perform the song at tempo with a good feel and beat are not things most people pick up without playing with other people. A guitarist who says that they have never picked up a bad habit by only being self taught is delusional. The most important thing music teachers provide is feedback, and guidance about technique, theory and styles of playing you don't even know exist because they are not popular on youtube. Take some lessons and set up a schedule where you take several in a row and then take a break and learn and develop, and then take some more. The best instructors are flexible and will work with you on what fits with your goals.
If you think you might want to be a guitar teacher in the future, then get a. Good guitar teacher.
If you want to pick up guitar quickly, play well with your own cool and unique style then just teach yourself.
I’m completely self taught.
next steps are to learn 7 and 8 strings
We have a prog player among us
@@kevinnickensi’ve just become your 1000th subscriber just for that
@@rja62b no way dude thanks!
I am a guitar teacher and gig multiple times a week and have had a teacher of my own since High School
The reason is it just helps to have another pair of eyes on things.
A great example of this is I had a really frusterating habit of breaking strings at acoustic gigs. I tried every concievable thing I could think of. I had eventually pinned it down to a higher acidity in my sweat was making the strings corode really quickly, but had no idea what to do about it. Lamenting this to my teacher he suggested coated strings and honestly probably paid for lessons just by saving me on buying a new set after every single gig.
Making music is complex and its really important to just get as many opinions on the subject as you can.
In addition, well connected teachers can get you in the door for gigs that you otherwise wouldn't be able to get on your own. I'm one of the folks my guys calls on for sub work when he is touring and some of them have been very cool gigs.
I'll also mention is it's good to switch up your teachers every now and then. Every teacher has things they teach really well and things they miss or don't emphasize as much as you may need. Be open to switching things up from time to time. Most teachers will get it.
i prefer sitting in front of someone explaining rather than youtube videos and thats no offence to youtubers trying to help. The person doing the youtbe video cannot see if your technique is poor or cant help if you are struggling to get past a certain point. I also like to know why im playing certain notes rather than just how to play. With Youtbue learning its easy to skip if you dont want to do a boring thing that will help in the long run. Also youtube has many teachers who have good intentions theres so many conflicting videos where they say oh you dont have to learn that whre as someone else will say its crucial. If you go to a tutor you have a structured lesson and journey with a clear path not bouncing all over the place.
I remember what the late Sir Pebber Brown once said in his lessons "do not listen to people who do not have a proper technique."
Buy the books Creative Guitar 1 and 2. Chord Theory by Ted Greene.
And just not stop obsessing with finding new sounds, new ways to move your fingers in uncomfortable ways, and deez nuts.
I could never afford $25 per hour lessons or arrange schedule for regular lessons. I only learned guitar because of youtube.
Fuck payed lesson, RUclips is all the teachers you need. I started playing about 9 months ago and already played succesfully at a concert.
The most important thing to do is get your ass up and play this guitar everyday for at least for 30 mins.
Most of the cons for the self - taught process were eliminated for me because I follow JustinGuitar FREE course. That really sets you a path so you won t wander on RUclips trying to find good lesson. And it s completely free.
Fun fact: If you learn guitar through youtube videos, you are in fact NOT self-taught. You're just taking unstructured, unpersonalized lessons that trickle to you for free. You're still just taking lessons but without an actual game plan.
It's hereditary:
Con * this than he say i dont how why this is a con wtf u talkin about bro
People are so funny about this " self-taught " thing, everybody says they are " self-taugt " beacuse they whant to " show " how good they are. when they then saying they use youtube to learn, WELL guess what !? you have just admit that you are not self-taught and you don't even know why. have you ever thought about this!? SOMEONE have load up that video you are looking at and learning from ! if you would be " Self-taught " you would sit in a room with just a guitar and nothing else and learn to play guitar, and that woluld not be an easy task, good luck to figure out all the chords,keyes and so on....it's totally fine to learn from youtube or whatever you choose BUT stop calling it " self-taught " beacuse its not !
What’s funny is you don’t know the difference between the words “learn” and “teach”. You can learn things any number of ways, with or without a teacher. Writing a book or making a video doesn’t make you a teacher - but it may make you a resource for someone who is endeavoring to teach themselves. A teacher guides and provides feedback. My mother immigrated here and taught herself to read English with comic books, am I not allowed to say she taught herself, or do I have to say Donald Duck taught her? I’m going to watch this video and teach myself to play guitar. Oh and btw if my guy wants to “show” someone how good he is at playing guitar-he has a RUclips channel dedicated to the guitar! Now go play outside for awhile!
i tend to turn the guitar almost forward when I play, instead of just a bit since I see and "feel" the neck better. I do not even realize I am doing it and have to constantly remind myself not to do it. started learning 2 months ago self taught online, and that is a mistake I am trying to correct, but a teacher would prevent me from doing it entirely
I think you are too quick to dismiss the benefit in-person instructors can bring to identification of poor technique.
For example, I know that for myself, poor technique on even the simplest of first position open chords (cowboy chords) caused me to play with a lot of arm tension, causing unnecessary fatigue and slowing down how quickly I could make chord transitions. An instructor was able to see this and make specific recommendations for how to change positioning of my body, my arm, and the guitar to reduce tension; it helped a lot.
Been playing for 35 years. I refuse to study anything. Music is my own country to explore.
Reminds me of a joke.
A young boy gets a new bass guitar for his birthday and his father signs him up for lessons. After the first lesson the father asks him, "what did you learn today son?".
"I couldn't make practice today, Pop, I had a gig." replies the son.
Listen up- get a BERKLEE Grad to teach you- there are plenty of them out there. It will be a HUGE advantage. I have done both ways too. I thought I played good enough until I studied under this Jazz cat. Wow. I play MUCH better and I understand what it is that I am playing.
You do NOT need lessons, but it would only benefit you. The trick is to find a good teacher. On the side, you can still watch your youtube vids but you should not have too. ZOMBIEGUITAR is another Awesome online lesson site. Brian is great. The advantage with him is you can reply his videos anytime. He is very clear and provides all the hand outs.
If you are just starting, IN PERSON is best but once you get up to cruising altitude, quality online, and youtube and self-taught and simply just playing with others will take you the rest of the way. Developing your ear is helpful too.
Learning all the notes and the main scales is foundational and a must. From there, inversions, intervals, scale degrees and STEP formulas to find them, etc. Then, find some songs you love and just drill them over and over.
I took mandolin lessons for about 6 or 7 sessions. I had told my teacher I had played guitar some in high school and mostly learned guitar in the air force with other guys with more experience. He could see I had a grasp of picking techniques, timing , etc. After my sessions with him, he let me know there was not much more he could show me I couldn't figure out for myself. He "fired" me, and through RUclips, I indeed did figure things out for myself, having picked up many tunes I could never imagined otherwise. When I tried to teach some of these great old timey tunes to my fellow district jam mates, however, I was considered a rebel of sorts because they had never heard of these tunes. Therefore, most of them were not interested. A fiddler lady became a good friend and saw my side of things with this closed minded bunch.