Guitar Lessons

Searching for quality guitar lessons can be very frustrating, regardless if you're a beginner, intermediate, or even advanced player. Contrary to popular belief, there's no such thing as a "self-taught" guitarist. If you've used books, videos, or other educational resources, then you're learning the guitar from someone. Some people learn better on their own terms by being self-motivated while others can benefit from the structure of a one-on-one teacher. If you're not sure where to look, this page is for you.

Internet Guitar Lessons

Given the popularity of the Internet and the numerous resources it provides, many guitarists hope to learn everything they need to know for free from YouTube lessons, PDFs, and various websites. To be sure, there are a lot of great guitar resources available for free online, but part of the problem with, say, using YouTube to learn the guitar is that there generally isn't a great deal of structure. The quality and experience of the instructors also vary greatly.

Free Lessons

Unfortunately, far too many people are under the impression that everything should be taught for free. Again, there are some wonderful free resources available (if you know how to tell the good from the bad), but the old adage "you get what you pay for" applies with music lessons. Learning from a professional, well-established instructor (whether online or in person) has numerous benefits.

Guitar Teachers

If you're fortunate enough to be able to take lessons with a private instructor, there are a few general guidelines to consider. Do they charge by the lesson or by the month? What is their make-up policy? How flexible are they with respect to curriculum? If you want to learn to play rock or blues, don't pick a teacher who's going to teach you nothing but folks songs. However, it's probably best to avoid teachers who will teach you nothing but how to play songs. You want some grounding in theory and technique so you can become more self-sufficient, so a good balance is necessary.

Online Lessons

If you're going to purchase guitar lessons online, you want to make sure that you know what you're getting. Generally, most quality sites will offer preview videos or PDFs so you can see what you're getting. Are the lessons compatible with mobile devices? Are they copy protected? Will you receive free updates? These are just a few things to consider.

We have numerous recommendations for videos, books, and online lessons that we think are worth the investment. Please check them out!

Lessons and Resources

• Beginning Acoustic Guitar Tabs
• Guitar Chord Sheets
• Guitar Speed Drills