Finding a Guitar Teacher

How to find the right guitar teacher for you.

Are you tired of struggling with online lessons? Not having much luck teaching yourself? Is your friend or relative losing patience with you? Sounds like it's time to find a guitar teacher. Beginning guitar students have lots of choices these days, but that's not necessarily a good thing! There are resources all around, some of them great, some good and some pretty bad.

Don't believe the hype!

Regardless of what you read, you WILL NOT learn guitar in a week, a weekend, 21 days, or whatever they promise. Yes, you can improve, play a few simple songs, or learn a some technique, but the time frame is just not going to happen. I've played and taught guitar for over 40 years, and I can tell you with absolute certainty it ain't gonna happen. Guitar mastery is about muscle memory, repetition and good old "paying your dues."


Logical progression.

One of the things I've found with DVDs, CDs, tab books and online lessons is the lack of clarity. Yes, you need to learn a basic set of skills, but not necessarily in the order that a particular book, method or teacher is introducing them. I have students that want to know when they're going to learn chords, or when they'll be a able to play a favorite song, and the answer is usually something along the line of when you're ready. Music is made of melody, harmony and rhythm, and it's very difficult to try to learn all of those elements at once. So, what should you learn first? Decide what you like, whether or not you're going to sing, and take into consideration any prior experience you've had on guitar or other instruments. No experience? Probably at least a basic understanding of note reading, rhythm and eventually, chords. Want to play and sing? Chords first. Remember that everyone's different and there isn't a "one size fits all" way to learn guitar. This is where finding a teacher is helpful.


So, how do you find a good teacher?

• Ask around. Have any friends, relatives or business associates that play guitar? Sometimes a referral is the best way.
• Call local music stores. Most music stores offer lessons and have a variety of teachers who teach many different styles. The guitar is a very versatile instrument, so if you can find someone that plays and likes the music that you like, that will be helpful.
• Bulletin boards, Craig's List, local newspapers. Our town has a local newspaper that has classifieds and there are usually ads for music instruction. The internet can also be a good place to find someone, especially if they have a website with lots of information.

Next post I'll go into what questions are frequently asked and what questions you should ask. Some teachers and music stores offer a free introductory lesson or a short term commitment, so that's worth checking out to be sure you and the guitar teacher get along.