A couple of decades ago, learning to play the guitar without the help of an instructor would have been daunting at best. But these days the internet and the thousands of eBook, audio, software and video based guitar learning resources on it have made this type of teacher-less learning not only possible but also an increasingly popular choice amongst beginner guitar students. But is learning guitar online the right choice for you? In today’s article, Guitar Girl runs you through the pros and cons of online guitar learning.
Pro
One of the biggest pros of learning guitar online is that it allows you to learn at your own pace and on your own time. In today’s fast-paced and frenzied world, this is more important than ever. So if you work a 9-5 job and don’t really have the time to commit to visiting a guitar teacher for two hours each week, online learning can be a great alternative.
Con
As convenient as learning guitar online can be, if you are not absolutely committed and disciplined it can also be a curse in disguise. Sometimes it can be far too easy to get bogged down and turn lethargic while learning online, simply because of the fact that the only pressure on you to keep pace is your level of drive.
Pro
Another huge reason why a lot of beginner guitarists turn to online lessons is the massive cost advantage that it presents. A good guitar teacher can charge between $25-50 dollars an hour for lessons, and sometimes even more. This can easily translate to $100 – $200 per month, which is sometimes not within the budgets of most students.
Con
Although relatively expensive, there is nothing that can beat the advantage of having a personalized lesson plan prepared for you by a professional teacher. Not only can this make the learning process a lot easier, but it can also make it significantly faster.
Pro
One of the massive advantages of online learning is the sheer volume of resources available on the internet. From paid lesson sites to free tutorials there are thousands of ways to learn everything and anything you need to know about guitar playing. For example, a simple search on Google on how to learn sweep picking on guitar pulls up over 200 results.
Con
That said, this sheer volume of knowledge available on the internet can sometimes be crippling without the guidance of a real-life teacher that can help you choose which area of your playing to work on at each stage of your learning process.
Pro
One big advantage when learning guitar online is that there is no limit on the amount of time that you can spend focusing on one area. Whereas when learning with a teacher, spending a couple of hours trying to master a basic strum can be a costly endeavor.
Con
However, learning guitar online also means that you won’t have someone with an experienced eye and ear to point out any mistakes that you might be making. As the saying goes, it’s not practice that makes perfect but perfect practice that makes perfect. When it comes to playing guitar, un-learning bad habits can be much harder than learning new ones, and having a good teacher can go a long way in preventing any bad guitar habits from taking root.
To be perfectly honest, we’re not here to tell you if you should or shouldn’t learn guitar online. But we hope that by weighing these pros and cons that you will be able to make an informed decision on how you should learn guitar and also make the most out of the learning process.
~ Lasith Fernando
