It’s pretty easy to look at online guitar lessons as the “easy way out”- a cheaper alternative to ordinary lessons.
I personally have been playing guitar for over 10 years; now I’m not saying I’m Van Halen- but I’m good enough. We live in the internet era, we can do everything on the web these days- and learning to play the guitar is no exception!
So grab your guitar and make sure your Wi-Fi is on, because here are some of the most common questions about Online Guitar Lessons:
Q1. What are the best online guitar lessons? What website should I take online guitar lessons from? Where should I get online lessons from?
A. Site #1: Guitar Tricks
http://www.guitartricks.com/
2 million people have joined this website- so it must be doing something right!
Guitar Tricks is great because of the wide range of genres it covers in its lessons. If you’re sick of being taught the same cliché songs on guitar over and over (“Smoke On the Water” comes to mind) then you can switch it up! They have everything from Jazz/ Blues to Heavy Metal.
Also you can sign up for free and get dozens of initial lessons without even paying!
Site #2: Jamplay
http://www.jamplay.com/
Jamplay breaks down its lessons in a unique manner- It teaches you the basic techniques of playing and theory first- before then moving you on to learning famous songs in time.
Jamplay also has a lot of members- and tutors that teach in various styles- so you’re guaranteed to find something that’s going to suit your aspirations.
Site #3: Guitar KickStarter Program by Guitarist Academy
http://www.guitaristacademy.com/ebook
Saving the best ‘til last- this site is my personal favorite, because it’s my own J
My Guitar Kickstarter Program is unique, because I will teach you how to strum chords and play songs within your first week. While you might think this is ambitious, there are already people speaking of their success with my course!
My course aims to teach you the basics of guitar-playing; explaining everything in the simplest of terms and avoiding guitar jargon that can be very off-putting for beginners. All the videos are filmed from various angles in nice HD quality- you might as well be in the room with me.
My course also covers lots of little things that other courses fail to cover- such as how to hold a Guitar Pick correctly, how to hold the Guitar correctly and how to deal with Sore Fingers. These are all things that I wish other courses had taught me when I was starting out!
All in all, it’s a good one.
Q2. Can I really learn to play guitar on the net?
A. Yes you can! It’s easy to learn guitar on the net- if you have a good course to teach you!
One of the benefits of learning guitar via the net is that you can go at your own pace. There’s no teacher who’s going to lose their patience and expect you to learn more quickly- you learn when it suits you.
Also- when you get good enough- you can practice with whatever songs you like! You don’t have to stick to a teacher’s back-catalogue.
Q3. Online guitar lessons or private guitar lessons?
A. I guess this depends on you- and what kind of person you are. If you want to go at your own pace and learn guitar from the comfort of your living room- then online lessons are the way forward. Though if you prefer having someone to talk to directly- and you don’t mind being challenged a lot- then private lessons would be your way forward.
I’ve personally enjoyed learning online because I didn’t have to feel intimidated by a teacher who was miles better than me; whilst I just sat there acting confused when they mentioned “Harmonics” and “Humbuckers”. Luckily I googled it all and I got it all down now; but at the time it was scary.
The main benefit to learning via private lessons is the inter-activity with a human being. You can ask your teacher questions that you wouldn’t be able to ask Google- and they may tell you little tricks that would be difficult to discover on the web.
Like I said- it really is down to personal preference.
Q4. How much will online guitar lessons cost me?
A. Alas, playing Guitar will never be particularly cheap. Forking out for amps and leads and snapped strings will always be costly- but that’s the life we all chose.
The cost of online lessons varies from site to site so I recommend shopping around- particularly with the sites mentioned in the answer to question number 1.
All I can say is that it’s generally cheaper to learn online than to get private lessons- another pro we can add to the list for online lessons.
I might go and learn “Money” by Pink Floyd now.
Q5. When should I start learning?
A. Start now! Learning Guitar can seem complex and scary- but the sooner you get started the sooner you’ll start getting somewhere!
I was scared to progress when I first started learning- but procrastination will get you nowhere!
Whatever method you should choose- grab your axe and start with the basics. None of us are getting any younger!
Whether you choose to learn traditionally or whether you choose to learn online- I wish you good luck with you learning. I know it may be difficult at first- but there is no better feeling than sitting on some nice green grass on a sunny day- strumming some sexy chords away on your Acoustic. It’s one of the best feelings in the world and it’s completely worth the initial struggles!
(I still recommend online though!)
