Most guitar novices will decide to take lessons but how can you choose a good teacher when you don’t know anything about the subject? With that in mind I put together a list of things to look for in a guitar teacher.
1. Location - It’s important that your lessons take place in a location that’s convenient for you. Some teachers will make housecalls, others operate out of their home or a music store. If you have to drive 30 miles in heavy traffic you’re more likely to drop out. Also, a good teacher will provide recording equipment, music stands, stools, etc. If you show up for a lesson and you have to sit on a couch and lay the sheet music on a coffee table, you might want to find another teacher.
2. Technique and posture - It seems like many guitar teachers focus more on teaching chord fingerings and strum patterns than the fundamentals. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher to really break down the left hand fingerings or right hand position. It wasn’t until 3 or 4 lessons in that my teacher bothered to correct my posture, showing me how a footstool could save me from bending over all the time. In my opinion the first lesson should always cover posture and basic technique. I think many guitar teachers forget how truly ignorant we can be, don’t be shy about reminding them.
3. Styles - If you want to learn how to play Mississippi John Hurt-style country blues don’t be afraid to say so. Just because you’re a rank beginner doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious. If you want to play classical don’t waste everyone’s time by sitting through power chord lessons. Let your teacher know what you want to play so he can structure the lessons accordingly. Conversely, if you have no idea where you want to go it’s ok to admit it. Your teacher can help provide that direction.
It’s also important to find a teacher who knows your chosen style. A classical player may know all kinds of theory and have great technique but he’s probably not the best choice for teaching Delta Blues with a slide in open tuning.
4. Practice - Talk to your teacher about the best way to practice. My teacher would just give me material to work on and since I’ve never really practiced an instrument I would practice while watching tv or listening to talk radio. It wasn’t until later that I realized practice means shutting out all distractions and focusing intensely on my lessons.
5. Cost - Let’s face it, cost is the main reason most of us don’t take lessons. If weekly lessons are too expensive, talk to your teacher about bi-weekly or monthly lessons. Keep in mind that the most expensive teachers aren’t always the best and the cheapest can be very good as well. Sometimes you can get lessons at very low cost from college music students but caveat emptor. I would say try to stick with students in a formal guitar program. Self taught teachers, especially the very young, could pass on some very bad habits.
6. Respect - Look for a teacher that will respect your opinions and in return give that respect back to your teacher. If you have to cancel a lesson make sure you do it well in advance so your teacher can book another lesson. Cancelling at the last minute deprives him of your lesson fee and also the chance to recoup that loss with another lesson.
7. You’re the boss - This isn’t high school or a job, you’re paying the teacher and that makes you the boss. If you don’t like the direction things are going, speak up about it. If your teacher is arrogant or not receptive to your ideas or if it’s just not working out don’t be afraid to switch teachers.
8. Ask questions - Ask questions while choosing a teacher, don’t just take the first name out of the phone book. Ask questions during and after the lesson. Most teachers don’t mind if you email questions during the week but be reasonable. Your teacher has a life outside of your lessons and can’t be expected to hold your hand through every practice session.
A good guitar teacher is an invaluable guide on your road to learning the guitar. If you’re lucky enough to find a great teacher at an affordable price make sure you stick with the lessons. You’ll learn a lot more than you would on your own and you’ll learn it a lot faster.
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It’s important that your guitar lessons take place in a location that’s convenient for you. Some teachers will make housecalls, others operate out of their home or a music store.For more on this visit guitar lessons
Comment by Howard — March 9, 2007 @ 2:43 am
I was about to say this was a good blog, but it doesn’t look like anything’s been published since 2006 =).
Comment by Jason — September 26, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Thanks for reminding me to get off my butt and start posting again!
Comment by Guitar Novice — September 26, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
I don’t totally agree. You are the boss sounds a bit too hard, I think that if you asked a teacher for help you should trust him. Ok, speak your mind, ask him what to teach you but for ex if you want to learn how to play and he teaches you theory, maybe you don’t yet see the whole picture but he may know where you should go to, because nobody loves theory from the start but without it you won’t go far and the teacher knows it.
Comment by Electric guitars — November 21, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Excelent tips, but I also think “boss” sounds a bit hard, respect is the word (tip 6)
.
Thanks.
Best Regards.
Comment by Alex — December 26, 2007 @ 12:44 pm
I don’t think that being the “boss” is such a bad idea. I teach guitar for a living, and I think that adult students especially should make sure that the instructor knows where they want to go with their lessons. This is not to say that you shouldn’t rely on the instructors expertise to get to where you want to go, but I get many students who have tried taking lessons with someone who only taught the student what the teacher wanted to teach.
I am pretty “programmed” when it comes to teaching guitar (especially to beginners) but I try to make sure that the student is heading in the direction they want to go. I also try to make sure that they understand why we have to do the boring stuff too, but it is usually geared towards the students interests.
One other thing that I think someone who is shopping for guitar lessons should do is take trial lessons with 2-3 teachers and go with the one who suits you the best.
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