I recently caught up with a guitar teacher friend of mine John, who says he often gets asked by potential students to explain why they should take lessons from him and not buy online guitar lessons. At first glance it would seem somewhat of a “no-brainer”, with the main perceived advantage being taught by an instructor – in person.
As learning guitar online is only a relatively recent innovation, my friend decided investigate – firmly believing he would find many disadvantages with online lesson plans. What he found instead was pretty alarming, at least from a guitar instructor’s point of view.
It seems that beginner guitar lessons on the whole are very sound, and offer several advantages over conventional guitar instruction.
Some of the benefits that came to light were:
1. Convenience. Guitar students can do their practice at home, with no requirement for lugging guitars around or driving to the teacher’s house or studio. This equates to more time practicing and playing the guitar. Practice can be done at any time of the day or night, instead of being restricted to scheduled lessons. This can be very convenient for busy people and those in remote locations.
2. Immediate start. As soon as the course is paid for, online guitar lessons can be downloaded instantly, and practice can be started any time.
3. High quality course material. Although most of the topics are familiar guitar teachers, online guitar lessons contain new and innovative ways of teaching those topics to students. Those guitar teachers who have embraced some changes and are now using these methods, are finding their students advancing faster than before.
4. Cost savings. Many online guitar courses can be bought for under $200, while enrolling with a guitar teacher can cost anywhere from $25 to $40 per hour. Considering that most online courses can keep a student busy for 6-12 months, the cost savings are obvious. Six months weekly tuition with a guitar teacher could cost upwards of $600. Compared to the cost of the online option, the cost of personal tuition is at least three times more.
5. Lack of stress and pressure. Learning to play the guitar at home means no pressure from the teacher to constantly get it right. Students can repeat sections over and over themselves without the fear of seeming “dumb” to their teacher. This can ease the way for younger students to gain confidence more quickly.
There is no doubt that online guitar lessons are a very good way to begin learning the guitar. The advantages over conventional guitar tuition are quite numerous. Convenience, lessened stress and improved value for money are just a few that spring to mind.
Guitar teachers are starting to realize the potential damage this innovative learning method can have on their businesses, unless they take steps to keep up. The upside of course, is the opportunity to embrace the new methods and integrate them into their existing lesson plans and turn their business upwards.