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Many budding guitarists fall for the misleading claim that learning to play the guitar is easy. Of course, such a statement depends on how the word “easy” is defined. I have been playing the guitar for more than 20 years. I learned to play like millions of other guitarists. I took formal guitar lessons for several years. I can assure you that I have never been able to find easy guitar lessons.
What are formal guitar lessons?
Formal guitar lessons consist of a guitar teacher imparting their knowledge of how to play the guitar to a student. The effectiveness of guitar lessons largely depends on the quality of the guitar teacher. Naturally, the beginning guitar student must have a strong desire to learn.
There are many so-called guitar instructors who try to teach people how to play the guitar for a fee. Unfortunately for someone looking for easy guitar lessons, an incompetent guitar teacher can lead a new student to believe that guitar mastery is a couple of months or even weeks away.
An ineffective guitar teaching method is obvious when the teacher focuses on playing for the student, instead of teaching the basics from which the student can build. Over the course of a few weeks and months, the new student becomes an old student. I can’t begin to tell you how many people I meet who tell me they took guitar lessons for a couple of months and then dropped out.
The Components of Excellent Formal Guitar Instruction
Before I get started on this topic, let me assume that you’re not looking to become a classical guitarist. If your aspirations are to play in a classical orchestra like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, then you’ll need to enroll in an accredited music school. However, I suppose you want to play some popular music tunes. Okay, with that out of the way, what are the components of great formal guitar instruction?
1. Hire a professional guitar instructor
Your guitar teacher should be someone who has earned a music degree from an accredited college or university. You definitely shouldn’t be taking guitar lessons from someone who is self-taught. Just because a guitarist can play Van Halen’s “Eruption” doesn’t mean they can teach you how to play the guitar. Therefore, I recommend that you take formal guitar lessons with an instructor affiliated with a reputable music store. I’ve found that some of the best guitar teachers work in mom-and-pop music stores, not chain stores.
2. you need to be dedicated
If your guitar teacher doesn’t require you to practice at least half an hour a day, then you’re not going to develop properly as a guitar player. Mastering the guitar takes years of practice and learning. If you plan to take guitar lessons just to learn one or two songs you like, you’ll never learn those songs or any others. Be realistic about your ability to put in the time and effort it takes to really learn how to be a good guitar player.
3. Your guitar teacher must be demanding
A demanding guitar teacher is very essential. I’m not saying that the person should be mean or cruel, but there are certain standards regarding proper posture and fingering. If you find that your guitar teacher constantly corrects your posture and repeatedly tells you to use your fingertips, then he’s got a real gem of a teacher. As a beginner, I can’t tell you how many times my first guitar teacher told me to switch positions, use the fingertips, and “do it again” until he got it right. You may not like being told over and over again to reset your body or repeat a certain guitar part, but it’s worth it.
4. The Fundamentals of Guitar Music Theory
Despite your worst fears as a beginning guitarist, you will need to learn some music theory to understand how music works. The guitar is a complicated instrument due to the immense diversity of musical options on the fingerboard. The guitar is what I would consider a three dimensional instrument. While the piano is a one-dimensional instrument. Because? All the notes on a piano are in a straight line.
Now effective guitar instruction will teach you how to read music. Yes, reading tabs is quick and easy, but it doesn’t help you understand the musical structure of a song. You can be sure that music theory for guitar is not difficult at all. You just need to focus a little. Remember, this is not a concert classical guitar school. Learn it and move on. You will discover that music theory is a help to be good on the guitar.
5. Don’t expect to be stuck immediately
You have to learn to crawl before you can walk. And you have to learn to walk before you can run. You will need to play “Tom Dooley” and “Streets of Laredo” before you can play “Dust In The Wind”. There is no way to avoid it. If your first lesson as a beginning guitarist is learning how to play a contemporary rock guitar solo, you’ll soon be a guitar alumnus. You have to be persistent until you can play some more difficult tunes. Eventually you will walk and then you will run. Give it time and practice.
Guitar lessons are expensive
If you can’t afford formal in-person guitar instruction, there are some wonderful options available to you. Distance learning via the Internet has taken the world by storm. Some online instruction programs are excellent. I have looked at a few of these and found the quality of the teachers to be top notch. In addition, the educational materials that accompany the lessons are comprehensive. The only downside is that they leave you alone, which could be a problem.
One solution would perhaps be to take a face-to-face guitar lesson once in a while to make sure you’re on the right track and don’t develop bad habits in terms of form and method. But it is possible to learn to play the guitar with a very good online instruction program.