If you have ever looked at guitar forums or learning guides, you’ve probably noticed the two distinct groups of people: those who believe guitar lessons are necessary and those who think you don’t need them. But who’s right? 

The Negatives 

In truth, both the advantages and the disadvantages of taking guitar lessons depend a lot on the type of lessons you are taking. Just like with any service, there are bad tutors out there and there are well-conducted lessons as well. Finding the right type of guitar lessons for your learning style won’t be easy. 

Of course, guitar lessons don’t come free – especially the ones worth taking. Once you are financially committed to the lessons, you might start feeling frustrated for ‘having to play’. 

You’ll also have a more constructed way of learning, which might not suit your personality orlearning style. Following the lesson structure won’t allow you to learn as you please. 

The Positives 

On the other hand, if you take guitar lessons, you are sure to learn all the important things. For example, things such as finger positions might be easier to learn during a lesson. 

The structure and the tips will also make your learning curve a lot quicker. You won’t have to spend hours finding the material and you’re also motivated – or ‘forced’, depending on which way you look at it – to keep practicing at a certain pace. 

You’ll also learn much more about music, both in terms of genres and theory. If you are learning on your own, you are much more likely to just stick to the genre you like listening to. This can limit your understanding of the music and mean your skills won’t develop as quickly! 

Everyone Takes Lessons 

Overall, learning to play the guitar is always a process of ‘taking lessons’, whether you are learning on your own or hiring a tutor to help. 

You can’t learn to play the guitar in a vacuum – your personal guitar heroes, the bands you listen to or even the people you talk with on the guitar forums will influence your learning. 

Guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Prince didn’t take guitar lessons, but learned in the comfort of their own home. Yet, even these self-taught guitarists didn’t just pick a guitar and produce magical sounds. They spent hours learning about blues, chords and the likes, figuring out what their heroes did in the past. 

Even simple act of listening to music will act as a guitar lesson! When you watch and listen to videos on YouTube, you’ll start picking up rhythm patterns and melodies, for instance. 

Making the Most Out of Guitar Playing 

As you won’t ever be able to fully learn all on your own, guitar lessons can be a helpful bonus to your learning process. In the end, you will learn the art of guitar playing by doing different things – be it listening to music, reading guitar forums or taking online guitar lessons. 

The key is to analyse your own personal style to learn, look at different music lesson options and pick the ones that suit your style. 

Whether you hire a tutor, take online lessons here at PMT or join a band group, guitar lessons will add more depth to your skills!