These days many people are choosing to learn guitar online. Faster internet connection speeds and more powerful computers mean that the multi-media content offered by online guitar courses is easily accessible, and there are many advantages to internet guitar lessons (and some disadvantages too). This article takes a look at some of the pros and cons of learning to play the guitar online.
First of all, what exactly is an internet guitar course? What you get varies depending on who’s providing the material, but in general they offer most or all of the following features:
- Written instructions (often in the form of PDF files)
- Video lessons
- Audio recordings to show you how the music should sound and/or to jam along to
- Software to help you master certain skills, such as reading music or training your ear
The material may be downloadable, or it may be accessed through the provider’s site. Downloadable guitar lessons are preferable, since you can access them when you’re offline.
Advantages of Online Guitar Lessons
The main advantages of choosing to learn how to play guitar online include:
The cost – most lessons that you pay for just involve a one-time fee, and from then on you normally have access to the program for life (generally with access to all the future updates as well). Some sites also offer a free online lesson plan too, although the quality of these is variable (as is the quality of the paid courses for that matter – see below). One thing is for sure – this is a much cheaper route to take than taking guitar lessons with a private teacher, where you’ll be faced with ongoing costs for as long as you continue.
The flexibility - another plus point of opting to learn to play guitar online is that you can progress totally at your own pace. Whereas with a teacher, you might feel pressured to progress according to their schedule (or, if you want to go slowly, it’ll cost you in terms of lesson fees!). Opt to download your guitar lessons, and they’re always there waiting for you, and you can use the videos and other materials to go over and over any bits that you’re unsure about for as long as it takes you to get it right – try asking a teacher to do that for you!
The formats – online guitar lessons are typically offered in a multi-media format, using a combination of written material, video and audio, and sometimes guitar software too. This is a definite plus, since different people learn in different ways (such as watching, reading, listening etc), so whatever your learning style, you’ll be able to get the most from the course. The use of video is also a great way to show you technical skills that are difficult to describe in print or illustrate in photos – sometimes nothing beats seeing it demonstrated in person, and a video is the next best thing to having a live teacher there in the room with you (in fact it can be better in some ways, because you can watch the same segment repeatedly if you need to). Audio recordings are also great for demonstrating how a song or exercise should sound, and you can enhance your skills further by jamming along too.
Updates – here’s another advantage of learning to play guitar online, as opposed to relying on a book or a teacher – you’ll get up to date instruction. Or you should – all reputable course providers offer existing customers access to their future updates for life.
Bonuses – a further perk is the inclusion of bonus materials along with the lessons. Not all courses offer these, but with many, you can get access to useful extras, such as guitar tuning software, software that helps you learn to read music (if you don’t already), ear training software and more. These tools aren’t essential when it comes to learning the basics of playing the guitar, but they certainly can be very helpful, and add an extra dimension to your learning experience, so always check to see what bonuses are available when looking at online guitar courses.
Disadvantages of Online Guitar Lessons
Sounds great – why wouldn’t you want to learn guitar this way? Well, there are also a few possible disadvantages to consider before you decide to learn to play the guitar online.
No personal guidance – the first of downsides, which online lessons share with books and other self-teaching methods, is the absence of personal instruction. Having guitar lessons in person with a teacher is not the best route for everyone, but many people do better when learning this way, and if you’re one of them then other learning methods might not benefit you so much. Now only you will know if you learn better with one to one tuition, but if you’re in doubt book a lesson or two with a local teacher, and also check out some of the online offerings, and see which feels best to you.
Cost (maybe) – one advantage of online guitar instruction is that it’s relatively cheap – you generally pay a one off fee, and that’s it. However, course prices do vary, and they are mostly still more expensive than just buying a single tutor book from the music store would be, so if you’re truly skint right now, this might not be the best option. A good course is worth the investment though, and worth saving up for if necessary. Of course, the cost isn’t an issue when it comes to free online guitar lessons, and there are some good ones which are worth considering – just be prepared to spend some time wading through the dross until you find them.
Quality issues – not everyone who offers beginner guitar lessons online really knows what they are doing. Unfortunately anyone can set themselves up as an expert, and unfortunately some who do are not really qualified to teach. So be wary of putting your trust in somebody whose own guitar skills aren’t quite up to scratch. There can be other quality issues to consider too – in some cases, the person offering the lessons is an excellent guitarist, but not a very good teacher – the two skills don’t always go hand in hand. And it can be difficult to learn from someone who doesn’t explain things well. In other cases, they might be skilled at both playing the guitar and teaching, but their materials are poorly put together, or their website is slow to load or hard to use for other reasons. Reputable teachers will offer some of their material free for demo purposes, so you should be able to see what their standard is like before parting with any cash. And while on the subject of cash, all of the above applies to those sites which don’t charge at all – there are some very good free online guitar lesson providers out there, and some terrible ones too, so do your due diligence and don’t let anyone who offers sub-standard skills or materials have any influence on your development as a guitarist.
Choice - related to the previous point is that there are so many people offering online guitar tuition – how do you know which ones to choose? We’ll talk about this in more detail in a future post, but for now, just be aware that not everything that’s on offer is worth your while, but it is possible to find a way through the maze by keeping some guidelines in mind.
Computer-related restrictions – a final problem with learning to play the guitar in this way is that you obviously need to have a computer and internet access. Now if you’re reading this you have at least some access to both, but even if you’ve got a great PC at home with a speedy connection, it can sometimes be a bit of a pain to have to have your PC nearby when you’re practicing, especially if your practice area is in a different room. In addition, some people just prefer to read a physical book, and be able to make notes etc – although this limitation can be overcome by printing out the PDFs you get. Still, the digital format has its limitations as well as its strengths.
So, hopefully you now have a clearer idea of the advantages (and otherwise) of learning to play guitar online. In the next post we’ll take a look at some of the main factors that you should consider to ensure that you get the best online guitar lessons, and avoid the worst.
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