To take lessons or to learn it by yourself?

[the_doors_girl]

HI everyone

I was wondering what everyone thought about going to private lessons? Do you all think it is better and more rewarding to learn the guitar by yourself or to you think it is more rewarding if you take lessons from a professional? If you know of any good places in the Toronto Ontario Canada area to take lessons please could you let me know. :)

Many thanks in advance

[Problem Child]

I don't take professional lessons, I just hang out in the Cyberfret forums. I want to learn playing guitar without having any pressure on me. It's suppoesed to be fun, and I think it works, coz I practice e'vryday about one hour and it's fun for me.

My English isn't probably the best, but don't these two answers in yer poll mean exactly the same:confused:

[cyberfret]

The answer is both.

I think that taking private lessons with a good teacher is very helpful in your development. Especially in the beginning. Problem Child said "I want to learn playing guitar without having any pressure on me". It is true, if you take private lessons, you will have homework. Your teacher will have you learn topics that you might not feel are important (or fun).....like learning the names of the notes, learning theory, playing some different styles. Things that you would probably skip over unless you are really self motivated. A good teacher will help you learn some of the important fundamentals that a lot of people who teach themselves skip over.

Try private lessons for 2 months, and practice exactly what your teacher says. If after that time you feel that the lessons are not going the way that you would like, quit and try another teacher.

Even if you take private lessons, you should still learn on your own. Learn songs on your own, read lessons here at Cyberfret.com :) You miss out on a lot if you only do the things that your private teacher is having you do. In the end you teach yourself. Your private teacher will guide you. But you will have to take the effort to teach yourself the material that they are giving you, and topics outside of your private lessons.


Sorry to butt in and change your poll, but the way it was worded Problem Child was right. I just took "not" out of the second choice :)

--Shawn

[jaytee]

i cast my vote for lessons....

if i could...id get some....but i cant....so im on my own....and tryin to learn all the theory and "unfun" stuff i can absorb....

heres an idea....im thinkin of takin a course or two with one of the local adult education foundations around where i live....just because i am hoping to fill in some gaps...or confirm i dont have any....haha....i want to make sure im not missing anything.....it wont be one on one..(which makes me nervous)...but itll be cheaper....

--jt

[Coffee]

Generally, I agree with Cyber. Both are best. The only thing I would ask you is do you already play another instrument. If you do you have a great start. A couple of lessons at least however will make sure you get your hands in the right position and understand the mechanical basics.

I took piano lessons from two teachers at different times. The first taught me as though I had no musical understanding (royal conservatory classical music snobism) and wanted me to progress through the lessons at her pace not mine. I quit.

The second teacher asked me to bring my guitar and play a couple of pieces for him. He asked me questions to understand what my level of comprehension was, asked me what style I was interested in with the piano, and together we decided on a couple of things. First, technical exercises for reading and technique, and then, guess what... he told me to bring a song I had written with me each week. This method was very productive.

If you don't play another instrument already, take lessons, start listening to music and figuring out the tab for yourself of the melody (not lead lines to start with they tend to be far too comples) and then hang out with other guitarists. Beginners, old timers, jazz, rock, whoever you can find. The only requirements for the musicians you hang out with, they must not ridicule your level of skill. We were all there once, they just don't remember it and will tear down your confidence and creativity. Just love the music at it will come.

[steve]

Well I think if you have the money, time and patience, lessions are the way to go but I think learning on your own is also good. The only problem with learning on your own is that it's very easy to make BIG mistake and continue to do so....

[mjamer]

being in a philosophical mood.. I wonder, who taught the teachers? Someone? No one? Were they right? It's just something I really wonder. I'm not aware of God creating a guitar teacher when he made adam and eve. That tells me that somewhere someone just picked it up and taught themself.

Teachers are great, just don't depend on them and feel like you can't do anything without a teacher. I've met a few people that do great in any topic if they have a teacher, but couldn't pick up a book and learn it to save their life. I guess that's learning to learn? heheh..

[Levinson Blade]

Both I would be lost without the help of my tutor even though I only see him once every 2 months

[Bison38]

I have absolutely no time during the year due to school and stuff, so most of my guitar learning time is done on the internet on this website. If you have time and a good teacher, I would say lessons are probably the way to go. If you don't have that the internet and books are an excellenty way to learn. The best of anything though is a good mix of both.

[GuitarsHateMe]

Who needs professional lessons when half your family plays some sort of guitar.:D

[Dann]

take lessons at first. Then I watched an episode of Behind the Music with Brian Setzer. He is a really wicked guitarist, and they interviewed his guitar instructor from when he was younger. I am looking for an instructor right now actually......

[GuitarsHateMe]

I found a guitar instructor that charges $15 for half an hour.He said that if the lesson takes longer than half an hour,that he will continue the lesson untill you finish,after the 30 minutes is up.Good deal or what?

[zerofr33ze]

i really think u should do guitar lessons , cuase i learned all by self and i can play all these cool solos from other people but when it comes to theory i feel like theres this big gap in my mind ,i wanna take lessong but im so poor guess ill have to stay on the net ....

[TheAbestar]

I think that you should begin playing just by yourself, no teachers.
This allows you to play what you want, and at the pace that you need.
Little things, like bends and slides etc can just be picked up around the place, and basically as you progress you can use the help of a teacher to help you with complex theories and advanced techniques.
You could of course start with a teacher, which would give you the most knowledge to start with, but you'd be at his/her pace and most likely not playing the stuff you want to play.
Hope I was of help,
Abe

[FluffTheEvilOne]

I agree with AbeMan. I have only been playing for a little while, but I have no plans for professional help. That way, I can keep at my own pace and learn things relevant to me (and save a bit of money :D ).
Having a teacher can be a very good guide but in the end to an extent, you learn whats/he wants says, and not what you wish to play.

Fluffy The Evil One

[13noon]

hmm... interesting question.
I am an amalgamation of my brother teaching me things and being self-taught. No professional lessons ever. Now I'm pretty good,and one of my guitar-playing friends takes lessons. She's pretty good too. She is better than me in some areas and I am better than her in some areas. We both take Jazz class at school and we learn theory there, but no actual guitar technique. (the teacher is a saxophonist)
You don't need professional lessons, but they are good to have. Whether you're in lessons or not, ALWAYS LISTEN TO OTHER PLAYERS. That needs emphasizing because I learn something every time I watch/listen to someone. Even people who are not as good as me and some who are a lot better. Listen, watch their hands (especially the fret hand), even take notes! (Well, maybe not the last one...)
Another thing, learn theory. It makes everything else make sense.

~13noon

[Coffee]

Someone asked who taught the first guitarist. Good question, but here are more of my thoughts on whether or not a teacher is necessary. The answer is absolutely yes. Now don't freak on me, here's my reasoning. If you're being taught another instrument especially paino, you are likely to get some theory and to have a better understanding than most. All theory is the same, but, you will want to get something that relates directly to guitar. Don't be confused, good books are teachers too.

Look at this way. If you're listening and emulating a certain musician, he's your teacher. If you're playing someone and he shows you something, he's your teacher (this includes beginners who can show some of us old-timers some new tricks, they become our teachers at that point). If you're reading it out of a book and learning it, the author is your teacher.

There is no such thing as the self taught musician. He/she is a myth, and if you absolutely refuse to get into studying theory and everything you can find throughout your life, in any subject, you throw away and do not benefit from all the others who went before you.

[satch]

as a teacher myself ,i think taking lessons at first will intoduce the student to all aspects of not just guitar but to music itself.My mindset is to teach students how to teach themselves and to show them exercises that will strengthen thier hands. if your fingers cant make chords of position through the scales then your frustration may get the best of you. I discourage showing cool licks because that is something that the student needs to practice on his own.Lessons are expensive and i beleive that would be ripping them off,showing them the cake before the main course.

[Coffee]

Good point Satch

Guitarists (I've said it once before) are obsessed with learning bits and pieces and sometimes to the exclusion of other things. I too teach and I have the same approach. I teach the student so that they can express themselves first. Give them a breadth that will allow them to go into any style. I do not teach songs (I use them to teach sure) but my goal is to develop style and technique. Guys, If you want to learn the riffs, go to it, then show them to your teacher who may be able to show you an easier way or help you with the technique that will drive you forward in that style.

Don't be disappointed when we're not interested in ripping apart some nirvana to teach you. (Happy to do it if you want to pay me my transcription service fee on top of your half hour lesson, but do you want to pay $60 for a half hour lesson.)

The guy who's teaching you the cool little tricks riffs and licks he's learned has ripped you off. He's teaching you what he's chosen to learn. We're trying to give you the skills that will let you rip apart and learn anything you want.

Oh yeah, If your big goal is to be able to figure out any riff so you can play other peoples songs, go for it. But you'll likely always be playing other peoples songs. Give yourself a break and learn to express yourself and your emotion through sound rather than someone elses. My little girl can wear my shoes and she looks awefully cute in them, but when she puts on her runners and does her own thing, she is an artist.

[musiclover]

both. i taught myself for 6 months, took lessons for 5 months, now for the past 4 months i'm back to teaching myself. and teaching 3 other people. i think you should learn the basics from a teacher, then teach yourself. to develop your own style of playing. thats important.

[Smitty]

It seems as though everything has been said so it won't hurt to have it once more.
Lessons (like everything else) have good points and bad points. Provided you learn with a good teacher you should learn things the right way first, have bad habits corrected before they start, make forward progress regularly, and always have someone there to coach you along, support you, etc.
On the downside, you could become co-dependant and reluctant to try things on your own.
All in all I would say take lessons to start. Learn basic theory and get a few months under your belt. After that, you need to grow, move on if you will. Find others in your area to play with, talk to, etc. Although it can provide sketchy info at best in some places, the internet is a great learning tool.
Well, I guess that kinda sums it up. :)

Smitty

[Schmange]

Hard to say... I've never taken lessons and just the thought of having to do homework makes me cringe...
On the other hand, it's taken me at least twice as long to learn guitar than it would have if somebody had shown me the early stuff.
(For 2 years all I knew was a D chord)
The positive side is that I learned from listening to others...so I can just hear a song now and instantly know how it's played... or know by ear how a solo has been put together.
The negative side is that when somebody says 'what scales should I use over these chords', I can do it by ear, but have to resort to text books to explain it.

[fatstrat]

Taking lessons will help with technique. It will also help with learning new ways to play songs. Not taking lessons is cheaper but make sure you have someone to play with that is good so they can change what you are doing wrong.

[Krieselman13]

I think that I will just learn from a few books and from the teacher assistant at school who is giving me lesssons (they are all about heavy metal, well, not the books). Im also teaching myself how to sing from books that I have ordered.

[hopkins6]

I AM 38 BEEN TAKING LESSONS FOR 3 MONTHS. A TEACHER IS A GOOD THING COSTS ME $70 A MONTH WITH OUT HIM I WOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYIN A COUPLE OF SONGS IN THE WRONG KEY!! TABS ON THE INTERNET ARE NOT ALWAYS CORRECT. IF YOU LEARN TO PLAY IN A WRONG MANNER YOU WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY THAT WAY THINKING ITS THE RIGHT WAY. I WOULD SAY GET A TEACHER AND HANG OUT WITH OTHER GUITARISTS & PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. A COUPLE OF WEB SITES LIKE THESE NEVER HURT EITHER. MY TEACHER WAS A ROCKIN FOOL WHO CUT A COUPLE OF DEMOS HE ASKS ME WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN TO PLAY WE STARTED WITH AC DC AND METALLICA gET A GOOD TEACHER WHO LISTENS TO YOUR WANTS!!

[Xero13]

I dont know what I should do :(

I wanna learn at my own pace, I wanna play my own style, I wanna have fun learning and playing. And I dont want any pressure on me.

But... I dont wanna start off playing wrong. :(

[Chris Lohr]

If you are having a teacher just teach you tabs, then it isn't really needed. Its actually better to figure out the song on your own sometimes, it gets you thinking in a different way.

My teacher does like everything, anything I want to learn he'll teach me, and if I have nothing I want 1 week, he'll teach me what he thinks is important, like more scales, right now standard notation, or he'll just jam with me.

If you arent enjoying the lessons but are learning stuff, I think thats bad, cause then you arent having enough fun and will eventually probably quit guitar.

[JetDrive]

It's easier to climb Mt. everest with someone who's already been to the top and knows every step. If you try it on your own it'll take you longer. I would take at least one lesson a month with someone who graduated from a music university and knows more than someone who just plays and was self taught. make sure he teaches you the style of music you want to play or get rid of him. You need to know the basics of arithmetic before you can get to quantum physics. That's what you need a teacher for so you can develop your own style. I tried 2 or 3 different teachers before i found the one who took me to the Top.

[King Rayman]

I think 100 percent that lessons are good to START OFF WITH. to start off with, i mean like the first few years of playing. I think some people just want to go their own pace and learn what they want to learn when they want to learn it, and i don't have a problem with that, but for one thing, if they truly love playing they can find time to play what they want AND practice what they're supposed to practice. the biggest thing, however i've noticed, is that self taught people tend not to

use their pinky, and
alternate pick.

The thing is, if you teach yourself, you probably won't FORCE yourself to learn these valuable techniques. among my guitar playing friends at my school, I am the ONLY one who took lessons, and I am the ONLY one who is profficient at these things. when soloing, they don't use their pinkies, which limits their ability. and when playing acousticy chords and stuff, they downpick every string, which makes it sound harsh rather than light and drifty.

if you chose to venture off by yourself and do it solo, go for it, but i really suggest if you don't take lessons at least force yourself to do some annoying things that you might not want to because it makes you a better player.

[JohnnyChimpo]

I said (in another post) what I believe many people have said here (I think it was many, for sure Coffee), which is everyone learns from a teacher. But, I would like to add my own opinion about what or who that teacher should be. I think the most important thing to think about is your goals. If you only want to be able to play well enough to serenade your girlfriend, then maybe one or two lessons is enough, learning from someone how to play explicitly what you want. If you want to just be able to play, for the fun of it (meaning, other peoples songs, classic songs (like....row, row, row your boat or something like that) and maybe just fool around a little maybe you want some lessons and a little bit of learning from books to conserve your money and give you the ability to think about what you're playing a little more critically than the serenader over there. If you want to be proficient just for the sake of it (no real preformance dreams) then probably some lessons but a good mixture of books and other material too. If you plan on playing in a band, or as a solo aritst (guitar, not singing) then you probably want lessons as well as a lot of books and other stuff. Okay, what I'm trying to say here is go with your gut. The serenader probably doesn't want theory and books can't relate to him the info he needs really quickly without a lot of trouble. He goes for the human teacher. But the one with huge aspirations will probably do whatever the hell he can do to get better. Your goal will conform to what you do. Or actually, the other way around. Why do you hear so much about, "He's a great guitar player and self-taught"? Well, assuming you mean no paid human teacher, then it's because that's the way that worked for him. He would have needed his teacher around 24/7 in order to do what he needed. He is self-motivated enough to learn all the boring theory and do the pain in the ass techniques. He wants is bad enough to spend countless hours trying to understand why the hell his strings are buzzing. In the end, someone trying to teach him wouldn't have worked out, so he resorted to learning from books, and whatever else. I don't mean to take any importance away from learning from others and jamming, that's very inportant. Just realize that your drive and goals will lead you to what you need to do to get the job done, there really isn't a need to make generalizations. Besides, all generaliztions are wrong.

[fretfire]

Wow, this is a 3 yr old thread!!!

[popmusic_sux]

Yeah, I'm sure the person that started the thread already decided whether or not to take lessons.

[sixxshot]

I have taught myself everything... I don't see any point in paying someone absurd amounts of money for somethin I can teach myself

[SixthString]

Well its seems that you can play much then and plus you dont even know the twelve bar blue which is super easy. Do you even know the basic Em scale and no thats not the pent. scale either. You can take lessons and learn all these. I have learned a whole lot in guitar lessons. And you did not teach your self nothing the internet taught you songs and notes.

[sixxshot]

Well its seems that you can play much then and plus you dont even know the twelve bar blue which is super easy. Do you even know the basic Em scale and no thats not the pent. scale either. You can take lessons and learn all these. I have learned a whole lot in guitar lessons. And you did not teach your self nothing the internet taught you songs and notes.

I beg to differ. I have learned scales lydian, dorian, ionian, and aeolian scales. I have also learned how to play pinch harmonics, and how to tweek a bunch of stuff on my guitar (trem and whatnot). Anyway, im glad you know the basic Em scale, you you can play twelve bar blues *claps* Keep up the good work.

[SixthString]

I beg to differ. I have learned scales lydian, dorian, ionian, and aeolian scales. I have also learned how to play pinch harmonics, and how to tweek a bunch of stuff on my guitar (trem and whatnot). Anyway, im glad you know the basic Em scale, you you can play twelve bar blues *claps* Keep up the good work.

Pat yours so stupid lets see you play all those scales. Dumb A** I dont think you can play a pinch hermonic.

[sixxshot]

Scales aren't hard my friend.. one takes like... 15 seconds to learn maybe? I am sorry you do not believe me... but there is no point in me making things up that are that easy to do. If I was was claiming to be able to play the scales in triplets with a tempo of 120... then that would be something to call me stupid for... but not pinch harmonics, lol. Someone has been moody lately.

[SixthString]

Scales aren't hard my friend.. one takes like... 15 seconds to learn maybe? I am sorry you do not believe me... but there is no point in me making things up that are that easy to do. If I was was claiming to be able to play the scales in triplets with a tempo of 120... then that would be something to call me stupid for... but not pinch harmonics, lol. Someone has been moody lately.

Im sorry, I was just kidding but I have been wondering why you have not been talking to me lately Im not Mad at you

[King Rayman]

Drama, drama, drama. Does it really matter if he can play a friggen scale? If he sucks and he wants to think otherwise he'll just be like most guitar players at my school. if he doesn't suck then just let him be.

[sixxshot]

Ah! I never said I was good! I said would rather teach myself and I can play a pinch harmonic... what makes you think otherwise?