Lessons or not

I don't have a teacher, but it's more a question of funds than of interest. I think you can learn a bit on your own just from internet lessons or beginners books. What kind of music do you like to play? That'll determine what kinds of books you should get.

In general I found the beginner lessons here: http://guitar.about.com/library/blguitarlessonarchive.htm to be very good. They even have easy songs at the end of each lesson that you try playing and strumming. It doesn't take very long to produce a passable version of Leaving on a Jet Plane - and tha't just lesson 1!

Also, if you learn on your own for a bit first, then when you look for a teacher, you won't be paying a lot to have them show you how to strum a chord! You'll also be better able to evaluate a teacher, which is hard if you're just getting started.

swampdog,

if there is any way possible that you can find a good teacher, then take lessons,
and when i say good, i mean what are his qualifications, how long has he taught, and if possible talk to some of his or her students. i"m not saying you can"t be a good guitarist on your own, because you can, but how many bad habbitts are you going to develop along the way, how long is it going to take to break those bad habbits ? i"m going to catch alot of crap for saying this, but so be it, i jammed with alot of " self taught " guitar players, alot of them have been playing 2 to 3 years longer than i have, and there not even close, there sloppy.
undiciplined, and worst of all they think there great guitar players lol, lessons are expensive, but if you find the right teacher, there worth there weight in gold 8)

I don't know rocker, I think it best (this coming from someone who is struggleing to teach herself)
to learn the basics, chords, scales, things like that before investing into a teacher because then you can get right to the buissness of playing (when you take lessons) and then you will have built up calluses (and from my expierience) you will be able to understand most of what your teacher is talking about, instead of having him back track and re-explain so you can get your money's worth...

another thing rocker, lol I've heard allot about, 'slow down, learn it right, then gain speed' from these damn beginners books, I guess the advice is right! ROFLMAO

oh, and if you choose to teach yourself, I suggest the book 'the complete guitar player' for theory and 'teach yourself to play guitar' cd for basic lessons, it's pretty cool...

i"m going to catch alot of crap for saying this, but so be it, i jammed with alot of " self taught " guitar players, alot of them have been playing 2 to 3 years longer than i have, and there not even close, there sloppy.

Not from me you won't. I agree. Getting a teacher is pretty essential at least at first. It's good to get an idea of what is good technique, good ways to practice, what to practice, etc. I think a teacher in the beginning is quite important, but after you have a solid foundation in technique it's not AS necessary. But if you have the time and are willing to spend the money, by all means take lessons.

I've had 3 guitar teachers, and only one cared about technique, but even then he was pretty lax. It's important to find a good teacher, if you are going to have a guitar teacher. If you do not like your teacher you may end up not liking guitar. Guitar should always be fun. Always.

But from my experience, the main function of a teacher after you learn good technique is just guiding you and helping you find things to learn. A good teacher should teach you how to teach yourself. Getting better and practicing is up to you. If you have a good foundation and have self-sustaining motivation, I don't think a guitar teacher is so important. Of course, as a beginner you probably will have neither of these things. Just keep learning songs and you will be alright.

doll.

knowing a couple of chords and a scale or 2 , thats cool, but there are things like good posture, alternate picking, practice habits, and my pet peeve, playing clean, also how many times do you say " i can"t learn this, whats the use, maybe i should just quit" as a beginning guitar player you will be way harder on yourself than any GOOD teacher will ever be, and
a magor key to becoming good is motivation, and continuosly challenging yourself. a good teacher will motivate you , challenge you, guide and uplift you, and thats what all beginning
guitarists need, 90% of beginning players who want to teach theirselves, quit in the first 3 months. :cry:

Do both. I have a good teacher and found that he is teaching me things and songs that I would not have worked on myself. I also use books and internet sites to play things I want to play. The biggest thing I find is that I'm always putting in late nights so I can not be too embarrassed when I have to play the previous weeks lesson in front of him - not that he would care, but it motivates me to keep going knowing that I have one week to learn/master a song... If I was not taking lesson and having this deadline, I known I would not be progressing near as fast.

Find a good teacher. I pay only 15 bucks per half hour and this is with a guy who has done music all his life as his first job. He is in a well-known band (not telling you which one) with many albums to his create, also has solo albums, played with big name artists, and is currently putting tracks down to Hollywood movies... I know I am lucky...

gilmour,

i'm lucky also, i have been taking lessons since i bought my first guitar, and have not missed a lesson in 2 and a half years, i would not trade it for nothing. here is a link to his web site if anybody is interested http://www.toshiiseda.com

all I can say is that if you dicide to teach yourself how to play then be sure your playing the right way! use every means you have to learn proper technique. Taking the extra time and effort now to stamp out bad habits is something that you will be eternally thankfull that you did.

well said afterblast well said :D

To offer a different point of view. While learning on your own has its disadvantages, like learning bad habits, it does have its advantages as well. The first being you save yourself money. Second, you can develop your own style easier. You also get a more personal approach to the instrument and can learn from your own perspective as opposed to the view of the teacher.

It's easy to shoot down people that learn on their own, but you don't really know if your teacher had lessons or learned on their own. So I don't think it's a case of one being better than the other, it's a matter of what's best for you.

In complete agreement with Rocker. If you can afford it, take lessons.

Rates out where I live are about $1 a minute for lessons, so prices may vary. LuvGilmour is getting an awesome deal for $15 / 30 minutes!

To offer a different point of view. While learning on your own has its disadvantages, like learning bad habits, it does have its advantages as well. The first being you save yourself money. Second, you can develop your own style easier. You also get a more personal approach to the instrument and can learn from your own perspective as opposed to the view of the teacher.

I agree you'll save money... but I'll disagree about the rest of that.

If you learn on your own, the only music you're exposed to is the stuff you choose, and the only techniques you'll have for playing it are the ones you'll develop. I guess you could look at that as 'developing your own style', but in my view you're developing a style by default - it's not an artistic choice, it's because you don't know how to play any differently.

A decent teacher will also tailor lessons to your interests and learning style. Books and CDs don't do that - what was written or recorded is what you get.

I also think the decision to get/not get a teacher should depend more on your goals than on your finances. If you can't afford to eat regularly, then you can't afford it... but most of us make choices with our income, and if something is important to you, you figure out a way to afford it.

Fact is, most guitarists do not take lessons. Most guitarists do not play at a professional level, whether or not they had lessons. But the vast majority of professional guitarists did take lessons.

The guitar is a musical instrument. As an instrument, it's one of the easiest to play (which is why so many go the self-taught route). But like any instrument, it is very difficult to play well. If you want to play piano or violin, you might be able to teach yourself and become accomplished - if your goals are playing fiddle tunes or basic blues/boogies. But you won't be tackling Liszt without lessons.

So if playing like a Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, John Fogerty etc. will suit you, lessons aren't critical. If you want to play on the level of Paco de Lucia, Al DiMeola, etc., you'll need lessons.