Starting guitar - teacher/book and other questions

Welcome to the party.

Yes, it is worth getting a teacher for one-on-one lessons. Talk to a few first of all and find one that likes the music you like - too many teachers who say they teach "all styles" teach them all poorly.

A good teacher will also be able to recommend a good book.

Yup...what he said! (^)

Cat

Yes - get a teacher! And in terms of "style," that should not be the focus as a beginner. Technique and learning to play the instrument as a whole, regardless of style is what's important in the beginning.

I'd say it's worth having lessons too; I wasn't going to bother but they were surprisingly affordable (I just have one half an hour session a week with my teacher) and it helps me a lot. I can ask questions and get immediate answers and he points me in the right direction when I'm either doing something wrong or could make life easier for myself.

Yes I agree with the others. Unless you can already play another instrument, then having some lessons is the best way. Also an understanding of music theory is important too. Even if you just have a few one to one lessons and then move on to an online course, book or dvd method, at least you have a good chance of starting off correctly.
Good Luck.

I agree with the others, a teacher is the way to go if you can afford it. A good teacher can save you a lot of time and frustration that is caused by practicing bad habits or skipping over basic techniques.

I may be a bit biased as I am a guitar teacher but having someone sit in front of you and provide instant feedback and point out things that you are not seeing is a huge benefit. Not all teachers are created equal though. Meet a prospective teacher first and explain your goals and interests and make sure they fit within that. I always like to meet potential students first to make sure that we would be a good fit for eachother. Its so important that you do that. Private instruction does not come cheap though. If you really think you can do it on your own (and you can. it just takes longer) there are some excellent course out there. Check out my blog in my signature for some ideas. And, of course, check out the fantastic lessons here at Guitar Noise. Good luck on your guitar journey!

I realize that this is an older thread, but I think it's a very important topic, so allow me to add my two cents.

In short: I couldn't agree more with what the other folks stated here. Nothing comes close to face-to-face guitar lessons from a qualified teacher. A good teacher will be able to tailor the delivery of the content specific to the student. That is important, because all students are different. I'm not saying that a teacher will design individual programs for each of his students, but while following a basic outline, he will be in the position to tweak things here and there and adjust the learning pace.

And being a guitar teacher, I know that scrutiny over the student's progress is obviously also an important factor. When you have to meet with your teacher on a regular basis, you are more likely to keep up with your practice. That's just how it is.

I wrote a rather lengthy post on my website about this topic a while back ago, outlining what in my opinion the advantages and disadvantages are that come along with the different learning methods (online courses, face-to-face, guitar classes, etc.). Please note: the link below will take you to the post of my website, and toward the end of the article I am promoting my Beginners Guitar Course (Online course with full access to a teacher). Because I feel the article is objective and fair, I feel comfortable sharing the link with you. However, if you are someone looking for a teacher, I want you to aware of the fact that there are many other great guitar teachers here in the forum - and also, the lessons provided here at Guitar Noise are of top quality and come highly recommended.

Link to my article: http://guitaringenuity.com/learn-to-play-guitar-online.html