If you’re new to the guitar world and are wondering if taking guitar lessons is right for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Whether or not you should take guitar lessons will depend entirely on you and your preferences, budget, and skill level. There are a bunch of important factors to be aware of that you should consider when making your decision.
We’ll take a look at the pros and cons of guitar lessons below, and even discuss individual vs group lessons. If you’d rather learn online, I also discuss some great online courses, lessons & teachers available nowadays.
Keep reading this article to find out everything you need to know about whether taking guitar lessons could be worth it for you, the pros and cons of guitar lessons, and alternatives you can explore instead.
Individual vs Group Guitar Lessons
First, let’s take a look at what the average guitar lesson looks like. There are two main types of guitar lessons available to new players- individual sessions and group sessions.
Individual guitar lessons involve a guitarist teaching you as a student entirely privately. Your instructor is dedicated to you for the entire allotted period of time. These are great to get one-on-one attention and advice regarding your personal performance. On average, these lessons can cost anywhere from $40 to $100 per hour, depending on the expertise and rate of your instructor.
Group guitar lessons, on the other hand, involve taking guitar lessons with an instructor with a group of other students as well. Many people enjoy these due to their lowered price- you can expect a group lesson to cost you $20+ less than individual sessions, at the cost of some one-on-one instruction.
Now that we know the basics of guitar lessons, let’s dive into the pros and cons of taking them.
3 Pros of Taking Guitar Lessons
There are many pros to taking guitar lessons in-person. Let’s take a look at some of the most important ones.
1. Catered Attention
In the case of many guitar classes, you’ll be working either one-on-one or with a small group to improve your playing skills. Your instructor is able to watch your progress and help correct your mistakes as they see them happen, which means you’re better able to correct mistakes and improve quickly.
If you were using informational videos online, sure, you can follow the lesson, but are you sure that you’re holding your guitar correctly? Are you pushing down the strings hard enough? These are the questions you won’t get an answer to anywhere else but guitar lessons.
2. They Can Help You Learn Songs/Genres You Want to Play
One of the best benefits of guitar lessons is that your instructor will ask you what types of music you’d like to explore and help you play songs and genres you’re genuinely interested in. This promotes engagement and helps you stay motivated in the long-run.
3. You’re Required to Practice
With online learning, you can choose when you’d like to practice. That sounds like a good deal, but it becomes very easy to decide not to if you’re feeling lazy and lose your headway on the practice you’ve made.
Guitar lessons usually happen on a weekly basis, so even if you’re feeling lazy one day, you’re pretty much required to go. This means you’re getting practice on a consistent schedule- and there’s no better way to steadily improve.
2 Cons of Taking Guitar Lessons
There are fewer cons to taking guitar lessons than there are pros, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important to consider. Let’s take a look at the most notable cons to taking guitar lessons.
1. Guitar Lessons are Expensive
You saw this one coming, right?
Guitar lessons can be extremely expensive. It might not sound like much for one class, but if you take lessons every week, this amount can add up to a pretty penny- even several hundred dollars a month.
This can be a worthy investment if you’re planning on playing guitar long-term, but if you’re learning guitar for fun, it can be hard to justify spending that amount on a hobby.
2. There are Free Guitar Lesson Resources Online
While you’ll definitely be losing some of the one-on-one attention you’d get from an in-person guitar lesson, many people find that free guitar lesson videos online are perfectly sufficient to supplement their guitar practice.
There are plenty of YouTubers and content creators who make guitar lessons based on your level for free. Check out my guide to the 8 Best YouTube Channels for Learning Acoustic Guitar.
Are Guitar Lessons Worth It?
If you take your guitar practice seriously and are dedicated to learning guitar for the long-term, guitar lessons very well may be a reasonable investment. You’ll get one-on-one practice with an instructor, have a regular practice schedule, and can play the music you want to play.
If there’s no teachers in your area, there are some awesome courses, lessons & teachers available online that you can take advantage of.
On the other hand, if you’re playing guitar as a hobby and the idea of paying for guitar lessons seems too expensive for your purposes, there are plenty of free guitar lesson resources online to benefit from without dropping so much money.
For a free resource, check out my complete guide to 50 popular acoustic songs with free chords, tabs and video lessons.
Another alternative to taking guitar lessons is teach yourself – and I have a whole guide on it here!
The #1 Essential Guitar Lesson That Everyone Skips
I recommend the first thing that all guitarists learn is how to choose, maintain, and care for their instrument.
Because surprisingly few players know how to do exactly those things.
And if you don’t even have a handle on those fundamentals…
Then it doesn’t matter how good you are, or what song you’re playing…
You simply aren’t going to sound good on a poorly maintained instrument.
That’s why in this book, I decided to reveal all the secret tips I know when it comes to buying, owning, and maintaining an acoustic guitar…
…Stuff that took me a decade to learn on my own, since it is scattered randomly around the internet (or rarely discussed at all)
In this book you’ll discover…
- how to choose a guitar
- what to look for in tonewoods
- guitar body styles
- how to get a good price
- whether to buy used or new
- a curated guide to the 10 best acoustic guitars for beginners
- how to choose guitar strings, and make them last 10x longer
- how to maintain your instrument for a lifetime
- caring for the fretboard
- should you use fretboard oil? how often?
- adjusting the truss rod
- flying and traveling with your instrument safely
- how to store and display your guitar safely
- caring for the fretboard
- what to learn first on guitar (fingerpicking? flatpicking? etc)
- where to learn it
- the best ways and resources to teach yourself guitar for FREE
- 30 secret hacks to unleash unstoppable guitar motivation
- how to stay in love with the instrument for the rest of your life
- much more
So if you’re ready to rocket past your competition…
And learn how to choose, maintain, care for, and fall in love with your instrument for a lifetime to come…
Then you can pick up my Ultimate Buyer’s and Maintenance Guide.