Learning to play the guitar online is quickly catching on and reducing the number of students who enroll to take private guitar lessons from local teachers and instructors. This is nothing new of course since the Internet has been changing the way we do many things over the past decade. However when it came to visual demonstration of things such as guitar or piano lessons it took a little while for the technology to catch up.
Early attempts to provide online guitar lessons failed due to slow Internet connections, expensive video production equipment and lack of software to well make things look good.
Fast forward ahead to today and there are thousands of people who are taking guitar lessons online and more following suit every day. Whether you pay for a membership to an online guitar course or learn from free guitar lesson videos there are a few main differences that beginners should be aware of before they decide to go the route of teaching themselves via the web.
Lesson Structure
When you take private guitar lessons you don't have to worry or even think about what you're going to learn next. After all that's why you're paying $15-$20 a week for you lesson right?
There is great structure found when you take lessons from a quality teacher. Of course there are some instructors are lacking structure as well. If we compare that to online lessons you'll find that many of the membership websites available provide a ton of lesson content but they lack the structure some beginners need. This sometimes mean that beginners are left with gaps in their knowledge later on because they missed a key concept.
Practice Routines
Like lesson structure being given a practice routine means all you have to concentrate on is what you're told. Your instructor tells you to practice the C major scale until you can fluently play it 10 times without errors. So you go home that week and each day you practice the C major scale trusting that there's a good reason why your instructor has asked you do so.
With guitar lessons online you aren't always given a routine to practice. You're often left up to your own to decide what topics are important enough for you to practice each week, and how much time you should spend watching new videos versus practicing the material you've already watched.
Accountability
While lesson structure and practice routines are more a mechanical part of lessons this last difference is really about mindset.
When you take private guitar lessons you're paying another person to teach you how to play the guitar. There's a built in accountability there for most. No one wants to look like a fool in front of their teacher if they haven't even picked up their guitar all week to practice. Not to mention your weekly lesson fee begins to become a huge waste of money. This accountability helps keep beginners on track and also pushes them through the often boring and tedious beginner topics of learning notes on each string, scales and mastering scale shapes.
With online lessons it does take a special type of person to have the self motivation and discipline to teach themselves and stick to a practice schedule. After all the only person you're responsible to when you teach yourself is you.
It's a good idea to get into a routine where you maybe watch a lesson on Monday and Thursday and then schedule 20-30 minutes every other day to practice. Sticking to a routine will help you maintain structure in your learning and ensure that you make the most from your $15 or $20 bucks a month you pay the online guitar lesson site you join
Not Sure Which Online Guitar Lessons to Try?
If you've done some research but feel stuck on which guitar lessons online are best for you stop by our website where we've compared and reviewed several of the top online and DVD guitar courses available. We're actual guitar players and either own or are members of each course we review. Visit us at http://www.guitarlessonsreviewed.com/.
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