Get it from: Amazon.com

It’s vital to practice with a metronome to developing excellent rhythm skills. The Sabine ZipBeat 6000 metronome is a popular choice among guitarists and other musicians, thanks to its clear tone and easy to use features.

Manufacturer

Sabine Inc.

Sabine Inc. is a respected manufacturer of a wide range of professional audio equipment. The company is based in Florida, and was founded in 1971.

Sabine ZipBeat 6000 Specifications

Weight: 6oz (with battery)

Dimensions: 2.5 x 5.82 x 1.25 inches

Colour: Black

Power: 9V battery (included)

Price

The Zip Beat 6000 metronome currently retails for around $22.

ZipBeat 6000 Features

• Digital circuitry for perfect accuracy.

• Adjustable tempo from 40 – 208 beats per minute with easy to use dial control.

• Loud, clear tone makes it easy to hear.

• 6 setting tone generator to set your reference pitch (440 – 445 Hz).

• Volume control, so you can adjust it as needed.

• Accented downbeat, from 2 – 6 beats per measure.

• Earphone included – useful to avoid annoying the people around you.

• Sweep LED for visual cues – choose between two alternating lights, or eight sweeping lights.

• Has a stand to make it easier to view.

Feedback

Reviews of the ZipBeat 6000 digital metronome around the web are largely positive, with many commenting on the strong tone and long lasting battery life. The lack of volume control was an issue for some people, however.

Read more Sabine Zipbeat 6000 reviews on Amazon.com

Where To Buy The ZipBeat 6000 Digital Metronome

The ZipBeat 6000 is available from all good music shops both online and off. You can also get it for great prices on Amazon:

Buy from: Amazon.com

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Which type of guitar do you want to learn?

First of all, think about the type of acoustic guitar you want to learn to play. This basically comes down to a choice between steel string and nylon string guitars. If you want to focus on classical or flamenco styles of music, choose a nylon string that’s designed for the music you want to play (many people in this category start with a classical guitar and buy a flamenco model later if they decide that they want to become more specialised). On the other hand, if you want to play rock, pop, country, blues or folk styles, you’ll probably want to learn on a steel string acoustic guitar.

Know what’s involved

So, you like the idea of playing the guitar, but do you really know what you’re letting yourself in for? This isn’t meant to put you off, but a lot of people give up playing guitar after a few months or less, simply because they’re overwhelmed by the amount of new information to take in and skills that need to be developed. Here’s a taste of what’s involved with learning acoustic guitar:

• Learning about the guitar itself – the names of the various parts and getting a basic idea of how it works, plus basic guitar care and maintenance

• Tuning your guitar
• Correct posture and hand positions
• Basic left hand technique [assuming you’re right-handed] – how to form chords, play scales and other exercises
• Basic right hand technique – how to strum and/or pick
• How to read tabs (and preferably notation too)
• Learning chords, understanding chord progressions and other aspects of music theory
• Understanding rhythm and strum patterns
• Solo playing
• More advanced techniques such as hammer-on, pull-off, bends, slide playing etc.
• Playing with others, jamming
• Improvisation
• Ear training
• Developing the right mental attitude for long term success

There’s a lot to learn! Of course if you love the guitar you’ll probably find the prospect of learning all this stuff exciting rather than daunting, but if you’re wanting to take up the guitar for the wrong reasons (like looking ‘cool’, using it as a route to fame etc – basically any reason other than a passion for the instrument and for music generally, is a wrong one!), pause here and ask yourself if you’re really willing to do what it takes to learn to play well.

Buying a guitar

If the above list hasn’t put you off, next you need to actually buy a guitar, if you don’t already have one. As a beginner, there’s little point buying a super-expensive pro level guitar, as you don’t yet have the skills or discernment to be able to choose the best instrument for you. On the other hand, you don’t want to get a bargain basement cheapie either, since very low cost acoustic guitars are likely to be poorly made and will make the learning process much more difficult than it has to be – and as a beginner you don’t need any extra difficulties to deal with! You can normally expect to pay at least a couple of hundred dollars for a decent beginner guitar – I recommend asking more experienced guitarists for advice (in person or online), and don’t be afraid to try out several guitars in your local music stores before buying, and go with one that feels most comfortable to you.

Get some good instruction

Now you have your guitar in hand, you need to start getting to grips that that list we looked at earlier. It’s important at this stage to learn from someone who knows what they’re doing, as bad habits formed early on can take a lot of work to undo later. Private lessons with a good teacher are perhaps the ideal solution for a complete beginner, even if you just have enough to master the basics and then teach yourself later on. If private lessons aren’t an option for you – perhaps due to financial or location considerations – I recommend teaching yourself with the aid of a reputable tutor book/DVD or course of online guitar lessons. This route is more appealing to many, not least because it’s much cheaper than a teacher, and you can go at your own pace without the need to travel etc, but if you teach yourself you must be extremely diligent about checking that you’re doing things correctly, and you’ll also need to be exceptionally motivated, as there won’t be anyone to prod you along when you get discouraged.

There’s a lot of rubbish disguised as guitar instruction on the internet, but there’s some good stuff too, and I recommend checking out Jamorama if you want to find out more about how to learn acoustic guitar from a professional teacher with top quality materials. There are two versions of the course – Jamorama Standard teaches rhythm guitar and includes a special section focusing solely on acoustic techniques, whereas Jamorama Deluxe also covers lead guitar skills. If you’re interested in learning acoustic guitar, Jamorama Standard is probably the best place to start – you can always upgrade later if you like. You can read about my Jamorama experience here, or find out more information at the official site.

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What’s the difference between a product/retailer report and a review? Simply put, I’ll write a review if I have personal experience with the product – this will include both factual info and my opinion. If I haven’t tried the product myself yet, I’ll write a simple report, which will be ‘facts only’, with the intent of gathering together the most relevant and useful information about the product in question. In other words, I won’t pretend to have tried something when I haven’t, and I certainly won’t write glowing ‘reviews’ of products that I have no experience with.

So here we go. This is a new section so it’s a bit light on content right now, but lots of new stuff will be added over time.

Guitar Product & Retailer Reviews / Reports

Guitar Lessons Details about online guitar lessons, guitar tutor books, guitar DVDs and other guitar learning materials.

Guitar Learning Aids Details about learning aids for guitarists, such as jam tracks, virtual drummers, ear training programs etc. [Coming soon]

Guitars Details about guitars, including electric, steel-string acoustic, classical, flamenco and bass models. [Coming soon]

Guitar Accessories Details about guitar accessories, such as straps, cases, strings, metronomes, tuners, picks, stands, capos, effects pedals and more. Also included are accessories that aren’t specific to guitarists, such as music stands.

Retailer Reports Details about online retailers of guitars, guitar gear and music. [Coming soon]

Buying Guides

Guitars & Guitar Gear Buying guides explaining how to choose the best guitar and guitar gear for your needs. [Coming soon]

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Visit: Jamorama Standard | Jamorama Deluxe
 
 Jamorama’s Free Introductory Course

Jamorama is among the most popular downloadable guitar lesson courses on the web today. It’s available in two versions: Jamorama Standard, which covers rhythm guitar playing, and Jamorama Deluxe, which covers both rhythm and lead guitar skills.

Course Provider:

Ben Edwards & Rock Star Recipes

Jamorama is produced by Rock Star Recipes Ltd., an award-winning New Zealand-based company that provides high quality online music lessons and other resources. The Jamorama course is presented by Ben Edwards, a professional guitarist and qualified guitar teacher.

Format:

The Jamorama Standard and Deluxe courses include video, text and audio materials, as well as several pieces of software. They are both available in digital format, and can be downloaded to your computer. Jamorama Standard is also available in a hard copy version, with printed books, CDs and DVDs.

Target Audience:

Both Jamorama Standard and Jamorama Deluxe are aimed at beginner and intermediate level guitarists who wish to improve their skills. Jamorama Standard caters to those who wish to learn rhythm and acoustic guitar techniques only, whereas Jamorama Deluxe is a more comprehensive course for people who want to learn lead guitar skills as well.

Description / Topics Covered:

Jamorama Standard

Jamorama Standard teaches rhythm guitar, and covers:

• Introduction to the guitar, including tuning and other basics
  
• Posture and hand positions
  
• A wide variety of chords, progressions and scales
  
• Strumming, muting and picking techniques
  
• Practice tips and motivational information
  
• Reading tab and musical notation
  
• Playing with others (jam tracks are included to play along with)
  
• Ear training
  
• Specific acoustic guitar techniques

 
All of this is provided by the course materials, which include:

• Detailed PDF e-books with colour photographs
  
• Professionally-produced video lessons and audio tracks to accompany the books
  
• Jam tracks
  
• The Chordinator chord kit
  
• Software bonuses, which include a metronome, a tuner, the Jayde Musica notation training software, and the GuitEarIt ear training software

 
Jamorama Deluxe

Jamorama Deluxe contains all of the Jamorama Standard materials, as well as additional lead guitar training material:

• Lead guitar ebook, jam tracks and video lessons, covering a wide range of lead guitar techniques such as more scales, pull offs, vibrato, slide, bends, creating great solos and more
  
• The Lead Licks kit (videos and jam tracks), which shows you additional licks
  
• An extra ebook covering advanced learning techniques
  
• A free trial membership to the SongPond website, which offers video instruction for a wide range of popular songs

There is also a private member’s forum and a help area where you can contact the staff if you need assistance.

Price & Guarantee:

Jamorama Standard currently costs $49.95 to download, and Jamorama Deluxe is $99.95. If you buy the Standard course, you can purchase an upgrade to the Deluxe version later if you want to.

The hard-copy version of Jamorama is $149.95 plus postage (details here).

A free Jamorama introductory course is also available by email, so you can see if you like their approach – click here for more info.

Jamorama is covered by a 60 day money back guarantee, so you can get a refund if you’re unhappy with the course for any reason.

Feedback:

I’ve personally bought and worked through the Jamorama course, and am happy to recommend it. I’ve written an in-depth Jamorama review that you can read if you want more info about my experience with it, so I won’t repeat all my opinions here, except to say that this is a high quality, great value course that delivers on its promises, and anyone who follows through with it can develop into a very good guitarist.

Where To Buy Jamorama:

Jamorama is sold online via Clickbank.com, the web’s largest digital marketplace. Clickbank offers secure payment processing, so you can buy with confidence.

Buy: Jamorama Standard | Jamorama Deluxe
Jamorama Hardcopy
 
 Sign up: Jamorama’s Free Introductory Course

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Get it from: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Practice with a metronome is essential for developing top-notch rhythm skills, and digital metronomes are a great choice because they’re so convenient and flexible to use. The Korg MA30 Digital Metronome is a compact model that has an easy to read LCD display, and offers a variety of great features while weighing in at just .17lb.

Manufacturer

Korg

Korg is a Japanese company that was founded in 1962. Today it is a multi-national corporation, and one of the most highly respected names in electronic music equipment manufacturing.

Korg MA-30 Specifications

Display: LCD

Weight: 96g / 0.17lb (including batteries)

Dimensions: 12.7(W) x 7(D) x 1.9(H)cm / 4.09(W) x 2.52(D) x 0.59 (H)inches

Colour: Blue

Battery Life: Approximately 250 hours. Two AA batteries required.

Price

The Korg MA-30 compact digital metronome currently retails for around £13 / $20.

Korg MA-30 Features

• LCD display with easy to view digital pendulum, so you can watch the beat as well as listen.

• 13 inbuilt rhythms to make practicing more interesting – you don’t have to stick with just the straight click track! These include duplets, triplets and quadruplets, some with the inner beats omitted.

• Adjustable calibration (438 – 445 Hz).

• Volume control, so you can adjust it as needed.

• Tempo control, adjustable from 40 – 208 bpm. Tempo can be set using the handy tap button function.

• Earphone jack – handy if you don’t want to annoy the people around you.

• Easy to use button controls.

• Small size and light weight make it compact and easy to transport in a pocket, bag or instrument case.

• Also has a tuner function, with five reference pitches (C4 – B4), and can produce any of the chromatic scale’s 12 tones.

Feedback

Reviews of the Korg MA-30 metronome around the web are largely very positive, focusing on its ease of use, variety of features and great value. Some have commented that it’s hard to hear over very loud instruments, so it may not be so good if you want to play your electric guitar full blast.

Read lots more Korg MA-30 reviews on Amazon.com

Where To Buy The Korg MA-30 Digital Metronome

The Korg MA-30 is available from all good music shops both online and off. You can also get it for great prices on Amazon:

Buy from: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

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This section covers accessories such as strings, cases, picks, capos, tuners, effects pedals and more. They are sorted alphabetically by brand name within each category.

Metronomes

Digital Metronomes

Korg MA-30
Sabine ZipBeat 6000

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This section covers online guitar lessons, as well as guitar tutor books, DVDs and similar materials. If you’re interested in online guitar courses, you might also want to check out the Guitar Lessons & Training Directory.

Online Guitar Lesson Courses

General Guitar Lessons

Jamorama Standard & Jamorama Deluxe

Specific Styles, Techniques and Guitar Types

[Coming soon]

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Free or Paid?

The first decision to make is whether to go for free internet guitar lessons, or sign up for a paid course. To a large extent you get what you pay for, and much of the free material just isn’t very good (with poor quality materials, lack of structure, failure to cover all the necessary techniques etc). On the other hand, some of it is of high quality, and conversely, just because someone is charging for their material, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s of good quality. So, what to do?

The most important thing to look for (particularly for a beginner), is a course of lessons that is structured in a logical way, so you can develop all the essential core guitar skills, and progress in an efficient manner. The good quality paid courses are put together by experienced teachers who understand this, but much of the free material isn’t – instead, you learn a bit of this and a bit of that (often in a seemingly random manner, depending on the teacher’s own personal interests and biases). This isn’t a good thing, because you might miss out on important instruction that you need to develop a solid technique. Not all free lessons are lacking in this way, but many are, so be wary of trying to piece together your own learning program from free material across the web – you’ll get a lot more benefit from using a professionally structured course that covers all the necessary material in the right sequence.

So, with some exceptions, paid online guitar courses are often more professionally put together, and more complete in terms of what they offer. A course aimed at beginners should cover the fundamental skills in depth, and many show you more advanced techniques too. In addition, the site, video and audio material should be professionally produced and easy to use. There are lots of courses that fulfil there requirements, so if you’ve decided to go for online lessons, it’s best to take a look at several options (whether free or paid), before making a commitment. Check out the Guitar Lesson & Training Directory on this site, which has a large list of online guitar courses. http://www.netguitarist.com/online-guitar-lessons-resources-a-z/

Experience Level of the Teacher

You also need to choose a teacher who is a skilled guitarist – you certainly don’t want to be taking advice from someone who hasn’t been playing for very long themselves. The web is a great way for anyone to post content and share their expertise, but unfortunately it also means that anyone can pretend to be something they’re not, and the guitar instruction you find online (especially the free variety) does vary hugely in quality as a result, so do your due diligence before following anyone’s online lessons, and check out their experience and credentials first.

Teaching/Communication Skills

Another thing to be aware of is that not all great guitarists are great teachers. Some have fantastic skills but lack the ability to effectively communicate them to others. So look for online guitar lessons that are not only taught by skilled guitarist(s), but which are also taught in a very clear, effective manner – if they’re not, the lessons won’t be very enjoyable, and chances are you won’t stick with them for long, no matter how impressive the teacher’s technique.

Quality of the Materials

Related to the above point is the issue of quality of the learning materials – you won’t make much progress if you’re trying to learn from poor quality lessons. So when checking out potential guitar courses, look for quality in both the content and the presentation. In terms of content, the course should clearly explain everything you need to know at each stage, and it should be put together in a logical manner, so each new skill builds on what you’ve already learned. In terms of presentation, the materials themselves should be well produced, with well-written and clearly laid out text, clear illustrations, well-recorded video and audio material with good sound and visuals, and software that works like it’s supposed to, without bugs and crashes. Even if a guitar course has fantastic content, you probably won’t get far if it looks or sounds awful – and on the other hand, flashily produced material isn’t a substitute for great content. So make sure that the course you choose has both.

Site Usability

The site on which your guitar lessons are hosted should also be of good quality – meaning fast to load, easy to navigate and with limited downtime. This is especially true of sites that offer lessons on a membership basis, where you go online to access the material, rather than downloading it to your PC. So while the content of the lessons is the most important thing, and a less than perfect site needn’t be a deal breaker if the lessons are downloadable, ideally they should be presented on a professionally designed site that is easy to use.

Your Experience Level

You should also consider your own experience level. Not everyone looking for guitar lessons online is a complete beginner, and if that is the case with you, you may not want a course that is aimed at total beginners. On the other hand, if you’re a bit rusty it can be a good idea to revisit the basics (for that matter, guitarists at all levels can benefit by periodically doing this). You’ll find that many online guitar courses are tailored to beginners, but there are also some that are aimed at more advanced guitarists. Jamorama Lead is one example – it assumes that you already have rhythm guitar skills, and now want to learn lead techniques. There are also other courses that focus on developing specific styles or techniques to an advanced level – see the directory for more details.

Format of the Materials

Most high quality internet guitar lessons combine text, video and audio recordings, and sometimes software too. This mixed media approach makes online lessons suitable for a wide audience, as different people learn in different ways. Video is particularly useful, as it means you can see exactly what you should be doing in real time, rather than trying to figure it out from pictures and written instructions, as in traditional tutor books. This can really help to speed up the learning process, and is almost as good as being in the room with a personal teacher (in fact it’s better in some ways, since you can repeat segments as many times as you like!). Audio is also good for showing you how the music should sound, and gives you an opportunity to jam along too, so you can learn to improvise and play with others. And software can help with many musical skills, such as reading music and TAB, tuning, and ear training.

You should also check to see if the material is downloadable, or if it has to be accessed online. Downloads are more flexible, as you don’t need to be online when practising, but if you travel around a lot (or don’t have much storage space on your PC), online access could be more useful. With some courses you get access to a member’s area where you can both download the materials or view online, so you get the best of both worlds. So when deciding which internet lessons to choose, look for the format you prefer, and ideally those which incorporate a variety of media.

Course Contents

The next thing to consider is the actual contents of the course. If you’re a complete beginner, look for lessons that cover all of the fundamentals of guitar playing, including posture, chords, individual notes, scales, arpeggios and technical exercises, TAB (and preferably notation also), strumming, finger picking, playing songs and other music, playing with others, improvisation, ear training, guitar maintenance, and so on. If your skills are more advanced, you might want a course that offers more specialised instruction in specific areas of interest, such as lead guitar or blues guitar. So make sure that the course(s) you’re considering actually cover the things you want and need to learn at this stage of your development as a guitarist.

Cost

Cost will be an issue for most people. Of course, if you opt for free online guitar lessons, the money won’t be a problem (though the cost to your development as a guitarist could be significant, if you choose the wrong ones). But if you opt for paid lessons, the price can vary a lot, and the most expensive courses aren’t necessarily always the best either. Some of the more costly lessons provide the teaching material in physical format rather than (or as well as) downloads, which is preferred by many people. But those on a budget will probably want to choose a course that is 100% digital, as these are generally cheaper. It’s worth remembering that even the most expensive online guitar lessons are much cheaper than ongoing private lessons with a teacher.

Payment Options

Most paid online lessons have a one-time fee (often in the $40 – $100 range), and after you’ve paid this, you’ll have full access to the materials, and usually to all future updates too. This is a great deal, especially when you consider that in many areas, a single one hour lesson with a private teacher will cost $30 or more! However, some teachers offer their material via a membership site, where you are charged a monthly fee for ongoing access to the lessons (discounts may be available if you pay quarterly or annually). This can be more expensive, although again, it’s much cheaper than what you’d pay for the equivalent amount of instruction via private lessons. In addition, paying a recurring fee can give you the incentive to keep going and get the most from your membership. Most teachers (regardless of whether they charge a one-time fee or an ongoing membership), will accept payment by Paypal and/or credit and debit cards, and sometime other methods too, so online lessons are accessible to people throughout the world.

Guarantee

Reputable online guitar lesson programs always offer a money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied, so you can give them a try with peace of mind. Usually the guarantee is valid for 30 – 60 days, which should be plenty of time to try the lessons out and see if they’re what you’re looking for.

Free Trial

It’s also worth checking to see if the online guitar lessons that you’re interested in offer a free trial. Most high quality course providers have some free material on offer, so prospective customers can get a taste of their teaching style. So if free lessons are available, check them out before spending any money

Support

Another important consideration is the degree of support offered by the course provider. Teaching yourself to play guitar from home can be a lonely business, especially when you run into difficulties, and it can help a lot if there’s someone on hand to provide advice. While it’s unreasonable to expect extended hand holding, good courses will usually offer some form of support to customers who are having trouble with the course (or who just have questions), whether by email or via a private forum for course members. There are a few online teachers who provide one on one mentoring, although you will generally pay a premium for this. So whatever you think you may need in terms of support, be sure you find out what’s available before signing up.

Community

A related point is that of community. Some guitar lesson sites feature a discussion forum, or a social networking area or other means of connecting with other course members. This can be very useful, as you can get help with problems, and give and receive encouragement as you progress. While this kind of community isn’t essential when it comes to choosing online guitar lessons, it certainly is a nice bonus.

Bonuses

And talking of bonuses, some online courses feature various types of bonuses as well as the core course materials. Examples include software to help with learning to read music notation, guitar tuning software, and ear training aids. Bonus materials can complement the main course very well, and while bonuses shouldn’t be the main reason for selecting a course, they’re certainly worth considering.

As you see then, there are many things to consider when choosing online guitar lessons! While all this may feel a bit overwhelming, it’s worth taking the time to do your research and find the right course for your needs if you’re serious about learning to play the guitar well, especially if you’re a beginner. Don’t take advice from just anyone – instead, start off on the right foot with a course of high quality guitar lessons, and the whole learning process will be a lot faster and more enjoyable.

For more information about a large variety of online guitar courses, check out the Guitar Lessons and Training Directory. If you’re a beginner or intermediate guitarist looking for an excellent general course that will teach the fundamental skills you need, I recommend checking out Jamorama – you can also read my in-depth review of Jamorama here.

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What Are Online Guitar Lessons?

Firstly, exactly what do you get with an internet guitar course anyway? This varies a lot depending on which site you get your material from, but most online lessons will include most or all of the following:

• Written instruction, with diagrams and/or photos (frequently in the form of PDF ebooks)
  Video lessons to show you exactly what to do

• Audio recordings to demonstrate how the music should sound. Some lessons also include audio tracks to jam along with
• Software designed to help you develop skills, such as reading music or accurate pitch recognition and other ear training

The way in which online training material is delivered varies too – some lessons are downloadable (this is preferable, especially if you don’t have a reliable internet connection), whereas others are accessed online via the teacher’s site.

Advantages of Online Guitar Lessons

Some of the main advantages of choosing to learn to play guitar online include:

The cost
Most web-based guitar courses have a one-off fee, which will give you access to the material for life (usually this includes future updates too). Others have a recurring membership fee, which is usually paid monthly or annually (sometimes the annual option includes a discount). There are also sites which offer free online guitar lessons, although the quality of these tend to be more variable. Whichever option you choose, you will certainly find that online lessons are much, much cheaper than instruction with a private teacher, which involves significant ongoing fees for as long as you keep it up.

Flexibility
A second advantage of learning guitar online is that you can progress at your own pace, in contrast to learning with a private teacher, where you may experience pressure to conform to their schedule (or, if you want to take your time, you’ll end up paying a lot more!). With online lessons, they’ll always be there whenever you want them, and you can also use the videos and other materials to go over tricky bits as many times as it takes to get it right.

Multi-media format
Most high quality downloadable guitar lessons are provided in a multi-media format, incorporating a combination of text, video and audio, and sometimes guitar software as well. This is useful because different people learn in different ways (such as watching, reading, listening etc), so you’ll be able to get what you need from the course regardless of your primary learning style. Video in particular is great for demonstrating technical skills that are hard to describe with just text or photos, and seeing the technique in motion on a video is the next best thing to having a teacher sitting next to you (and video is better in some ways, since you can watch it repeatedly if you need to). Audio recordings show you how an exercise or song should sound, and also give you the chance to jam along, which is almost as good as practising with other people in a band or ensemble.

Up to date
Another plus point to online guitar instruction is that it should be up to date. While the fundamental techniques of guitar playing remain the same, modern teaching methods differ from those of the past, and to many people, good online lessons will usually be more enjoyable and often more effective than a decades-old instruction book. They’re easier to revise and keep current too, and reputable online teachers will provide existing customers with free access to future updates.

Bonus materials
Online lessons often come with a variety of bonus materials, which can offer a very useful complement to the main course. These extras include things like software metronomes, tuning aids, ear training software and much more, and they can help you to become a better guitarist and musician in general. Not all online lessons include bonuses, so check to see what’s available when you’re choosing your course.

Disadvantages of Online Guitar Instruction

So, learning guitar online can be great – but bear in mind that no teaching method is perfect, and there are a few disadvantages to going this route too.

Lack of personal instruction
One negative aspect to online lessons (in common with learning from guitar books and other self-teaching methods) is that you don’t get in-person instruction. Not everyone will learn best by having personal lessons with a teacher, but some people will, and if you’re one of these people, self-teaching may not be the best choice for you. If you’re a complete beginner and are not yet sure whether you want to learn alone or not, it might help to book a couple of lessons with a local teacher, and see if that feels best for you. Since all good online courses have a money back guarantee, you could try online lessons too, to compare the experiences.

Cost may be an issue
As we saw earlier, online guitar lessons are relatively cheap in comparison to private lessons. However, a good course will still cost some money, and generally this will be more than you’d pay for a simple guitar tutor book, so if money is really lacking right now, an online course may not be the best option, although it’s still worth saving up for. Of course there’s also no shortage of free instruction available online, though if you go that route you’ll need to be prepared to spend time wading through some dross to find the good stuff, and you’ll also need to ensure that you’re getting a thorough grounding in all the knowledge and techniques that you’ll need to become a great guitarist – this may be challenging, as most sites offering free lessons only focus on a few things, and don’t provide a complete course that follows a logical sequence.

Quality issues
You must be aware that some people who offer beginner guitar lessons online don’t really know what they’re doing. The net is great as far as freedom of expression goes, but unfortunately this also means that anyone can present themselves as an expert, even if they’re not really a very good guitarist or teacher. It’s very important to learn the correct techniques when you’re starting out (or spend lots of time later on unlearning your bad habits), so don’t put your trust in just anyone – look for professional instructors who are skilled in both playing the guitar and teaching it to others (the two don’t always go together!).

Other quality issues can arise too – the materials might be poorly recorded, badly written or just generally sloppy, the website might be slow to load or difficult to navigate, or you just might not like the teacher’s style. Fortunately reputable teachers usually offer some free material, so you can get a taste of what’s on offer, and there should also be a money back guarantee (typically for 30-60 days after purchase), so you can buy with confidence. All these points apply to free material as well as paid lessons, though you’re more likely to find poor material on the free sites. But whether you pay or not, be careful not to allow any person with sub-standard skills or materials have an influence on your development as a guitarist.

Computer issues
Another potential issue with learning guitar online is that you obviously need a computer and internet access. Now anyone who’s reading this article has at least some access to both, but even if you’ve got a great PC and a fast connection, it can sometimes be a hassle to have to be near your PC when you’re practicing, especially if your practice area is in a different room (a laptop makes things a little easier). Also, many people simple prefer to read a physical book, and be able to make notes etc, although you can always print out the text part of online lessons. Still, the digital format does have some limitations as well as strengths.

Hopefully the advantages and disadvantages of learning to play guitar online are now clear. In my experience the pros far outweigh the negative aspects (I’ve used Jamorama, and highly recommend it – see my Jamorama review), and if you like the sound of internet guitar lessons, check out the next article – Which Online Guitar Lessons Are Best For You?, which looks at some things to consider when choosing online guitar lessons, to ensure you find the right course for you, and avoid those which are just a waste of time.

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Types of Guitar Lessons

Guitar lessons fall into three basic categories: lessons with a private teacher (either individually or as part of a group); learning from a tutor book/DVD; or following a course of online guitar lessons. Let’s have a look at what each of these options involve.

1. Guitar Lessons With a Private teacher

Many people who take up the guitar often look to private lessons as the most obvious way to go. However, this is not always the best choice for everyone. On the plus side, private guitar lessons are great for those who want or need one to one attention, and it’s certainly very useful to have a skilled guitarist available who can answer questions and demonstrate the correct techniques in person. Private lessons are also especially valuable if you want to learn the more formal styles of guitar playing, such as classical or flamenco guitar.

On the downside, private lessons can be pricey (good teachers typically charge $30 an hour or more), and they’re also more time consuming if you need to travel to the teacher’s house or studio for your lessons (there are a few guitar teachers who do home visits). You also need to schedule your lessons at a mutually convenient time (which isn’t always easy), and there’s also the question of finding a suitable teacher to begin with, who teaches the style you want to learn, and who is a good fit for you, personality-wise. Another downside is that some people find it difficult to play in front of a teacher, although this self-consciousness generally fades as you get to know them.

2. Guitar Tutor Books/CDs/DVDs

Some people who decide that private lessons aren’t for them instead opt to learn guitar from the comfort of their own home. A popular way of doing this is to teach yourself with the aid of beginner guitar lesson books, DVDs and CDs. This approach lets you learn at your own pace, and there’s no-one looking over your shoulder to put you off. It’s also a cheap way to learn – great for those on a budget – and you can find books, DVDs etc that cover pretty much all guitar playing styles, which is especially good if you live in an area where there aren’t any teachers of the style(s) you’re interested in. Guitar DVDs can be especially good, as they demonstrate the correct way to perform each technique, and you can also watch each segment over and over again, until you’ve fully grasped it.

This isn’t the best way to learn guitar for everyone though. For one thing, the quality of guitar book/DVD courses is very variable, and it can be hard to figure out exactly what you’re meant to be doing if you’re relaying on static descriptions and photos/diagrams in a book (or a badly produced DVD). Some books are also pretty dated in terms of the learning material they use, and you also need to be very self-motivated, and be able to keep going without encouragement from anyone else, which can be challenging when you hit a rough patch.

3. Online Guitar Lesson Courses

The third option for beginner guitar lessons is to go online. You’ll find hundreds of sites offering guitar tuition, either for free, or for a fee. In fact, the choice can be overwhelming, and the quality varies hugely between sites (though in general, you get what you pay for). A good course of online guitar lessons gives you many of the advantages of both book learning and a private teacher. As with books, you can learn at home at your own pace, and for a very reasonable price (most complete online courses are cheaper than a few lessons with a teacher). You also get to tap the expertise of a skilled guitarists (the best courses are produced by professional guitarists who are also teachers). The advantage that online lessons offer over books or DVDs is that they are typically presented in a multi-media format, with text, video, audio and software combining to provide an effective and enjoyable learning experience from which people with different learning styles can benefit. Many web-based guitar lessons are available to download, so you can access them any time, without needing to be online.

Personally, I think that unless you really feel that you would benefit from private lessons (and have a good teacher), online lessons are the best choice for many people. They’re not perfect – as with books, you need to be very self-motivated if you’re going to stick with it, and you obviously need a computer with internet access. You do need to sort the wheat from the chaff, and avoid the poor quality sites – I recommend checking out Jamorama (see my Jamorama review), or you can also find a large list of guitar courses and other online resources in the Guitar Lessons & Training Directory. You can also read more about learning guitar online in Why Choose Online Guitar Lessons?

Whichever option you select, beginning guitar lessons is something that you won’t regret, as the guitar is such a great instrument to learn!

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