The Online World of Guitar Lessons

The options are endless. From cooking classes to virtual gyms, you can do mostly anything online. We live in the age of internet convenience, and nothing says convenience like learning how to slay guitar from the comfort of your own home. There will always be YouTube, but what if you long for something more? Here’s why you should consider the online world of guitar lessons – along with some helpful tips to navigate the experience.

1. Identify Your Learning Style

Any good decision regarding education begins with a knowledge of self. Identifying your learning style should help you find and stick with lessons that are right for you. Different paths correspond with our diverse strengths: hands-on coaching with an instructor can be hard to beat for the musician who needs feedback, independent learning modules may work best for the learner who appreciates a good structured lesson to knock out at their own pace, and group lessons are ideal for people who learn best through interactions with others. Identifying your learning style also involves appreciating your communication style. For example, for some, camera shyness causes anxiety and completely takes away from any benefits lessons may otherwise have – and so, Skype lessons and video Q&A sessions may not be ideal. Luckily, there are plenty of options – including different lesson-types and instructors to go around. Take a personality and learning style quiz for a personalized look into how you learn. Embrace yourself with positivity and confidence, and you will have already started down the path to success!

2. Identify Your Influences

Next, spend some time reflecting on your musical influences and interests. Who made you want to learn guitar in the first place, and who made you want to buckle down and truly expand your learning? Not only can this make the process of picking the best lesson site enjoyable, it also can leave you with valuable insight to the more technical aspects of playing – including styles, techniques and guitar models. This could be crucial to your lessons in a more direct way. Your online instructor may be interested in hearing you out to gauge which direction they should guide you, and some sites specialize in certain genres and techniques over others. Be prepared with a list of your all-time favorites – you may be surprised what it can do for your journey!

3. Identify Your Goals

Finally, evaluate your goals. How far along are you in your guitar journey, and how far do you wish to go? From beginners to even seasoned musicians, musicians of all experience levels have found value in online guitar lessons which is a testament to the notion we can all stand to learn, especially if we want to perfect our craft. Some will absolutely be excited by sites that have thousands of lessons available to keep them busy, others may wish only to brush up on a few things, such as finger picking styles or tricks to adapt to new or difficult chords. The more you set short and long-term goals, the easier it will be to feel accomplished as a student! Create a guitar lessons chart to help you narrow down your best options.

At the end of the day, learning about guitar takes patience – and this applies to pinning down the educational path best for you. Take a deep breath, sign up for a free trial if available, and reap the benefits of this new and exciting world.