Online Guitar Lessons

Are Online Guitar Lessons Worth It?

The internet is a great avenue to improve one’s skills. There are a lot of resources you can find in order to hone your talent and improve further. There are also tools and video lessons that can help a beginner start with a new craft.

Because of this, a lot of people are now taking lessons for guitar online. If you’re deciding whether an online guitar lesson is worth your time, here’s a compilation of the pros and cons of online guitar lessons and a few tips to improve the experience.

Benefits Of Online Guitar Lessons

There certainly are a lot of benefits for online guitar lessons if you really want to be a guitar player and it’s one of the main reasons why it’s quite popular to a lot of people, especially ones who are just starting out.

1.You Get To Decide Who Will Teach You

While you can certainly research instructors who teach guitar lessons in person, you are somehow limited to the instructors near you. You can always opt for an instructor who is far but can teach you better, however, it can become a lot more work than it’s worth it in the end.

With online guitar lessons, you can pick any teacher you want from the list of people who are offering their services online. Even if they are from a different city or even a different country, you can have them as your instructor.

2. More Convenient Schedules

Since every lesson can be taken as long as you have a working internet connection and a guitar, it makes scheduling way easier for both the instructor and the student. You also do not have to think of the time you waste on traveling to meet up with the instructor. You can also easily switch from one task to another without having to give schedule extra time for traveling.

3. More Cost-Efficient

Considering the fact that you have to travel when learning guitar in person, it can be more cost-efficient to just do it online. Aside from that, you can easily use your quick breaks to grab a bite or two from your kitchen, without having to buy food outside. You’re paying for the same amount for the instructor minus the fees that go along with doing it in person.

4. Less Time Traveling, More Time Learning

A person spends way too much time commuting than doing things to improve themselves. This is why a great core learning system can be extremely beneficial as you no longer have to worry about being stuck in traffic and doing nothing productive.

Aside from that, you can also warm up before the lessons start and continue learning after. Compared to learning in a studio where you immediately have to travel before and after the lesson, learning online is definitely an improvement in the experience.

5. Easier To Review Files

Since it’s easy to record lessons and transfer files, the learning experience can be better than learning in a studio with your instructor. After the lessons, you can also review the recorded lessons afterward and continue practicing guitar tricks on your own.

 

Challenges When Taking Online Guitar Lessons

While there are a lot of benefits, there are certainly a few challenges when learning to play guitar online. Other students can easily overcome these challenges while there are others who can’t and thus, it makes their experience worse.

1. Dependent On Internet Connection

Admittedly, online guitar lessons work best for people who have a good internet connection. If you have an unstable internet connection, it can make the learning experience bad. This is a rare occurrence but if it happens, this can make learning a little hard especially for the beginners.

You can make sure to have a stable internet connection every time by running tests and checking your internet speed before every lesson. If you consistently have a bad internet connection, then you can try to call your service provider and have your internet connection upgraded.

2. Quality Of Sound Is Not The Same

Playing guitar is all about properly strumming the strings to create a rich melodic sound. However, if you are learning online, your instructor might have a few difficulties with the sound quality which can be troublesome.

But it’s easy to solve this problem. Most instructors use a high-quality mic to improve the experience. Although not necessary, it is highly recommended that you also buy your own high-quality mic that captures the sound properly.

3. Difficult To See Fingers On Strings

Since you’re learning online, you’re limited to the device you’re using. If you’re on a smartphone or tablet, it can greatly reduce your ability to see where the fingers are placed on the guitar. Using a laptop or a computer is the best option as they have a bigger screen and can drastically improve learning.

Of course, if the instructor has anticipated this beforehand and created a file to assist you with your learning, this will make everything easier.

4. Distractions

Nothing beats the studio setting as it keeps you more focused on learning the guitar. Since you’re at home, it is likely that distractions surround you. Whether it’s your family members trying to ask something from you or it’s your pets who want attention, being at home while learning songs can be troublesome.

You can solve this issue by communicating with people in your home not to disturb you at a certain time. You can also recreate the studio feel by dedicating a space in your bedroom to become your own studio where you can learn the guitar.

 

Tips To Improve While Taking Online Guitar Lessons

While online guitar lessons can already improve your experience learning songs on the guitar, there are still a few ways you can improve your experience. Below is a list of tips you can do take to make it easy for you to learn guitar online.

1. Choose An Expert Instructor

The first thing you have to check is an instructor’s credentials. Make sure that they are qualified to teach guitar lessons to other people. Without proper credentials, it might be difficult to build the trust necessary in order to make learning fun and easy.

Checking the reviews is one of the best things you can do if you want to look for an online instructor to teach you. While they can be extremely expert in the music field, you have to hear from their other students about how great they are as instructors.

2. Try To Study Ahead Of Time

Guitar courses are supposed to help you learn and your instructors are there to make it easy for you. But you can improve your skill levels by studying ahead of time so that the online lessons will be easier for you to understand and practice. You don’t need to do extensive research, you just have to learn the basics and understand the key terms so your instructor can communicate what they want.

3. Print Out Chords

It’s always better to have a handy guide with you while you are practicing some chords. You can ask your instructor for a guide since they usually provide these materials to help their students.

Having a physical copy of the positioning of the chords can be extremely useful when you want to learn fast. If you can’t see the finger placing properly, you can always refer to your copy.

4. Use High-Quality Equipment

While a simple laptop will do, your learning experience can be improved if you are using high-quality devices such as a good mic and a large screen. It will make learning easier for the student and instructor.

There are certain mics and speakers that are specifically made for music. You can buy this equipment to improve the lessons. After the lessons, you can use these tools to start recording yourself playing guitar tricks.

Learn Guitar During COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the world is in lockdown, it has never been more convenient to start to learn guitar through online lessons. Spending most of your days in your home and not going out with your friends can be a little boring.

This is why it’s one of the best times to improve your guitar skills instead of just browsing the internet the whole day. While there is nothing much to do, you can start stimulating your brain while learning to play the guitar.

Whether its Learning the guitar, learning the drums or learning the piano, they can all be extremely fun and you can have a lifelong skill that may be useful to you in the future. While there are a few challenges, they can be easily solved with a few hacks. The benefits of learning the guitar online certainly outweigh its challenges and it is highly recommended for students, especially beginners, to improve their skill levels online with an instructor.

There are more tips to make the experience better. Online guitar lessons are definitely a different experience for every student and it is up to you if you think this is the best way for you to learn. Using an acoustic guitar will be a little easier than using an electric guitar to start.

With Jamplay, you have access to world-class teachers online that have the best guitar courses.