COST OF LESSONS
Don’t make the cost of lesson’s No. 1 on your list. Let me explain why. Not all guitar teachers teach from the same method and each teacher has a unique teaching personality. My personal experience has been teachers that are well rounded make the best teachers. For example, maybe one teacher has a degree in music, maybe Jazz but has never really performed or studied any style other than Jazz. Now, he could teach Blues but wouldn’t it make more sense for someone who knows the Blues to teach you? He will know the songs and techniques needed to make you a great Blues guitarist. So sometimes a degree is beneficial and sometimes it’s not. On the flip side of this would be more a street player who is really an amazing player but wouldn’t be able to explain from a Music theory standpoint what he’s doing. My advice is that you research and choose a teacher who can play what you want to play and explain why you are playing it. How to get the sounds you need from your guitar, amps and effects to be able to authentically play what you want to play.
Let’s look at cost on paper. For example, you pay $160 a month for lessons to Teacher A and you start as a beginner. Say you are strumming and fingerpicking songs within 1 to 3 months. Teacher B is $120 a month but after a year you really still can’t play the songs in time and have not even progressed to having a repertoire or lists of songs you can play. 3 months at $160 is $480. 12 months at $120 is $1440.
My expectation as a teacher – and I have many testimonials on my website – is that most students who apply what they learn in their lessons can be playing even to the level of soloing and improvisation within a year. You really need to make the right choice on choosing a teacher. Slow progress or no progress will discourage you and then you may possibly quit. Many have quit playing the guitar because they didn’t have the right teacher. Money is always a consideration but shouldn’t be the main factor. Hopefully, this helps you to make a better decision on choosing your guitar teacher.
LOCATION
With the right guitar teacher you can learn what it may take 6 months to learn in a matter of weeks or could teach you things you could never learn with another teacher. It will also save you money. I’ve had students travel an hour or more to and from a lesson because of the value of what they are learning. Again, just as we examined the cost of lessons, there is great value in taking lessons with a teacher that you can continually progress with. It would be nice if they were around the corner but what if you had to drive 30 or more minutes to get there. Let’s look at Teacher A and Teacher B. Teacher A is 15 minutes away but you take lessons there for a year and a half and still can’t play songs with good timing or any solo’s that sound like your guitar hero. How frustrating is that? Say another student studies with Teacher B and has to drive 45 minutes to the lesson but in 18 months, everyone is telling him or her how amazed they are at their playing and this student has confidence in what and how they play which is a direct result of the training they have received. Not only the training but the motivation, inspiration and knowledge of a teacher who guided them to where they want to be. Which student would you want to be? If you are Student A, maybe it’s time to make a change. Believe me, a great teacher is worth the drive. Just crank up your favorite player and dream about playing like them on the way to each lesson!
Talk to you soon.
