| Every newbie guitar player faces the | | | | questions should help you make a solid |
| following question: "What's the absolute best | | | | decision: |
| way for me to learn guitar?" Should you | | | | |
| should learn it yourself or hire a | | | | 1. How much can I afford to spend on lessons, |
| professional? Which guitar courses are | | | | books, etc, and how much am I willing to |
| recommended most often? What about those | | | | invest to get started? |
| Internet based guitar training sites? | | | | |
| | | | 2. How do I learn best? For example, can you |
| These are all valid questions because how you | | | | pick up concepts easily just by reading about |
| learn to play the guitar is just as important | | | | them, or do you prefer to have audio and |
| as what you learn to play. Teaching yourself | | | | video demonstrations you can follow along |
| how to play might work just fine if you've | | | | with? |
| got a good ear and some previous exposure to | | | | |
| music theory or proficiency on another | | | | 3. Am I looking to learn a specific style of |
| instrument. | | | | guitar such as Classical, Blues or Jazz? |
| | | | You'll still need to learn basic music theory |
| If you are a "newbie" to playing any | | | | for any style of music, but you might want to |
| instrument,it would be a good idea to get a | | | | look for instruction that focuses on teaching |
| teacher -- or -- join an online program where | | | | the theory in one of these contexts. |
| you can interact with several teachers as | | | | |
| well as fellow students. In fact, I would | | | | 4. How much time can I allocate to practice? |
| recommend finding at least one 'mentor' or a | | | | This is very important if you're considering |
| 'study buddy' to learn with even if you lean | | | | on hiring a guitar teacher. Most teachers |
| towards teaching yourself. | | | | will require you to master a lesson before |
| | | | moving on to the next one. |
| Why? | | | | |
| | | | You'll still be paying for those lessons even |
| In short, you learn more and make more | | | | when you aren't making much progress. So, if |
| progress faster than you would in isolation | | | | you're strapped for time, I recommend |
| because you'll be exposed to alternative ways | | | | investing in a home-study or online couse. |
| of thinking about your approach to the | | | | This will give you a 24/7 access to the |
| guitar. Other players can share tips and | | | | information you need away from your regular |
| techniques you have never seen before, as | | | | guitar lessons. |
| well as help you overcome a problem area that | | | | |
| they've already mastered. | | | | 5. How 'good' of a player do I want to be? |
| | | | If guitar is just a hobby for you, then |
| Ultimately, though, the question of how to | | | | you'll likely do well with just about any |
| learn guitar is up to you and your choice | | | | method of instruction. If you want to go pro |
| should be guided by consideration of your own | | | | or start a band, though, you should learn |
| unique situation. The following list of | | | | from as many different sources as possible. |