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Online Guitar Instruction Is Not For Everyone – Here’s Why

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Online guitar lessons are a very popular choice among people who want to learn the guitar from the comfort of their own home. There are many advantages to learning guitar online – in fact, you can read more about these in the article Why Choose Online Guitar Lessons? However, learning the guitar this way is not the best choice for everyone – read on to find out why.

1. Motivation Issues

First of all, you have to be very motivated to succeed as a self-taught guitarist. Motivation isn’t normally a problem in the beginning, when you’re full of enthusiasm and have not yet run into any major roadblocks. But this initial enthusiasm tends to wear off as you discover just how hard the guitar can be. Unfortunately, many would-be guitarists give up at this stage.

If you’re having lessons with a teacher, they’ll provide encouragement, and this encouragement is often the only thing that keeps people from giving up during the difficult times. If you’re relying on online lessons, and don’t know any other guitar players you can talk to, you’ll have to will have to be your own source of motivation.

It’s worth noting that some providers of guitar lessons on the internet have created virtual communities around their courses, such as discussion boards where members can provide support for each other. So if you decide that online lessons are the best option for you, it’s worth choosing a course which offers this kind of supportive environment.

2. It’s Easy To Pick Up Poor Playing Habits

A second disadvantage of learning guitar online is that without the guidance of an experienced teacher, it’s really easy to develop bad habits. These include poor posture and faulty hand positions. The problem with habits like these is that they aren’t likely to cause problems when you’re starting off, but as you become more advanced they can interfere with your ability to execute more difficult techniques, and may even end up leading to injuries.

laptop computerA good course of online guitar lessons will include video instruction that clearly shows you how you should be standing or sitting, and how you should position your hands. If you put this guidance into practice you should be okay, but you must be very vigilant about maintaining the correct positions, since you don’t have a teacher to point out when you’re starting to slide into bad habits.

This can be challenging, and it could be helpful to practice in front of a mirror, and to revisit those sections of the course which show you the basics from time to time, to ensure that you’re still playing correctly.

3. It’s Not The Best Option For All Playing Styles

There are some guitar playing styles which are more difficult than others, and these don’t lend themselves so well to self-teaching. Classical and flamenco guitar are the most obvious examples here, and if you are serious about learning these, private lessons would be your best option.

4. Quality Issues

Since anybody can create a guitar lessons site and set themselves up as an expert, internet guitar lessons vary wildly in quality. This can be a problem for the new guitar player, who isn’t necessarily in a position to sort the wheat from the chaff. For this reason it’s important to do your due diligence before deciding which course to follow. It’s always a good idea to look for professionally produced lessons from experienced guitarists and teachers.

While there are some good quality free online guitar lessons to be found, gaining access to the best stuff will often involve paying a fee, which will either be a one-off payment or – in some cases – a monthly membership. But even this cost will be minimal in comparison to the amount you’d otherwise pay for ongoing private lessons.

 
If you’re committed to teaching yourself the guitar at home, interactive online guitar lessons are probably the best way to go, so long as you’re aware of the pitfalls. For more information about choosing the most suitable online guitar lessons for you read the article Which Online Guitar Lessons Are Best For You? Personally, I recommend Jamorama’s guitar course, which is of excellent quality – click here to find out more.

Jamorama guitar lessons

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