How To Find A Good Guitar Instructor

Learning to play the guitar might not be the easiest thing in the world but it is definitely one of the most worthwhile. For beginners, it is only the first few months that are difficult. Here’s why:

First of all, you are starting to use muscles in your hands, fingers and wrists that you have never used in this way, therefore it will take a while for them to adjust to the new positions they have to form when practising chords and scales.

These positions and actions requires a lot of strength so this will also take time to build up, just as with any muscle-building exercises.

After that there is the co-ordination between the left and right hands, and of course you are learning a new subject, so the mind will also need time to adjust.

All these things together can make it seem as if the guitar is a hard instrument to master. Just keep in mind that this will only last for a few months, and for some people, just a few weeks.

This initial phase is where you require the most help and support. As a guitar instructor for more than 25 years, I notice this problem constantly and always try to encourage my students to practise properly and to maintain a positive approach.

Then after the initial problem is conquered, they start to get pleasure from their playing and learning tremendously. It is extremely rare that I get a student drop out because they find it too hard.

If you are a beginner and finding it tough going, then take my advice and look for a good, experienced guitar instructor. You can buy as many books and DVD’s on the subject as you like but in these early days, there is absolutely no substitute for a first-class tutor.

They will be able to show you the correct way to play the required techniques, provide feedback, correct your mistakes and provide the encouragement you need.

So, how do you know if a teacher is any good before meeting them for the first time? Simple, just ask them these questions:

1. How long have they been playing?

2. How long have they been teaching?

3. Do they teach different styles or do they specialise in only one?

4. Do they have a syllabus or program that they teach from?

If you are serious about learning to play the guitar, then you should make sure that they have been playing for at least 8 years and teaching for at least 2.

Teaching the guitar is an art in itself and takes a few years to master as well as requiring a vast amount of head knowledge, plus the capacity to explain and demonstrate it.

Be on the look out for guitarists who are merely trying to make money from beginners. Some of these people don’t know their subject properly and should not be doing it without the knowledge and experience required.

I frequently take on new students who complain that their previous guitar instructor was useless and wasted their money. Don’t let this happen to you, especially in the early days.

Once you pass this point, you can purchase as many books and DVD’s on the subject as you want, because from this point on, they will be extremely useful learning aids.

If you are a total beginner and have already bought a few items like these, simply take them along to your tutor, who will be able to help you understand them easily.