Can Guitar be Self taught?
Should I take guitar lessons or teach myself?
The question of whether or not it is possible to teach yourself the guitar is often asked by my guitar students and online.
The answer is a resounding “Yes”
I did it and many thousands or millions of guitarists have done it down through the years.
When I was learning there was no internet or You Tube.
There was no guitar teacher in my town.
So I was alone trying to figure out guitar chords from books, magazines and watching guitars on TV!
Crazy Fact!
I learned how to play a power chord from a TV soap that my mum had recorded which featured a guitar player playing a power chord.
I played, stopped and rewinded a VHS so many times trying to figure out how to play the chord.
Just look at the guitar resources available to us now from guitar video lessons, online guitar tabs and guitar chords apps.
But it's not just about resources, it about resourcefulness!
Resourcefulness is all about taking what you have learned and applying it - sometimes you need a bit help to keep you on the right path.
Self Taught Guitar: What to consider ?
However, there are a few things to consider before embarking on your self-study guitar journey.
One of the benefits of self-teaching is the flexibility it offers.
You can set your own pace and schedule, and choose the learning materials that suit your needs and goals.
You can focus on the type of music that you like to listen to and want to play.
There are numerous resources available online, including video lessons, guitar tabs, and virtual instructors, that can help you learn the basics and more advanced techniques.
Self Taught Guitar: The Challenges
However, self-teaching also has its challenges.
Where a guitar teacher can help with those challenges.
It can be difficult to know if you are playing correctly and making progress.
It can also be tempting to skip over important guitar and music foundational concepts and jump ahead to more exciting material, which can lead to bad habits and frustration in the long run.
Simple guitar foundations like:
Self-teaching has its challenges because you may not properly learn these guitar foundations that might lead to bad physical form and bad habits that restrict your progress later on down the line.
It can be difficult to know if you are playing correctly and making progress.
It can also be tempting to skip over important guitar and music foundational concepts and jump ahead to more exciting material, which makes those bad habits worse and frustration in the long run.
This is where a guitar teacher can really help overcome those challenges and set you on the right path from the very beginning.
Guitar lessons vs Self Taught
One way to overcome these challenges is to supplement your self-study with guitar lessons.
This can help you get personalised feedback and guidance, and ensure that you are learning the right skills in the right order.
Why Guitar lessons with a guitar teacher can supplement your self taught guitar journey:
-A guitar teacher can provide personalised instruction and feedback
-A guitar teacher can help you develop a guided learning pace
-A guitar teacher can teach you proper technique and help you avoid bad habits
-A guitar teacher can provide guidance and structure for your practice sessions (The 3 Ps of Guitar)
-A guitar teacher can help you set and achieve goals
-A guitar teacher can expose you to new styles and techniques
-A guitar teacher can provide a sense of accountability and motivation to practice and improve
Learn your first Guitar Chord with me
How to play common guitar chord progressions