Self-Taught vs Private Lessons

[roylor4]

I am primarily self taught but joined Jamplay this last Winter. It has greatly accelerated my learning and I wish I had done it (or a similar online program) much sooner.

Private lessons are out of the question for me, I don't have the $. Online lessons are fine with me and dirt cheap too.

[SecondCity]

I've used an instructor most of the time I've been playing. I came to this as an adult, so I've tried to take the perspective that a relatively minor cost is worth it if it speeds up my progress.

I'd say it has definitely helped with goal setting. I was doing Justin Guitar, but it was hard to know if things sounded right, or if my hands were positioned correctly, etc. The instructor helped me get through the early instrument troubles.

My guess is that I'd be largely OK on my own right now, but I look forward to the lessons every week and they provide a useful way to structure my practice, so I'm happy to set aside the time for the lesson each week. I sometimes think lessons have slowed me down, but I'm fairly certain the guy I'm taking lessons with has a solid plan. I've been learning to read music, which a lot of guitarists don't do and has been a pain, but will probably make me a better musician once I'm far enough along to warrant the name. He also breaks up the lessons into skills, so that each week I practice some rhythm, some flatpicking, and some fingerstyle, as well as basic drills such as alternate picking, scales, and arpeggios. The drills can be dull sometimes, but they clearly help me progress.

The alternate picking stuff caught me off guard. I'd been doing what seemed like pointless drills working on the basic "up down" of alternate picking, but then when we got into slightly faster lead stuff, I played that way automatically. It wasn't until later that I realized that some people have to go back and train themselves to do the alternate picking. So things like that make me say that you should get lessons if they aren't a big financial impact.

I've also tried to keep my GAS in check to save cash for the lessons. Buying guitars is way more fun than taking lessons, but I try to take the perspective that I'll probably sound better if I get solid operator instructions for any gear I own. :-)

[Steel and wood]

Private lessons for close to four years before moving on to a lot of advanced stuff. (Personal one on one tuition is how I learn best).

[Kupuna50]

Self taught may result in 'a way to play', but more likely than not, it is not the 'correct way. As well, it will take considerably longer.
As an analogy, you 'could' learn calculus from a book, but, learning in a classroom with a qualified teacher will off the best learning in the least amount o time.
Time here is NOT the issue. It is learning the correct way to play.
I think we all may know someone who has damaged a wrist playing the guitar.
There are things you MUST do and things you SHOULDN'T DO.

[SecondCity]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

Self taught may result in 'a way to play', but more likely than not, it is not the 'correct way. As well, it will take considerably longer.
As an analogy, you 'could' learn calculus from a book, but, learning in a classroom with a qualified teacher will off the best learning in the least amount o time.
Time here is NOT the issue. It is learning the correct way to play.
I think we all may know someone who has damaged a wrist playing the guitar.
There are things you MUST do and things you SHOULDN'T DO.

This is a good point too. My teacher gave me pointers on stretches and stuff. Super mundane, but he's had musician friends with serious repetitive use injuries, so he focuses on that piece of playing, which is probably underappreciated (and again, as someone who started at a bit older age, probably more important).

[Purfle Haze]

Originally Posted by BigMoney

Who here is self taught and who here has studied privately?

After a lifetime of self-teaching, I can hold down a campfire pretty well and entertain myself for hours on end. But I realized that I had plateaued in my skills, and had more holes in my knowledge than a swiss cheese. This spring I have embarked on private lessons. Having a teacher to hold me to account makes a big difference; once a week I have to demonstrate some progress.

This doesn't keep me away from YouTube, however. I look for a video on any tune that catches my ear. My favorite teachers are Justinguitar, James James/Privettricker, and Shutup & Play.

Also, having something to practice and study is good for one's brain and mind– use it or lose it!

[guitargabor]

I am a firm believer in actual lessons.Of course, you have to find a compatible instructor.And practice stuff that may not turn you on....

Most of the "self taught" guitarists I have encountered seem to have deficiencies in overall musicianship.
They may play songs well,but lacking any music theory,are less able to adapt to improvising and picking up tunes...

With effective on site lessons,you have the potential to become a much more complete player...

Gabe

[rob2966]

I am almost 100% self-taught. Started at 16 yr old (now 43). That included guitar (electric and acoustic), mandolin, uke, bass, keys, and drums.

However, a few years ago I did "cave" and take some lessons. I was looking to learn how to play flamenco guitar. And although I did go to YouTube, I was having troubling "decoding" the right hand techniques involved. I took a weekly lesson for pretty much a year and it made a huge difference, and was very enjoyable.

Later
Rob

[BrunoBlack]

I've gone both ways with this one. I started my musical experience learning piano as a child and had formal instruction for years. This worked out well. When I picked up a guitar after ~10 years of piano I signed up for private lessons. After burning through 4 or 5 different instructors I put the guitar aside for a couple of years. When I started guitar again I committed to playing by ear and observation of other players and enjoyed it completely. But like others on this forum life got in the way and my guitars found their way under the bed, then very deep into my storage closet. When I picked up the guitar many years later I continued without lessons. But I wanted to learn fingerstyle and I found the "right" teacher. I've been taking lessons 1 or 2 times a month over the last year and have made excellent progress, beyond what I would have done by myself. So, the short version of this is --- if you are lucky enough to find a great teacher that matches up with your brain, it can work really well.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by BigMoney

Who here is self taught and who here has studied privately?

On a tangent, I think now more than ever it is reasonable to be completely self taught. The internet can teach you so much these days. Online videos are a great resource as well.

On the other hand you can't jam with the internet like you can a teacher. They will also point out your mistakes way faster than the internet. Backing tracks are great, but jamming with a person teaches you much more.

What do you guys think?

Agreed but it isn't the method that matters.

Ambition readily injects confidence, eagerness, and the self-discipline to weather a formal or self-taught regimen of training. It doesn't matter which method occurs, with ambition achievement is always a given. On the flip side, without ambition training suffers regardless of the method.

What people tend to do is confuse want with ambition. The former has words. The latter has legs. Hence the adage Talk Is Cheap.

So, the answer to the question for me is relative to the person, not the method.

[Alex6strings]

I was introduced to the guitar by a school teacher in primary school at about 10 or 11 years old. When I hit highschool I was already playing and as luck would have it my music teacher was a great guitar player. I've never had any formal lessons but I had some good role models during school who taught me a lot. Towards the end of school my best friend was taking guitar lessons so I would learn him that he learnt from his teacher. Since then I've been like a sponge learning from as many great players as I can.

[dkstott]

I took about a years worth of lessons when I was 12-13. Got bored and quit.

For years, I was self taught or my bandmates showed me the chords. I loved DVD's.... for $20, it taught me songs that I thought wouldn't be taught in person. But I learned the deficiency of DVD and internet the hard way.

DVD's and the internet don't reach out and correct errors or bad habits before they get ingrained into your playing. Those bad habits will eventually prevent you from improving to the point of playing difficult songs.

DVD's and the internet also don't correct timing errors / inconsistencies or point out that your fingerpicking right thumb stops keeping the beat in difficult sections of a song.

I've been taking lessons with the same person for almost 5 years. It took almost 2 years to fix all of my bad habits that were preventing me from improving. I'm amazed at my progress with his assistance.

[mercy]

Without having read the other replies I can say emphatically that you will go further with personal training IF it is good. I think most teachers out there arent.
Oh yes, Im self taught and been at it a lifetime.

[newplayer_nyc]

As an adult beginner with the luxury of being able to afford both lessons and an Internet connection, I am continually in awe of people who learned to play without YouTube - they would sit in front of the stereo or cassette player, rewind over and over, and try to recreate what they heard on their guitar. Unbelievable! I know most folks learned like that and I'm so jealous because they developed their ear in a way I never will. Literally everything I want to play has been videotaped and uploaded where I can watch it for free, and probably a lesson or ten exists on how to play it as well. So I learn new material quickly, but only via mimicry. I can't listen to something and play it back- literally I don't have a clue.

I suppose I could tell my teacher that this bothers me and I'd like his help in training my ear... But I am having a lot of fun learning new songs at a fast clip and playing them out at open mics.

[BluesKing777]

A nice mixture of both teacher lessons and self teaching over the years could give a nice work/life balance kind of thing as they say.

A decent teacher is unbeatable but not always on the same musical wavelength as you - private lessons can be pretty intense as well, so it can be good to take a break for a year, or 10. to assimilate ....err..'what happened?'

But generally if you can afford private lessons, go for it!

BluesKing777.