When I started guitar lessons at 13 years old, I didn’t know what qualities to look for in a good guitar teacher.
Unfortunately, neither did my parents.
Even though I took guitar lessons right from day 1, my first guitar teacher didn’t help me progress much as a player.
After an entire year of lessons, I still couldn’t play through a whole song without stopping.
(Heck, I couldn’t even change chords smoothly.)
This is, sadly, very common in the guitar lessons industry.
But here’s the thing – it’s NEVER the student’s (or their parent’s) fault!
Unless you’re already an advanced-level musician, or a music teacher yourself, you likely don’t know what qualities to look for in a good guitar teacher.
You’re flying blind.
Here are 3 questions you should ask every guitar teacher before you take lessons with them:
Question 1:
How Long Have You Been Teaching Guitar, And How Many Students Have You Taught During That Time?
Unlike with other instruments (like piano, or violin), most guitar teachers aren’t actually taught how to teach guitar… They just wing it.
Their teaching is based on trial and error… And most of them never get training on how to teach guitar effectively.
Becoming a good teacher takes time and practice.
You want to look for AT LEAST 3-5 years of teaching experience when choosing a guitar teacher.
And definitely, no less than 1 year’s worth of experience.
A young guitar teacher treats their initial students like experiments. You don’t want to be one of those first 30-50 students.
Let that guitar teacher gain his or her experience by making mistakes on someone else.
Question 2:
What Styles Of Music Do You Teach Best?
If you look at most guitar teachers, they’ll often say that they teach “all genres”.
… Or they have a list of genres that looks like a Spotify catalogue.
The fact is, most guitar teachers can only effectively teach around 3 to 5 genres at most.
So if you find a guitar who says they can teach “all genres” — don’t be impressed. You should actually turn tail and run away… Fast!
You need to find a guitar teacher who teaches the specific style(s) you want to play on guitar.
If you want to play rock guitar, your best option is to find a teacher who specializes in rock guitar.
If you want to play bluegrass, your best option is to find a teacher who teaches — you guessed it — bluegrass.
If you are a total beginner to guitar, you should try to find a guitar teacher that is most in line with the styles you would like to play in the future.
If you’re not sure what styles you want to play, try to find one who teaches the same genres of music you like to listen to — this is usually a good starting place.
Question 3:
Can You Tell Me How You Teach Lessons?
This is possibly the most important question you can ask.
And the answer you get to this question is very important because this is actually a trick question.
If a prospective guitar teacher who does not know you, your musical knowledge, your guitar technique, your musical tastes, and your musical goals tries to explain how he or she will teach you, they are not a good guitar teacher!
Not even the best guitar teacher on earth could answer this question without knowing about you, your musical preferences, and where you’re at with your guitar playing right now.
So what would an experienced and competent guitar teacher do when you ask them this question?
Well, I can’t speak for every guitar teacher out there.
But I can tell you what I do for my students:
I have every prospective new student fill out an introductory lesson request where they tell me what kind of guitar they play, what their current guitar playing experience is, what playing challenges they are experiencing, and what their long-term goals on guitar are.
I speak to every new student on the phone and ask them to elaborate on their answers they gave me on the request form. I also ask if they have any specific problems they want my help with during their introductory lesson, and what they ultimately want to be able to play on guitar.
If we weren’t able to speak over the phone, then we discuss this during their introductory lesson. No exceptions.
We meet for a free, no-obligation introductory lesson so we can meet in person, and help me better understand their unique playing challenges.
I also provide solutions to their existing challenges, and tell them the next steps they should take in their practicing.
I create a unique learning plan for every student that is customized to their specific guitar playing goals.
Over time, I monitor my student’s progress and check in with them to see if their guitar playing goals have changed.
This way, I can make sure to teach them what they need to know to reach that goal as quickly as possible.
If you want help from a professional guitar teacher, So you can play guitar the way you've always wanted, without the struggle of teaching yourself...
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Article By: Jordon Brosseau
Head Instructor, Forest City Guitar Lessons