One of the biggest questions new guitarists have is “what’s the best way to learn the guitar?”
Spoiler - the short answer is that there is no ‘best’ way for everyone. BUT - there is a best way to learn guitar for you, at your current skill level, with your current goals, and that is what this guide is here to help you with.
To get started, let’s have a look at your goals for learning to play the guitar.
Why do you want to learn to play the guitar?
There’s so many great reasons to learn to play (not to mention a few not so great ones) but until you understand your motivation, you’re going to struggle to find the right learning method for you.
Some common examples we hear from students are:
To learn a new skill (mental challenge, enjoyable activity etc)
To learn to play your favourite songs
To become a professional musician
To play songs around the campfire (social activity)
To connect more with a significant other (check out this guide to choosing songs to play for serenading if that’s you)
If you’ve already been playing guitar for a while, the question becomes more “why do you want to improve your guitar playing skills,” which could be things like:
To overcome a new challenge
To learn a new style (here’s a guide to choosing the best guitar style to learn)
To achieve greater mastery over the guitar
To work up to performing live
There’s no real right answer, and you may have multiple answers which is also fine.
However, I would watch out for reasons like these:
Because I have to learn a musical instrument
To impress someone
I don’t know, I have lots of free time
as they are external reasons to learn an instrument. Learning to play the guitar (or any instrument) can be a great social activity, but the majority of it is private. You’re going to spend many hours alone with your guitar, and if you personally don’t have a reason to play it, it’s unlikely to be a rewarding experience for you.
In short, we can broadly group these goals into 4 main categories:
Passion and love for music
Challenge, mastery and fulfilment
Social experience
Professional development
What’s your personality and learning style?
Next, you need to figure out what learning style suits your personality. This isn’t “I am a book learner so I must learn all skills from books”, but more a case of “do I enjoy structure? Pressure? Practical vs theory?”
You don’t need a perfect answer for this in relation to learning to play guitar, as if you’re a beginner you probably don’t know yet what’s best for you, but think about what you prefer outside of guitar:
Do you prefer to march to your own drum or follow strict guidance?
Do you like to learn with others or on your own?
To you prefer to learn from videos/watching people and copying, reading, listening or a combination of the above?
Are you good at motivating yourself, or do you prefer having a support network/supervisor?
There’s a lot more you can ask other than this, but be honest about what you prefer. None of this is set in stone, as part of the guitar learning experience is learning how to learn, but will help you determine a good starting point for your decisions.
Guitar Learning Methods
Now, with these goals and preferences in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most popular ways to learn to play the guitar!
Self-Teaching
Learning to play on your own is now the most common way to get started with the guitar. This method often involves apps, videos and books, but is primarily defined by the fact that YOU choose what to learn and when to learn it!
This can be a great option for seeing you like the basics of playing the guitar, and can also be great for experienced players who want a challenge.
It’s also a good option for those who want a challenge, are very independent or really want to go at their own pace without much supervision.
However, most beginners quickly hit a limit on how much they can learn on their own, which is primarily due to the fact that you don’t get any feedback when learning on your own. Most students who have self taught who come to us for lessons generally say they want to know if their hand position is good, they’re working on the right things, to work out what to play next and so on.
Regardless of your main method for learning guitar, it’s vitally important that you learn how to self-learn over time. The reason is simple - it’s the ONE method you can always rely on, and if you develop your self-learning skills you’ll become more effective in all the other styles of learning.
If you want to try learning on your own, I would recommend:
Setting clear goals for yourself (maybe following a book, Youtube series or app)
Working out a routine for yourself
Trying other learning methods periodically for new inspiration, feedback or direction
Other advantages:
Cost! The cheapest option in terms of dollars, but can be more expensive in terms of the time it takes to learn things. Not really an issue if you’re not in a rush.
Flexibility. You can learn when you want to learn. This can be risky, as if you don’t schedule time for guitar playing, it’s easy for it to lose the habit when you have a busy week, but is great for motivated people.
Private Guitar Tuition
Some of our lovely students after their guitar gradings. Ours is one example of more structured private tuition with social playing, which is best for players who are goal oriented about their guitar playing and like a sense of direction.
The traditional way to learn the guitar is with private one-on-one lessons, typically for 30 minutes per week, broken up into 4 terms of 8 weeks.
However, there are a lot of different ways private tuition can work, including:
group lessons
longer lessons/multiple lessons per week
exams
performances, workshops, masterclasses
online lessons
so it’s worth exploring lots of options.
The general advantages of private guitar tuition are:
Guidance from an expert
Structure and accountability
Regular new material and repertoire (that’s appropriate for your skill level)
There’s a reason why this method is the oldest way of learning the guitar - it’s incredibly dynamic (you can adapt what you’re working on between lessons, which is harder to do with a set course), gives quick feedback and helps answer a lot of the little questions that arise when you’re first learning to play the guitar.
However, there are definitely some drawbacks to private guitar tuition:
Monetary cost. A tertiary qualified guitar teacher typically charges $70 per hour in Melbourne, though it’s possible to get a less qualified, casual teacher for closer to $50 per hour. Group lessons can be a cheaper alternative, however.
Scheduling. If you can only take lessons when your teacher is available, your progress may become tied to their availability. This is particularly problematic over school holidays, as many teachers don’t provide lessons all year around.
Finding the right teacher can be a challenge. There’s no “best” teacher, but there are different personalities, interests and teaching styles that are great for some students and terrible for others.
Potential lack of structure. Some teachers have an approach of “you tell me what you want to work on this week”, which is great if you know what you need to do, but can leave beginners a bit lost.
In general, you’ll no doubt be able to find a local teacher in your area, so first step is to meet up with them and see if they can help you. Look for qualifications, experience, personality type, musical tastes and above all understanding of your needs, but you will almost certainly have to compromise on at least one of these variables to some extent as it’s unlikely the “perfect” teacher for you is right next door!
Qualifications aren’t vital for a guitarist, but they do ensure that your teacher knows a baseline level of knowledge (Bachelors of Music is standard).
Experience is great as there are so many little things that you can only truly master by doing. Teachers who regularly perform are going to be much better at teaching you how to perform than a teacher who purely teaches for exams, but the reverse is also true.
Personality types are important, but it’s not like you need to find someone with the same personality as you. Sometimes an enthusiastic, energetic teacher is exactly what a quiet, introverted student needs to come out of their shell, but in other scenarios, it can make the learning environment too overwhelming!
Musical tastes are partially important, depending on what you want to learn. Almost every guitar teacher will be able to teach rock and blues to a certain level as it’s nearly impossible to avoid it in your guitar tuition, but if you want to learn metal, jazz or classical, you may need a teacher who is more proficient (even if it’s not their main style).
Finally, finding a teacher who understands your needs is really important, as it doesn’t matter how great they are at teaching, they need to be teaching you the stuff that gets you to where you want to be! One example I can think of is the insistence of guitar teachers to teach rock players to read notation before playing rock songs, even though rock music is never written in standard notation.
Remember too that your needs for a teacher can change over time. Some teachers are incredible at teaching beginners the basics but can’t teach advanced styles, but that doesn’t make them bad teachers by any stretch. It’s ok to change teachers over time as your needs change.
Formal Guitar Qualifications
For guitar, there are two main types of formal qualifications you can attain:
Classical Grades (usually from the AMEB or ANZCA)
Certificate, Diploma or Bachelors of Music (usually in Classical or Jazz/Contemporary)
That being said, there are other qualifications, like:
Rockschool exams (managed by the AMEB)
Year 12 Music
Short courses
These courses are good in that they are highly structured, have clear learning outcomes and you’ll often know exactly what you’re going to learn.
The main downside is that they are only for very specialised styles! So, if you aren’t interested in Jazz or Classical, you’re going to spend a lot of time playing stuff you don’t enjoy. (Here’s a rundown on what’s involved in learning to play classical guitar)
There’s one really big advantage that’s often overlooked by those considering formal music qualifications, and that’s the connections you make with other high-level guitarists and other musicians. Only dedicated players will tackle formal qualifications, so getting to play and learn with other like-minded players is incredibly rewarding.
There are a couple of other drawbacks worth mentioning:
Cost. Formal learning can be quite expensive, particularly for Certificates, Diplomas and Bachelors. It’s also a big time commitment at all levels! (Don’t ask me about my HELP debt please).
The structure can be restrictive. Many students I was studying with complained about not having any free time to practice anything outside of their songs. This often happens when preparing for classical exams too.
That being said, I still recommend all students considering a career in music seriously investigating formal qualifications. Whilst I’ve never needed my Bachelors for getting a gig, the knowledge, skills and confidence are things I use every day.
Practical playing (jamming & performing)
The stereotypical “garage band” experience.
One of the least common ways guitarists learn today is through jamming and playing songs with their mates! It’s a great way to learn though, no matter what level you’re at, as playing with other people is a big part of most styles of guitar.
This could be as simple as a jamming session with a friend or neighbour, or could be actually joining a band or performing group as a guitarist to grow your skills.
Practical playing is one of the most fun ways to learn, as by definition it’s primarily focused on the actual playing of your instrument and making music.
On top of that:
It can be very cheap (or even make you money if you do it professionally)
Gives social connection
Provides great motivation and builds independent learning skills
On the other hand:
Finding people to play with can be tough
It can be time-consuming - especially co-ordinating rehearsals and performances with other people
Total beginners may be a bit lost on their own.
You only learn skills “as required”, which may mean you’ll miss out on learning some other more advanced techniques or theory that requires some fundamental groundwork.
Finding the best solution for you
Now for the important part!
Working out which guitar learning options will achieve your goals
First, your goals would have loosely fit into a number of these categories:
Passion and love for music
Challenge, mastery and fulfilment
Social experience
Professional development
Passion and love for music is one that you can fulfil from any of the methods, but I’d encourage you to look at the methods that will make things the most fun and enjoyable. For some people, that’s tinkering away, practicing on your own, but it’s often also great to add in a social component through lessons, courses or jam sessions as you’ll be with other people who inflame your passion.
Challenge can be attained through learning solo, as it is definitely much more of a challenge to figure things out on your own. However, if that’s not the sort of challenge you’re after, a teacher, course or band that will push you will also challenge your skills and abilities.
Mastery is possible through any method (and in fact, by definition may actually require you to master all of these methods!), but mastery requires focus. I would encourage you to pick WHAT you want to master now, and find the right method for achieving that goal. For example, if you want to perform live, you might opt to join a group and get some private tuition to help yourself out.
Fulfilment requires progressing at the right pace and working towards those goals, so make sure you aren’t burning yourself out or limiting yourself by doing too much or too little guitar learning.
Social experience can best be achieved through jamming and playing with others, but if you’re not ready for that step (or don’t have anyone to play with), look for private tuition that has group lessons and a community of like-minded players. Formal qualifications will also help you to meet people too, if you’re ready for that commitment.
Professional Development can best be achieved by working with a professional who knows and uses the skills that you want to develop, which is most commonly a teacher or course, but it could also be a friend or jamming partner who can show you the ropes too.
Narrow down the methods of learning to play guitar to the ones that suit you
Now that you have a few options for how you can achieve these goals, look at what will suit your personality and lifestyle best. Try to think about what will actually suit you best, rather than what feels “comfortable” at the moment, as whilst the thought or Practical Playing in a jam session may seem scary, it may be exactly what you have come to realise you need. Remember. multiple methods can be combined!
Choose the best option for learning the guitar based on what’s available to you
Finally, trying to choose the best teacher/course/materials/jam group to try requires a bit of prioritising. We all have limited time and budgets, you’re going to have to choose for yourself whether you want to prioritise:
Time vs monetary costs. Cheap qualifications and teachers are cheaper for a reason, but if you don’t mind giving up more time to connect the dots and learn on your own, it may be a better option for you right now. Similarly, an expensive paid guitar online guitar course will likely compile a bunch of lessons which you could find yourself on Youtube, but it saves you time.
Expectations vs goals. If you want to spend an hour a week playing guitar, that’s totally fine, but it’s unrealistic to expect to do just that and also become a professional guitarist in a year. Balance your expectations and goals and you’ll save yourself future disappointment. (Here’s a guide to working out how much guitar practice time you’ll need)
Convenience vs appropriateness. If you have found the best teacher for you but they teach over an hour away from you, it might make more sense for you to settle for a good teacher nearby to make learning more convenient (and therefore, easier to continue). Then again, maybe that inconvenience is worth it!
Next Steps
Ok, now that you’ve done all that hard work, the next step is to…dive in!
If you’re after a teacher, organise to meet up with a few teachers to see how they can help you.
If you’re after self-teaching resources, start a little library of bookmarks, books and links to get you started.
If you’re after formal qualifications, get the books, attend some open days, get in touch with the institutes.
If you’re after practical playing opportunities, start asking around! Friends, family, local music shops, local teachers - there are opportunities everywhere, for every skill level and interest if you put yourself forward.
If you do decide guitar lessons or courses are the best option for you, you can book yourself in for a free evaluation guitar lesson in Ringwood here.