There must be a reason for having a guitar teacher! Otherwise, why do so many people pay money to this type of people? Let's see why it could be a good thing to have a guitar teacher. A good guitar teacher will...



1. ... help you set goals that will make you become the type of guitarist you want to be.

2. ... give you a decent amount of homework to practice on your level of competence that will help you progress in a sound and solid way.

3. ... will give you a deadline to work towards that will help you get on with the work.

4. ... will be honest with you and will spot your weaknesses as an aspiring guitarist and give you exercices to work on that really will help you to advance.

5. ... will help you progress as a guitarist by learning you to play in a relaxed way and with a correct posture that will not hurt your hands and your body in any way.

6. ... will teach you and motivate you by example. It will be a guitarist that loves to play and can arouse enthusiasm in you for the guitar by just being around.

7. ... will like you and help you feel confident in what you are doing and he will also help you like yourself and believe in yourself and your capacity to become a good guitarist and musician.

Will you be able to find this type of guitar teacher and will you be able to afford paying for this for a sufficient time in order to really progress?

My opinion is that nothing compare to having a really good guitar teacher. If you can find such a person and pay for lessons it is my advice that you do this.

Just an example from everyday life...

...I know by own experience that it can be a hard time choosing a hairdresser. This type of person can really change your look in a way that you do like or do not like. But hair will grow and you can find someone else the next time.

But, how do you find a guitar teacher that really will help you. Trial and error? Maybe, but I guess that the best way is to listen to other good guitarists. In other words, recommendations.

Well, if you decide to be your own guitar teacher for now, what can you do? There are a few mistakes I would like you not to make that are very common when you try to teach yourself:

1. Don't play too fast! When you listen to your guitar heroes you will probably feel inspired to play like they do. However, the best way to really progress to a really fast player and also a good musician is to practise within the bounds of your present technical skills.

2. Don't change exercises to often. When you give yourself homework to practice on it is important to stick to an exercise long enough to really reap the benefits from it. This will happen when your fingers are programmed to play the exercise without problem and you have committed the musical application to your long-term memory.

It will also help you to read about guitar playing in magazines and on the internet. Another very good aid for you as an aspiring "Teach Yourself To Play" guitarist is to buy some recommended guitar instructional books and instructional DVD's that will give you some of the benefits of having a good guitar teacher.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed with all the information you can find about guitar playing. The comfort is that you will learn best by giving yourself a few things to work with at a time and focus on this homework with concentration, playing the exercices slowly having patience in your ability to grow.