Should You Teach Yourself the Guitar?
Some amazing guitarists are self-taught and have never had any form of music lessons in their life. However easy it might seem to teach yourself the guitar, there are some difficulties you will inevitably face should you choose to go down this route. Read on to find out why professional guitar lessons are better than self-education before you decide to rule them out completely.
Be More Versatile
For some people, strumming a few chords on a guitar comes entirely naturally, just like singing does to most people. However, just like singing lessons, learning the guitar in a structured way will mean you will be able to steer clear of some of the issues that cause problems. For example, many singers are quite at home singing the tunes of songs, but they find it harder to harmonise or to sing secondary parts. This limits their usefulness when performing with others. Likewise, self-taught guitarists tend to have a limited range of skills. Perhaps they can strum but not fingerpick. Maybe they only play in certain keys and become flummoxed if the piece they want to play is in an unfamiliar one. Guitar lessons won't make you an expert overnight, but they will equip you to be able to do more things with the instrument.
Avoid Pitfalls
Among the things that tend to mark out a self-taught guitarist from one who has had guitar lessons is that they don't know how to do things the 'right' way. Of course, you can form chord shapes however comes naturally to you. However, if you learn to do it the standard way, then this will help you to avoid having to unlearn your method down the line. In other words, what might work for you now won't necessarily when you attempt more complex songs or harmony structures. There is a right way to do things because of what you may need to learn next. Without lessons, you simply won't have this foundation.
Do It Your Way
In-person and online courses are available now, so you have complete flexibility in the way you learn. Many guitar lessons will be one-on-one, which means you can specify exactly what you want to learn. If you want to rock out with your guitar tutor, so be it. Alternatively, if you want to focus on folk or classical styles, then you can. Remember, too, that taking guitar lessons doesn't mean you cannot continue to teach yourself as well. Many people apply what they've learned in lessons to develop their own style, and you can, too!