You may ask yourself “how do I find a guitar teacher”. It is usually pretty easy to find a guitar teacher, but finding a good guitar teacher is the trick. First you need to determine how you are going to take guitar lessons, Group, online, or private? To find a guitar teacher who can or will do all three options is rare. Since each has its own demands as a teacher, generally teachers do not do all three.
*Group Lessons: Group lessons are usually only for beginners and are groups of as many as 30 students. While this can be a fun way to learn, especially with friends or family, it can also be the least effective way of learning to play guitar. People are different and learn at different rates, which can cause the fastest to be held back by the slowest. However if your goals are to just be able to play some songs around the camp fire this may be the method for you.
*Online Lessons: You can find a guitar teacher online that does lessons via a webcam. These have the benefits of a personal lesson, but from the convenience of your own home. These are a good option for people with odd work schedules, limited transportation, or who live in secluded areas. You may end up taking lessons from a teacher that lives in another country or even from a famous guitarist. A problem with this learning environment is that the teacher can only help you to the limitations of a web camera.
*Private Lessons: Private guitar lessons are by far the most effective. If you can find a guitar teacher in your area that teaches private lessons and is qualified, you will have a far better experience than with the other two situations. Private guitar teachers have to be qualified in both guitar knowledge and people skills, they must be able to use different approaches to teach since people learn things differently.
To find a guitar teacher you can check with local music stores, many of which offer guitar lessons or have a teacher referral program. You could ask people in your community if they know of anyone, there are bound to be many other guitar students in your community. Another sure fire way is to do online search for guitar teachers in your area or for online teachers. Be sure to read any online reviews from former or current students and to check for any info about how long they have been teaching. If you are looking for a private teacher for your children you may want to do a back ground check on the teacher and ask what there policy is on you sitting in on the lesson. There are also many websites now that will help you find a guitar teacher. Many of these sites have already done the work for you and have profiles of teachers so you can read up on them before contacting anyone.
