"But Isn't YouTube the Best Way to Learn to Play Guitar Nowadays?"
Lessons from SGL Compared and Contrasted with Learning via YouTube, or any Video Instruction
How is the Experience Better with Stephen's Guitar Lessons?
I hear that about guitar instructional videos fairly often. While some players can get lots of good info out of simply browsing and watching (sometimes just skimming through) various YouTube videos (or any instructional videos, regardless of their source), I wouldn't recommend it as the go-to approach for most players because of several limitations. First, YouTube users don’t get any feedback from the video that they're watching; there is no critique of their attempt to replicate what they see in the video, and judgment of their progress is solely up to the student. No big deal for advanced players, but the further a player is from an "advanced" level, the more they are missing out on in that respect (and therefore the less beneficial the video was for them).
In contrast, a competent guitar instructor can help guide the student along and—in many instances—help them discover exactly what path works best for that specific player. Along the way, the student will necessarily be exposed to many other concepts and related approaches, and a competent teacher can help them to structure the time spent on various options to maximize the benefit to the student.
But even advanced students could likely gain more from an actual lesson as opposed to simply watching videos—particularly when they take lessons from a competent guitar instructor, because an experienced player and teacher can frequently offer more knowledge and insight than it would make sense to try and include in a video, but when they are dealing with an advanced student they can introduce bits and pieces of those elements and concepts and hints along the way. An advanced student would be in an ideal position to get the most benefit from lessons with a competent teacher, because they would be in the best position to absorb as much as possible in those lessons.
So if you are comparing the act of learning guitar by watching videos, to the act of learning guitar by taking lessons from an inexperienced and/or uninspiring teacher, who may not think to—or want to—take the time to customize each lesson to each individual student, then yes: most players may well be better off just getting whatever they can from a video rather than paying someone to do a poor job of teaching them. But if you want to compare learning via video to learning from an experienced and competent guitar teacher, then there is no comparison: a custom-built learning structure, when built by someone who knows what they are doing, can (and should) always be expected to outperform an off-the-shelf, "one size fits all" sort of approach. Audio and video recordings of instructional materials have been around for almost as long as audio and video recording technology (and that’s been a pretty long time, considering how fast technology moves and how quickly it can mature and develop and progress); but they have yet to replace "live" instruction in any field (except perhaps if you factor in new employee orientations—video is probably king of that realm), and especially not one that calls for nuanced teaching skills like music education does.
When it comes to teaching guitar, I know what I'm doing. I've been playing guitar for over 35 years—since 1987—and I'm in my 13th year as an independent private guitar instructor; I've given thousands and thousands of lessons, online and in person, to hundreds of satisfied students...in fact, about 4 out of every 5 potential students that take me up on my "free intro lesson" offer continue with a paid lesson or lesson package afterwards, so "satisfied" feels like an accurate adjective for the typical prospective guitar student that gives me an opportunity to impress them.
In addition to my experience, I pay attention to what my students are saying and doing, and I structure their lessons around that. I make sure that the material is equal parts instructive, engaging, challenging, and fun—and as a result, the "aha!" moments abound for my students in their lessons. Just check out my reviews to see what some of my current and former students have said about me:
https://www.stephensguitarlessons.com/#reviews-sectionSo call, text or email me today to set up your free introductory lesson!
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