Nowadays, there are many musicians out there who consider themselves as self-learners. And it's only been 30 years since you still had to mail the money to a guitar teacher via post office for him to send you back material if you wanted to learn from a distance. But today everything is available to everyone with access to the internet. That's 58.8% of the population (according to Internet World Stats, 2019). With just a few clicks you can access literally all the information you need for learning your instrument. From videos to many pages of music notation and tabs for guitarists.
So, if it's so easy to access the information, why doesn't just everyone learn to play a musical instrument?
Because learning music is not about information at all.
Even if it were so easy that you could just read things and learn, you would still have to deal with the flood of information on your own. You need someone who understands your level of playing and your goals to help you organize everything and make the process a lot easier and fun for you.
Moreover, learning music is a much more complex process than just a step by step »You pick a concept, you master it, then you move on and go to the next thing« type of learning.
Should You Consider Taking Music Lessons?
Here is why taking music lessons will be a great way to bring your musical skills to a new level.
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The chaos of too much information is tamed and brought to an order
A good music teacher will know how and when to provide you with information, and not just throw too much stuff at you if you are not ready for it yet. You will work together on things that you need to learn in order to progress on your instrument. Contrary to that, you won't be left to the mercy of your spontaneous wishes avoiding crucial stuff that you just don't »feel« like doing. Imagine learning so much stuff but not progressing at all. Imagine being stuck in the rut of never progressing the way you could be.
2. A good mentor will be there for you through the process
Have you ever seen the Youtube video called »The Angriest Guitar Player in The World«? If not, go look it up (WARNING: explicit language – you have been warned). You do not want to be that guy. The process of learning an instrument can be very frustrating some times. And what's better than having someone holding your hand and motivating you through the whole process?
3. You will need a lot of training to become good at your instrument
It's obvious that you have to practice in order to learn to play. But do you really know what to do with all that information you can get on the internet? Probably not. We all are different and in order to master some musical concepts you might have to do custom exercises to help you get better at your instrument. A good music teacher will show you the best exercises that will help you reach your goals faster and more effectively.
4. You need a third person to give you feedback on your playing
You need someone with experience that will help you see things that you might not see yourself. Where is your playing the weakest? What is the most important thing that you need to practice right now in order to progress?
We always tend to take the easiest path: practice things that we are already familiar with and play songs that we already know… But that results in having weaknesses that sabotage our playing we might never even notice.
5. You need someone to look after you when practicing
You will make mistakes when practicing. And the last thing you want to do is to develop some really bad habits. Good music teachers will let you practice in front of them. Not because you simply need to practice, but to show you exactly what to look after, when practicing at home. He/she will teach you how to practice.
So there you have it. For me, the first reason was good enough to start taking lessons again. It helped me grow to my fullest potential and it still does. I still take guitar lessons, as do many great professional guitar players.
You should never stop growing and learning as a musician. Growing is something that keeps your playing alive and motivates you to play even more and create more awesome music. Just thoughts for you to consider. ;)
About the Author
Janez Janežič: an aspiring guitarist, songwriter and guitar teacher from a beautiful little country called Slovenia. He is devoting most of his time to his passions: writing music and creating the najboljše lekcije kitare na Dolenjskem in Slovenia.
