which is better. teaching yourself or getting a teacher? (Page 1 of 2)

I learned by myself and recently started taking lessons. Let me tell you, he made a difference in my playing. Some of the little things as well as someone who can answer my stupid questions.

The thing I enjoy most is learning as part of a group. It's less intense and more fun. If you can't get something then you can sometimes pick it up off your classmates or at least share the misery!

Current class ends soon and I hope to book  myself in for direct tuition after Easter. To me seeing, hearing and having the chance to question is better than struggling alone.

Id say teacher beacuse they can teach you the basics quicker and when your learn tabs you can have side projects like learning a new song along with The teaching stuff.( That is what i find easier)

Either way as long as you keep it real.

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Lessons may help you to correct the bad habits that you have developed. The most important thing to remember is to do the lesson practicing about 1% of the total time that your playing, and have fun for the other 99%! There are some online lessons that have helped me a little, but I may still look into some lessons. I'm afraid that I am not going to be a very good student because like you I'm self taught. I started with a beginner Mel Bay simple chord book when I was a teen. Now I'm retired and in my 50's, and have plenty of bad habits that will be mucho hard to break! I still enjoy playing the easy chord songs in Chordie. The chord diagrams are what I have used the most, learning from piano books that were chorded for guitar also. And now I'm using Chordie. I know that I'll never be a George Harrison or Eric Clapton, even with lessons! But, I'm having a ball!

The best is to do both in my opinion. The computer can duplicate the learning environment you get working with a live instructor but the instructor can't have 24 hour access to you so I say why not do both.

I would say that whatever suits your style. I personnally do a combination of both, as i only have guitar lessons once a week. Having a teacher really helps out with the basics and how to do things faster. I also learned about scales and root notes from him, but most songs that i learn i learn myself, either by tabbing them out myself or finding them on this website (Chordie you rock). It also depends what kind of teacher you have, if hes teaching you what you ask him too, or what he wants you to learn, if its a private or public teacher, what kind of music hes teaching you and so on and so forth. One thing that we have started at my lessons (we only have about 5 people at them) is that every week someone brings something to the lesson and teaches the rest of the class. Anyways that my opinion so rock on <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_twisted.gif" border=0 alt="Twisted Evil">

thanks for the info guys. <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">

Hi

Trying to teach your self is hard&#8230;..been there got the t/shirts you get into bad habits bad technique. A few years down the line I wanted to take it more serious and joined a guitar class&#8230;..Its the best move I have made my playing has come on fantastic  and you get to meet other people  instead of practicing at home&#8230;.

Cheers

John

i taught myself too and im only 14, and im pretty good too, not to sound all cocky or n e thing cuz im not... so i'd go teach urself all the way

I taught myself too.  Well, that's a lie really as I had some initial lessons on how to play an A Chord and strum downwards from the husband of my wife's friend!  Only thing was that he preferred to sit and play really cool riffs and blues numbers to me for an hour or so ... by which time I had to go home again!  Now been playing for about 5 years and reckon that I might benefit from having some lessons to put me on track again now that I seem to be stuck in a rut!  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_sad.gif" border=0 alt="Sad">

Chris

i agree