Paid Vs. Free Online Guitar Lessons

There's a heated debate being led online whether paid online guitar lessons are really better than the free stuff that is available on the internet. It's important to understand the that both of these have their benefits, and that there is no silver bullet when it comes to learning guitar.

If you've been wondering about this same question, we are going to give you a rundown of what each of these types of resources has to offer.

Learning to play guitar implies learning techniques which have been defined a long time ago and extensive music theory. In all essence, both paid and free online guitar lessons offer the same knowledge, but it's the way that knowledge is delivered that makes all the difference between the two.

That is something a lot of people can't understand, hence all of the debates on this topic. Let's talk about each in depth, and see what you as a student stand to gain.

Free Online Guitar Lessons

Before we start, we need to discern the difference between free online guitar lessons, and free guitar learning information that is available on the internet. Former implies that you are getting a course of some kind, with structured lessons and learning material. The latter is just random information that is available to all but lacks structure and sometimes even context.

Free online guitar lessons have one main benefit – they are free. You don't have to pay anything and anybody can access them freely. However, they have several drawbacks which we need to mention. More often than not, free online guitar lessons were put together by people who have no experience in teaching guitar, or anything else for that matter.

Being a good guitar player doesn't mean you will be a good guitar teacher. There is a significant difference between the two. No matter how good the information you're getting is, it won't matter that much if you don't understand what the instructor is trying to say.

The amount and nature of the knowledge offered are often not great either. Free online guitar lessons often give you just the basic information regarding certain techniques or music theory, which may or may not be enough for you to learn the subject of that lesson. Sometimes you will be exposed to information that is simply wrong.

The issue here is that most beginners don't know any better. This can be seriously bad, especially if you develop a wrong technique. After years of doing something the wrong way, it's difficult to learn to unlearn and apply the correct technique.

At the end of the day, even if you find an online course that doesn't suffer from the problems we describe above, chances are it won't be well optimized. In other words, it will take you more time and more effort to learn certain aspects of playing guitar. For some, this is totally fine. However, if you want to learn with most efficiency possible check out our JustinGuitar review. We believe it is an awesome resource.

Paid Online Guitar Lessons

Money is a great incentive, that is simply a fact. When you pay for an online guitar course, in most cases the knowledge you get will be of great quality. Keep in mind that this is a highly competitive industry, meaning that all of the players are trying to attract students by introducing new methods, and other features which will make their course better than what competition has to offer. For you, the customer, this is great news.

Paid online guitar lessons are well structured, and are often presented by a teacher who not only knows how to transfer knowledge but also has years of experience in doing so. The type of material you get will be optimized, ensuring maximum learning efficiency.

Most of the paid online guitar lessons are structured in a way that allows a complete newbie to grasp complex concepts with ease. This is what it's all about. Being able to learn quickly is what most people strive for.

When you pay for online guitar lessons, you will gain access to a lot more centralized information which is something free online guitar lessons can't offer. Detailed explanations, videos that describe techniques in a very friendly fashion, all of that makes paid online guitar lessons worth the price you're asked to pay. Since there are so many places online which offer these services, you are able to find the one which suits your learning style the most.

One of the main reasons why you would want to go for paid online guitar lessons is because you definitely want to learn how to do things the right way. This applies to basics of guitar technique the most. If you don't develop a good foundation, you are setting yourself up for failure. Following a paid online guitar course will get you on the right path, and teach you proper technique. This isn't to say that a free course never offers this, but it's a risk you shouldn't even consider taking.

Lastly, each of the major paid online guitar courses has a great community. Everyone can get stuck on a lesson, or find it difficult to understand a certain concept. Having a friendly community to help you out in times of need is extremely important.

Aside from answering any question you might have, these online communities are also a great source of support. There will be days when you're just done with playing guitar and having someone to push you along makes all the difference.

Conclusion

The whole debate about paid versus free online guitar lessons is not helpful, especially to those who are just starting to play guitar. It's important to understand the difference between these two tools, and figure out what works better for you. Some people are fine with using free resources, and that is completely alright.

However, others need a structured course to get them to the skill level they want to reach. If you are absolutely serious about playing guitar, and you want to develop your skills as fast as you possibly can, paid online guitar lessons are the way to go.