What are the pros and cons of guitar lessons?

Question

A few months ago (i was still in school at the time)and i could not wait for summer because it was so close.So one night i was talking to my best friend,we both love rock music,Thats all we talked about.He had a idea to be in a rock band.He want to play bass and me guitar.So i talked to my parents and they agreed to buy me a guitar if i passed,and i did.my dad belived that i could be big.So he promised to get me lessons.all these months later im finally getting the lessons,i all ready know the basic chords but im wondering what are the pros and cons of lessons?

Answer 1

Pros - you learn how to play from someone who knows what they're doing - who will know when to push you and know when to let you do your own thing.

You'll probably learn faster than if you taught yourself

You'll learn more useful things, such as scales etc which NOBODY is going to do unless they're told to.

Cons - It costs money

You might feel that your teacher isn't going fast enough, that they're holding you back - however, this is for a good reason

You might get annoyed with all the stupid things you have to learn - scales etc, but again these will be useful to you later on.

Personally I think lessons are a good idea - but you should also be able to do your own thing outside of lessons, and teach yourself as well.

Answer 2

i can only think of more pros than cons. The pros would be that you would get really good quickly and the con i thought of was that maybe you might not get time for homework/work/study?? I dont know. If you enjoy it and want to practice that much then just keep doing that but if your forcing yourself to practice then theres no point because you'll get bored of it. I've been playing guitar for 2 years and still enjoy practicing up to 2 hours a day. I play when I feel like it (which is most of the time) and I dont force myself. Another pro of practicing that much is that if you get really good and enjoy it heaps, then you could go into the music busneuss as a career and get paid to do what you love doing which is the guitar. A con is that if you practice for too much, then the novelty of playing the guitar might wear off quickly and you might stop playing... But yeah, just practice when you feel like it and if you feel like practicing for 2 hours a day then thats great! :)

Answer 3

listen, with guitar lessons it might not seem like there are many pros, but if you find a good teacher then you'll become great.

For instance with me i found a teacher at a recording studio who played in many bands, he can pick fast as heck, and play anything

Ive been taking lessons from him for couple months, and already ive begun to learn a song called Eruption by Van Halen (look it up its effin awesome) and he said that in 6 months he could teach it to me to where it becoms almost perfect.

Keep getting the lessons, there are no cons, just pros

(and hopefully my band will go on tour with your band!!!!!! lol)

Answer 4

Pros- You will learn quicker and learn how to play the 'right way'. You will also be able to learn tons of the songs that you love.
Cons- It costs money, it will take you longer to develop your own style, you may become dependant on sheet music and/or tab which is bad because it makes it hard for you to learn to play by ear.

Just thought I would try to add some more to what everybody else says. Good luck, if you really want to be a good player just don't give up and practice lots.

Answer 5

Speaking from experience, lessons are very good at expanding your technical abilities with guitar. I learned how to change strings, all the hardware repairs, and chords by myself. However, lessons taught me scales (which are a pain but unbelievable at building speed and jamming), the notes on the fretboard (which help you locate chords easier once you learn triads because you know the notes that make a triad), and good teachers help you build a notebook. This way you can have a point of reference to even help teach others.

The only downfall is I'm really into funk rock like Jane's addiction and RHCP, and my teacher was a metal head - so the things he taught me were more metal related and promoted a slight conflict of interests. Yeah, they cost money, but it's money well spent.

Answer 6

The instructor will help you develop good playing and learning habits as you become more advanced .
The lessons give you a good background to learn different styles of music .
It's a good thing to have a teacher because when you run into problems the teacher will be there to help you through .
It takes me longer to figure things out on the guitar because i do not have a teacher to instruct me .

Answer 7

well, for pros, you get someone to help you learn techniques and introduce you to different types of playing. you'll probably learn to read music, and learn a bit about how the guitar works and how to get the best sound out of it and such. if you get a good teacher who specializes in the types of music you like, you'll generally be learning what you like. i told my teacher what bands i was into, so i get to learn some of their songs and even get turned on to some new bands.
on the downside, you'll be learning scales while yor friends play Sabbath and AC/DC, but it does pay off. you're also subject to learning what your teacher gives you, but you can always find tabs of your favorite songs on the side, like i do. ive only had lessons for 6 months, but im learning stairway to heaven! i think you should do it. good luck, and email me, [e-mail], with any other questions.

Answer 8

Pro- you get better and remain that way
Con- If you want to be a bad guitar player, you wont be

Answer 9

Very simple, if you want to become a good musition then you must study music. It is that simple. It is not easy to accomplish some times though. Even if you have a gret talent you need to study music from those that have gone before you.

Many that make recordings now have not studied music and very few of them will ever be remebered ten years from now. Those that do study and learn will be remebered.

Answer 10

i dont know, but listen ...need your help. answer my question here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
lets get Y!A to seperate rock and pop. britney spears fans dont want to hear about slayer, and i dont want to muddle thru 50 "OMG! did u see the new hair tie she has?"