The Different Methods of Guitar Instruction
Posted by Anisma on September 1st, 2008With the emergence of the internet, and with the advancement in technology, online and virtual teaching has become very common. However, whatever is taught through the internet or the instructional DVDs need not be always correct, nor is it necessary that there is no gap between what is intended to be communicated and what is actually communicated. Most of the times, the learner is left utterly confused and ends up learning just bits and pieces of everything. The most shocking (or you can even say amusing) thing is that people are now, even trying to learn art forms such as playing the guitar and singing using these online courses and virtual trainers.
Traditionally, these art forms needed years of training and devoted practice to nurture the skills within you but today, there are online courses and virtual home based instructional packages (a set of books, DVDs and CDs) which claim to teach you to play the guitar within as short as 1 month period. How can you expect to learn and master guitar online or through a virtual trainer in such a short time and how complete would be your knowledge if you manage to learn to play the guitar within the promised time span?
Can a book or a virtual trainer give you personalized learning experience? Not every person’s learning capabilities and skill sets are the same. While a teacher can sense and gauge the student’s abilities and teach him at a pace and complexity level suitable for him, no virtual course would be able to do that. Many people are either not too computer savvy or do not enjoy a computer based learning method. They prefer a more human element to the learning. So, guitar teachers are the best for such people, who can use their own knowledge and years of experience to guide you.
Can you ever imagine a software to tell you to continue with your guitar practice even though you have developed painful blisters over your fingertips? Well, a guitar teacher will sense your pain, but urge you to continue with the practice. He will describe the significance of calluses and how they will help you with guitar playing in the longer run. You can neither expect such personal attention nor can you expect to receive such rich advice and personal guidance that only experienced teachers can bestow you with. Did you know that there are a lot many different ways to play the same chord?
A guitar teacher would be able to teach you these little but highly significant and useful variations, which you might never ever be able to learn if you learn to play guitar using a software. Only a highly experienced guitar professional, expert or guitar instructor can provide you with these little helpful details. Therefore, if you want to learn & master guitar seriously, then it is better to opt for guitar teachers over a guitar book or a virtual guitar trainer.