As Mitch Hedberg once said, “I play the guitar. I taught myself how to play the guitar, which was a bad decision because I didn’t know how to play it, so I was a [bad] teacher. I would never have went to me.”
The guitar is an instrument that many people feel they can teach themselves to play. While that may be true, guitar lessons are the right way to go if you really want to master the guitar & you want to learn it quickly.

When you begin guitar lessons, you first must master the basics. A professional guitar teacher will help you learn how to correctly hold your guitar, as well as fretting, strumming, music theory, reading music, notes, riffs, and more. These essential tools help lay the foundation for your guitar playing.
Guitar lessons will also provide you with opportunities to correct & develop technique. You will work on issues such as speed, rhythm, chords, scales, & playing ability. Your guitar teacher will also help you enhance techniques, such as fingerpicking, flatpicking, and more.
One of the biggest benefits to professional guitar lessons is the efficiency of lessons. In private lessons, you’ll learn much faster than if you were teaching yourself. This is because a professional will be there to guide and motivate you. And, because your guitar teacher is a professional, you’ll learn more from them than you would on your own.
In private guitar lessons, your mistakes will be immediately recognized & corrected. Your guitar teacher will offer guidance with specific problems.
Your one-on-one guitar lessons will be completely personalized to your tastes, ability, and goals. These tailored guitar lessons will offer another invaluable benefit – the motivation for daily practice.
All guitar players know the importance of practicing daily if they want to be great at guitar. When you meet with your teacher each week, you’ll want to be prepared.
Your guitar teacher will also help you to develop a warm-up routine. Warming up before playing your guitar may seem trivial if you’re a beginner. After years of playing, repetitive movements can cause injuries. Proper warm up techniques are vital in injury prevention.
Beginners & advanced students alike can reap the benefits of professional guitar lessons.

Blog by Kim Sambol, Former Assistant Director of Operations (2012-15), North Fulton School of Music