Starting guitar lessons for beginners can be a daunting task for some people. You have to take the basics step-by-step so that you won’t be overwhelmed with all the new concepts such as notes, strings, and strumming. To become a musician, you will have to move past learning techniques to be able to express the finer points of the heart and soul of songs.

This is why it is essential for a beginner to get lessons on how to play the guitar. Picking up the finer points of how to play a musical instrument by watching a skilled player is essential to be able to become accomplished at the instrument.

As such, there are multiple ways for a beginner to learn about how to play the guitar:

Private Instruction

This was the most common method of learning to play the guitar for beginners before the availabilty of electronic lessons, affordable video and computers with internet access.

A student will be able to receive lessons custom-made to fit his or her needs under the tutelage of a private teacher. With hands-on help, many beginner guitar players progress rapidly with the help of a professional tutor or teacher.

There is a drawback to this intensive learning method, however. The cost can be prohibitive for many, since private lessons can cost over a hundred dollars a month. You will have to spend even more if you plan to hire a professional guitar teacher. Scheduling the lessons can be a problem if you can’t be available when the teacher has an opening for a new student.

Subscribe to online lessons

An alternative to getting a private teacher is to subscribe to guitar lessons via the Internet.

The lessons can either be similar to or totally different from getting a private teacher. The available video style lessons include those that are pre-recorded, live webcam demonstrations, and there are lessons of diagrams and text, too. Jamorama is the name of one of the popular providers of online lessons – they have rock, lead, and acoustic guitar courses. (For a review, see Jamorama Acoustic Guitar.)

If you choose the former, then you can expect rates to be slightly less compared to hiring a private teacher, but the lessons will be a lot less interactive and customized because of the virtual limitations. On the other hand, the online lessons don’t cost as much as private lessons but you can miss out on having a personal relationship with a teacher/mentor. You would need to have an Internet connection and a computer capable of playing the streaming videos (or downloading them).

Buy guitar lesson DVDs

And last, but definitely not the least, is to buy guitar lesson DVDs.

These are similar to video-taped online lessons, but come packaged into DVDs instead. You can take lessons on DVDs without any Internet connection and with or without a computer (using a DVD player). Sometimes DVDs just play in a better audio and video quality and are easier to stop, start or rewind. These are affordable and often come with printed materials, as well as, recorded video tutorials. (See a review of Learn and Master Guitar.)

As far as disadvantages to DVDs, about the only one is the slightly higher cost as compared to online lessons – due to their having to be packaged and shipped. The finer points of becoming a good guitar player may require human interaction to steer you in the right direction, and a DVD lesson cannot always do that for you. A good DVD course includes contact with the teacher or experienced guitar players so the student can ask questions, get help and inspiration, and be part of a community of musicians. Getting feedback from the teacher can be needed for a new student – this is possible with some of the DVD or video programs.

So there you have it, the three primary means to learn guitar lessons for beginners. As you decide between these online, DVD, or private lessons, pick the method that you believe will help you the most to attain that goal of playing the guitar!