How to Choose a Guitar Instructor

If you want to get to a certain level of accomplishment on your instrument other than just strumming, you need a good instructor. You may choose to remain entirely self-taught, of course, but rest assured that any decent guitar player will tell you she needed to see a teacher at some point in her career.

Things You'll Need

• Guitars
• Sheet Music For Guitar
• Yellow Pages
• Local Newspapers
• Internet Access

Instructions

Locating an Instructor

1. Determine how much time and money you're willing to spend on learning to play guitar before you start looking for a guitar teacher.

2. Hang out at music stores and go to jams; talk to the guitar players there and ask them if they can recommend a teacher.

3. Go to a local guitar shop and ask the store manager or clerk for referrals. They can usually give you leads and sometimes are even instructors themselves.

4. Find out if any of the local schoolteachers give guitar lessons, if credentials are important to you.

5. Ask your local private music schools for referrals.

6. Scan the bulletin boards at cafés and music stores for ads and posters advertising guitar instruction. Write down names, rates and phone numbers.

7. Peruse the advertisements in your local newspaper for guitar lessons.

8. Read local and regional music publications; they almost always have guitar instructors advertising their services.

9. Check the yellow pages in your telephone directory.

Selecting an Instructor

1. Ask the instructor for her hourly rates and if she charges on a sliding scale depending on income. Rates usually range from $30 to $60 per hour.

2. Inquire if she offers an introductory lesson for free.

3. Ask if she requires advance monthly payment and if she offers any discounts for weekly or monthly payments.

4. Make sure you ask whether she offers the particular musical style you want to learn, if you've chosen a style.

5. Inquire about her experience as a guitar teacher as well as her credentials.

6. Ask if you may contact other students she might have. Contact those people and ask if they'd recommend that instructor.

7. Find out if the instructor can accommodate your schedule.

8. Ask the teacher what type or model you should get for the style you're going to play, if you don't yet have a guitar.

9. Get the guitar manual that your teacher recommends; you can always change the book or the teacher if you don't like either.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also search the Internet for leads by typing "guitar teacher" in a search engine; you might find one in your area.

• The Web offers a wealth of other material on guitar playing that you can use in addition to your lessons.

• Avoid committing yourself to more than one month of advance payment - you might find out that you don't like the teacher and/or her style, in which case you may have trouble getting your money back.