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If you google ‘guitar lessons near me’, a list of local teachers will appear along with their tutoring specialties and customer reviews.

But you also have the option of lower-priced online lessons on popular guitar learning platforms which can include 1-to-1 or group lessons as well as online courses.

So are local lessons better than online lessons?

Whether you live in the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, UAE, Latin America, South Africa, Australia, or NZ, you have unlimited options, so…

In this article, I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of both private face-to-face and online guitar lessons by comparing…

  • Convenience and flexibility
  • Pricing
  • Value and effectiveness
  • Different learning styles
  • Social aspects

What will you learn in your lessons?

In your guitar lessons, whether online or in-person, you'll explore a variety of essential skills to help you grow as a guitarist.

Any good lesson plan should contain these topics.

Notes 

Learn to identify and play individual notes on the fretboard to build a solid foundation for understanding melody and harmony.

Chords

Play a range of basic to advanced chords, from simple open chords all the way up to bar chords and complex jazz chords.

Licks

Master short, memorable guitar phrases that you can incorporate into your solos or use to develop your improvisation skills.

Riffs

Develop your ability to play iconic guitar riffs that form the backbone of many classic rock, blues, and metal songs.

Scales

Study various scales, including major, minor, pentatonic, and eventually modes, to enhance your understanding of music theory and improvisation.

TABs 

Get comfortable reading and interpreting guitar tablature – a type of musical notation specifically designed to express guitar-specific ideas.

Arpeggios

Practice playing arpeggios, which are broken chords, to add depth and variety to your playing style.

You may also request beginner lead guitar lessons, which will introduce you to the fundamentals of playing solos, using techniques like

  • bends, 
  • slides,
  • hammer ons / pull offs, and
  • tapping

to create expressive and dynamic lead guitar parts.

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What are the advantages of online guitar lessons

Convenience and flexibility

Studying guitar online is by far the most convenient option. 

You can schedule it to fit around your routine and complete the lessons at your own pace, all from the comfort of home.

  • There’s no need to rely on a physical tutor.
  • Complete lessons whenever it suits you –  morning or evening.
  • Take days off without needing to notify anyone – with a tutor, you'll probably be charged for a last-minute cancellation.
  • Zero travel expenses.

There’s more freedom to choose what you want to study with online guitar classes, meaning you can focus on specific topics or genres that interest you. 

It’s not always possible to find a local tutor who’s skilled in the styles and techniques you want to learn.

This brings us to our next point, which is one of the main advantages of online guitar courses.

Access to a wider range of resources and materials

When it comes to online guitar classes and resources, the choices are almost endless.

  • You can find the perfect course to suit your tastes.
  • You can learn from a guitarist you already know and admire.
  • If you’ve outgrown your local guitar tutor,  you’re guaranteed to find lessons online that will challenge you.

This is a really important point for you advanced players – no matter how good you are, there’s always room for improvement!

Whether you’re into jazz, metal, blues, pop, or country, amazing beginner lead guitar lessons and specialized courses are waiting for you online.

Are there any downsides?

Too many options can make it difficult to pick a class – like staring at the Netflix menu.

You can also overspend, especially when buying a course that is as simple as clicking a button.

Speaking of money – internet-based courses are significantly cheaper than in-person lessons. 

  • A private guitar tutor can be an expensive choice and many people just can’t afford the high cost. 
  • In those cases, using online resources is a great option. 
  • There’s some really amazing material online for a reasonable price – and plenty of good free stuff too. 

Depending on what you need and the type of class you’re looking for, basic guitar lessons can cost a few dollars a month, or a couple of hundred dollars a year. 

Here is some typical pricing for online guitar training membership sites, lessons, and tutoring:

1-to-1 live online tutoring: $20-70 p/hr

In-person group guitar lessons: $15-40 p/lesson

Courses on membership sites/platforms:  From $10 p/mth upwards (includes community forum)

This is a rough guide to the cost of guitar lessons online in USD. 

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Ability to review lessons at any time

One big advantage of online materials is that your resources are there to review whenever you need them. 

This allows you to:

  • Brush up on weak areas.
  • Go over something you may have missed.
  • Rewind and slow down specific moments in video tutorials.

Your in-person guitar instructor won't always be able to respond to your questions and clarify anything you forgot. 

But if you take guitar lessons online, you can review them as often as you like. 

Plus, certain platforms (like Pickup Music, wink wink) provide the ability to get unlimited learning support from a team of professional guitarists.

What are the advantages of in-person guitar lessons?

Personal attention and customized instruction

Search ‘private guitar lessons near me’ and you’ll find teachers for all levels of learning and for any genre of guitar you’d like to learn.

What makes private face-to-face guitar lessons valuable is the interaction and communication between you and the teacher.

  • Online material is often a one-way street – you can’t ask questions or get feedback (at least not in real time).
  • Titles like “Beginner guitar lessons” and “Advanced lessons” just give a rough idea of the skills required for a certain course.

The term ‘advanced’ can mean something totally different depending on the person. 

Bar chords are considered advanced for new guitarists, yet basic for experienced players. 

A local guitar teacher can:

  • Create a lesson plan to fit your specific needs and abilities. 
  • Detect mistakes in your technique that you may otherwise miss – which helps avoid building bad habits.
  • Give you immediate feedback on your technique.

Immediate feedback and interaction

This point is also significant, particularly for beginners. It's crucial to form good habits when beginning to play the guitar. 

If no one demonstrates the fundamentals to us, we might not know how to correctly:

  • Hold a pick
  • Pluck the strings
  • Fret the notes
  • Hold the guitar neck

The interaction you have with your teacher and the feedback you receive might be essential to your initial progress. 

A weak-picking hand won't be an issue right away for a beginner player, but it will be in the future. 

Therefore it’s important to have someone help you and point these things out early on. 

It’s much more difficult to unlearn bad habits than it is to just learn properly from the start. 

Hands-on experience with the instrument

If you take in-person classes, your teacher will show you everything you need to know about the instrument itself. 

You may even be able to spend time trying out different kinds of guitars before you decide whether to get an acoustic or electric. 

Music shops can be a bit intimidating for complete beginners.  

You’ll also get useful advice on caring for your instrument, like how to:

  • Tune it
  • Clean it
  • Change its strings
  • Read it a bedtime story

A local tutor can give support all the way through your journey, from your first guitar to your first gig.

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‍Opportunity to connect with other musicians

While you can always find communities and like-minded people on the internet, meeting people face-to-face can build instant friendships. 

I met most of my best friends through a mutual love of making music.

Attending adult guitar classes will expose you to many musicians, not only guitar players.

  • Other musicians are a great resource for knowledge. 
  • Your teacher will probably have many like-minded students and would be happy to connect you with them. 
  • Maybe even help you put your first band together?

You’ll also experience the life of a musician, not simply playing an instrument. 

Regardless of your level, you have something to share with others, both musically and individually, and they will share their experiences with you too. 

All influences in life can help you grow as a musician.

Comparison of in-person and online guitar lessons

In-person lessons Online learning
Feedback ✅ ✅
Flexibility ❌ ✅
Community ✅ ✅
Budget-friendly ❌ ✅

Effectiveness and value

Depending on your skill level, one method will be more valuable than the other.

  • An in-person tutor is likely to be more beneficial to a new guitarist – as we already mentioned, setting a strong foundation is important.
  • However, if you’re an intermediate guitar player, you might want to try online classes and resources to improve certain parts of your playing.

Different learning styles

Many of the guitar instructors you’ll find in your area are likely seasoned musicians who can teach you a little bit about most genres. 

Depending on what you want to learn, you may have more success looking for it online – there’s going to be a much bigger selection to choose from. 

  • That said, much of the decision will come from personal taste and learning style. 
  • If you learn better by watching, listening, and copying, online classes are the best option for you. 

On the other hand, if you prefer the instant feedback and guidance of at-home guitar lessons, it may be best to find a teacher nearby.

Interaction and feedback

Speaking of feedback and guidance, it’s often possible to ask questions and receive feedback when using online courses, but it doesn’t happen in real time, which can be a little frustrating.

When you sign up for an online course you can often become part of a broader community of members. 

This gives you the chance to communicate with other people on the course through the online platform – where you’re able to:

  • Share experiences, challenges, and wins.
  • Receive and give feedback on playing.
  • Exchange ideas.
  • Get tips and hacks to speed up your learning.
  • Review multiple other students' progress.

As mentioned earlier, this can be found while attending in-person guitar lessons, too. 

But, for many platforms like Pickup Music, the online community is a huge part of being a member. 

We have members online 24/7 worldwide in cities like NYC, LA, Vancouver, Toronto, London, Paris, Rome, Sydney, Auckland, and beyond… so you’ll find local guitar buddies to connect with, jam with, and learn from.

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After graduating from beginner…

Before you go racing ahead, you want to be set up with the best foundation possible.

This means taking the time to work through the material in our beginner, and late beginner pathways.

Once you’ve completed the Late Beginner Learning Pathway a whole world of styles and genres opens up. 

Here are a few options to think about when the time comes to pick a new path!

Neo Soul

Groove along with the lush chords and smooth phrases of the Neo Soul Learning Pathway.

Jazz

Unlock the puzzle of jazz guitar with Pickup Music founder Sam Blakelock and jazz virtuoso Cecil Alexander.

Blues

The heart and soul of many iconic players – learning the blues will help you sing through your guitar.

Country

If you want to learn how to make that thang twang, from chicken pickin’ to double-stops, our country course has you covered.

Funk

Who doesn’t love to get down to some funky rhythms? Refine your chops with the Groove Learning Pathway.

Metal

If you’d rather take a walk on the wild side, perhaps some heavy metal mayhem is just what the doctor ordered.

Acoustic

For those of you who want to take a more classical approach to guitar, our Acoustic Fingerstyle Learning Pathway might be the perfect choice.

Wrapping Up

As you've seen, there are good reasons for both methods of guitar training. 

Much of it just depends on what works best for you.

They work well together and just because you’re using one right now, doesn’t mean you can’t switch to the other when the time is right – variety is always good! 

Online courses are more ‘instant’ in that you don’t have to wait until your next in-person lesson to get knowledge or support.

You also access: 

  • A community filled with helpful members
  • On-demand classes 
  • More control over your schedule 

You may also consider a hybrid plan where you occasionally see an in-person instructor to help you work through a predefined online course or for general help. 

Remember, not all guitar instructors are created equal. Some might not be great at giving you a clear course to success.

With  online guitar learning, you can

  • Study from anywhere
  • Create a flexible schedule
  • Gain access to a wide range of materials
  • Save some money!

Disadvantages

  • Lessons aren’t personalized
  • Less accountability – easier to skip class 
  • A bad routine can slow your progress

With in-person learning, you get

  • Personalized lesson plans
  • Immediate feedback
  • Hands-on experience
  • More accountability from your instructor

Disadvantages

  • More expensive
  • Smaller selection of tutors
  • Fixed time and location

Combine and progress even faster 

It’s also important to remember that one doesn’t exclude the other. 

If you take in-person classes, you can complement that with cheap or free material online. 

Just remember that combining the two will work well, figure out how to make the most of both methods.

  • If you do online courses, you could occasionally take in-person lessons, or attend group master classes.
  • These are great opportunities to ask any specific questions you may have about techniques, styles, gear, live performance, etc. 

Whatever you choose, enjoy the experience and explore all the possibilities this magical instrument has to offer!

How Pickup Music goes beyond traditional online learning

At Pickup Music, we’re a small group of guitar nerds who are obsessed with making learning guitar online just like learning in person.

From our ultra-guided Learning Pathways where we show you exactly what to work on at every step of the way, to our community-focused approach.

Here are some other benefits of a membership with Pickup Music that other online platforms don’t offer:

  • Unlimited guidance and support from our team of professional guitarists.
  • Personalized feedback videos on your playing.
  • Live-recorded jam tracks with professional Los Angeles session musicians.
  • Guided Learning Pathways for every level and style of guitar.

You can also try before you buy with this 14-day free trial! 🎁

Featured Course

Beginner Learning Pathway

Karl Kerfoot

Learn the fundamentals of guitar playing.

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Karl Kerfoot

Featured Pickup Music Instructor

Karl Kerfoot

Take your playing to the next level by learning fundamental lead & rhythm concepts from Pickup Music's Head of Education.

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