The pros and cons of online guitar lessons

In recent years, technology and the internet have seemingly infiltrated all avenues of life and business. Indeed, guitar lessons are no different. Whether a student chooses to take online music lessons using Skype or a dedicated platform such as Meteor Tutors or if online videos and resources are used to compliment and augment face-to-face sessions, there are a host of benefits on offer to both tutor and student. Of course, as with all things there are benefits and drawbacks associated with both online and face-to-face guitar classes. The question is, which format is right for you?

Pros

Better choice of tutors

As with online guitar lessons, home tuition also offers a convenient option. However, finding a good tutor to come home is notoriously difficult (and expensive!). With online music lessons, there are no geographic restrictions. As such, the student has a wider pool of tutors to choose from. Not only does this enable the student to find an online music teacher with whom there is a rapport, it is easier to find someone within your desired budget and specialism. Whilst the latter objective may not be difficult with a common goal, such as a beginner guitarist wanting to learn to strum basic pop songs, it will certainly be of benefit for more specific goals such as jazz improvisation or baroque specific ornamentation. You may find our guide on “How to choose the best music teacher for you or your child” a useful read.

Price

Online music lessons are usually cheaper than face-to-face music lessons. In part, this is likely due to supply and demand. There are a lot of music teachers offering their services online through a are array of platforms and this tends to drive down prices.

Furthermore, whilst there are many tutors who live in expensive locations, an online tutor is able to live somewhere with a lower cost of living and effectively undercut their competitors. Anecdotally, however, I have found this to rarely ring true. The best tutors also normally perform (or at least have performed extensively in the past) and as such seem to gravitate towards areas that are at least commutable to major cities such as London, Paris or Berlin.

For a better idea of what you’d expect to pay for guitar lessons in 2021, take a look at our blog, “How much do guitar lessons cost and what one question should I ask to find out if they’re worth it?”

Peace of mind

In the UK, all tutors are required by law to have an enhanced DBS to ascertain that there are no issues with the tutor working with children or other vulnerable students. Nonetheless, taking online lessons may add that extra peace of mind; particularly if a parent is not able to be present during the lessons. Despite this, we would recommend that the tutor and student have safeguarding procedures in place to ensure that both parties are agreed on best practice and protected.

Increased functionality

Learning guitar online, there are certain things that you can’t do but some really nice things that you can. Possibly the biggest advantage is the ability to record your lessons so you can watch them back later. Whilst this may not sound appealing to some, we have found this to be an incredibly useful tool. I’m sure we have all had times where we felt that we understood something at the time only to go blank when trying to recall the information at a later stage. Of course, this can be achieved in face-to-face lesson too. We often encourage students to record their lessons on their phone or tablet for future reference. However, it is certainly easier online, particularly with platforms such as Zoom which has this functionality built in.

The cons of online guitar lessons  

Set up time and costs

Most students are likely to start with just their computer and webcam and / or a smart phone. However, for the more discerning student, there may be some additional time and cost involved to organise a more professional setup. It is very difficult for even an experienced tutor to work to improve a student’s tone production when the audio quality is poor. One may consider purchasing:

• tripod to better position the camera
• microphone(s)
• mirrorless camera
• audio interface

Requirement for strong internet connection

Of course, learning an instrument online is highly dependent on a strong and stable internet connection. A slow connection will greatly hinder the flow the lesson and possibly also the audio and video quality. If the connection drops out entirely, it may be necessary to reschedule the lesson with the tutor. Depending on mutual availability, this may prove problematic. If this is a rare event, most teachers would be more than happy to accommodate. Indeed, their connection may be the culprit! However, if this happens repeatedly, it may nullify the lessons completely. Ironically, in general it is likely to be the more remote parts of the country where there is the greatest demand for online music lessons that suffer from this the most.

Less human connection

Learning an instrument with a tutor can build a long and lasting friendship. Many of us have fond memories of our childhood instrumental tutors. Admittedly, if they were particularly strict, perhaps less so. Whilst it is still possible to build a rapport online, most would find that nothing can truly replace the experience of being face-to-face in the same room, especially for those learning guitar in a group setting.

It’s difficult to play together and develop ensemble skills

Music is at its core a communal event that is perhaps unique in its ability to bring people together; whether that be through concerts, national anthems, hymns or even chants at a football match. I, like many others, have found that the joy of playing an instrument does not just arise from the music itself but from the ability to play with and connect with others. It is a truly amazing feeling when all the different members of a group come together to from something that is greater than themselves.

Whilst ensemble playing and group lessons are possible online, this approach does not offer the same level of social interaction or sound quality as playing together in the same room. Indeed, playing together at all is almost impossible online due to the time lag between different members; a problem that grows with the number of users. There are platforms such as Jamkazam that have been designed with this in mind and claim to have no latency issues. Having not tried it, I am unfortunately not able to attest personally to its efficacy. Nonetheless, I think it is unlikely to genuinely replicate the feel of playing in a real-life ensemble.

These issues may not be problematic for individual such as advanced classical pianists where the tutor is able to observe and give actionable guidance. However, it is likely to be more of an issue for jazz and students of other more interactive and improvisational forms of music as well as for beginners and younger learners in particular who may struggle to stay engaged and motivated. In a similar vein, there are likely to be fewer performance opportunities when learning an instrument yourself online.

Conclusion

There are certainly both pros and cons to online music tuition. Ultimately, the best choice will be down to your personal goals and circumstance. There is no reason you can’t try both! If you’re ready to start online music lessons, we’d highly recommend reading our blog “Tips for getting the most out of your Zoom guitar lessons“.

Find out more about our online guitar lessons