5 Questions To Ask Before You Take Guitar Lessons

I’m asked quite often what to look for in a guitar teacher. Most instructors are pretty good at what they do but, I always recommend having a good old sit down visit with them before you sign up for their program.

I would start by asking a lot of questions about what the teacher can do for you, such as, can he teach you the style of music that you want to learn. Keep in mind that there are building blocks that are common for all styles of music but they should be able to help you reach the goal of understanding and learning about the style of music you want to learn.

• Ask for a free lesson preview or at least find out what material they will be using for instruction. Watch and listen to see if the instructor can present the learning material in an organized manner. The instructors’ explanation of the material should be easy to understand.
• When the instructor is explaining things are they patient, courteous, understanding and helpful? If the teacher seams frustrated about all the questions you ask, you will probably become frustrated with learning.
• Ask how their program works. The instructor should be able to tell you what you will need to do to be successful. They should be able to set you up with clear, concise program of practice and goals to achieve.
• Do they understand your strengths and limitations, and can they work together with you patiently toward consolidation and improvement
• At the end of your visit you should have a feeling of enthusiasm about learning from the instructor.

There are a lot of other questions I'm sure you can think of but these are the main ones that are important to me. I would love to hear some comments on some of the question you guys think would be important to ask a music teacher.