3 Big Mistakes Your Guitar Teacher Could Be Making

When your guitar teacher makes mistakes it costs you as the student. Working with a mediocre teacher potentially holds you back or worsens your playing. You should be very careful to make sure you only take lessons with great guitar teachers who have proven credentials, proof of getting results and have helped countless students become excellent players. Here are some teaching mistakes to look for to understand if you are working with the wrong guitar teacher:

Mistake 1 - Not Showing You How To Practice 

When you don’t understand how to practice the things you learn during lessons, it is nearly impossible to make a lot of progress outside of them. Many guitar teachers will show you a lot of exercises or concepts during your lesson time, but few show you how to practice it. A great guitar teacher shows you how to practice what they teach and then watches you practice it right there during the lesson. This way, they know you fully understand it and will get the full benefit of the practice when you are on your own at home.

Mistake 2 - Giving You Too Many Lesson Materials

It’s common for guitar teachers to give their students way too many things to learn at once. Many mediocre/new teachers feel that they must give you new things to learn every lesson, otherwise they aren’t doing their job. This is not how it works however. A great guitar teacher knows that simply giving you new materials is only one piece of the puzzle, and that many students quickly become overwhelmed when they have too much to practice. Instead, these teachers show you how to apply things you already know in different ways to expand your mastery. When the time is right (and it is appropriate for helping you reach your musical goals), then they will bring in a new concept.

Mistake 3 - Not Determining Your Goals And Helping You Reach Them

This is a major mistake that will really cost you a lot of time in your journey to become a better guitarist. When a guitar teacher does not have a goal-oriented approach to teaching, you are likely to wander aimlessly on guitar during your time learning with them. These types of teachers often do not understand how to really get results for their students and will simply improvise a lesson the moment you step in the door (every week).

Look for a guitar teacher who asks you for your musical goals up front and designs a specific lesson plan to help you reach them.

Jacob Melling, owner of the A Sharp Guitar Insutrction agrees: “As a guitar teacher it is your duty to help all of your guitar students reach their specific musical goals. One of the worst things you can do is teach in an unorganized manner that wastes their time. Excellent guitar teachers realize that they are responsible for their students’ musical lives, and take it very seriously. This is why they are goal minded individuals and why they get the best results.”

Evaluate your guitar teacher or any teacher you are thinking about working with for these mistakes. If they make them, seek out a new one who doesn’t make them. Once you’ve found this teacher, you know your musical future is secure.