How Much Are Guitar Lessons?

Whether you are a beginner learner looking to learn to play the guitar or an intermediate player wanting to refine your skills, it is essential for you to know how much do guitar lessons cost, which learning method is the best, or why an instructor may charge you more than another. 

To assist you all in making a decision best suited to your budget, in today’s article, we present a breakdown of all the factors contributing to the final guitar learning cost.

What do the overall costs look like?

Traditionally, the only way someone could learn guitar was in person, whereby you had to go to the instructor to learn the instrument. However, now that technology has advanced, there are many online options for credible instructors and academies, allowing all aspiring guitarists to learn guitar from the comfort of their homes. 

Therefore, with the increased popularity and availability of online lessons, the previously high prices of in-person guitar lessons have decreased to a great extent both for advanced and beginner learners alike. 

Still, the average price of an in-person guitar lesson increases with the lesson length. For example, a thirty-minute session will cost you $20-$50, whereas a forty-five-minute session has slightly higher charges ranging between $30-$60 compared to a per hour session, which can be priced around $40-$100. 

On the other hand, online guitar lessons, which are flexible and let you learn at your own pace and availability, are more affordable than in-person lessons. Although these lessons are not cheap or necessarily free, their charges are lower when the pricing contrasts with in-person lessons, such as a 30-minute session is priced between $10-$50, contrary to an hour’s session costing you $20-$100.

Online Vs. In-Person Guitar Lessons

What Factors Determine Guitar Lesson Prices?

Something that you must understand before you go ahead to pursue guitar lessons is that guitar lesson pricing is subject to vary and various factors affect the final cost that you have to pay.

The pricing structure that we have stated above for online and in-person guitar lessons is only a rough estimate, whereas in reality, when you go to different guitar instructors in different places to learn, they will charge you a different amount because of the following reasons:

1. Type of Lesson

Firstly, the way you choose to learn guitar will impact guitar lessons cost. Generally, in-person guitar teachers will charge you more for the lesson than online instructors. This is because when learning with the instructor in his/her presence, you get to have individualistic and personalized private lessons.

Here, the in person teacher can tell you when you may miss out on playing a note and will provide you with feedback, which is otherwise often lacking in online lessons. However, if you are under budget constraints, online lessons are the best learning mode.

Taking guitar lessons online will not be as costly as person-to-person learning because the lessons are already pre-recorded for you nor are you required to travel to your classes regularly as you can learn whenever and wherever you want.

2. Lesson Frequency and Length

Next up, the lesson’s frequency (how often you take the lesson) and length (how long the lesson is) will directly impact the cost of learning. Depending on the instructor’s teaching style and preference, the lesson can be 30, 40, and 60 minutes long, it can be offered once or multiple times a week.

If you are going ahead and learning guitar in person. In that case, the instructor will charge you per what they think their time is worth, and again, this evaluation will be different for every coach.

On the other hand, online guitar learning via guitar membership or an online course will give you access to months and even years of created content, letting you learn at your own ease. Online learning of the guitar can be especially beneficial for beginner students who want to learn guitar without worrying about being charged for time.

3. Teacher Experience and Expertise

Another thing that will add to your guitar learning cost is the instructor experience and expertise. The more in demand, popular, and obviously the more experienced a guitar teacher will be, the higher they will cost.

For example, a college kid trying to earn a few bucks through offering guitar lessons or a traveling instructor who is always on the go will cost you much less than a professional who is experienced in delivering the skill and has decades of experience teaching students.

These experienced and expert instructors, though, are pricey still learning with them will be more productive because you will get faster results. This means you can save yourself years of frustration, wasted time, and energy.

Most importantly, you can save yourself years of paying instructors who offer ineffective lessons. In the short run, you will agreeably have to pay more but when looking at the long-run results, proficient instructors will save you much more money than what you had to initially pay.

4. Location of The Lesson

Now, the area where you will learn the guitar will also determine the price of the lesson. Some cities or neighborhoods simply have a high living cost, which is true for locations such as Los Angeles or New York City, implying that the instructor offering lessons here will also charge you more.

But at the same time, these cities also have high-quality guitar teachers, which means that at the end of the day, the guitar lessons will be worth the price paid.

5. Additional Costs

Even though we may all wish for our guitar instructor to live next door to us, unfortunately, this is not the case. Another hefty cost that you have to bear is that of commuting, which includes gas charges, the wear and tear your car will suffer, and the time you will spend going to and from the lesson.

So, when considering how much the final cost of a guitar lesson will be for you, you must keep these additional factors in mind.

Why Are Online Guitar Lessons Affordable?

Many learners are concerned about why online guitar lessons are much more affordable than in-person lessons or, in other words, why are they “cheap.” Is it because these instructors are not experienced? Is the learning not of high quality? Or are the teaching methods used not reliable?

All your assumptions about why online guitar lessons may be cheap are false, and you are highly mistaken. However, we also understand why you think like this because, as consumers, we generally associate anything with a low price with poor quality.

Instead, online guitar learning is within your budget because these lessons are not expensive or time-consuming to produce. Where an in-person instructor invests their time teaching guitar to individual students, ensuring that they have their own personal experience, an online instructor delivers the same learning but through a different mode- via pre-recorded videos.

As these lessons are recorded and edited to be taken by a larger consumer market, the instructors can easily spread the cost of their time over a broader student body than a single student.

Thus, there is no valid reason for you to think that online guitar lessons mean a poor-quality learning experience, but in essence, they are as effective and as productive in terms of learning as your in-person lessons are.

Guitar GPS Method Revolutionising Online Guitar Learning

Do you want to learn how to play the guitar differently than the conventional learning methods? The Guitar GPS Method has you sorted!

Guitar GPS method is an online guitar teaching academy that has taken the best of both words and has merged them into a gamified learning experience, making sure to build the skills of their students, teach them how to play solos, improvise all over the neck and have fun every step of the way.

The academy has undoubtedly revolutionized the learning journey for all beginner and advanced learners, making it more rewarding and satisfactory. Where the traditional players practice with little aim or focus, which essentially leads to slow and unfulfilling progress, the Guitar GPS Method provides aspiring guitarists with certainty and clear vision, amplifying an individual’s progress rate.

Learning through their gamified method is like having a guide there with you throughout, leading you towards the right path. Here, you are always motivated to stay consistent with your practice as you get points for improvement. Especially when you see your progress coming together on the dashboards, you are inspired to put in more effort to reach the end goal.

The online system has been developed at a local guitar school for 15 years to test what works in the real world and with ordinary players of all ages and backgrounds, so you do not need to be apprehensive or skeptical about learning guitar online.

Similarly, with the guitar GPS method, also forget about the association of low prices and poor quality because, for a less than typical hourly rate, you get access to the entire academy with structured learning, the ability to customize your own experience, get feedback from an expert, and connect with like-minded guitarists and much more.

Intrigued? Get a chance to talk to Preston by joining the waitlist for guitar lessons today!

Why Choose Private Lessons Over Free Lessons?

Another question raised by people trying to learn guitar is why they should pay for private lessons when they can acquire the same learning for free through watching YouTube videos.

Free lessons come at a cost

Agreeably, free lessons do not come at a financial cost. Still, again, not all expenses have to be monetary. You are not paying for these lessons through money; you are paying for them through your time.

These free online lessons are frustrating because when the learners can learn whatever they want, they learn things randomly and out of order. It is like a kindgeraterner trying to learn calculus, or you going to the gym and straight up lighting 300 lbs without any prior experience.

Let’s say that even in the best scenario, you get lucky and find free learning content online. However, in this instance, where the content is reliable, there is no guarantee that it will be orderly.

Alternatively, this content may only focus on teaching you the specific skill you are interested in learning while completely ignoring the bigger picture, causing confusion and imbalances in your overall development.

Guitar learning progress is slow

Learning from free online lessons can cause slow progress and result in a lack of motivation to learn. There is no guarantee that the instructor teaching you guitar has tested their teaching method on in-person students.

Following a popular guitarist’s name to learn guitar from them is not enough because these players may have played on a tour, but they might not have the skill set required to teach the instrument.

Teaching and playing the guitar are two different things, and it is not necessarily the case that someone who is effortless at playing the instrument can also teach well.

Additionally, these teachers may not prioritize consistent and organized content planning. Instead, they might teach what they know best, such as music theory or ear training.

GPS Method Online Courses/ Memberships

While GPS Guitar Method may charge their customers for their services, rest assured, their guitar lessons are valuable for money and much better than free lessons, as the content is organized and orderly.

• Online guitar courses cost on average and can range from $27 – $197
• Online guitar memberships on Average, can range from $10- $97 per month

Such specialized training is the value for money you’re looking for, check out our about to find out more about Prestion.

How Is the Guitar GPS Method Different?

Finally, it is time we address the elephant in the room and unravel all those reasons that make the guitar GPS method unique and different from all other online options available.

• All the content you will find at the academy has been produced after testing the material with in-person students. The learning material is conveyed to you only after getting proven incredible short-term and long-term results.
• The goal of the Guitar GPS method is not only to teach you the basics of playing a guitar. But it is much more than that; it is to identify and troubleshoot the root causes of slow progress, loss of motivation to practice, and frustration.
• Unlike other learning platforms, the guitar GPS method is designed around how people learn and how their skills can be developed most effectively. You get specific missions and very detailed explanations.
• The academy troubleshoots the #1 pitfall that learners face: imbalance, holes, and gaps in their playing and musicianship.
• All the lessons online are exclusive of fillers but only contain methods guaranteed to work and aid students with learning.
• The system is integrated by 1 expert instructor who knows how to get players to progress. This way, you won’t find yourself painted into a corner or arrive as an “intermediate player” only to find you lack the critical skills to get to the next level.
• The entire online system is gamified, giving you points for developing skills and proficiency. Not only is it fun to check out your stats on the leaderboards and Reports Dashboards, but it also keeps you clear on how things are coming together for you by stating what you lack and how it needs to be worked upon.
• You can also get feedback from other students and expert instructors who can diagnose what’s holding you back – even if you don’t know yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Are online guitar lessons better than Guitar Center lessons?

Yes and No. Teachers at Guitar Center typically only teach on the side and they teach you out of Hal Leonard books. However, they do provide personalized feedback and guidance in your playing.

Do online cheap guitar lessons mean low quality?

No, online lessons are typically cheaper because you’re not by paying for an expert’s time.

What is a fair price for guitar lessons?

The prices for guitar lessons vary per the lesson’s quality and the instructor’s expertise. Regardless, expect to pay $40-$80hr on average, and online lesson prices may vary.

Do free guitar lessons help?

Free guitar lessons help, but due to a lack of structure in their teaching technique, it often takes much longer to learn than learning through a proven and much more organized method.

Summary

In conclusion, the cost of guitar lessons is not fixed. It will almost always vary widely depending on factors like the instructor’s experience, the length and frequency of the lesson, its location, and the learning mode, whether in-person or online.

However, let us once again assure you that online lessons are not of poor quality, but when you learn through the right kind of lessons, they can help you make the same progress as an in-person lesson.