Unless a new guitar player has an unusually strong propensity for sell-instruction, guitar lessons remain the single most effective way to master the art. Typically, most guitar lessons are given by professional guitarists to new students on a weekly basis at a nominal fee. There is also a vast amount of literature dedicated to guitar lessons, mostly for beginners and unique advanced techniques. In addition to the literature, online sources for guitar lessons have increasingly become available in this post-internet age.
Younger students occasionally have the option of joining a school band in order to acquire the skills of a guitar instructor, yet for the most part guitars (and thus, guitar lessons and instructors) remain outside of the school band repertoire along with pianos, violins, and other string instruments. The trend can be explained by the lack of string instruments in a traditional marching band (although certain public schools do have a musical department wealthy enough for the inclusion of a string orchestra). The level of time/dedication required to instruct lessons for guitar players specifically is perhaps the reason why it remains regulated to independent instruction outside of the education industry. While every school jazz band will, at least, require either a guitar and/or a string bass player (in addition to a piano player) these instruments are rarely taught as part of a curriculum, unfortunately.
The lack of guitar instruction at the school level serves to create a robust independent market for offering lessons to new guitar players. While practically anybody who knows how to play a chord can theoretically give guitar lessons, a professional guitarist (especially a professional musician still actively performing) that offers guitar lessons will command a nice premium price tag for their instructional services. While again, it is possible to self-instruct in the guitar basics, it cannot be overstated how valuable professional lessons are for a new player. The combination of hearing/seeing/experiencing firsthand what an accomplished guitarist can do with the very instrument one is currently taking lessons to learn is an incalculable advantage towards the eventual mastery of the art.
Most professional guitar instructors give lessons in the form of teaching songs to the student. After learning the basic chords and positioning for fingered notes, a student slowly hones their craft by playing songs of varying difficulty while the instructor critiques. This is the tried-and-true method of instruction for most musical instruments, teaching both the reading of sheet music as well as techniques of increasing difficulty to improve overall instrument mastery.
Songs also serve as a useful motivational tool for a new guitarist taking lessons. As is oft the case, a new player has a guitar ‘idol’ she wishes to emulate, and will hasten to practice assigned songs that are from her favorite album, for example. The idealistic victory of learning to perfectly imitate a guitarist after a long period of wishing to be as proficient in playing is a strong tool that many instructors use to help their students in becoming a confident future guitar player.
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