Are Online Guitar Lessons as Good as In-Person Lessons?
Online guitar lessons aren’t a lesser version of in-person lessons. With the right teacher and setup, you can learn guitar online just as effectively — while avoiding the commute and learning on the same guitar and equipment you use every day at home.
I started teaching guitar online during the pandemic because my students needed a way to keep learning. What surprised me was what happened when in-person lessons became available again: more than half of my students chose to stay online.
They weren’t settling for online lessons because they had to. They genuinely preferred them.
After years of teaching guitar both online and in person, I’ve found that the quality of the lesson matters far more than whether the teacher and student are sitting in the same room.
Do Online Guitar Lessons Actually Work?
Yes. Online guitar lessons can work extremely well for beginners and experienced guitar players alike.
One of the biggest concerns people have about online music lessons is sound quality. With a standard video-call setup, that can be a legitimate concern.
But Zoom has audio settings designed to preserve the sound of musical instruments rather than processing them like ordinary speech. With the proper setup, I can hear my students clearly enough to work on rhythm, timing, dynamics, picking, strumming and technique just as I would during an in-person guitar lesson.
Online lessons also have another advantage that I didn’t fully appreciate until I started teaching this way: screen sharing.
During a lesson, I can pull up music, guitar tabs, chord diagrams, exercises or theory examples and mark them up directly on screen. It makes it easy to show a student exactly what I’m talking about and gives us a visual reference while we work through a piece or technique together.
What Does an Online Guitar Lesson Look Like?
Rather than just telling you that online guitar lessons work, here’s a short demonstration from an actual lesson with my longtime student Gavin.
Thanks for letting me share this, Gavin!
The video has been sped up slightly for demonstration purposes.
As you can see, an online guitar lesson isn’t simply two people sitting in front of webcams talking.
We’re playing, listening, demonstrating, discussing technique and working through music together. I can watch how a student is fretting, picking or strumming, identify problems, demonstrate alternatives and give feedback in real time.
Benefits of Learning Guitar Online
For many students, the convenience of online lessons is one of their biggest advantages.
There’s no commute to a music studio, which means a one-hour guitar lesson actually takes about an hour out of your day.
You also learn using your own guitar, amp, pedals and other equipment. That can be surprisingly helpful because we can troubleshoot or adjust the same setup you’ll be using when you practise between lessons.
Online lessons also make it possible to study with a guitar teacher who is a good fit for you without being limited to whoever happens to teach nearby.
Most importantly, my students seem to agree. More than half of the students who moved online during the pandemic chose to continue with online guitar lessons even when they had the option to return in person.
For me, that’s probably the best evidence that the format works.
Are Online Guitar Lessons Better Than In-Person Lessons?
I still enjoy teaching in person, and some students prefer being physically in the same room as their teacher.
But I don’t think one format is automatically better than the other.
After years of teaching both, I’ve found that having a good teacher, practising consistently and taking lessons that are built around your goals matter much more than whether those lessons happen online or in a studio.
For some students, the convenience and flexibility of learning from home actually make online lessons the better option.
Online Guitar Lessons for Beginners
You don’t need to already know how to play guitar before taking lessons online.
If you’re a beginner, we can work through everything you would normally cover in person, including:
how to hold and tune your guitar
your first chords and songs
strumming and rhythm
picking technique
chord changes
reading guitar tabs
basic music theory
developing an effective practice routine
Lessons can move at your pace and focus on the music you actually want to play.
Online Guitar Lessons for Experienced Players
Online lessons aren’t only for beginners.
I also work with guitarists who already play and want help developing specific areas of their musicianship, including technique, rhythm, improvisation, theory, songwriting and understanding the fretboard.
Because lessons are individualized, we can spend our time on the areas that will make the biggest difference to your playing rather than following a generic lesson program.
Online Guitar Lessons in Vancouver — and Beyond
We offer one-on-one online guitar lessons to students in Vancouver and elsewhere, with each lesson tailored to the student’s ability, musical interests and goals.
Whether you’re picking up a guitar for the first time or you’ve been playing for years and feel like you’ve hit a plateau, we can build lessons around what you want to accomplish.
If you’ve been considering online guitar lessons but are worried that you’ll be missing out compared with learning in person, you probably won’t be.
Your guitar doesn’t need to be in the same room as your teacher.
It just needs to be in your hands.
As you can see, we’re not simply sitting in front of a webcam talking. We’re playing together, listening, demonstrating, discussing technique and working through music just as we would in person.
Online or In Person?
I don’t think one format is automatically better than the other.
I still enjoy teaching in person, and some students definitely prefer it. But after years of doing both, I’ve found that the quality of the teaching matters much more than whether we’re sitting in the same room.
Online lessons also have the advantage of being extremely convenient. There’s no commute, and you’re already at home with your guitar and the equipment you normally practice with.
Most importantly, my students seem to agree. More than half of the students who moved online during the pandemic have chosen to stay online, even though they could return to in-person lessons.
For me, that’s probably the best evidence.
Online guitar lessons weren’t simply something my students tolerated when they had no other choice. Many of them actually preferred them.
So if you’re considering online guitar lessons, don’t assume you’re getting a lesser version of an in-person lesson.
With the right teacher and setup, online guitar lessons can be just as effective—and sometimes even better.
Online Guitar Lessons in Vancouver
We offer online guitar lessons to students in Vancouver and beyond, with lessons tailored to each student’s ability, interests, and goals.
Whether you’re a beginner learning your first chords or an experienced guitarist looking to improve technique, rhythm, improvisation or theory, we can work together online just as effectively as we would in person.
Your guitar doesn’t need to be in the same room as your teacher. It just needs to be in your hands.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Guitar Lessons
Are online guitar lessons good for beginners?
Yes. Beginners can learn guitar online just as they would in person. We can work on tuning, chords, strumming, picking, rhythm, reading tabs, basic theory and learning your first songs. Because lessons are one-on-one, we can slow down, repeat things and adjust the lesson to your experience level.
What do I need for an online guitar lesson?
You’ll need your guitar, a computer or tablet with a camera and microphone, a reliable internet connection and Zoom. Headphones can be helpful but aren’t always necessary. If you use an electric guitar, you can also have your usual amp and equipment set up beside you.
You don’t need an elaborate recording setup to get started.
Can a guitar teacher really hear my playing properly over Zoom?
Yes, with the right Zoom audio settings. Zoom’s standard settings are designed primarily for speech, but they can be adjusted for music so that the sound of the guitar comes through much more clearly.
With the proper setup, I can listen for things like rhythm, timing, dynamics, note clarity, picking and strumming technique and give feedback in real time.
Can you learn guitar online without playing together at the same time?
Yes. Because of the small delay that happens during video calls, teacher and student generally don’t play simultaneously in the same way they might in a room together.
Instead, I can demonstrate a technique, chord, rhythm or section of a song, then listen while you play it back. This actually gives me the opportunity to focus closely on what you’re doing and give specific feedback.
Are online guitar lessons only for beginners?
Not at all. I work with students at a range of levels. More experienced guitarists can use online lessons to work on technique, rhythm, improvisation, music theory, songwriting, fretboard knowledge or specific pieces of music.
Lessons are tailored to what you want to improve rather than following the same program for every student.
Do I need to live in Vancouver to take online guitar lessons?
No. Our online guitar lessons are available to students outside Vancouver as well. As long as we can find a lesson time that works and you have a reliable internet connection, you can take lessons from home.
How are online guitar lessons different from watching guitar tutorials online?
Tutorials can be useful, but they can’t watch you play.
In a one-on-one online guitar lesson, I can see and hear what you’re doing, identify problems you may not notice yourself and adjust the lesson based on your playing. You can also ask questions as they come up instead of trying to piece together information from different videos.
That individual feedback is one of the biggest advantages of working with a guitar teacher.
Ready to Try Online Guitar Lessons?
If you’re looking for online guitar lessons in Vancouver — or anywhere else — we’d be happy to help you get started.
Lessons are one-on-one and tailored to your experience, musical interests and goals, whether you’re learning your first chords or looking to take your playing to the next level.
Book an online guitar lesson and start learning from home.