If you’re thinking about taking guitar lessons, you might be wondering:
Will I have to learn the same songs and exercises as everyone else?
Not necessarily.
Learning the fundamentals of guitar is important, but the best guitar lessons should also leave room for your interests, your goals and your personality as a musician.
Maybe you want to play rock guitar. Maybe you love acoustic singer-songwriter music. Maybe you want to learn blues solos, write your own songs, play in a band or simply learn a few songs to play at home.
There isn’t one right way to learn guitar.
Why Should Guitar Lessons Be Personalized?
Every student comes to guitar with a different reason for wanting to play.
A child might want to learn the songs they hear on the radio. A teenager might dream about playing guitar in a band. An adult might finally have time to learn an instrument they’ve wanted to play for years.
Even two students who like the same music can have completely different goals.
That’s why a good guitar teacher shouldn’t simply use the exact same lesson plan for every student.
Your lessons should take your age, experience, musical interests, goals and learning style into account.
Can I Learn the Music I Actually Like?
Yes—and you probably should.
Learning songs you enjoy is one of the easiest ways to stay motivated.
If you love a particular band or guitarist, learning one of their songs gives you something exciting to work toward. Along the way, your teacher can use that song to introduce useful skills such as:
- Chords
- Strumming
- Picking
- Scales
- Rhythm
- Guitar riffs
- Bending
- Vibrato
- Improvisation
- Music theory
You don’t have to choose between learning the fundamentals and playing music you enjoy.
The two can work together.
Does Learning Guitar Mean Everyone Has to Follow the Same Path?
No.
There are certain fundamentals that are useful for almost every guitarist. Learning how to hold the instrument, develop good technique, understand rhythm and play chords and notes clearly gives you a strong foundation.
But what you do with that foundation is up to you.
One guitarist might spend years exploring fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
Another might become fascinated by blues improvisation.
Someone else might want to learn metal riffs and electric guitar solos.
Another student might be more interested in songwriting than technical guitar playing.
The fundamentals provide the foundation. Your interests determine where you go from there.
How Do I Find My Own Guitar Style?
Your individual guitar style usually develops over time.
You don’t have to decide what your “style” is when you first start learning.
Instead, listen to lots of different guitarists and pay attention to what you like.
Maybe you love the sound of a particular player’s bends.
Maybe you like another guitarist’s rhythm playing.
Maybe you enjoy the way someone uses chords, effects or unusual melodies.
Learn from the players who inspire you, but don’t worry about sounding exactly like them forever.
Eventually, you’ll start combining the things you’ve learned in your own way.
That’s how individuality develops.
Should I Learn Guitar Techniques Even If I Don’t Like Them?
Sometimes, yes.
A personalized guitar lesson doesn’t mean you only work on things that are easy or immediately enjoyable.
A good teacher may introduce a technique that you don’t understand the purpose of yet.
For example, you might not be particularly interested in scales.
But scales can help you understand melodies, solos, improvisation and the fretboard.
You might not care about music theory.
But understanding how chords fit together can make it much easier to learn songs and write your own.
The goal isn’t to avoid anything you don’t immediately enjoy.
It’s to understand why you’re learning it and how it connects to the music you want to play.
Can I Learn Both Acoustic and Electric Guitar?
Absolutely.
You don’t have to choose one forever.
Acoustic and electric guitars have different characteristics, but the skills you develop on one can often help you with the other.
An acoustic guitarist may eventually want to explore electric guitar.
An electric guitarist may discover that learning acoustic rhythm playing improves their timing and chord work.
Trying different instruments and styles can actually help you discover what kind of guitarist you enjoy being.
What If I Don’t Know What Kind of Music I Want to Play?
That’s completely fine.
You don’t need to arrive at your first guitar lesson with a detailed five-year musical plan.
You may start by learning a few songs and gradually discover what interests you.
Your musical tastes can change, too.
You might begin with pop music and become interested in blues.
You might start with acoustic guitar and eventually want to play electric.
You might think you want to learn guitar solos and discover that songwriting is actually what you enjoy most.
Your guitar lessons can change with you.
Should a Guitar Teacher Correct My Playing?
Definitely.
Individuality doesn’t mean ignoring technique.
A teacher’s job isn’t to make every student sound identical. It’s to help students develop the skills they need while avoiding habits that could hold them back.
Sometimes a small technical correction can make a huge difference.
Your teacher might notice that you’re:
- Holding the pick too tightly
- Using unnecessary tension
- Pressing the strings harder than necessary
- Struggling with a particular chord shape
- Losing your rhythm during chord changes
- Bending notes out of tune
- Using inefficient finger movements
Correcting these things gives you more freedom as a musician.
Good technique doesn’t take away individuality.
It gives you more control over how you express it.
Should I Learn Music Theory If I Want to Be Creative?
Music theory doesn’t have to limit creativity.
In fact, understanding how music works can give you more choices.
You don’t need to become a music theory expert to benefit from knowing things like:
- How chords relate to one another
- How keys work
- How scales are constructed
- Why certain chords sound good together
- How melodies fit over chords
- How songs are structured
Once you understand some of these ideas, you can start experimenting with them.
You can follow the rules.
You can bend the rules.
And eventually, you can decide which rules matter to you.
Can a Guitar Teacher Help Me Develop My Own Sound?
Yes, but they shouldn’t try to create it for you.
A good teacher can introduce you to different musicians, styles, techniques and approaches to playing.
They can help you understand what you’re hearing and give you the tools to recreate it.
But your sound develops through your own choices.
It comes from the music you listen to, the techniques you prefer, the way you approach rhythm and melody, the equipment you use and—perhaps most importantly—the way you express yourself.
Two guitarists can play exactly the same notes and still sound completely different.
That’s part of what makes playing music so interesting.
Is It Important to Learn from Other Guitarists?
Absolutely.
Developing individuality doesn’t mean trying to invent everything yourself.
Some of the most creative musicians in history were deeply influenced by the musicians who came before them.
Listen to your favourite guitarists.
Learn their songs.
Study their techniques.
Figure out what makes their playing sound distinctive.
Then experiment.
Try combining ideas from different players. Change the rhythm. Alter the phrasing. Write your own melody. Take a familiar chord progression somewhere unexpected.
Influence isn’t the opposite of individuality. It’s often where individuality begins.
What Makes a Great Guitar Teacher?
A great guitar teacher should be able to teach the fundamentals while also understanding that students have different goals.
Look for a teacher who:
- Listens to what you want to learn
- Adjusts lessons to your ability
- Can teach different styles of music
- Encourages questions and experimentation
- Gives you useful feedback
- Helps you build good technique
- Introduces music theory when it’s useful
- Keeps lessons enjoyable
- Gives you goals that make sense for you
Most importantly, you should feel comfortable being yourself as a musician.
You Don’t Have to Sound Like Everyone Else
Learning guitar is not about becoming a copy of another guitarist.
It’s about developing the skills that allow you to play the music you enjoy and eventually express your own ideas.
Learn the chords.
Learn the scales.
Learn the songs.
Study the great guitarists.
Practise your technique.
But then experiment.
Change things.
Make mistakes.
Write something of your own.
Try sounds that you haven’t heard before.
Your musical individuality doesn’t appear overnight. It develops gradually through everything you listen to, learn and play.
And that’s one of the most rewarding parts of learning guitar.
Learn Guitar Your Way in Kelowna
At Upbeat Music Academy in Glenmore, Kelowna, guitar lessons are designed around the individual student.
Whether you’re interested in acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rock, blues, pop, songwriting, improvisation or simply learning your favourite songs, lessons can be adapted to your experience and goals.
Noel Wentworth has been teaching guitar in Kelowna for more than 25 years.
His approach is to help students develop solid guitar skills while giving them room to explore the music they actually enjoy.
Because learning guitar isn’t about fitting every student into the same mould.
It’s about giving you the skills and confidence to become the guitarist you want to be.
– With over 25 years of teaching experience, Noel Wentworth offers Guitar lessons in Kelowna at the Upbeat Music Academy Kelowna
About the Author: noelwentworth
