Do Skype guitar lessons really work?

So earlier this year I began doing Skype guitar lessons as a trial to see if they really could be taught to a good standard over the net.

Over 6 months on I have decided to continue Skype guitar lessons and thought I would take the time to point out the benefits and the negatives that could effect your decision as to which type of guitar lesson you would prefer.

The positives

• No commuting

  This is by far the biggest benefit to doing Skype guitar lessons. There’s no need to drive to lessons, get stuck in traffic or be delayed. You can go from your sofa to your screen in seconds and begin your lesson – or even have your lesson on the sofa!

• No waiting around

  For the younger students parents ultimately have to do the driving and then continue to wait the following 30 minutes to an hour for the lesson to finish. My studios are located close to useful amenities but this way there’s no needs to wait around.

• Instant practice

  If we’ve gone through a particularly challenging lesson then you may want to practice straight away to retain and work on what we’ve just been going through. With Skype guitar lessons that’s not a problem!

• Great choice of guitarist

  The quality of the teacher can make a huge impact on how much you can learn as well as how much you enjoy the lessons. Skype then opens up a whole world of music teachers that range greatly in price and skill. I like to do a free 30 minute trial lesson so any prospective students can see what guitar lessons would be like first hand to compare with other musicians.

• Back up for in-person guitar lessons

  Sometimes cancelations happen due to unforeseen events, many of which are a result of transport issues or weather. This makes Skype guitar lessons a great backup for in-person lessons as you can continue with your allotted time and resume as normal the following week.

• Record your lessons

  You can record your lesson! This is really useful for those who maybe need a little reminder of what they were working on or simply want a catalogue of what they have learnt over time to go back and refresh.

The negatives

• Connection issues

  We have to rely on good internet connection. I have only had to reschedule around 3 lessons since I started due to bad internet connection on either end but considering I haven’t the best connection (by a long shot) in my area it does surprisingly well.

• No duets

  The biggest downside I would say is that we can’t play together. Due to the delay it’s impossible to keep in time with each other but I send across backing track etc so you still play to music it just means we can’t jam as much.

• Pointing

  Pointing, it turns out, is pretty useful when teaching guitar. Mainly when advising finger placement. This cannot be done via Skype but to combat this I have enabled a zoom on the webcam so you can gain a close up of my finger positions to them replicate on your end.

• Distraction

  Just like working from home, you can easily become distracted. I recommend having a dedicated room to take your lesson in and turning off any TVs etc.

So should you take Skype guitar lessons? If in person guitar lessons are a large upheaval or impossible for you to do I definitely say yes. In person guitar lessons with a good teacher are still preferred I would say but for the amount of time, hassle and transport money saved it can be a worthwhile avenue to pursue. You can always have a free 30 minute trial lesson if you are a new student and decide for yourself.

To get an idea of what a Skype lesson is like I asked my student, Tom, to do a review of his lessons:

“I recently started having Skype lessons with Wayne and it was much better than I expected from Skype! The quality is good most of the time and the feature to zoom into his hand is very helpful for figuring out what he’s playing. In the 5 or 6 lessons I have done with him we have only had 1 problem- which led to him adding extra time on the next lesson.

The lessons are excellent. In your first lesson he will ask you for your experience, followed by what you wish to achieve from the lessons. Wayne in very good at figuring out what to do after that lesson, thus will start making that his focus for the lessons. Unlike most guitar tutors he doesn’t force you to use the same fingers as he does for a chord- instead letting you know that he’d use different fingers (however not enforcing it, just letting you know that is is harder the way you’re doing it).

The Skype lessons cost little compared to a lot of guitar lessons elsewhere and are of decent quality. I would definitely recommend Wayne (and Skype!) to anyone who wants a good guitar lesson!”