Starter Guitar Pack vs Private Guitar Lessons – which is better?

So should I get private guitar lessons? or a starter guitar pack?
There are pros and cons to both…

PROS for having a guitar teacher (private lessons):

• They will point out bad technique and help you understand what you are doing wrong.
• Give you motivation to practice.
• Ask them any guitar technique etc question.

CONS of having a guitar teacher (private lessons):

• COST – Recurring payments is a commitment many people, simply cannot afford.
• Must schedule a specific time for a lesson in advance. Which is hard for many people who work full time.
• May have an incompetent guitar tutor – How could a beginner guitarist know if they are being taught the wrong technique?

PROS of guitar beginner packs (Jamorama or JamPlay):

• CHEAP - a 1hr guitar lesson is more expensive than most of the best guitar beginner packs available which are jam packed with instructional guitar videos, software and books. Completely incomparable to private guitar lessons.
• Choice between various different guitar teachers, you will learn a lot more if you do not exclusively get lessons from one teacher. Everyone has different guitar styles and the same goes for guitar teachers.
• You will be taught 100% correct technique, provided you choose a good guitar pack.
• You can replay instructional guitar videos over and over again, so if you miss something, you can always look back. Very useful.
• Usually have a money back guarantee, so you can return it if you are unhappy. Imagine trying that with a guitar teacher.

CONS of guitar beginner packs (Jamorama or JamPlay):

• If you use bad technique, the starter guitar pack will not be able to personally point it out. If you are taught good technique to begin with however, this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Can’t ask questions and get a direct answer however, I am sure you will find the answer within the package if you try find it. JamPlay (online guitar course) offers live questions and answers online to it’s members which is very handy.

In conclusion, I think the best way is to do both. Start learning via a guitar course as well as occasionally going to a guitar teacher when you need some motivation and guitar technique help. To read more about guitar beginner packs, I share my experiences with Jamorama & JamPlay HERE.