What Makes A Great Guitar Teacher

Many people see an awesome guitarist and think “I’ll get some lessons off him!”. But this isn’t necessarily a good idea because the character traits of a good teacher are completely different to that of a good guitarist.

I’ve met many great guitarists in my time and guess what – most of them weren’t great teachers. Even many top notch professional career guitarists don’t make great teachers.

So – what makes a good guitar teacher? Here are some of the aspects and traits that we believe make a good guitar teacher. In fact, we look for these traits in potential tutors working with us.

• Patient
• Outgoing
• Confident
• Loves to share knowledge and improve other’s skills and knowledge
• Is able to connect with a student
• Can establish a rapport. This is particularly important for students who are young, struggle with learning guitar, have disabilities or those with either behavioural or learning impairments.
• Good organisational skills
• Can explain aspects clearly. May also need to explain things repeatedly and in many different ways.
• Encouraging
• Supportive
• Believes in students capabilities and potential
  Actually finishes tasks. One thing we can’t stand is unfinished or half-learnt song. A half learnt song is a song not learnt.
• Reliable
• Willing to continually improve themselves
• Motivating

It’s a pretty extensive list that could probably even be much longer. Now let’s look at what traits make a great guitarist:

• Loves the guitar
• Is highly skilled on the guitar
• Knows a lot of music theory and can apply it to their playing
• Can compose their own music – whether it’s improvising or songwriting

Playing the guitar requires a completely different skill set to teaching. But there’s much more for potential students to look for in a guitar teacher. When searching for a guitar teacher, we recommend seeking a teacher that:

• Teaches a range of skills and techniques
• Makes learning easy
• Offers a structured curriculum
• Follows a logical progression in learning (this is much more than just starting easy and working toward harder playing)
• Teaches all aspects of playing (See the 5 Fundamental Techniques)
• Teaches students more than just chord progressions in their songs. Students need to learn other aspects like picking, melodies, riffs and harmonies.
• Helps students play songs along with the music and backing tracks
• Helps parents keep track of their child’s progress
• Offers a range of home practice resources for students
• Thinks and operates in an innovative way
• Uses technology to engage students

Sure, there are many more aspects to look for in a teacher. But at very least, this is a great starting point that should help anyone find the right teacher for them.