DVD Guitar Lessons Comparison

DVD Guitar Lessons

It really is incredible what a decade or two can do to education. In the past, aspiring guitarists were rather limited to how they could learn the guitar. The informal, best option was to learn through trial and error, by listening to music and trying to catch on to what the pros were doing. The formal, “right” way to learn guitar was to take up private lessons with an instructor at the local music store or school.

Unfortunately, private lessons were (and still are) pricey as well as time consuming and dictated based on the availability of the instructor. Not everyone had the money or time for private lessons.

That has all changed with DVD guitar lessons.

DVD guitar lessons enable you to learn from an expert (many of them are industry-leading, even professional musicians) from the own comfort of your home, for a fraction of what the same material may cost if you were to take private lessons.

DVD guitar lessons are often, but not always, supplemented by other material like a book, CD, or even access to a website with more resources and opportunities to pose questions. It is a really informative way to learn guitar because you get the same information as what a book may provide, yet you also get to hear and see the technique in action.

Creative people are often “visual” learners, which makes DVD guitar lessons perfect for beginner guitarists.

What are the advantages?

Learning guitar via DVD clearly gives you an advantage over trying to learn the guitar alone. The problem with self-learning is few people have the discipline, attention span, and desire to make it work. Sure, you may pick up on a few things on YouTube, but after a few months you’re likely going to struggle to find ways to challenge yourself and once that is gone learning guitar becomes boring.

What’s really great about DVD lessons is that they are structured like something you would get from a private lesson. Additionally, the individuals teaching on guitar DVDs are experts with years of experience, many of which are private lesson instructors.

Therefore, you get the same structure as a private lesson from knowledgeable people, but your schedule does not have to conform to their schedule. You decide when and where you want to practice, and, unlike real life, you can always rewind and revisit a chapter on the DVD to really nail down the material.

Lastly, DVD guitar lessons usually cost a fraction of what the same material would cost in a private lesson. Plus, if you want to focus on a particular style or genre of music, DVDs offer more niche topics than what your instructor is going to be able/willing to provide.

In the end, DVD guitar lessons are convenient and more affordable.

What are the disadvantages?

The major knock on DVDs is that you cannot get immediate feedback while you learn. It’s not like you can exactly pause the DVD and ask the instructor a question that might arise. Thankfully, a lot of the top rated guitar lesson DVDs provides additional resources, even websites or forums where you can go to ask questions as you move along.

You’ll also want to make sure you take great care of the DVD, because if the actual disc becomes lost or damage you will need to spend extra money to replace it.

Types of DVD Lessons

The most popular form is aimed at the beginner guitarist with an overview of everything you need to get started. It should include everything from basic maintenance of the actual instrument (keeping it clean, changing strings, etc) to fundamentals (proper stance, beginner chords, scales, etc) to guitar techniques (hammer-ons, pull-offs, picking techniques, etc).

If you are past that point, intermediate and advanced DVD lessons are also available, as are guitar lessons that cater to a particular style or genre.

Best Guitar DVD Lessons

There are many exceptional DVDs available, though some of the most highly regarded include Learn & Master Guitar and Beginner Guitar System.

Check out the table above to compare them side-by-side. After trying them both, and running them through our unbiased rating algorithm, we found Learn and Master Guitar to be the best DVD guitar lessons.