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First learning to read sheet music is great advantage; then lessons.
First learn to read? That is like trying to learn to read before learning how to talk. You are likely to lose all your motivation while in book study for a skill most pop music guitarist playing along with a record or with a original or cover band will not use. You are more likely to get a simple lyric and chord chart and be asked to improvise from that small amount of information.
As for lessons, yes a teacher can increase your speed in acquiring proficiency but are we all willing to pay that fee for a hobby? I would suggest perhaps a group course to get the basics then the "long wax on, wax off" phase of developing your callouses and finger dexterity can be done with the YouTube/DVD/method book. Especially with some method books the learning to read option will be concurrent with the learning to play time.
When I worked at a music store there was youngish mother of four or five kids. She was a real do-it-your-selfer type. She wanted to learn guitar an was sure she could teach herself. In those days guitar lessons cost $8.50 per half hour. The teacher surmised that people would pay him no more than around what the skilled laborers in town got per hour. He was right, the conservatory trained guy down the street had 12 students at $25.00 per 1/2 hour and he had over 40 and a waiting list.
Anyway ,this young woman came into the store at least once a week or every other week writing checks for $40.00 each time she came for instructional videos, tutorials , every new book for self teaching she bought. She finally got lessons from the teacher and discovered like most adults she only needed a month or two of lesson just to get started. Turns out she didn't cheap out that much at all those instructional videos are expensive.
Learning to play music locked in a room all by your self is counterintuitive to being a musician. Music is a social activity. When you write your first song and sing it ,performing it for you teacher is the first step to performing it for a crowd. When I mentioned to an athlete friend that was thinking about learning to playing golf ,turns out his wife was a teaching pro at the country club and gave me a few pointers. She came over and taught me more with a broom stick in 20 minutes than I could have taught my self at the driving range all summer long.
When I worked at a music store there was youngish mother of four or five kids. She was a real do-it-your-selfer type. She wanted to learn guitar an was sure she could teach herself. In those days guitar lessons cost $8.50 per half hour. The teacher surmised that people would pay him no more than around what the skilled laborers in town got per hour. He was right, the conservatory trained guy down the street had 12 students at $25.00 per 1/2 hour and he had over 40 and a waiting list.
Anyway ,this young woman came into the store at least once a week or every other week writing checks for $40.00 each time she came for instructional videos, tutorials , every new book for self teaching she bought. She finally got lessons from the teacher and discovered like most adults she only needed a month or two of lesson just to get started. Turns out she didn't cheap out that much at all those instructional videos are expensive.
Learning to play music locked in a room all by your self is counterintuitive to being a musician. Music is a social activity. When you write your first song and sing it ,performing it for you teacher is the first step to performing it for a crowd. When I mentioned to an athlete friend that was thinking about learning to playing golf ,turns out his wife was a teaching pro at the country club and gave me a few pointers. She came over and taught me more with a broom stick in 20 minutes than I could have taught my self at the driving range all summer long.
True, and true, and true... but... music lessons are no longer $8.50/.5hr they are $25/.5hr and in big Metro's they are $45/.5hr and they are not competing with Homespun Instructional CD's @ $16 - $50 ea. they are competing with the Internet: FREE. Well whatever you pay your ISP every month. In some communities that is ZERO. My last city had free wi-fi through the whole town and it was damn fast. Just saying.
I have never taken lessons of any sort/kind before. What is a reasonable price for guitar lessons? 65/hour?
I don't think it is that high in your area. Check with one of the big box music stores like Guitar world they would be paying teachers the highest average amount. They will probably want you to pay for a month at a time which is fair to the teacher. There are a few companies that teach in your home like "Take Lessons." I would guess $25-45.00 per lesson.
For some one interested in song writing I would suggest you sing your song into a recording device and your teacher would "chart out " your song and teach you how to play it. Its the same process that Folklorist used to do while on song Collecting trips in remote areas collecting folk songs.
I'm self-taught and do pretty well. I'll never win any contests, but I play well enough to accompany myself when I sing and have performed solo in public venues for many years.
You don't have to read music to play basic guitar chords. When I got my first guitar, it was long before the Internet came along. I purchased a little book with diagrams of chords which included a plastic 45 rpm record to play along with. Then I practiced every moment I possibly could until I nailed every chord in the book. I remember the first song in the book was "Skip To My Lou" and the chords were A and D.
OP, if you learn just 4 or 5 easy chords you can play hundreds of folk songs and pop songs. The more you practice, the more you'll learn and the more proficient you'll become.
Good luck to you!
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The approach to teaching adults is akin to what colleges call self directed study. That means the teacher teaches only what the student wants to learn. Not all teachers are comfortable teaching outside of the box like this. For instance a guy came to the music teacher because he was going to his 50th class reunion. He and his old band mates were getting back together to play like they did 50 years ago at the prom. He hadn't played guitar since college. He paid the teacher $25.00 per hour to help him re-learn the set list from 50 years ago.
Yes the online options are free an easily accessible and the "teach your self " instructional market is profitable for stores. It make good sense to go that direction especially if it is a hassle to find a teacher or to get to a music store to buy material, but if you live anywhere near a college that has an established and reputable guitar program there are probably good teachers all over the place.
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