The Pros and Cons of Learning Guitar on YouTube

Transcript and links included below…

Today, we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of learning to play the guitar by watching YouTube videos.

Even before we begin our discussion today, I think it would be important for you to know just a little bit about me, especially if you’re new to Guitar Serious Fun. 

I started playing the guitar in 1994 while simultaneously earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music with an emphasis on vocal performance. 

My college education gave me a solid music theory base, and I went through all 7 grades of Mel Bay’s Modern Guitar Method as I applied what I was learning. 

I began writing songs in 1996, recording in the studio in 1999, and since then, I’ve toured all over North America leading worship and performing concerts. 

Amidst all of this, there’s been a constant thread of teaching music, especially the guitar, and at one time I had a full roster of 50 students with a waiting list.

When YouTube was created in 2005, I was well on my way as a guitar learner and teacher, and this new platform offered some things that had not previously existed. 

Someone could capture a video of themselves teaching a guitar concept, for example, and they could upload it for anyone on the planet to watch anytime.

But right there I’ll pause to say that although views can be measured in metrics, there isn’t a standard in place to vet quality content (beyond it being appropriate vs. inappropriate or “likes.”) 

There’s grown to be such an influx of content that there’s no way to keep up with the content creators and monitor whether they’re able to unpack and teach a concept well.

So, with a broad stroke, there are two basic types of guitar education content creators on YouTube… 

First, creators who are aiming to garner followers and views that will lead to monetization. 

Second, creators who have a presence on YouTube but ultimately want to invite their viewers into a paid educational offering that is not necessarily hosted on YouTube.

Speaking transparently, I’m of the latter disposition.  Although I’ve uploaded content on one channel off and on since 2008, I’ve been much more consistent with our GuitarSuccess4U YouTube channel and have seen more viewer response because of this consistency.  But my presence with GuitarSuccess4U on YouTube is still modest.

I don’t live on the platform; I post an average of one mini lesson every other week, with shorts multiple times a week. 

The mini lessons are usually around 10-minutes long and go deeper than my 60-second shorts. 

Posting consistently like this reminds my viewers that I’m here, that I want to provide some value, and my presence helps viewers to learn to know, like and trust me.

My goal is not to gain millions of followers and to be monetized.  I also have a presence on Instagram, Facebook, and of course, here at Guitar Serious Fun, so it could theoretically be possible to choose just one of those avenues and make it a full-time job.

With respect, I’d rather not go that route.

Instead, I’m passionately leaning into an online offering I launched in 2019 called GuitarSuccess4U, which you may have heard of.  If you haven’t, take just a moment to check out our website at www.GuitarSuccess4U.com, and pause this recording.  I’ll wait.

If you’ve had the chance to see what we offer, awesome.  We hope you’ll check out the reviews, frequently asked questions, member testimonials, and some of the sample lessons. 

If you haven’t, here’s the basic skinny on what it is: a self-paced online experience for beginning and intermediate Christian guitar players who know there’s more to the guitar…and who want to access fresh, proven, curated content that’s organized really well.

In addition to that, though, we have multiple expert interviews and bonuses that can’t be found anywhere else. 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have a Christ-honoring community that exceeds the dynamic of a forum or discussion group in its practical and supportive nature.

Some forums or discussion platforms end up being a place where there’s a lot of unconstructive criticism.  Not in our community.

And again, YouTube is a powerful tool with great potential, so I’ve decided camp out on this for a few minutes today.

So, let me take you into some of my thoughts as I contrast the pros and cons of YouTube with our GuitarSuccess4U model, and then you can decide what seems best for you in this season.

But first, a story.

The Dictionary

When I was about 10 years old, my paternal grandmother gave me a very thick Webster’s Dictionary – about three inches thick, hardbound, 8 ½ x 11”.  This was a decent-sized dictionary, and I was grateful to receive this gift. 

I’ve flipped through it a lot over the past few decades.  But I can confidently say that I have not read through it line by line, cover to cover.  That wouldn’t make sense, because there are a lot of words I’ll never use, but more importantly, it would take an exorbitant amount of time.

The main way I’ve used this dictionary (other than as a weight or a doorstop) is to reference words alphabetically for definitions and spellings.

And that’s the normal function of a dictionary, right?  It’s rare that someone would underline a huge portion of words in a dictionary like John Cusack’s love interest (Diane) in the movie Say Anything.  But perhaps a specific dictionary, like a medical dictionary (in that movie) has this kind of potential.

But let’s draw a parallel just for a moment between a Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary and YouTube.

Both are vast, and both are searchable.  If you’re looking for some answers to what you want to learn about, you can likely find a version of it on YouTube.

The concept may be taught well.  It may give you some tools to grasp as you get started. 

And it’s also “free”…sort of.  Remember, YouTube gets paid because of ad traffic, so you will sometimes be paying for what you watch with your time as you wait for an ad to play (or at least the first few seconds.)

Now, I have nothing against YouTube ads – I’m building some YouTube ads out right now as I string these words together.

The Only Non-Renewable Resource

Now, did you catch the word I included just a moment ago?  It’s the word “time.” 

In the movie Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark recounts a pearl of wisdom from his father, Howard, to Howard himself many years earlier.  It really resonated with me. 

The wisdom was this: “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.”

Time is a non-renewable resource.  And although we can’t buy time, we can save time, which may actually translate to saving money as well.

If I spend the better part of an afternoon or evening poking around on YouTube, I may find what I’m looking for.  But I may lose a lot of time doing it. 

Painful Learning

I talked to one guitarist who learned to play on YouTube, but he described his experience as “painful.” 

I totally got it – there was a long slog towards finding what he wanted to learn, and much of it was disjointed and not at all progressive.

This guitarist had been invited into a band rehearsal I was recruited to lead for, for a very specific endeavor that was coming up fast.  And as the leader, I had to make observations and intentional choices as I led this group.

With respect, even as I interacted with this individual musically, it became clear that there were some essential music concepts he had not absorbed in his YouTube education that necessitated stopping the rehearsal multiple times, and eventually needing to do something I didn’t foresee happening: I had to seek a replacement for the endeavor we were rehearsing for. 

I did this in the kindest manner possible, but it was clear that this guy’s skills were not commensurate with what our band needed to put together for the set for the endeavor that was coming up in a week. 

I had to let this guy go.

For the sake of the quality offering as a whole, I had to ask this guy to step down and to continue to develop his skills, hopefully for a future opportunity, while I sought out someone I knew could meet the standard with the time we had left.

A Distilled Collection

Let me drop a word into this discussion that you’ve probably heard.  I mentioned it briefly earlier in this episode.  The word is “curated.” 

In layman’s terms, a curated collection is an organized collection of things, whether antiques, art, or in this case, music teaching tools.

If a collection is curated, it has been carefully reviewed for the most effective and valuable criteria.  It’s not a random, haphazard group of things.  It’s very deliberate.

But to curate something, you need to have time to do so, but also the experience to know what is relevant and of high quality.

Typically, a curated collection is not very large.  It’s been distilled and culled to the most essential elements.

My approach to building out the GuitarSuccess4U materials in our battle-tested 6-stage Success Path is to do just that.  Having led worship, toured, written songs, and recorded multiple albums in the studio for three decades now, I’ve learned quite a bit.

And as I mentioned, I had a guitar studio of 50 students a week upon whom I tested a ton of guitar concepts, to see which ones worked best.

And much of what I’ve learned has been by accident or through the “school of hard knocks.”

So, I’ve taken great pains to relieve and prevent the frustration of someone who is wanting to learn to play the guitar or go deeper with what they already know.

Someone who accesses our curated collection of materials will learn much more on purpose, and with much less grief and frustration, because everything is clearly laid out.

In terms of guitar study, there are so many different styles out there that the mind positively boggles.  Metal, Jazz, Funk and Classical are some of the broad strokes.  But then there’s Neo Soul, Gospel, R&B, Punk, and many other styles.

My focus as a folk/pop singer/songwriter and worship leader is: acoustic rhythm guitar, but even within that, there are multiple subsets, including strumming, flatpicking, fingerstyle, and more. 

I think there’s wisdom in narrowing our focus to a niche.  For a quick summary of my mindset on this, with an analogy about Mashed Potatoes, check out my YouTube Short called “Guitarists – pick one thing and do it well.” (It’s also embedded below.)

I believe we spend time with people we want to be like. 

So, if you’re a worship guitarist or a songwriter, you may not be in search of blisteringly fast distorted metal licks or blues grooves…yet.  You may actually be looking for chord theory, accompaniment artistry, strumming patterns, fretboard knowledge, and ways to play well with others (all of which we offer).

Words to Live By

I also like to say that “Music is a language, guitar is a dialect, and I’m here to help you expand your vocabulary.”

I also continue to revisit the idea that “I don’t just want to help you become a better guitar player; I want to help you become a better musician.”  There’s a difference, right?

Now, YouTube will have a lot of things for you to discover, but with hundreds of hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, leading to tens of thousands of hours of content that are brand new each hour, there’s certainly no lack of information, right?

And sure, you can search for topics on YouTube, but it’s a vast sea of information, and if I can be so bold, not all of it is presented clearly. 

Now, I don’t have anything against YouTube.  As I mentioned, I’m working to have a presence there so as to provide some value and inspiration for guitarists I’m hoping will discover what I have to offer them.  But it can be a bit intimidating to log onto YouTube, because the looming question is “Where do I start?”

More isn’t necessarily better.  There’s a term I’ve come across since we were trained to build GuitarSuccess4U, and it’s called content overwhelm.  People experience so much content out there that they sometimes feel overwhelmed.

And overwhelm is not a good feeling.  By and large, people appreciate being given clear next steps in bite-sized chunks.  And that’s what’s informed my teaching style.

Sure, YouTube can recommend related content, even within a channel (and I set my videos up in our YouTube channel to do this sometimes.)

But given a choice between a few thousand videos on a concept and a dozen videos that are all progressive and battle-tested, which would you choose?

Now, I’m not claiming GuitarSuccess4U as the only source of guitar education; that would be presumptuous.  Instead, I’m stating that everything I’ve learned on the road, on the worship platform, on the stage, and in the recording studio has informed what and how I teach.  My guitar students and my guitar workshops have been excellent “crucibles” for content.

I’ve literally sharpened thousands of guitarists with the tools that have found their way into the curated collection at GuitarSuccess4U.

More Isn’t Necessarily Better

Years ago, I performed a concert at a huge camp in California.  They had a bookstore.  But this bookstore was rather remarkable. 

The books that were on those shelves were so theologically solid and inspiring, that my wife and I felt prompted to ask the cashier who the mastermind was behind the book collection.

She told us that the book buyer had very deliberately chosen those books.  This was someone who was extremely well-read and knew her audience of folks who would be walking through that small bookstore.

It was not a huge store like Powell’s Books in Portland that had multiple floors.   And it certainly wasn’t Amazon.com.  It was a single room.  But it was truly a curated collection. 

And people bought books there.  A lot.  And here’s the most important part: they were blessed by the books.

People who engage with content that transforms them are the kind of people I’m seeking to serve and bless.  I’m not looking for tire-kickers or people who want a quick fix.

My father taught me the value of hard work and worthy efforts.  And when I experience stories of success in GuitarSuccess4U, I get really excited.

Some of our Success Stories

Matthew, a hobbyist and worship team member, has experienced tremendous growth with us and has stepped forward to support his worship team on a regular basis with his guitar.

Carol, a drummer who was struggling to get traction with guitar (even though she had a solid musical foundation) found us and is now, in her words, on her way to becoming “a complete guitar player.”

Roger, a band member who plays multiple styles, joined us and realized how many gaps he needed to fill in, and now he’s feeling empowered as a musician.

Lori, a budding songwriter, came back to the guitar after a 20-year hiatus and began writing about her journey, eventually taking a song she wrote to Nashville to record it in a legitimate studio.  Now her worship team is gearing up to share that song at her church.

Cole, a highly-experienced multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar for over four decades, is now able to be an intentional musician with the guitar and to play well with others.

Erin, a beginner, is excited to learn simple songs to be able to play with and for her kids, and perhaps her grandkids one day.

The list goes on, but these successes inspire me and others.

Find Your People

I mentioned the community element of GuitarSuccess4U.  I’ll wrap up with this thought:

We’re not trying to foster an insulated community where people feel coddled.  We’ve actually got some upcoming Zoom discussions related to being able to laugh at our mistakes and receive constructive criticism.

But there’s a difference between people wanting to help each other out, and comments from trolls.

I’ve seen comments on YouTube and other social media sites about my offerings and the offerings of others that are just plain rude or even nasty.  These are things people would never say to someone’s face.

But there those comments are.

But by contrast, what if you logged into a guitar learning experience, received encouragement through the lesson content (which we intentionally weave throughout) and then joined a Zoom call and got “real-time” encouragement again?

Wouldn’t you feel spurred on to love and good works, as the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to do in Hebrews 10:24? 

I don’t see the YouTube environment as that kind of community (again subscribers to a channel can connect a bit through the comments, but Zooming in real time in a tribe can be much more of a place to bond.)

Someone once told me that the people we spend time with affect us in a major way.  Spending time with like-minded followers of Christ who want to be better versions of their musical selves than they were yesterday – that’s a worthy thing.

I hope these thoughts have given you some insights into my perspective for the pros and cons of learning guitar on YouTube.

If you’ve found channels on YouTube to follow, that’s great!  If you’re learning stuff on YouTube, that’s great, too! 

If you want to subscribe to our GuitarSuccess4U YouTube channel, great!  By the way, that channel is YouTube.com/@guitarsuccess4u.

But here’s the next level.  If you’ve decided it’s time to be more deliberate in your pursuit of guitar and music for the glory of God, and you want to save some money and especially time, please don’t wait to take this opportunity. 

I invite you to join GuitarSuccess4U by heading over to GuitarSuccess4U.com…and then watch what the Lord does with your diligent pursuit of His glory through music.

I appreciate your time today.  Keep having serious fun as you play your guitar.  Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next time!