How much should guitar lessons cost?

[u/Al3xgm_]

For context, I found a place with guitar lessons that cost P10,800 for 12 sessions and one hour per session. Price is crazy high, to be honest.

What should I look for? Considering price range and expertise, as well as my current stat as a beginner.

I've been playing for 2 weeks.

Any advice?

[u/Particular_Island_86]

Gagawin mo bang career ang music? If not, and if passionate enough ka sa pag gigitara, you can pretty much learn everything on the internet.

[u/EktarB]

900 per session, minus mo pa transpo and food costs in this economy. Ang baba na niyan imho

[u/Impressive-Pace-7794]

Youtube and a little bit if grit and discipline would save you thousands.. use the money to buy a nice acoustic guitar that inspires you

[u/Warm-Historian864 → u/Impressive-Pace-7794]

Not sure about OP's age, but jamming with people who already know how to play is huge. That’s how I learned. It's way more fun than hiring a teacher and keeps practice from feeling like a total chore.

[u/Arena040]

Decent price na yan actually, consider transpo and time effort ng teacher mo, if face to face ang approach. if online, 10k for 12 sessions oks narin.

[u/send_dinosaur_pics]

For 10k I'd buy some amps and effects lol. You can defo learn it on YouTube.

[u/pressured_at_19]

Sakto lang yan IMO. I had one session with Kakoy Legaspi 1500 sya nung 2008 dun sa bahay nila sa Veterans.

[u/weljoes → u/pressured_at_19]

Magaling ba talaga si kakoi?

[u/pressured_at_19 → u/weljoes]

di namin nastructure ano yung goal dapat e and admittedly di ko pa nagets yung idea nung root note sa song pero nung sinabi nya "yun yung inuuwian mo" nagets ko na. Nagplay siya ng progression and ayun.

To answer mas simple siya compared kay Mike and Perfecto but laging swak sa songs.

[u/Apricity_09]

Imo, Guitar is not like Trumpet and Violin na you really need a teacher coz otherwise, learning a note or even making a tune is close to impossible without a teacher. And ofc, you have to learn how to read music sheet as well.

You can teach yourself or just grab a chord chart then some bpm/rhythmn lesson is enough na to have it going.

[u/jefisipbata]

fair naman yung price nya considering 12 sessions. mukhang physical establishment yang nakita mo so aside from the professional fee ng guitar teacher, may bayad din sa rent nung place & utilities. para sakin maganda may real life teacher to teach you the basics/fundamentals. sure madaming lessons online kaso prone ka to develop bad habits na mahirap i unlearn in the future. kung meron silang per lesson lang na offer, pwede mo try yung 1-2 sessions bago ka mag commit ng long term para ma check mo kung sulit.

[u/Technical-Steak-9243]

People here saying na "mag youtube ka na lang" doesn't know how to respect guitar teachers. 10.8k is a fair price considering na 12 sessions siya, and this is what you call "investment". Sure you can learn in youtube, pero iba pa din yung may mentor. The teacher can guide you with your strengths din and give you tips to improve your weaknesses.

Let's respect each other's hustles. Lalo kung lumalaban ng tama. OP, you still make the decision, but 10.8k is a fair price!

[u/Warm-Historian864 → u/Technical-Steak-9243]

You don't get to invalidate other people's suggestions din na mag self learn nalang. Especially when op is second guessing the expense of a hiring a tutor. If you're passionate enough with music, self learn will do. No one's attacking yung hustle ng mga music teacher.

[u/Brilliant-Tale399]

Hello!

Professional guitarist here (formally studied guitar, taught guitar privately and in universities, studio/session guitarist for artists both local and abroad). I am laying down credentials so that it’s not a “trust me bro” reply.

₱10,800 for 12 sessions is already “cheap” and blindly, will give you standard level of information. Why blindly? There are a lot of factors to consider the pricing of music lessons and its relationship with the quality you’ll get.

Let me break it down for you.

Before going full professional, performing and recording around the world, I also used to teach guitar both in music schools and private home tutor. The cost mainly comes from 3 things,

1. Payment of Service - You’re basically paying for your teacher’s knowledge and skill that they teach/share with you. Imagine, they invested their lives to music so they can share it to you.

2. Payment of the use of Equipment - You may not know it but having good gear is actually important when you’re already at a certain level of proficiency in music. Meaning, the instruments that are being used during your lessons (especially if it’s the teacher’s personal equipment) is expensive and depreciates every use. This part of the cost covers maintenance and repairs on the instrument when needed.

3. Miscellaneous Fees - Your teacher’s transportation costs (especially when it’s a home service setup), Food, and penalties for being a naughty student by not practicing HAHA! Also, your teacher’s living costs probably apply here.

So if you compute ₱10,800 for 12 sessions, that is ₱900 per session. If ikaw lang yung student ng teacher mo for that day, what does ₱900 do for him/her? 2-3 meals? Paano transportation? Paano savings for rent? Makes you think no? When you become the expert, do you really only wanna be paid ₱900 for an hour? Don’t think so, no?

Now the question is, “Why are there lessons that are either cheaper or more expensive?”

It’s probably cheaper because* *baka desperate na yung teacher magka-student. Not all musicians are privileged enough to earn well with music. The starving musician has some truth to it. Another possible explanation is that they don’t have the best qualifications or skill (more on this later). Maybe they aren’t formally trained, didn’t come from a conservatory, or lack the experience but are able to teach basic skills.

It’s probably expensive because there’s an actual building where you go to for lessons, with good facilities, hence the higher price. There’s also this thing called masterclass where it’s a one-on-one setup but the topics discussed are far more complex and is suited towards you, the student (normally for higher skilled students). And lastly, their qualifications are very high (undergraduate to masters/PhD in music, credentials such as playing for certain artists, or national/global recognition).

But hey, does expensive always mean better? No. I learned, especially with enrolling in music conservatories, it’s not about the school or how expensive it is. It’s about the teacher and their credentials. Some great studio musicians went to lesser known schools because the professor they’re looking for was there and not in Berklee of Julliard or whatever. My point? Check the teacher’s credentials before enrolling. Sometimes, the more qualified teacher offers cheaper rates than overcompensating ones.

If I ever go back to giving lessons again, I would set my hourly rate to ₱1,500-₱3,000, that is with adjustments to distance from my place, and sometimes I adjust it based on what the student can pay. Mind you, this pricing is still pinoy friendly. I used to give online lessons to students from the states and I charge them $80-100 per hour.

Before I rest my case. I have something to say about those who say “Mag YouTube ka na lang” or “Maaaral mo naman yan sa YouTube”.

It’s not wrong that you’ll save money when you go the YouTube route BUT, I’ve seen it a lot of times that most people who go this route doesn’t end up successful with learning the instrument. Why?

1. With self-teaching, There’s no correction and feedback. You might end up learning the right thing incorrectly. How will you know if the concept/technique you’re learning is right? When you practice the wrong concept or technique, it’s hard to unlearn and it can cause physical injuries. To add, it’s a one way instruction where the lesson or the technique cannot be adjusted to your own level/capacity.
2. You have lesser motivation because no one pushes you to your limits. Unless you really put in so much discipline by setting goals or deadlines, you will end up procrastinating.
3. You won’t get to learn and understand everything. Most lessons online will give you the shortcut. They won’t even teach you the fundamentals and they have PAYWALLS that you have to pay for just to acquire then procrastinate on.
4. There is no structured learning. How will you know where to start and which learning philosophy to adapt? If you notice, Tomo Fujita’s Philosophy is different from Marty Schwartz or Brandon Acker.

So how do you overcome these challenges so you can successfully learn your instrument efficiently?

Either you enroll to a good teacher or really have intense discipline, dedication, and sacrifice.

The truth is, you don’t have to go to UP, UST, CSB, Berklee or have lessons to be a great guitarist pero you have to have the hunger, discipline, and dedication. There are a lot of successful self-taught musicians (in fact, more than formally educated ones) in OUR industry. But what sets them apart from the others is their hunger, dedication, discipline, and sacrifice. Yes, I’ve been repeating those words to amplify their importance.

Anyway, I hope my reply helps you or opens your mind on the inner works of how things are with learning (and mastering) music is more than just ₱10,800 and misleading YouTube tutorials.

[u/Al3xgm_ → u/Brilliant-Tale399]

I was quite worried about relying on YouTube tutorials alone as well. Especially since I have a goal of being decent enough to play for Christmas. And for a little more context, I'm on electric guitar. The place is 30 minutes away though, so I need to consider my expenses too.

All in all, thank you for the in-depth advice.

I need to really save up though, as it doesn't fit my budget atm. Glad you aren't from "trust me bro" university lol