How Long Until I Can Play?

This is an impossible to forecast, unfortunately. But the reason people ask it is important. To set expectations as accurately as possible prior to making any significant investment of time, money, and energy is prudent and judicious.

To that end, I would strongly urge that you document the first six weeks from starting guitar lessons. Record a short video of your playing before, during, and after that six weeks period. Upon reviewing that documentation at end of six weeks, as well as having gained an insight from the lessons as to what will be required of you in future, you'll be in an excellent position to discern whether the investment is worth it.

How Should I Practice?

This is an excellent question, and I think an excellent answer would constitute a clear and simple one:

Practice a minimum of seven minutes per practice session, and use a timer. You're allowed to miss a day if you must, but don't miss two days in a row. If you stick to that rule, then you can't miss three, or four, twenty, etc. So under that structure, at the very worst you'll be playing half the days of the years, which isn't bad.

Are Online Lessons as Effective?

They are indeed for some people, but perhaps not for beginners and young children in my view. Here follows the pros and cons as I see them:

Advantages:

• The student can simultaneously hold a video call with me, whilst viewing the diagrams, etc. on their computer screen that pertain to the subject matter. (I upload online materials for my students comprising video, diagram, and text that correspond to every lesson taught.)
• I can type out tips and assignments during the lesson as they occur to me without the danger of seeming rude by turning to my laptop during a live face-to-face lesson.
• I can easily hide my guitar while I play, which is perfect for when I want to demonstrate a musical concept for the student to play back to me, but have them rely on aural information rather than visual, as a musician ought.
• The student is often more confident when in the comfort of their own home, and tend to take mistakes more lightly.
• The necessity to become competent at playing in time to a metronome is more pertinent. Since we can't play in synch, and I often demand that the student play in time to something outside their own head, this essential musical skill cannot be ignored, as many would otherwise do!

Disadvantages:

• Loud players often can't hear me if I ask them to stop when they've got something wrong!
• There are problems of sound synchronisation meaning that teacher and student can't play in time together.
• I'm limited to verbal communication only, and as such I can't point at fingers or locations on the fretboard. This tends to make it a poor choice for complete beginners and young kids, for whom this is a very useful means of teaching.
• Students who struggle with timing may miss out on the useful training of playing along to another human (even though I upload videos for this purpose at a range of tempos). Instead they must resolve to wrestle with the metronome on a regular basis until they've sorted their timing out, which can be a somewhat painful process.

What guitar should I buy?

Please note that the last time I bought a guitar was 2006, so my appreciation for today's market is quite uninformed. But I have certainly encountered students who have been put off the instrument simply because a parent bought them a terrible instrument. Fortunately it's easier to avoid that problem nowadays. So, I'd offer the following general advice:

• Check both professional reviews and consumer reviews for any instrument you're considering.
• Bear in mind that if you're buying an electric guitar, you ought to exercise as much consideration in the purchase of the amp and cable since these elements define the sound as well as the guitar itself. Don't leave them as afterthoughts.
• Realise that terrible guitars exist, and furthermore, there is a demand for them: most people who buy low-priced guitars don't know anything about playing them, and therefore don't care about such things as "action" and "intonation," etc. The natural ignorance of the beginner is interpreted by some low-grade manufacturers as consumer preference, and thus they justify the cutting of corners, churning out poor quality guitars that can more easily win the race to the bottom or the price bracket, resulting in high sales, and thence reinforced incentives.
• I would not recommend purchasing a classical guitar. These are fine instruments, and I love the sound of them, but aren't particularly versatile for beginners of my syllabus simply because they are not sufficiently versatile to render a diversity of styles equally accessible. The neck is significantly wider, making it more difficult for smaller hands to mute bass strings with the thumb whilst fretting treble strings, and it is difficult to access frets above 12. Muting techniques used in rock and blues guitar are also more difficult to execute due to the larger space between strings.

Do you Teach Guitar Grades?

Yes, I certainly do, though this is not the focus of my guitar lessons unless you request it. I've taught R.G.T., Rock School and Trinity College London grades in the past. However I am accredited by R.G.T. and am most familiar with teaching their grade material. I can also procure small discounts on the grade books, exams, etc. I am familiar with the areas of proficiency these exam boards like to test, and what the examiner's specifically look for. I would only advise, that if you don't choose R.G.T., that you make sure to select an exam board which will reward the graduate with UCAS points, not only is that an indicator that the exam board is a respectable one, but a distinction at grade 8 can get you 75 UCAS points, and is therefore a massive boon to anyone considering higher education.