Can you learn music from YouTube?

There are many music lessons out there in YouTube-land. And they can have their place, as an occasional add-on to real lessons, if you know exactly what you are looking for, are well motivated, and already have rock solid technique. It sounds obvious, but video-watching skills are not the same as music-making skills. And even if you eventually find what seems to be the right video, it won’t do these important things to serve you:

  • See and hear you play, then give instant feedback and guidance.
  • Adjust lessons to suit your unique blend of abilities in, for example – rhythm, pitch, instrument control, listening, co-ordination and music theory.  
  • Identify exactly what you need to work at right now, based on what you can already do, and demonstrate it for you.
  • Resist the temptation to show off all the teacher’s advanced technical skill at the expense of your learning.
  • Celebrate with you in the moment that a new skill “clicks”.
  • Motivate you and hold you to account for your progress between lessons.
  • Help you to work towards learning goals that are meaningful for you, whether that’s playing a specific song, or passing a grade exam.
  • Create and evolve a progress plan that works for you long term.

These things take a real teacher to do, whether in person or on-line. So if you really want to make progress, get in touch with us!