The 4 Reasons Why Guitar Lessons are So Expensive

Learning to play the guitar can be expensive.

Think about it:

The instrument can be hundreds of dollars on its own, plus you need picks, strings, a strap, and maybe even an amplifier.

But the real costs come when you actually start to take lessons.

Any guitarist can tell you that the cost of learning guitar can add up quickly!

Lessons can cost more than $50 for only 30 minutes with an instructor. You can check out some average costs here.

Taking just one class a week, you can easily find yourself spending more than $200 a month to learn to play the guitar.

So why are music lessons so expensive?

Is there any way for guitarists to save money on lessons?

I’ve found the 4 reasons that guitar lessons are so expensive, and I explained them all below.

Plus, at the end of this article, I’ve also got some tips on how you can learn the guitar without breaking the bank.

1. If Guitar Instructors Only Teach One Student at a Time – They Have to Charge You More!

By only teaching one student at a time, guitar teachers can only fit in a few lessons every day.

So what does that mean for you?

As one of only a few students, you have to pay a large portion of your teacher’s salary!

If a guitar instructor wanted to fill a full 40 hour work-week, they would need to teach up to 80 half-hour lessons every week.

That’s just not possible, so they take fewer students, and charge each of them a higher price because of it.

2. Your Guitar Teacher Has to Buy Extra Equipment to Teach You

If you’ve ever been to a guitar lesson, you know that the practice room is full of necessary guitar accessories.

Guitar instructors need to have an extra amplifier for their students to use, music stands, sheet music, instrument cables, and tons of other small accessories that may be needed for a lesson.

The cost of all these extra pieces of equipment can really add up, and once again, it gets passed on to the students.

3. Traveling To and From Lessons Adds Up – For Both You and Your Instructor!

Not only is it a hassle to pack up your guitar and drive over to a guitar lesson, but it’s also another hidden cost of music lessons.

If you drive 15 minutes to and from your guitar lesson, it can add up to more than 2 hours of driving every month. And not just for you: Sometimes your teacher has to make a similar commute.

When an instructor decides how much to charge for a lesson, they will always factor in how much driving they need to do to get to and from your lessons.

4. Some Guitar Instructors Rent Out Expensive Practice Space

Part of what you pay for a guitar lesson is the cost to use a practice space.

Whether your teacher pays a monthly fee, or a store takes a cut of their earnings, the cost of the practice space is not to be ignored.

Some teachers meet their students in sound proof rooms in high-end music stores, or fully equipped studios. These teachers pay a premium for these specialized practice spaces, and pass on that cost to you.

This practice space comes at a high cost and doesn’t always improve your learning of the instrument.

If You Want To Learn Guitar, You Should Look at All of Your Options:

So what can you do if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars a month to learn to play the guitar?

Are there any options out there to avoid expensive guitar lessons?

Yes there are!

Online guitar lessons are a great option if you want to save money while learning how to play the guitar.

They’re cheaper because online guitar lessons cut out all four of the hidden costs of guitar lessons that I listed above.

But how do they accomplish that?

Online classes mean teachers can take on more students, and spread out the cost among them.

Basically, when a teacher produces a lesson, any “costs” are shared with all the other students who are learning online. This allows you to access thousands of lessons via the web, at a super affordable rate.

There’s no traveling to and from online guitar classes, you can take them from your own home.

And finally, there’s no need to pay extra for an expensive practice space.

The best part about learning online is the low price.

Get this:

You can buy a month of lessons for less than the price of a single half hour lesson with a local teacher! Feel free to check out the best options for learning online right here.

Not only are these lessons packed with everything you need to know about guitar, they’re also budget-friendly, and even offer free trials so you can try them out risk-free!

In this day and age, guitar lessons don’t need to cost as much as a car payment, and online lessons can offer a lot of bang for your buck!

Before you look for an expensive guitar teacher near you, I highly recommend checking out some of the great options available to you online!