How Do You Prepare for an Online Guitar Lesson?

I frequently teach online guitar lessons.

An online lesson is simple.

Just have a video call with your teacher .

That’s it!

But to get more out of your online lesson, here are some tips:

1. It’s All About Connection

Make sure you have a good internet connection. If your Wifi connection is weak, you may want to use a wired Ethernet connection. Or buy a Wifi extender. Or use your phone data connection.

2. Put Yourself in the Best Light

Avoid sitting where the light is behind you. Instead, position the light in front of you. If you want to improve your lighting, you could buy an inexpensive ring light.

3. Look at Those Hands

Make sure both of your hands are visible to the camera of the device you’re using. If not, either adjust the camera location or adjust where you are sitting until both hands are visible.

4. Can You Hear Me Now?

To hear your teacher more clearly, use earbuds or headphones. And to help your teacher hear you more clearly, consider buying an inexpensive USB mic.

5. Which Platform?

I have taught online lessons using various platforms like Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, and FaceTime. But I prefer Zoom for guitar lessons because it offers the most nuanced options for sound quality.

6. Original Sound­

If you use Zoom, I recommend the Original Sound for Musicians setting. You will need to enable this in the Zoom settings on your device before going into the meeting. You will also need to turn it on within the meeting at the beginning of each lesson. Once this setting is turned on, echo cancellation and audio filters are turned off so the sound of the musical instrument comes through clearly.

An online lesson does not need to be complicated. But taking these steps will make your online lesson more enjoyable and allow you to get the most out of it.

Keep making music!