A good question, especially since the web is overflowing with instructional articles and videos to the point that it almost seems like everything these days can be had for nothing!

Well, although they say you really only get what you pay for, I'll be the first to admit there are some pretty good guides available which do indeed cost zip. So if you happen to be one of those rare people who can follow an on-screen tutorial and diligently work through it from beginning to end until you wind up playing the example piece brilliantly, then indeed you may not need the services of a guitar teacher at all. As for the rest of the world well, most people do need the discipline of working under one-on-one guidance if they are ever to achieve anything like the goal they set themselves. That is just how it is. Even the super-gifted people mentioned earlier who can soak up the odd YouTube how-to movie, well, even many of them will likely admit there still remain certain aspects to playing a piece of music which requires the eyes and ears of a tutor to ultimately mentor a quality performance from them.

As you might expect there are plenty of other considerations. For example if you are like most learners you absolutely need feedback - and not just a friendly e-mail response which may or may not answer your questions. Then there is the issue of working on pieces to suit your ability or preferred style of playing. Think how frustrating it can be to watch some person on YouTube playing one of your favourite pieces effortlessly, making it all look so simple - that is simple until you try it for yourself. What a downer that can be. But, you know, there's every likelihood that with some one-to-one help you can end up with an arrangement of that piece, with your personal playing capability taken into consideration, which WILL satisfy your desire to make that music on your guitar. Not only that, but you will also gain some understanding into how it was made possible and still, hopefully, leave room for you to further embellish that arrangement at a later date as you playing skills develop. For sure, it takes having your own private tutor to reach those heights.

Of course we are all grateful for the opportunities the web has provided us with and there will always be times when another person's tabs or video will shorten the time it takes to learn a piece and/or genre of music but I think most people learning to play the guitar will agree there is still much mileage left in working alongside your own private tutor.