Leaving aside any online opportunities to learn, how do you find, evaluate, and rate a teacher? How does a beginner find a good teacher? Frankly, it's not easy.

No matter what I suggest here, it will still be tricky. First, what kind of guitarist do you want to be? Are you just looking to learn some chords on your new Xmas acoustic or more than that? Are you thinking you want to be a great guitarist? There are many questions for you.

So let me do this the way I would handle a phone inquiry about my teaching. The first questions are about the student's age, prior musical experience, what type of guitar they have, etc. One myth I saw repeated over-and-over was a parent's assumption that their child should start on acoustic and then if they were ready; electric. I don't know where this comes from but it's still alive today. I think it has something to do with thinking that acoustic is easy and electric is hard. Now there's a myth worth breaking.

I'm leaving classical guitar completely out of this discussion. Yes, a classical has nylon strings which are relatively easy to press down but the width of the neck and shortness of the neck's length make it impractical for a student who is not asking for classical lessons. There are too many modern techniques that cannot be done on a classical guitar. For starters, you can't bring your thumb up around the neck to grab the 1st or 2nd fret for "F" or "D" chords (necessary for fingerpickers).

As a matter of fact, just about all electrics are easier for a beginner than any acoustic. It's just physics. The string action on an electric usually means lighter gauge strings; not so with an acoustic. If you were to put light gauge strings on an acoustic (that means an unwound "G" string), you would not only ruin the sound but the neck could begin to curve backwards from the lack of proper tension. This could happen even if you loosen the truss rod inside the neck.

When I would tell parents that I could teach their child at about twice the speed if they had an electric, the next thing they would say is, "doesn't that cost more because you have to buy an amplifier?" The answer was/is always; YES. And now we get to what I think is the real reason parents assume they should start on an acoustic. Somewhere along the line the cost took over as the real reason to start on an acoustic. I would reply that if they had twins and one started on an acoustic and the other on an electric, the acoustic student would not only be learning at a slower rate but he/she would have to take 2-3 times as many lessons to get to the same level as the electric twin. But, the acoustic twin would always be behind. Saving money doesn't buy you anything.

So, rule number one: if you are a potential student or parent, spend the few extra bucks for an electric and an amp and go as fast as you can. Why be frustrated? If, at some point in the future a student prefers to stay with an acoustic guitar; great. They still got a good jump start with an electric.

The next step is to be ready to describe what type of lessons you are looking for. I can't tell how many times I heard the voice on the other end of the phone talking themselves out of any high expectations. It's like someone wants to do it but doesn't actually think they can. That attitude is more prevalent than you think. But, it can be overcome.

My advice to a new student is to decide that you are going to be good, or great, and then ask what the teacher thinks will get them there. If a potential teacher says you should practice 1/2 hour a day, ask how long they think that will last and do they think you'll progress fast at that rate or should one practice longer. This is a test. If the answer comes back that you can progress at a pretty good clip even with 30 minutes a day, say thank you and make the next call. 30 minutes a day is good for about the first 2-6 months or even less. I recall some students having very busy schedules but I would still push them to get 45 minutes a day or more.

What about reading? Should you learn to read music on a guitar? Is it necessary? Are there teachers that teach without reading classical notation?

What about reading? You should get a teacher that teaches you to read. Why? Because if not, you've got a less than educated teacher who is merely going to teach you his/her "stuff." What's wrong with that? A lot. That's a teacher you visit after you've had 5-10 years of experience and you want to pick their brain, not get lessons. You can complete your mission in just a few lessons, if not the first one. Instead, you want a teacher who emphasizes reading for the purpose of communicating and learning. The goal is to use the ability to read music to open doors, not make you a "reader" only. Guitar is so easy to play by ear. It's also not an easy instrument to sight-read on. Consequently, reading often takes a back seat.

Many years ago I moved back to my hometown to take a job teaching at a music store: the best in town as a matter of fact. I was told that the secret to teaching success is not to teach but to make the students happy and have a good time. If you teach them too much, they'll think they've learned it all and leave after a few months or year. This shocked me. It blew my mind. I abruptly ignored the advice. I proceeded to teach my way; which included reading.