Technological advancements have crawled into our lives, just look at the vast array of YouTube music activities at your disposal. Although some of the changes are pretty quick and drastic, we became almost oblivious as to how we lived our lives without a fast internet connection, smartphones, and all the software and apps that assist us in our everyday activities. To put it simply – we got used to it as fast as all the new stuff appeared. Who would have thought back in the early 2000s that we would have very potent pocket-sized computers everywhere with us that would give us information unlike any encyclopedia so far?
This, of course, also made a huge impact on the world of music. Especially with the rise of a platform like YouTube, musicians have been able to share knowledge, even some of the most advanced music theory lessons applied to all instruments. What’s more, the option to monetize on YouTube and give donations through other platforms, like Patreon, made it possible for some musicians to make a living doing this. At this point, we have an insane amount of music lessons of all kinds on YouTube, all available for free.
However, has YouTube completely replaced the old conventional music lessons? Have music teachers and coaches become completely obsolete at this point? Well, not quite. While the rise of a platform like YouTube has most certainly risen the bar so high with the exchange of knowledge, we will here explain why music lessons are still extremely important for anyone who wants to become good at their instrument.
Music coach can focus on exactly what you need
The first (and the most obvious) thing about YouTube is that you don’t have the direct contact and communication with the music teacher or the content creator doing these video lessons. While they can share a lot of important info and cover anything from basics to most advanced areas; they cannot ever focus on the exact things that you’re lacking. You’ll spend a lot of time, effort, and patience finding things that you need. And knowing how complex and weird music theory and some techniques can get, it might be difficult to understand things without someone focusing on aspects that you’re not completely familiar with.
Of course, it’s not impossible to learn through YouTube. But, you’ll spend a lot of your precious time looking into important aspects that you’re aiming to learn. This is why a music teacher will be there to answer any questions you might have and explain it the way you’ll be able to understand.
Remember – a good music teacher is more than someone who’s really good at music. They know how to transfer their knowledge to anyone. And we all know how important it is to adapt to different types of students.
Famous and experienced musicians are often taking lessons
What many people might overlook is the fact that many famous musicians are taking lessons. Especially those who have been playing for years as self-taught artists. You’d be amazed at how many of the big rock stars needed to cover some of the basic principles they missed out on in their early career. While relying on “feel” can sometimes be a good thing; it’s always recommended to improve your knowledge through very systematized music lessons. And that’s something more accessible through the conventional in-person approach.
If you look at the performances of some of these famous musicians, they improve over the years. A great example comes with modern metal singers who often damage their voice with the growling technique done wrong. This is why many of them hire vocal coaches to help them sort out their vocal works. With something as specific as this, it’s almost impossible to get the right guidance even through the most detailed YouTube videos and guides.
Most of the music lessons on YouTube are not very in-depth
What can also be a big issue is that most of the music-teaching YouTubers are usually offering condensed versions of very detailed lessons. They often tend to have a certain format and length of videos. It focuses on improving their views, subscribers, and ultimately income, instead of giving proper in-depth explanations.
And that’s the whole thing – what would these music lessons be if they were not in-depth? Most music-teaching YouTube channels will give you quite limited info for the sake of accessibility. After all, you can’t really expect to have a good explanation on the topic through a brief 10-minute-long video.
However, there are still some YouTube music teachers that do a more in-depth analysis. Although not easy to find, they still exist. And they usually focus on means of income outside of YouTube’s monetization models.
Conclusion: YouTube music lessons vs. music coach
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to choose how you’ll learn music. And going with YouTube only is not, by any means, the wrong path. There are some great resources on there, including some very serious jazz and classical music tutorials. However, the more serious you are about becoming a great musician, the lower the chances are that you’ll be satisfied with what you’re getting through YouTube. Just imagine all the advanced techniques and nuances that a serious musician should be aware of.
The best idea is to use all this accessible knowledge that’s available for free and combine it with actual music lessons. Speaking of music, one of the biggest advantages of a platform like YouTube is the exchange of knowledge. This way, you’ll stay up to date with current trends; you will know more how to focus on the aspects of music that you’re interested in.
Image source: Wikipedia
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