Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorials

The most common thought process when learning a new skill (in this case a musical instrument) - why pay for a course when I can just learn it for free on Youtube? Here we put an online music school to the test against the DIY Youtube route.

By Eimear O SullivanMusicngear Editor

Article photo - Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorials

There is no doubt that learning a new instrument (or brushing up on an old one) is both a difficult and expensive endeavor. The hard and difficult part cannot really be taken away as it is a primary and necessary factor in learning any new skill-set, however the expense is something that most certainly can be. I never really do paid online courses - as I mentioned earlier on - I try to do as much as possible on Youtube for free. 

This is fine for tutorials here and there - but when it comes to learning an entirely new skillset from scratch or bringing out an old skillset from the dust - it can pose a bit of difficulty. As I work as a music producer - I decided that it was time to brush up on my old piano skills, and try my hand at guitar. While doing so - I decided to put these two mediums to the test against one another - an online music school (reasonably priced) versus doing it yourself on Youtube. 

 

What is Music2Me?

Article photo - Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorialsMusic2Me is an online music school that teaches guitar and piano to beginners, intermediate and advanced players. It was created by highly skilled musicians with a substantial background in both teaching and overall industry experience. It currently has over 2,600 active students, and more than 240 videos - in addition to being 70% cheaper than most music schools.

 

Is Music2Me better than Youtube music tutorials?

The reason why you are reading this article in the first place - why pay for something when you can simply learn it yourself for free on Youtube? Here is why:

 

1. Everything is structured and in one place

Do not underestimate how much this affects your learning and overall dedication to seeing an undertaking of this nature through. Everything you need to become a skilled guitar or piano player is here in one place - all of the lessons are highly organized and gradually ascend according to difficulty  (see examples below) 

Article photo - Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorials

What about Youtube?

As great of a resource as Youtube is - it presents an indefinite list of options and not all of what you are looking for will be in the same place. This leads to a lot of indecision and most of your time being consumed with sourcing what you are looking for - when this time could be spent improving your skills on your instrument.

Article photo - Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorials

 

2. Bite-sized videos containing ONLY the information you need

All of the concepts you need to know are explained and applied in short, to the point videos with demonstrations to assist with the understanding and application of the topics covered. The title of the video indicates clearly all that is contained in the video - with no unnecessary padding. Additionally, there are full run throughs of all of the pieces, some such examples being George Gershwin’s Summertime, Alicia Keys’s Empire State of Mind and Michael Nyman’s The Heart Asks Pleasure First.

Now try searching "piano course for beginners" on Youtube...

On typing in ‘ piano course for beginners’ or ‘piano for beginners - easy’ into Youtube an indefinite number of videos came up, the shortest video being 9 minutes long - a lot of them containing additional padding that did not really need to be there. Additionally, it wasn’t fully clear in most of them what was actually covered in the videos - either in the video titles or the video descriptions.

 

3. You can download ALL of the sheet music and backing tracks.

Having access to these in one place is invaluable in order to successfully apply the concepts you have learnt.  

Or do it the Youtube way

If you choose to go the Youtube way - you will have to source and dig for these yourself,and will most likely just give up ( as I have done on many, many occasions)

 

What does Music2me cover?

Each course begins with covering the music theory fundamentals required to build a basic understanding of each instrument - reading the notes, articulation, fingering, and scales. After these are explained - the concepts covered are applied via short musical pieces which really helps solidify what was taught and keeps things fun and engaging. 

From here more complex music theory fundamentals are covered - chord building, different time signatures, harmonies - which are similarly applied to more complex musical pieces.

 

Article photo - Learning Guitar & Piano: Online music schools VS Youtube tutorials Who is it for?

This site is great for beginners and intermediate players alike. The short, organized fashion in which the lessons are delivered will help quell a lot of the frustrations that accompany taking up a new instrument.For people who may have done piano or guitar in the past, it serves as a great means of refreshing the knowledge you already have and building on this to help improve these skills.

 

Verdict

At $15 for a monthly subscription, $120 per year and $72 for half a year, Music2me is a truly invaluable learning resource - delivered in a fun and engaging fashion. Give it a try and see for yourself!

 

About Eimear O Sullivan

Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)

Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com

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