Updated by Bobby
Updated on June 29th, 2022
Guitar Center has updated their system to be more transparent about lesson pricing, though the cost is similar to when we first published this page. We've updated our article to reflect the system changes and have included new screenshots as well.
How much do Guitar Lessons Cost at Guitar Center?
Between $110 and $220 plus a $30 registration fee.
Guitar lessons at Guitar Center will usually cost around $220 for four 60-minute sessions, plus a registration fee of $30. For four 30-minute sessions you're looking at about $110 with a $30 registration fee.
Parent article: Guitar Lessons 101
QUICK HIT: How much do guitar lessons cost at Guitar Center? Some quick research and answers for pricing that isn't readily available.
How much do guitar lessons cost at Guitar Center? It initially took awhile for me to find the answer to this question because it wasn't listed online. However, Guitar Center now makes it much easier to find pricing from their lessons home page.
After verifying the price tag, it seems like Guitar Center lessons cost about the same as what you would typically pay for an in-person guitar teacher. However, they do require you to pay up front at the beginning of each month for four lessons at a time.
Here I'll go over Guitar Center lessons cost, additional details, some alternatives I'd recommend, and how you can lookup lesson pricing at the Guitar Center locations near you.
Guitar Center Lessons Cost
There are two different types of lessons you can do at Guitar Center, both of which are fairly expensive:
- Express Lessons: Four x 30-minute sessions for $109
- Standard Lessons: Four x 60-minute sessions for $219
- One-time registration fee of $30 (used to be $20)
This means that to take four 30-minute guitar lessons at Guitar Center you'll pay about $139. Since these were figures I got from the Richmond store, I contacted a second location to see if there was any variance for a different locality:
- Richmond Store: $109-$219 per four lesson
- Durham, NC Store: $119-$238 per four lessons
These costs are paid up front in monthly installments.
From what I can tell, it looks like the stores get their pricing from a centralized location and that it only fluctuates slightly based on the locality of the store. Because of the price and because I don't have any experience taking lessons at Guitar Center, I probably wouldn't recommend you go this route.
It kind of feels like taking your computer to the "Geek Squad" at Best Buy.
There are better options.
And again, this is not to comment on the quality of the lessons themselves. It's impossible to verify quality in this case because every Guitar Center has different instructors and even what they call a "lessons manager" that runs the lessons and workshops for each store. My assumption is that the quality of instruction would vary pretty widely.
Far Cheaper Alternatives I Recommend
For guitar lessons, you can get a much lower price than $109 per month. What I'd recommend instead is looking at some online guitar lesson alternatives. Primarily, I recommend the following three:
PROGRAM | DETAILS | RATING | TRY |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Guitar Tricks
| 92.8 RATING Detail | |
 | JamPlay
| 88.7 RATING Detail | |
 | TrueFire
| 86.7 RATING Detail |
While I partner with these three programs and am partially supported by their links (they charge you nothing extra but help keep this site running), I've used all three of them and genuinely believe they are the best guitar lesson programs available.
They all provide full courses via streaming video. They're like Netflix for guitar lessons. I most often recommend Guitar Tricks, particularly for beginners, and they'll even let you try their program free for 14 days.
Buying a membership, it only costs $19 per month which is vastly cheaper than the Guitar Center lessons cost. Guitar Tricks' yearly membership is $179, still cheaper than a four hour month at Guitar Center.
Even if you don't go with any of my recommendations, take the time to look for an in-person tutor that isn't affiliated with Guitar Center. If you want to research how much guitar lessons cost at Guitar Center on your own, here's the process I went through to find pricing.
Finding the Price of Guitar Center Lessons
The first place to go is the Guitar Center lessons and workshops page. They've updated the page so they'll ask you to fill out some information about which instrument you want to learn, what schedule works for you, and where you're located.
When you get to the locator, simply type in your zip code (it doesn't seem like you can type in the name of a city/state).
Guitar Center lessons and workshop start page as of June 2022.
The following page will bring up one or several Guitar Center stores near your location depending on where you live. Since Richmond is the closest "city" to where I live, I had to type a Richmond zip code into the store locator to get any results.
Now, instead of a listing of stores and times, they actually return instructors with their rates listed and an option to book them.
Guitar Center now returns a list of instructors with locations and rates listed. From what I could tell, all the instructors list the same rate we mentioned earlier.
From there you can click on the instructor you want to book, with the pricing readily displayed. For what it's worth, every instructor I saw posted the same pricing:
- (4) 30 minute sessions: $109
- (4) 60 minute sessions $218
Again, there seems to be some variation depending on where you're located, but this pricing model is consistent with what we've seen in the past and is far more transparent than what it used to be when you had to email or call to get any pricing information.
How it used to work
In years past, you literally had to hunt down someone from the particular store you were closest too, in order to get an answer about pricing.
Here's the process that I detailed in older versions of this article:
You can either click the "Email Us" link to open an email prompt or right click and copy the email address into a new message. This is how I contacted several stores to get verified pricing. You can also just call, though I personally preferred the email approach. As I mentioned, it looks like the pricing hovers roughly around $100 - $120 for four 30-minute lessons, though you'll have to find your local store to get exact figures.
Now the process is much easier, as you don't have to dig for pricing. At the same time, the pricing model hasn't changed at all and is still incredibly high, given industry standards and alternatives.
What's your experience?
Have you taken lessons at Guitar Center? How good were they in terms of quality? How much did they charge you?
If you're comfortable sharing that information, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section, especially because it seems like their pricing model changes somewhat based on locality. I'd also be interested to get a feel for how good (or bad) the lessons were, since they have such a wide swath of instructors from store to store.
Leave other questions and thoughts about Guitar Center lesson costs in the comments section as well.
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Written by Bobby on Lessons and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Lessons and Roundups
Personally, I find your comment about the teachers at Guitar Center’s lesson studios being like the corporate equivalent of the “Geek Squad at Best Buy” to be an offensive overgeneralized assumption. Please don’t be so diminutive of my efforts by making such an ignorant and obtuse comparison. If you have a personal grudge against the company I work for, that’s your personal matter. The phrase “it’s business, not personal” comes to mind…however, I do happen to take it personally, because I am quite personally invested into my profession. I care a great deal about each and every student I work with, and sincerely love what I do.
I teach many different instruments there, have been doing so for many years, and have had so many students I can’t even keep count of them. However, I can sincerely say that I remember each and every one of them…and each of them matters to me.
I do my best to help them become better musicians, and for the most part, the majority of them seem pretty satisfied with their progress.
I am only a single insignificant individual in the grander scale of this universe, but I hope that I have at least made some small deed helping others become more fluent in the “universal language”. If I’ve helped even a single person in that, it will have been worth it.
Music is my greatest joy and my old goal is to share that joy with others and make ends meet enough to continue to do so. I am not just another soul ridden corporate wage slave. I am a musician.
Kaila – thanks for sharing. Certainly I’m not intending to disparage the efforts of individual teachers, or make judgements on their qualifications at a personal level. But for a piece like this, I need to address the larger scope. Guitar Center does a lot of things right, but their lesson program is not one that I can recommend in most cases.
Thanks for your article. I had a very poor experience with Guitar Center lessons myself. I took lessons for 3 months (stuck it out because I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and see if things got better).
On the first lesson he told me that he wasn’t a guitar player(!). Fantastic. Then why was he teaching me guitar? He told me he was a bass player, and knew some guitar and just teaches beginners. ok – I am a beginner (15 years of music palying sax…but a guitar beginner). sure, let’s go for it…
I opted for the 30 minute lessons, and always arrived early, ready to start. I found that the teacher always spent the first at least 5 minutes + walking back and forth to the computer (logging his time maybe?), on his phone, or teting. Then he would come in and ask me what I wanted to learn for the lesson (your the teacher, you tell me). Then he would leave again to go get some paper to write out a few chords or something for me, and come back a few minutes after that. He would constantly watch the clock and consistently end a few minutes early. My 30-minute lesson quickly would turn into a 15-20 minute lesson…where I would go home and google what he had shown me, to get better explanations of it on youtube.
I can understand clock-watching, because I certainly want the teacher to get paid for their time. But I also expect to have a lesson prepared, and some structure to help me reach my goals, and not taking away time at the beginning/end from my paid time.
Got the impresson that he often taught children who don’t care/catch on to things like that…but I really was psyched to learn and was very disappointed at the ‘format’, or lack thereof of these lessons. I mentioned to the director of the lessons when he called me for a payment, and I had a talk with the teacher about wanting more. Bought one more month and took a wait and see approach…but it didn’t get better. So unfortunately today was my last lesson. Looks like back to online learning. I will check out some of the apps you recommended. Thanks
Sorry to hear this, Denise – to be honest, this seems indicative of the overarching culture of Guitar Center. My experience with their service, services, and customer interactions – and that of many people I know – has been extremely poor. There are just better options, especially for lessons. Good luck on your search.
Price point aside (not that it isn’t a consideration) but the real issue is quality of instruction and connecting the content of teaching and learning guitar (theory, harmony, technique, transcribing, ear training. etc.) into a tailored curriculum for each student.
I am a teacher at Guitar Center and I take issue with the blanket, categorically and incorrect generalization of instructors that work there.
You can get bad instructors anywhere you look and that includes online. Not all of them present material in a way that connects the dots in a way that progresses the student to those incremental light bulb moments.
They may say they connect the material in logical order, but in the end the student either becomes a product of YouTube misinformation or decides to attend a college or seek an instructor that has.
The overload with online lessons is ridiculous. Especially for beginners.
My journey began with a teacher, then vinyl (ear training) to Berklee.
Generalizing instructors based on a name brand institution is either arrogant and ignorant.
Gene, I agree and it also depends on the individual. I have used many online fine courses but lack the mental discipline to either stick with it, not understand something or just want to shoot ahead to the “fun stuff”. Because of this my foundation has holes in it. I know bits and pieces and have started and stopped many times over the years.
My goal is to have fun with guitar at home or with friends and with work, wife, gym, etc it was hard to find the discipline to practice more than the rifts I know by heart if at all.
For the last month I have been taking lessons from a great instructor at Guitar Center named Paul. Told him wgat I know and he suggested we start the book at the beginning, the things I have mastered we fly through, the things I am struggling with (looking at the notes and get the freaking timing down, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 etc) we spend time on and I get a homework assignment to work on. The fact that I am paying for hour lessons and the fact that I don’t want to disappoint my instructor, help give me the motivation to practice.
This is my experience anyway. Instructors are like you said, every now and then you get one that does not work for you. If that is the case request another, you are paying for the service.
Thank you for the article Bobby.
Have to agree with, you, and the consensus here, (outside of GC) while there are great online resources, an instructor in person, that you’ve chosen, catering to your exact unique needs…is unparalleled. Especially for a beginner. My students agree with this aforementioned mentality, treating the online resources as supplemental to the ‘actual’.
I’m a working musician, guitarist, songwriter in NJ with songs on soundtracks in movies/ tv, teach guitar in homes privately for over a decade and the Director of a new music school, recording studio where production is available to certain students wanting to bring their creations to life. https://stosp.net/gallerystosp
Chris
Thanks for sharing, Chris. I appreciate your input. That studio looks absolutely amazing by the way. Super-cool setup.
Thanks Bobby,
Yes, the studio and lesson rooms were designed by Horacio Malvicino, he’s created studios for Prince, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz, etc.
Btw, you have a lot of great articles: https://www.guitarchalk.com/author/admin
Chris
This information was very helpful, thanks.
I’ll post updates on my progress learning to play the bass.
As a college teacher by profession (not music, but linguistics), I also know a quality teacher is far superior to a quality online program. Whether you’re learning how to play bass, speak english, meditate, work pottery, swim, cut hair, fly a plane, whatever, an online program doesn’t measure.
The teacher observes the student’s approach: their techniques, fingerings, attack, posture in ways a video simply can not do.
Each student has his or her unique needs. Good teachers adapt their teaching to those needs. As well, students come with a variety of questions, and sometimes don’t even know which question to ask. Good teachers know how to draw out the questions and answer them appropriately.
Also, if a student has a unique or complex question, a good teacher can address it. Online? A forum or a stock answer in a FAQ section may leave a student even more confused. How does a student ask for clarification on an FAQ page?
Lastly, good teachers have to be able to spot any student’s bad habits and correct them before they become too ingrained and difficult to break. They also have to tell a studentwhen they didn’t do a good job on the exercise, and that it will have to be done again, maybe 5-10 more times.
Good teachers have to make those uncomfortable, but honest observations, to help nip the problem in the bud. Online instruction can’t, or they risk losing the customer to more accommodating site that hands out nothing but compliments without even hearing a student’s playing.
Online instruction is an invaluable resource to supplement your practice, but is not a substitute for a qualified teacher in the flesh.
Greg – I agree to a point, but I would also argue that the effectiveness of both methods depends largely on the student in question. Self-motivated, perhaps introverted learners – I believe – do better with a self-paced program, where they can draw on the energy of being alone and being able to focus on their instrument instead of a social situation.
More extroverted people or feedback oriented learners need the social interaction of a classroom or tutoring scenario, in which case your points are more relevant.
I’m a big believer that the effectiveness of the format depends on the individual.
In the case of Guitar Center, the quality of their teachers – and the value thereof – is what’s really in question.
I’m taking lessons at Guitar Center and my teacher was graduate at Berkeley university, I agree with Greg, 101 is the best way to learn and of course online videos helps, but isn’t the best way to learn, my humble opinion
Hey, Sandra – thanks for sharing. I do think it depends on your area and which Guitar Center you’re at. Although I agree that online lessons can serve as a supplemental option, though I think it depends on how you’re wired to learn. Glad it’s working for you!
I don’t want to rain on your parade and these kinds of online sites are great resources but none of them can compare, even closely, to having a real teacher in front of you guiding you on your own personal journey. I’m a little biased because I’m a guitar teacher myself for 15 years but this is a fully honest opinion.
First off, a private teacher can cater the lessons directly towards each student. The teacher can teach each student in the best way they learn as opposed to a set path that everyone follows or a bunch of random videos. Not every student will take the same exact path.
The even bigger reasons have to do with feedback. When you are playing something incorrectly a video isn’t going to catch that before it becomes a bad habit that is extremely hard to correct later down the line. Most students have no idea they are playing something incorrectly so they keep doing the same things over and over.
You also don’t have someone there to help answer your questions. Even if you have a forum to go to it just doesn’t come anywhere close to being able to demonstrate to the teacher what you are struggling with strait on the guitar, ask the teacher any kinds of questions you may have and get immediate answers to these questions, not only verbally but demonstrated directly on the guitar by the teacher in front of you. On top of this a continual back and forth if you have more questions or need some more indepth explanations due to not fully understanding the answer given at first. All of this in a direct, immediate and flowing manner.
Then you have things like getting your songs recorded, making videos, jamming with other students, being part of a rockband etc… there are tons of things, many others aside from what I listed here, which online sites just cannot offer.
And just so everyone is aware, paying for a month upfront is the norm in the industry. Only inexperienced teachers usually charge lesson by lesson. If you get a teacher that charges by the lesson then a red flag should go up. It usually means inexperience or someone that doesn’t take their business serious. There is the rare decent teacher that does lesson by lesson but 9 time out of 10 it means a beginner teacher or someone who is not a pro.
I mean even these sites require you to pay for a month up front. It may be $20-$30 a month as compared to around $100 per month but you get what you pay for. My studio is filled with students that tried the route of sites like these along with Youtube but then realized that while they are either cheap or free, they needed real help from an actual live teacher in front of them. So yes you pay more for a live teacher but you need to ask yourself how important learning guitar is to you. Go cheap and struggle or invest in someone that will guide you along the way, decrease the amount of time it takes you to accomplish your goals, having someone in front of you to answer your questions, analyze your playing and give you personalize feedback to any questions you have immediately there on the spot. Try doing all that with a video! Lol!!!
So I don’t mean to put these kinds of sites down but they are not the best idea as your main learning source. They are incredible resources but as your main learning source there is no way that these kinds of sites come even close to comparing to an experienced live teacher in front of you. Not only for guitar but just about any subject you can think of. Sure it may be alot cheaper to go this online route but again, you get the results you pay for. So if you are more concerned with price as opposed to quality results then go with one of these sites as your main learning tool. If you are serious about learning then invest in yourself and get an actual live, experienced teacher in front of you to help you with achieving your goals.
By the way, I wouldn’t really recommend Guitar Center lessons either. I was thinking of teaching there because of the volume of potential students coming in but I found out they pay the teachers horribly. The result is you’ll get beginner teachers or those who are not pro quality teachers. If they were then they would be on their own where they make more or they work for another studio that pays their teachers a respectable wage.
Just sharing my honest opinion here. I need to say it one more time because it’s important. There is no comparison at all between an online site and a live, experienced teacher sitting in front of you. The only comparison is price and if you are only interested in comparing based on price then remember “You get what you pay for”.
Thanks for this insight, Don. I agree with you that those are strengths of having a teacher in-person. I’d also argue that there are strengths of the online side as well.
I think we both agree on the Guitar Center lessons. I wouldn’t recommend these to anyone.
Thanks again for the thoughtful comment.
Yes, you have convenience and price. Not much past that really though. As I mentioned these kinds of sites are an awesome tool in addition to studying with an actual teacher. However this doesn’t change the fact that these sites just don’t compare to having an experience teacher sitting in front of you.
If someone just doesn’t have any money to invest into a teacher then maybe go for these sites as your main resource but if you are serious about improving quickly and getting a thorough learning experience then spending a little more for a live teacher will be incredibly more beneficial in helping you reach your goals. Then use sites like these along with Youtube as an added resource. No matter how you frame it, if we are talking about quality as opposed to just price, you really can’t compare online sites to a live, experienced teacher. They are just two completely different animals!
I would disagree that convenience and price are the only perks.
A major advantage that the online systems have is the coverage and topical order. You’re drawing on experience from multiple teachers instead of just one.
Though I’d agree that the online and live experience can work well in tandem.
Thanks again for your thoughts.
“World class” lessons at Guitar Center?
No, not really.
I’ve had students come to me from GC. Their teachers are hired locally to the store. So the idea of “world class” is very, very misleading.
In Nashville, L.A., Chicago and New York City, maybe, just maybe you’ll get that level of instructor/instruction.
But let’s be honest, if a teacher is world class, they’re not going to be using GC. They’ll be private, like myself, and have their own clients.
The GC where I lived in Oregon (I’ve lately relocated out of state) charged $60 per full hour lesson. The quality of the teachers, as I mentioned before, was not high. It was mediocre.
GC brings in teachers who are willing to submit to their terms and conditions, teachers who think GC will guarantee them a living income via teaching people. And GC can only draw from the pool of musicians who are willing to agree to the terms and conditions GC imposes.
And like I said, a world class teacher such as myself will not be using GC to gain students, except they leave the GC system and come to people like myself who actually ARE world class teachers.
Couldn’t agree more, Fletch.
I noticed that the price differed a fair amount between stores, so you’re dealing with a different manager at each one, with different views on pricing/value, etc.
The copy that Guitar Center uses is extremely misleading in my opinion.
Moral of the story is to steer clear.
Sir, you are just as arrogant as the OP.
I am a Berklee graduate and teach at Guitar Center among other ventures.
I am far from mediocre.
The difference between teachers like you and me?
You value your world class status as much as I value my students.
One of my instructors told me that once your education becomes more important than the most inapt beginner, your money was wasted.
From your comments, I would say you are either uneducated or inebriated with print on your own diploma.