Adults Guitar Lessons In Melbourne

Learning Guitar Has Never Felt So Easy

Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Become a confident guitarist who can strum a few chords around the campfire, rock out to your favourite riffs or perform on a grand stage. We’ll help you achieve your goals and become an amazing guitarist, whatever that looks like to you.

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Structured Learning With Clear Direction

Learn Your Favourite Songs

Feel Good About Your Guitar Playing

It's Hard To Learn Guitar On Your Own

Have you ever felt like this?

  • I can play a few chords but can’t string them together smoothly…
  • My hands work when I look at them, but when I look away it’s impossible…
  • I can’t make sense of these guitar tabs or chord charts…
  • The guys on Youtube make it look easy but I only end up confused or frustrated…
  • Nothing I play sounds like the real song, it’s all clunky and disjointed…
  • I thought guitar was meant to be an easy instrument to play…
  • I’ll never be good at guitar no matter how hard I try..
Don’t worry, everyone goes through these thoughts when they first start learning guitar and it’s perfectly normal to struggle in the beginning. It’s also not your fault.
 
Most musical concepts can be quite complex and difficult to grasp, and while YouTube tutorials can tell you what to do, they can’t look through the screen and tell you what you’re doing wrong and what you need to do to fix it.
 
Learning how to play guitar shouldn’t be difficult… In fact, with guidance from a great teacher, it should be both fun and easy!
 
You deserve the chance to express yourself through the music you love and experience the joy of playing guitar!

Discover more about lessons, and see if we’d be a good fit
Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

How Ready are You For Guitar Lessons, Really ?

Take the FREE assessment, only 6 questions!

you deserve To Fell Good About Your Guitar Playing...

Hi, I'm Michael, Your Guitar Teacher.

Do you want to know a secret? The truth is that learning the guitar never came to me easily… I know exactly what it’s like to get stuck, to not get it, and to feel frustrated with a lack of progress

Unfortunately, most aspiring guitarists go through the frustrations of teaching themselves from poor resources or are subject to the trial-and-error approach of an incompetent teacher. This makes learning the guitar a difficult, unpleasant and often demotivating experience.

“When I first started learning my teacher only taught me songs, he never taught me the guitar.”

Like many beginners my first teacher was a great player and had a great big folder of songs to teach me. This seemed good at first but I was always taught what I wanted, not what I needed. So when it came time to jam with others or play a guitar solo in a jam session, I got stuck! I had no idea how to do anything that I hadn’t already been spoon-fed. 

To combat this, I would buy every guitar magazine or lesson book I could get my hands on, but no matter how much I learned, I felt it never translated to any improvement in my playing.

The problem was that I was so focused on learning more that I never developed the knowledge I already had to a point where I could use it in a musical context. I was always seeking that “one thing” that would finally connect all the dots and make everything fall into place, but all I did was learn a lot of things to a very shallow level and feel bad about how much I sucked at guitar.

Once I realised that the only way to become an expert guitar player was to learn from an expert teacher, I contacted a professional guitar instructor from the USA who specialised in training elite-level guitar players. It was one of the best decisions I ever made!

Working with a professional teacher drastically improved my skills and results came quickly. I not only learned to play the guitar but also gained a deep understanding of how it worked. I was constantly inspired and motivated to achieve my musical goals and after only a few months finally felt happy with my guitar playing.

Now that I am a professional guitar teacher myself I make it my personal mission to provide lessons that are fun, easy and engaging so that my students can become great players without all the pains, frustrations and roadblocks that I had to overcome by learning the guitar hard way.

Whether you’re learning from me directly or a member of my team of expert guitar teachers at Melbourne Guitar Academy, we are committed to helping you learn how to play guitar the easy way so that you enjoy every step of the way!

Michael Gumley
Owner & Head Teacher

Hi, I'm Michael, Your Guitar Teacher.

Why Am I Such A Good Guitar Teacher? Well… I’ve Learned To Play Guitar Twice!

Hello, I’m Michael, and I know what it’s like to struggle when learning the guitar. In fact, I’ve faced this challenge twice. I went from being the best rock guitarist in high school to the worst jazz guitarist at university and really struggled with the whole experience.

The challenge came because, in high school, I had to learn songs note for note to pass exams. But at university, it was all about creativity, improvisation and mastering your instrument to bring musical ideas to life.I practised a lot, read many books, and took lessons from different expert teachers, but my progress was slow, and nothing seemed to fall into place.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed every moment of my university experience, and I was excited about learning. But I kept looking for that one thing that would make it all click and have everything fall into place and work smoothly.As a result, I started practising for up to six hours a day to ‘catch up’ with other guitarists who seemed way ahead of me.

Unfortunately, this intensive practice led to an overuse injury resulting in surgery on my fretting hand elbow. As a result, I couldn’t play guitar for nearly three years.

But I didn’t give up. During this time, I studied music theory and everything I could on the art of practice. I even delved into psychology textbooks to learn all I could. about learning and the brain. Six weeks after surgery, I was allowed to play the guitar again, but only for five minutes, three times a day. I had to make every minute count and practice efficiently. Over time, I gradually increased my practice duration, from 10 to 15 minutes, and eventually up to 60 minutes, three times a day.

I had to relearn how to use my hand for everything from simple tasks like brushing my teeth to complex guitar patterns. Within six months of the surgery I had become a better guitar player than I was before, thanks to the practice secrets and learning strategies I discovered.

So, why am I considered one of the best guitar teachers in the world? It’s because I had to learn guitar twice! The first time as a passionate but inexperienced beginner, and again later as someone who understood all the concepts and techniques mentally but had to relearn the physical components while introspecting about the entire process.

This accelerated learning approach allowed me to achieve more in six months than I had in the previous five years, and became my unique “Rapid Results Guitar Method”. I now share this method with all my students at Melbourne Guitar Academy.  If you have faith in yourself and are willing to put in the effort, I can help you become a confident guitar player in no time.

Michael Gumley
Owner & Head Teacher

A Guitar Lesson Experience Like No Other

We Don’t Just Teach Songs…We Create Immersive Guitar Lesson Experiences!

We Create The Rock Star Experience!

We give students a structured learning plan based on helping them achieve their goals. We then break long term goals down into short term objectives so that they always know the ‘next step’ to take on their guitar playing journey.

Students attend a weekly Growth Class where they learn songs, explore theory and work on study pieces. Students attend a second Mastery Training Session each week where we run drills to practise your skills & techniques. Even if you have no time to practice at home you’re already booked in for an hour of supervised work with one of our expert teachers!

Lastly, we give our students the rock star experience with monthly jam sessions and performance opportunities. We NEVER force anyone to perform, but having the opportunity to do so gives our students a taste of performing and what it’s like to play on stage for a real audience!

Discover more about lessons, and see if we’d be a good fit
Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Learn How To Play the Guitar In 3 Easy Steps

It’s really this simple.

STEP 1
Book A Free Consult

We'll call and do a short phone consult to find out more about your guitar playing goals and what you're trying to learn on guitar before booking in a free trial lesson for you.

STEP 2
Come To Your Lessons

After your initial trial guitar lesson with us we will create a roadmap that outlines everything you need to learn to achieve your goals. Then It's just a matter of working through your plan with your teacher in your weekly lesson.

STEP 3
Have Fun & Play Guitar

Make rapid progress week to week as we work through your plan, learn your favourite songs and help you experience a guitar lesson program taught the right way! You won't believe how much fun learning guitar can be!

Discover more about lessons, and see if we’d be a good fit
Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

The Melbourne Guitar Academy Difference

Not All Guitar Lessons Are The Same, These Are Just Some Of The Advantages Of Learning Guitar With Us

Play The Music That You Love

Rather than bore you to death with reading music, 200-year-old Beethoven songs or dated jazz tunes. We put you in the driver's seat and teach you what you need to play the music you love.

Get Faster Results

We show you how to learn more efficiently and practice more effectivly so that you can get more done in 10m than most people do in a full hour.

Pressure-Free Environment

We run supplementary jam sessions and performance events throughout the year. We NEVER force you to perform and participation in all events is voluntary.

Learn At Your Pace

Learning guitar is a journey and we'll lay out a roadmap to take you to your destination. You're in the driver's seat & have the choice of taking the scenic route or the fast lane!

24/7 Teacher Access

Our membership includes access to our Guitar Dojo Online training platform which has over 50 courses and 1000 videos which you can access 24/7

Become Part Of The Family

Join a safe and supportive community of other guitarists who are all learning together and helping each-other grow.

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Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Let’s Turn Your Guitar Playing Into Our Next Success Story

Just like Lucas, Alex, Mark and 238 other students have.

5/5
Would highly recommend for anyone who’s been already playing for years or just starting to learn!
I've been learning guitar at MGA after 2 years being self taught, and my skills and knowledge developed so much after I joined. Classes are super fun and informative. I've met many new friends while learning with Michael's and managed to do my first performance because of him.
Lucas Perlind
Guitar Student

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Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Explore the Studio Where You'll Learn to Play the Guitar

Lessons will be held at the studio below in Essendon

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Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

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Our Guarantee

We're so confident that we can help you with your guitar playing that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you're not happy with the progress you make in your first month of tuition.

All you need to do to qualify is attend every lesson in your first month and do an hour of practice at home. If you're not totally blown-away by the results we help you get then then you deserve your money back!

So if you're apprehensive about guitar lessons with us, go ahead and book a free trial lesson with us.

Best Case Scenario - you love your lessons and become an amazing guitar player in a very short period of time! Worst Case Scenario - you get a month of Melbourne's best guitar lessons with Melbourne's best guitar teachers for free...

What have you got to lose?

Discover more about lessons, and see if we’d be a good fit
Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Guitar Lesson Membership Plans

Choose A Membership Option That Best Suits Your Budget And Level Of Commitment!

1x Weekly Guitar Lesson

Rising Force

$200
monthly
★ most popular ★

2x Weekly Guitar Lessons

Overdrive

$300
monthly

UNLIMITED Weekly Guitar Lessons

Total Transformation

$500
monthly

*Prices updated for September 2023. Membership is a monthly commitment with no lock-ins
** All guitar lessons are conducted in person at our Essendon or Wantirna South studios. Online Guitar Lessons can be arranged if needed. We do not do home visits.

Get Over $800 of FREE Bonus Items When You Book An Introduction Session

Yes, You get to keep all the bonuses even if you don’t sign up for ongoing lessons, all you need to do is book a trial lesson with us and then show up to it and you get to keep the bonuses whether you sign up or not!

Your MGA Membership Includes

Total Value: $1565
Start Today For FREE!

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Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Book Your FREE Introduction Session And Get These Amazing Bonuses

Yes, even if you don’t sign up for ongoing lessons, you get to keep all the bonuses

Total Value: $324
Start Today For FREE!

Discover more about lessons, and see if we’d be a good fit
Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

Frequently Asked Questions

Still unsure? I’ve answered some common questions parents have below.

You are never too old to learn guitar, in fact starting as an adult is often better because you are more mature, are choosing to play guitar because you want to do it and because you are able to process information quicker. Age is a number, not a limitation and we’ve had wonderful success with students of all ages. Our eldest student Barry came to us at the age of 72 having never played guitar and performed a rendition of Folsom Prison Blues at our students concert 4 months later! It was the highlight of the concert!

We often hear students express “my hands are too big” or “my hands are too small”and it couldn’t be farther from the truth.Many famous guitarists have giant hands and many great players have small hands but with enough practice all of them were able to play well. The truth is that the size of your hands has no effect on your ability to play guitar, and once you get over the beginner difficulties and development some dexterity you will be able to play well regardless of your hand size.

If you want to lose weight but you are only going to the gym once a week for 30 minutes, you’re probably not going to be very successful. If you train several times aweek and eat right between sessions you’re going to see your likelihood of success skyrocket, and with this success comes more motivation which makes the whole process enjoyable. Learning guitar is much the same and we insist that a weekly lesson is the minimum if you are serious about learning and getting results. We even encourage our students to do multiple sessions a week so that we can train and hold you accountable every few days. We understand that not everyone has the means to attend a regular weekly lesson and are happy to take students who can’t make this commitment provided they understand that results will come slower and that they need to be proactive in their practice at home.

The duration of your guitar playing journey is determined by a lot of factors including the style of music you like, the kind of guitar player you wish to be and whether you want to be a hobby player or a professional player. You will be able to learn to play a collection of Ed Sheeran songs on acoustic guitar much quicker than you will be able learn the solos to your favourite AC/DC tracks. It is all relative to your goals and what you are trying to achieve. Expect to be learning for around 2 years to be able to comfortably play the chords, riffs and solos to basic radio level pop/rock/top 40 songs. Some people get to this level in 6 months, others take a bit longer but the vast majority of our students progress faster than average and achieve their goals sooner than they thought possible.

You can learn lots of good stuff on Youtube, but for every good video and teacher there are a hundred bad lessons and as a beginner you don’t yet know the difference. You could fumble around on your own for months or years and end up getting nowhere, or you could pay us to teach you the right way from the beginning and save a lot of time, energy and frustration. You generally get what you pay for so choose wisely.

We have created our own internal grading system called the Guitar Ninjas Program which we originally made because we found that traditional exam programs focused too much on dated classical music and didn’t resonate with contemporary guitar students. Having said that we’ve had great success taking our students through AMEB, Rockschool, and VCE exams and can arrange to take students through exam programs upon request.

We have plenty of guitars on-hand in our studio for you to use however you will need a guitar to practice on at home between your lessons. We can arrange a rental for you or send you to our one of the many local music shops we partner with who can help you choose a new guitar. See the Free Resources section on our webpage for more info on how to choose your first guitar.

The majority of our guitar lesson programs are run as group sessions (just like primary & secondary schools, universities, sports teams, dance schools and martial arts clubs run to train their students) however we can organise private lessons as needed.

We recommend that you choose a guitar based on the styles of music you want to learn and the kind of guitarist you wish to be. If you want to learn primarily acoustic guitar songs, start on an acoustic, if you want to be a rock guitar god, it’s best to go straight to electric. We recommend children start on a 3/4 size electric guitar when budget allows, otherwise a 1/2 or 3/4 size acoustic will do. See the Free Resources section on our webpage for a whole article on this question.

Yes, we do guitar lesson gift vouchers for all of our lesson programs. Use claim free lesson button to register and inquiry and a member of our team will be in touch.

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Rated 4.9 ★★★★★ by 117 happy guitarists

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