Has anyone Learnt to play their instrument solely from online sources?
 

I was wandering if it was a good or bad idea to learn an instrument online? or is it crucial to have a teacher so you don't pick up bad habits? or play certain techniques incorrectly?

also was wandering if you do learn from the internet what sources do you use? for example watching youtube videos or from certain websites?

I've never had any lessons, so really it's entirely up to the individual, and their abilities. If one were to have a guideline generalization, I'd go with an instructor, who would set a pace, building blocks, etc..

There's nothing wrong with learning on your own with whatever tools you want to use, however, as a flute and guitar instructor myself I would say go with an instructor. You'll get a more structured learning program, more hands-on tips, and probably more motivation to learn and complete goals that are set for you every week (or however often you might have lessons. Once per week is preferred).

online
 

i ive learned stuff from books, from friends and from online sources.. its all good as long as you keep interested in learning, and find ways to apply the info you get.. at the end it all comes back as your own style.

keep true to what sounds good to you, but open your ears to hear what else is out there.

there is definitely something to be said for having an instructor in real time. they can give you feedback that you simply will not get doing it by yourself. this feedback will help you streamline the process.

but online instruction also has advantages that an instructor cannot provide, such as repeating lessons. if you are an avid learner, you can probably get pretty far with an online system.

but if you go the online route, go with a system as opposed to random videos. there are definitely some out there that are getting much praise. a system is beneficial because of flow. a good teacher is always teaching you the groundwork for what they're going to teach you next, so relying on a single source (which can sound a little strange with such a surplus of available options) is going to give you a better chance of being set up properly and linearly.