Congratulations on your decision to learn to play guitar. The guitar is a versatile instrument capable of providing musical accompaniment in almost any style of music imaginable. Playing the guitar will provide untold hours of enjoyment for a lifetime. But as you have probably figured out by now, it's not exactly the most intuitive and easy instrument to learn.
So I wholeheartedly believe you would benefit tremendously by taking some lessons (even if for only a short while) from the RIGHT teacher.
A teacher can analyze your technique and help you become more efficient and proficient - correcting mistakes and bad technique before they become too deeply ingrained. A good teacher can quickly determine your weaknesses and strengths and a really good teacher will take that information and create a custom learning platform tailored just for you individually - that will build on your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.
But the right teacher for you may not be the right teacher for someone else and vice versa. The "right" teacher for you will depend to a great extent on what your personal goals are.
Do you want to play primarily for your own enjoyment and possible entertain a few friends? Or do you aspire to play on a professional level someday? Do you want to learn classical style using mostly fingerpicking? Or do you want to learn to strum chords and play more of a folk style? Do you want to learn to play lead guitar - or play rhythm? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself before interviewing teachers.
Keep in mind that the teacher's approach to teaching will vary from teacher to teacher. Some may prefer to start you out learning theory and learning to sight read and play individual notes from a music staff using standard music notation. Then you will spend a great deal of instruction time learning about key signatures, rests, time signatures, quarter notes, half notes, ties etcs. Other's may teach using guitar tablature. Then you will spend less time learning to read standard music notation, but may need more hands on help with timing, rhythm, and so forth.
Some teacher's approach may be to take it slow, teaching you a solid foundation of the basics, before getting into playing songs. Other's may choose to teach the basics by teaching songs you like that incorporate the techniques you need to learn to play those songs.
I recommend talking to several different teachers and ask them what their personal teaching philosophy is. In my opinion, a good teacher would also ask you some questions about what style music you ultimately wish to learn to play and what your specific goals are. I personally would prefer a teacher who will customize my lessons based on my current abilities and ultimate goals, rather than teaching from a pre-published standard "one size fits all" lesson book.
Be sure the teacher you select does not require you to pay for a bunch of lessons in advance with no opportunity to cancel. You want to be able to try the teacher out to be sure there is a good fit between their teaching style and your goals and learning style. If there is not a good fit, don't hesitate to say "this isn't working for me and I want to find a new teacher".
You mentioned that some of your friends have some good teachers. Ask your friends what they like and dislike about their teachers and how they teach. Also, ask your friend's teachers if they know any teachers in your area they might refer you to.
Good luck in your quest to find the right teacher. Don't get too discouraged if your first choice does not seem to be a good fit. Try another one who might be more in tune with your goals.
Playing the guitar will provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment and opportunities to continually improve your skills. Enjoy the journey.
