Guitar Online Lessons

Online learning has become increasingly popular over the last decade, and there’s now a huge range of guitar lessons available for beginners to aspiring pros. It’s important to find a service with clearly structured, well-thought-out lessons that build on each other. Online learning is also flexible and ideal for busy people who may not have the time to commit to regular in-person guitar lessons.

YouTube has plenty of good beginner guitar lessons on offer, including one by Marty Schwartz that teaches the basics at a steady pace. He’s clear and thorough in his explanations and makes sure he covers all the basics before moving on. Another great YouTube resource is a channel called Guitar Tricks, which has an enormous collection of video tutorials for all levels. It has a free trial and is perfect for beginners to get to grips with the basic fundamentals of playing guitar.

More established websites with a wide range of online guitar lessons include JamPlay, TrueFire and Pickup Music. The latter has a younger vibe and more contemporary design but is packed with the same quality content, as is newcomer Guitareo. They take complete beginners right from the beginning, covering all the essentials without it feeling patronising or dumbing down. They also have a wide selection of courses with big name guitarists, such as Robb Flynn and Tosin Abasi, who conduct masterclasses in their playing, performing and songwriting expertise.

Having an in-person teacher keeps you accountable when it comes to practice, as you don’t want to let them down. It can be a good idea to join a group lesson, as this can help you meet other like-minded people and is an ideal way to socialise while learning. You’ll also benefit from the feedback that other students can provide – it’s surprising how much you can learn from someone else’s mistakes!

Lessons can be expensive, especially if you choose a professional tutor. However, many have online subscription rates and complimentary taster sessions, as well as block booking discounts. You can also find affordable tuition options by asking around in your local area to see if any friends or family have used a particular site.

The biggest drawback of online learning is that it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle, jumping between different videos and instructors without any form of structure or direction. It can also be difficult for beginners to know what information they need, as all instructors will teach things differently and have their own opinions on how best to learn the guitar. It can also be difficult to get the kind of feedback that a teacher would provide, which could prevent you from developing bad habits. The best online guitar learning sites will give you clear lesson paths, downloadable resources and community features that make it easy to interact with other members and share tips and tricks. ArtistWorks, for example, focuses on this aspect of online guitar lessons, offering an instructor to review your progress and provide feedback.