Whether you are a total novice touching a guitar for the first time or a seasoned player looking to build on your knowledge, online guitar lessons can be of great help. Today, the best online guitar lessons are better than those in-person guitar coaches in many ways. Not only do you have the indulgence of planning your own time, but they are also much cheaper. With most, you get to learn from the best in the industry and even interact with celebs and top guitarists.
Also See: ChordsWorld.com
The only problem is, this is the internet, and every jack with a laptop and a guitar can call themselves trainers. From the hundreds of available guitar lessons you will come across, only a handful are worth your while. This is where we come in. We have managed to sift through a cornucopia of sites claiming to be the best online guitar lessons and narrowed them down to only five.
If you take only one thing from this list, let it be that Guitar Tricks, JamPlay, and Justin Guitar are the best online guitar lessons in the world, whether you are a beginner or a pro. Without further ado, let's dive in.
Contents
1. Guitar Tricks
If you have been looking for guitar lessons, you have likely come across Guitar Tricks severally because it is the unrivaled champion of online guitar lessons. This program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to take you from novice-level to intermediate proficiency without fail. It is built to give you a solid foundation with small, approachable videos that are easy to digest.
If you've never touched a guitar, this is one of the best online guitar lessons for beginners because it's arranged and presented so clearly and meticulously. The first few lessons aim at helping you hold the guitar comfortably, fret, and then progress slowly to power chords, basic scales, and introductory music theory. At the end, once you are comfortable playing a variety of songs, you can specialize or choose one genre of music.
Pros
- The interface is very clear, with plenty of tools to help you get the most of each video, and every lesson has music sheets in tab and standard notation right next to the instructor.
- The multi-camera setup is remarkable because you get to see things from different vantage points and get a clearer view of what the instructor is doing.
- They have a core learning system to take you step-by-step from amateur to pro
Cons
- The only drawback with Guitar Tricks is that it focuses on four main genres-blues, country, rock, and acoustics. If you want to learn jazz, funk, metal, and other styles, you have to look elsewhere as GT has limited information on them.
2. JamPlay Guitar Lessons
If you're looking for an affordable guitar lesson, JamPlay is not for you. This online program has a dizzying amount of content and lessons ranging from beginner to expert level. Their main selling point however is that they feature some of the biggest names out there when it comes to their instructors. We particularly like the one-off lessons offered by legendary guitarists like Robb Flynn and Tosin Abasi as they show in great detail the secrets to their craft.
The video lessons on this platform are delivered in 4K with an interactive tab to help you make fast progress when learning guitar. You get the view from four different angles to get a clear picture of what the instructor is doing, but there aren't any tabs to elaborate the lessons. We recommend you pull up the accompanying lesson in a different window next to the video so you can follow along and not get lost.
Pros
- When they say they have something for everyone, you better believe it because you can learn anything from classic rock, country, metal to reggae from the best.
- They have a money-back guarantee policy
- Unlike Guitar Tricks, JamPlay really gets into the meat of things on every genre of music out there, and you also learn from some amazing musicians in that field.
- If you want to be a fully-fledged musician and not just a guitar player, this platform has lessons focused on songwriting and developing musicianship skills.
Cons
- The interface and the entire lesson setup are not really friendly for beginners, so this platform is better suited for intermediate and advanced level students.
3. ArtistWorks Guitar
One of the things you miss out on when taking online guitar courses is that human interaction and feedback to know how you are doing. While the independence to plug away on your own is fantastic, a stray finger here and an incorrect posture there can completely derail your progress since nobody is correcting you. ArtistWorks is one of the very few online programs that aim to provide this personal touch by allowing you to record yourself during class and submit the video to your guitar teacher. They will then review it and point out areas that you can improve.
Add that to the over 50,000 video lessons on the platform, and you can see why ArtistWorks is one of the best online guitar lessons today. We love that you can sign up for a specific lesson or a specific instructor if you want to focus on one style of music or guitar. This is also one of the platforms that allow slow-motion videos so you can follow the lesson and grasp every movement without missing out on something because it went by too fast.
Pros
- The site features some of the most competent and even famous instructors and guitarists in the world.
- You can interact with your teachers though it's not live most of the time.
- You can see videos submitted by other students and the feedback they got from their peers and instructors.
- The program is suitable for everyone from the extreme novices to intermediate and advanced students.
Cons
- This lesson is a bit pricey because of the value you get from interacting with real people.
4. JustinGuitar
Anyone who has any interest to learn guitar knows about JustinGuitar. It is a one-man show that has taken YouTube by storm, but it's also a fantastic online guitar lesson taught by none other than the legendary Justin Sandercoe. Before you even get into the lessons, his smile, demeanor, and everything about the guy make you feel that you can play that guitar and become a pro just like him.
That said, JustinGuitar is one of the best online guitar lessons because most of the content is free. The platform has a wealth of content to learn from, and it's one of the few lessons where you are allowed to download practice resources to continue learning even when you are offline. For beginners, Justin has one of the most beginner-friendly tutorials that teach you everything from holding the guitar correctly to fretting and the basics of music.
Pros
- There is a vast amount of helpful content and videos, and most of it is free.
- Justin has a beautiful presentation style and makes you feel like a star.
- The lesson is well structured with easy-to-follow tutorials.
- Wide array of subjects not just guitar playing.
Cons
- There is really nothing one can criticize about this lesson.
5. Fender Play
Do you have a hectic life but still want to learn how to play guitar? Then Fender Play is what you need. Unlike other lessons we have discussed here, you can choose upfront which kind of music you want to play. Once you sign up to the platform and make a profile, select your personal style of music, and your lessons will be in line with that genre.
The second best thing about Fender Play is that it's convenient and operational on both iOS and Android devices, meaning you can learn on the go. It provides you with bite-size lesson options that you can easily digest in a few minutes before getting back to your busy schedule. Since the lesson plan is structured, you can track progress of where you are and what comes next in the syllabus.
Pros
- You'll have access to a helpful community of musicians, guitarists, and fellow students during live video lessons.
- There are live weekly challenges to keep you on your toes.
- It's suitable for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced.
- It has a really nice free trial that allows you to know if it’s the right course for you.
Cons
- The platform doesn’t have a ton of advanced theory because most of it is practical.
Choosing the Best Online Guitar Lesson
As you choose among the best online guitar lessons here, it's important to think about your schedule, learning needs, and music style. Some of the lessons here are designed for beginners, while others are more suitable for more experienced learners. Some classes will teach you the basics of guitar playing first without specializing in one genre of music or guitar type. You must factor in all these factors before you settle on one.
Other considerations you may want to give some thought include:
1. Commitment
The best online guitar lessons have some kind of structure where you move from one progression to the next. For example, Fender Play has a clear syllabus where you see what you have done so far and what you will do next. This is important, so you don't jump haphazardly from one lesson to another without following a specific progression. By so doing, you commit a certain amount of time per day or week to do this lesson, and you know when the course will end. You also get to commit a certain amount of money because you know you will finish it in this number of months.
2. Instructors
As the saying goes, the teacher makes the student. Your guitar instructor has a lot to do with how you will learn. Before paying for the lesson, do some research on the guitar teacher- do they fit your level of experience? Does their background mesh with the specific music genre you want to learn? For instance, complete beginners will be more comfortable with JustinGuitar because his lesson plans are more suitable for beginners.
3. Interaction
One of the benefits of online lessons is that you are basically learning independently following a pre-recorded video by an instructor. The downside is that you will not know if you are making a mistake or doing the right thing. the best online guitar lessons come with the opportunity for live interactions with the instructors and other peers so you can get feedback on how you are progressing, and a mistake will be caught early.
Conclusion
Whichever online guitar lesson you choose, it's important to know that learning how to play a musical instrument, especially the guitar is not a walk in the park. No matter how easy Justin makes it look, brace yourself to deal with some real pain, both physical and emotional. However, if you are patient and have gotten a good instructor or course, you will eventually see the results of your hard work.
Frequently Asked Questions on Online Guitar Lessons
1. Are online guitar lessons worth it?
This question may come from the context of not having a live instructor guiding you, and instead you have to rely on videos. To answer the question, YES, online lessons are entirely worth it. The courses are packaged in a way that you will easily understand and learn from the video and other illustrations without somebody holding your hand. Millions of people have learned to play guitar online and they are just as good as those who were taught by a coach.
2. What's the best free guitar lessons online?
If you are not ready to pay for guitar lessons, JustinGuitar is the best free guitar lesson online. You can start with his free trial on the site or follow the many YouTube videos that teach people of all experience levels how to play the guitar. Most of the lessons we have highlighted here also have free lessons during trial period, but none is as comprehensive as the one you get on JustinGuitar.
3. Is it better to learn guitar online or in-person?
This is really a matter of preference. Most guitar players don't have the time to plan weekly lessons with a coach, so they opt for the convenience of online lessons. In-person coaches are also quite expensive, and not many people can afford them. If you are worried about the lack of personal touch and guidance from online lessons, most courses allow you to interact with your instructors once in a while or with fellow peers who can help you master your skills.
