So, you want to learn to play the guitar, do you?
That’s awesome, and we’re really happy you’re making this choice for yourself. But, have you figured out how you’re going to learn?
If you’re anything like us, you’ll be avoiding in-person guitar lessons. Not only are in-person lessons more stressful, but they also take up a lot of time and don’t usually come with a flexible schedule. Can’t make your Wednesday night lesson because you caught a stomach bug? Too bad, you’re still paying for it.
You can avoid literally all of these problems by opting to do your learning online. It’s true, you can learn pretty much anything online these days — cooking, woodworking, knitting, starting a business, and yes, playing guitar. Welcome to the future, baby. No human interaction needed here.
But, as you could have probably guessed already, these online guitar classes take place on the internet. Meaning you’re going to have options. Enough options that you’ll probably look up one list and immediately close the tab out of overstimulation. That’s where we come in.
We spent a lot of time researching the best online guitar courses and services so that you could narrow down your final choice, and we think we’ve found the best ones for your consideration.
Here are some of the things we looked out for when parsing the abundance of available options:
Commitment
Everyone is busy in one way or another these days. Most of us barely have the time to pursue a passion in the first place. But, it’s important that we at least try to fit something we love into our daily lives. That’s self-care right there.
So, assuming that passion is learning the guitar, you’ll have to map out the kind of time commitment you can (and want to) agree to. This means you’ll want to take a look at each course’s lesson plan and structure. Is it intuitive? Well-balanced? Messy? Stressful? Make sure it’s something you can see yourself handling for the foreseeable future — the more simple it is to use the course, the less time you’ll waste. Taking that into account with your personal schedule, you should be able to figure out if it’ll fit into whatever you currently have going on.
You’ll also want to know what kind of financial commitment you’re getting yourself into. Does the course or service have a limited free trial, or do you have to sign on the dotted line immediately? If there’s no trial, is there a money-back guarantee? Wasting time is bad enough, but wasting time and money is worse.
Consider your instructors
Just because your course is online doesn’t mean you’re not going to have an actual teacher. In fact, all the best online courses have experienced, real-life instructors that will be teaching you through comprehensive video lessons.
Although you can probably assume that most big-name guitar courses will be taught by professionals, it’s never a bad idea to look into their backgrounds to see if they mesh with your goals (sometimes, the course websites will make all of this information readily available). Some programs even offer celebrity guests, which is a fun bonus.
What you’ll mostly want to look for, though, is each instructor’s expertise. Are they most savvy in rock? Blues? Jazz? The style of guitar you want to learn will inform who your go-to instructors will become.
Price vs. value
No matter what you’re buying, the value-to-price ratio is always going to be a huge factor. It’s your money, after all. Sometimes, investing in a high price point is worth it — as long as you’re getting equal value out of it.
When it comes to guitar courses, you’ll be able to judge this on how many lessons you get for how much you’re paying, how long you have access to the course, student testimonials — things like that.
It’s not always an easy thing to discern and you might not find your perfect answer before trying something out, but you should always try your best to pick the one you think you’ll get the most out of (which, of course, changes from person to person).
What makes the course unique?
No two courses are completely the same. Many of them have at least a few features that set them apart from the rest — some of them might make or break the deal for you.
Look for things like live lessons, video sharing with instructors and other students, interactive tabs, what devices the programs work on, and anything else that will boost the quality of your personal experience.
Be honest about your skill level
Whether you’re a total beginner who has only has experience playing the air guitar or an intermediate player that wants to freshen up on their craft, there’s a course out there for you. All that’s required of you is to be honest about the skills you currently have. No matter what level you’re at, if you try to punch too high above your weight class, you’re going to struggle — which can end up leading to you putting down the axe for good.
So, don’t throw yourself into the deep end when you don’t have to. Find a course that will cater to what you have or haven’t learned, and start from there.
We kept all of these factors in mind when distilling our final list down to only the best. One method of learning we did check out but ultimately didn’t make the cut was YouTube, because it’s honestly just a little too broad and requires users to basically create their own lesson plans (but it could be helpful if you’re looking for a very specific lesson or song, which you’d need to figure out ahead of time).
How to choose the best one for you
There are a few bases you’ll want to cover before you finally choose your guitar course, aside from what we recommend to you.
We mentioned skill level already, but it’s important that you’re honest with yourself about what you already know and how much you have to learn. Don’t feel shy about calling yourself a beginner, because there’s literally no shame in that (every music legend starts somewhere).
Furthermore, you’ll want to take stock of what you even want to learn. Do you want to learn how to solo? How to write music? How to play covers of famous tracks? All of the above? It’s an important question to answer, because some courses are suited better for certain goals. You’ll probably also want to nail down what genre of music interests you the most (although learning the basics of each one is a great way to progress).
Other obvious things you want to iron out are your budget, the amount of time you want to commit to learning the instrument (which we talked about a bit above), what kind of devices you have (these are online, you know), and your personal learning style. It’s even better to be in tune with what type of feedback resonates with you most. Maybe you want to hear from your teacher often and receive honest, constructive criticism. Maybe you want to avoid any sort of communication with a human and keep your newfound passion for music on the D.L. until you can prove your proficiency to the masses. Once you think you’ve figured all that out, you’re ready to make your decision.
Here are seven online guitar courses that are actually worth your time and money. Just promise us you won’t become that person who breaks out Wonderwall unsolicited at parties, okay?
Fender Play
No matter your skill level, you’ll find value in Fender Play — plus, it’s a fantastic pick for those with already busy lives who want to pursue guitar.-
Free trial?:
Yes -
Payment basis:
Monthly or annual -
Price:
$9.99 monthly/$89.99 annually
The biggest pull of Fender Play is that it’s extremely convenient. The app is operational on both iOS and Android devices, meaning you can stream course videos and more in-app content right from your phone or tablet. Bite-sized lesson options make it a great choice for those who already have a packed schedule but still want to become passionate about playing music.
You can track your personal progress with each lesson you take — your “path” shows what you’ve done and what comes next, kind of like a syllabus. In addition to the service’s easy-to-follow nature, you’ll also gain access to a thriving community of musicians that you can interact with during live video lessons, and be able to participate in weekly challenges (which sometimes offer prizes).
Udemy
This Udemy course allows you to start with the surface-level basics to get a feel for whether you even like playing guitar.-
Free trial?:
No -
Payment basis:
One-time purchase -
Price:
$19.99
You’ll learn surface-level basics about chord shapes, rhythm patterns, theory, standard picking, fingerpicking, and should be able to play seven full songs by the end of it all. The package comes with lifetime access to five hours of video instruction, various articles, and more than 30 different downloadable resources that can be viewed on any of your internet-connected smart devices.
While this course is very basic, it’ll teach you the proper basics, which will keep you from forming any bad habits should you continue along your guitar learning journey. (Also worth noting that Udemy often runs sales, so keep an eye out for deals — there’s really no reason why you should have to pay full price for any course on the site.)
MasterClass
While MasterClass syllabi might be a little broad at times, it’s invaluable to learn from the legends about more than just music theory — you’ll get insight on how to use effects, how to perform on stage, and much more.-
Free trial?:
No -
Payment basis:
Annual -
Price:
$180 annually
While a lot of the courses are high-level and not super in depth when it comes to music theory, you’ll get lessons on things that most guitar teachers don’t offer — from using pedals, to creating a stage performance, to calming your nerves in front of an audience.
Another fun addition is the inclusion of actual song case studies, in which Santana and Morello teach you the ins and outs of their own songs — who better to learn from?
Coursera
Get collegiate-level instruction from the Berklee College of Music.-
Free trial?:
Yes -
Payment basis:
One-time purchase -
Price:
$49
The six-week class guides you through the basics of the instrument with collegiate-level instruction, with a focus on theory, technique, and a true understanding of the notes in front of you. This isn’t for people who just want to learn their favorite hit guitar solo and call it a day — take this course if your eventual goal is to be able to write and perform solos of your own.
After the six weeks, you’ll have learned how to identify all the parts of a guitar, including string names, how to read tablature and notation, chord block diagrams, various picking methods, chord shapes, and much more through video and reading lessons. You’ll even have control over your deadlines, because starting off a new passion shouldn’t be overwhelming.
If you want a great foundation for long-term guitar playing from a reputable instructor, Berklee’s highly rated beginner guitar class on Coursera may be your match.
ArtistWorks
ArtistWorks is the closest you’re going to get to an in-person guitar lesson online.-
Free trial?:
No -
Payment basis:
Three-month, six-month, or annual -
Price:
$35 per month for 3 months/$30 per month for 6 months/$23.25 per month for 12 months
That video interaction gets put in a library that can then be accessed by other ArtistWorks users, creating a learning community just like an actual classroom. You might have some initial anxiety about sending in these recordings for all to see, but it’s ultimately worth it and helps to create a robust, collaborative learning environment.
The beauty of these submissions is that you can record and file them at any time, from any place via your phone, tablet, or computer. The process doesn’t usually take more than two days, and you’ll never be restricted by busy schedules and time zones — you can access all of it whenever you have the time to.
Rocksmith
You’ll learn real songs, on a real guitar, in an interactive setting that’s super fun and informative.-
Free trial?:
No -
Payment basis:
One-time purchase -
Price:
$29.99
No, this isn’t Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which employs the use of guitar-like peripherals with large buttons. Rocksmith is actually controlled with a real guitar. Simply plug in your own guitar (cable included) and go.
Anyone who has played those aforementioned music games will probably be familiar with Rocksmith‘s interface — you’ll play hit tracks note-for-note from the game’s 50-song library (with hundreds more available to purchase and download). During each song, you’ll be able to see correct finger placements and notes, with a backing track that’ll have you feeling like a real performer.
The fact that it’s a game is actually super helpful — the competitive aspect pushes you to get better all the time, and Rocksmith‘s AI even adapts its difficulty level to how well you’re playing, which is encouraging. You really get to learn at your own pace.
JamPlay
A great value for your money just based on the vast amount of content alone — but it’s also super in-depth and a great tool to help intermediate and advanced players brush up on their guitar skills.-
Free trial?:
Yes -
Payment basis:
Annually -
Price:
$99.95 annually
This massive amount of material spans all the styles and genres you can think of, and the quality of the (many) teachers has meant lots of positive feedback for this service. You might even recognize some of the teachers, like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Lita Ford, among others.
You’ll be able to access live courses with many of these teachers, which can be streamed and commented on in real time along with the rest of the JamPlay community (your calls may not always be answered, though — look to ArtistWorks for a more personalized experience on that front). Some other perks include background tracking in various styles and keys, 4K video on select lessons, and unique tools to aid you in your journey.