Who provides the best online guitar lessons? Lucky for you we’ve done the hard research to help you choose the best service that fits your needs perfectly.

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Who Offers the Best Online Lessons for Acoustic or Electric Guitar?

There are more guitar lesson providers than ever before, making the instrument hyper-accessible for students in the 21st century.

If you’re one of the thousands looking to learn guitar online, you may be wondering which website or subscription is the one for you. Which one is the best choice?

To help you make a good decision, we’ve compared all the major players side by side with thorough reviews to help you find which one is truly the best online guitar lesson site.

Note: This is a long article. For the TL;DR version, you might want to skip to the Final Summaries section, then navigate to any of the full reviews you may be interested in.

The most important questions;

• • How easy is the website to access/navigate?
  • How affordable are the lessons?
  • Are the lessons and instructors engaging?
  • And how diverse are the song or lesson video options in genre, style, or difficulty?

By pitting the top, most popular and well known sites against each other, we’ll analyze how well they stand up to these questions giving you a solid start on which lesson site is best for you.

Each site has been thoroughly reviewed by our Guitar Niche staff slowly working through beginner, song, and advanced technique lessons, as well as trying out some of the extra features like tuners, chord finders, ear training, and more.

We certainly hope you find this article helpful, informative and unbiased. Just so you know, we may receive compensation if you use the links on this page. If you do, thank you so much!

Top Guitar Lesson Websites Compared:

Service	Cost	Rating	Offer?
1. GuitarTricks	$19.99 per Month	(4.1 )	14 Day Free Trial
2. TrueFire	$29.00 per Month	(4.3)	30 Day Free Trial
3. ArtistWorks	$35.00 per Month	(4.1)	Free Samples
4. Justin Guitar	$0.00 per Month	(4.2)	Trial – N/A
5. Fender Play	$9.99 per Month	(4.0)	50% Discount on Annual Plan
6. JamPlay	$19.99 per Month	(3.9)	Free Trial
7. Guitareo	$10.58 per Month (billed annually)	(4.3)	30 Day Free Trial

Top Online Guitar Lesson Sites Reviewed

1. Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks is one of the most complete, and user friendly lesson sites on the market featuring a wide range of tools, lessons, and add-ons.

Boasting over 11,000 video lessons per their website, there is surely something for everyone on Guitar Tricks.

Before we dig in and walk through, some of the highlights include the vast number of lessons previously mentioned as well as the large volume of song lessons the site features.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4.1 / 5)

Overview

At the most basic levels of review, Guitar Tricks checks a lot of boxes you should be looking for. It has an easy to navigate website and homepage in addition to one of the largest selections of diverse technique, genre, and song lessons databases online.

The linear and easy to follow “core lesson plan” starts all players off with a series of video levels split into multiple chapters.

Each level is taught by the same instructor throughout and lets you branch off into specific genres as you move up in skill.

While there are no famous, “rock star” instructors like some of the other sites boast, the instructors are nonetheless engaging and informative.

Product Services/Highlights

One of the best features of Guitar Tricks has to be how user friendly the website is while still retaining the highest quality video lessons.

The site doesn’t overcomplicate itself, and clearly labels where beginners should start while displaying the paths they will soon follow on their learning journey.

GuitarTricks’ video lessons are engaging, high definition videos featuring pop-up tablature and musical notation along with multiple screens displaying the strumming and fretting hands of the instructor.

Lessons can also be sped up or slowed down to help you follow along with the video at your own pace while the more advanced song lessons feature a more interactive set up with built in guitar tuner and recommendations for gear.

The ease of use and quality of lessons is really where the value of Guitar Tricks is fully on display.

In addition to the diverse lesson toolbox, the site has great add-ons such as a diverse list of song lessons available, a jam station for improvisation practice, and forums for chatting with other students.

The Good / What We Like

While many of these sites bombard you with too many features and tools to remember, Guitar Tricks focuses on offering easy guitar lessons for beginners are easy to access and keep up with.

This emphasis on making it easy to learn guitar is a more important but less glamorous selling point.

Guitar Tricks also has one of the largest and most diverse collections of song lessons, an important feature that keeps students engaged as they move past the beginner stage and begin to lose interest or the need for formal lessons.

Furthermore, these advanced song and technique lessons come with expanded tools like chord finders, scale finders, and jam stations that really increase the practice capabilities of students.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

While it isn’t necessarily a negative, all these top notch features that make it one of the best guitar lesson sites come at a cost of $19.99 per month, in the mid to high range of the subscription options reviewed here.

For this price, some students may expect perfection, and the lack of some features like an “ask the teacher” button on video lessons or section for taking notes that other sites has been replaced by other add-ons like lyrics or external links.

However, this is generally nit picking and we feel the subscription cost is fair for the volume of lessons available to the student.

GuitarTricks Summary

View Guitar Tricks’ Free Trial Here >>

2. TrueFire

TrueFire is a bit unique when compared to other guitar lesson sites in the sense that it comes jam packed with great features, but also has many different subscription options.

Free to sign up for, you can pay for all-inclusive access, or buy and download individual lessons or lesson plans.

With over 600+ collaborating instructors, over 900 courses, multiple thousands of videos, and great reviews from students and critics alike, TrueFire is one of the most dense, complete lesson sites you can learn from.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4.3 / 5)

Overview

With an easy to follow website and linear lesson plans, anyone should be able to navigate their way around and search through the site’s many, engaging lessons with ease.

For those looking to learn from the pros, you’ll be happy to know TrueFire also boasts several famous instructors such as Steve Vai, JD Simo, Robben Ford, Alex Skolnick, Jennifer Batten, and a host of other recognized personalities.

In addition to straight ahead lesson plans based on the genre or style you wish to learn, there is also a Channel section to help build community involvement.

For beginners, there is a Learning Paths section designed to take the edge off of having to read music and make the getting started process as easy as possible.

Basic subscription packages start at $29 per month for complete access to the site, players who sign up for free have access to a decent selection of free lessons or can pay per downloaded video lesson.

Product Services/Highlights

When compared to cheaper or free alternatives, you’re certainly getting access to a huge volume of lessons for the price.

And we were impressed with the number of free lessons available, over 6000+ according to the site at the time of writing.

But there were not many free online guitar lessons for beginners, so these are probably better suited for more advanced players.

One of the best services that comes with this site has to be the “In the Jam” function that lets you practice improvising over pre-recorded full band or guitar arrangements for different styles, scales, and genres.

TrueFire also have a somewhat limited number of song options to learn, but the selection is very diverse in artists and genres.

Furthermore, they have a request a song function that allows students to ask for lessons for their favorite songs, which could really help grow that list in the months to come.

The Good / What We Like

We really love the “In the Jam” function and think that the volume of options it has is a great tool for students.

Improvising and creating your own music can be one of the hardest things to practice or learn, especially if you’re a solo guitarist alone in your home.

The addition of famous instructors is always a cool way to learn techniques or playing styles from the people using them every single night on tour as well.

For more advanced students, access to a large number of free lessons makes this a very appealing option for those looking to continue their education, not begin it.

Another cool feature is their interactive video jam sessions with some of their top artists and instructors called “Trading Solos” which lets students learn directly from the source in an engaging manner.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

As with some of the other sites, the $29 per month can be a financial roadblock for many students, especially younger, less independent ones.

From a value standpoint, while the site has thousands of video lessons, the limited song selection, and presence of free access to the “In the Jam” function, may not make it worth paying for.

Likely, this would be a great supplementary site to others or live, in person lessons.

TrueFire Summary

Special for GuitarNiche readers: use code “PARTNER10” and get 10% OFF TrueFire >>

3. ArtistWorks

ArtistWorks is another site that strays a bit away from the basic template of the others reviewed here.

ArtistWorks features lesson plans built around what style of guitar playing you wish to learn such as Electric Rock Guitar or Acoustic Classical guitar, with each being taught by one dedicated instructor who leads you through the whole series.

ArtistWorks is also home to video lessons for almost every instrument you can imagine, outside of the guitar, making it the most musically diverse site discussed.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4.1 / 5)

Overview

ArtistWorks’ flagship lesson series may be the Electric Rock Guitar lessons taught by modern day icon Paul Gilbert, which are some of the best online rock guitar lessons.

Each series features its own unique teacher that guides you through lessons ranging from 2 to 15 minutes, keeping students engaged through various techniques, riffs, and songs.

Unlike all the other sites here, ArtistWorks doesn’t seem to have a dedicated page or database for song lessons.

Meaning you can’t just scroll through a list of options looking for your favorite Beatles or ACDC song.

What it may lack in songs or extra tools it makes up for diversity with woodwind, piano, mandolin, and many other instrument learning videos that can expand your musical skills.

Furthermore, the video exchange feature helps students connect, learn from each other, and stay engaged throughout their playing life.

Product Services/Highlights

The services here are a bit more straightforward than other lesson sites, you simply pick what style of music and instrument you want to play, and then you follow along from there.

There is also a menu that shows you all the instructors the site boasts, where you can choose which path or style to follow based on their description.

The biggest highlight has to be the Video Exchange Learning feature, which lets you post a live video of yourself playing and receive feedback from other students and a tailored video response from an instructor.

This helps make your online guitar learning experience much more personal than you may otherwise experience on rival websites.

This is site is really tailored towards beginners, and honestly doesn’t have many features meant to engage more advanced students such as a song database, gear demos, or musicianship training.

New From ArtistWorks

More recently, ArtistWorks has added a new Beginner Acoustic Guitar Course hosted by David Butler who is also the Chairman and Cofounder of ArtistWorks.

With a focus on comprehensive, step by step instruction, this fresh online guitar course is designed to help first time players avoid getting frustrated.

The Good / What We Like

The Video Learning Exchange feature is really something special, especially because you get that detailed video response from an instructor helping to critique your playing.

Having that personal interaction can really help keep some students engaged and motivated to improve, practice, or complete their whole lesson series.

Overall, the video lessons are great and the ones we had access to showed off the instructor’s enthusiasm for the material as well as an active community of students responding to the videos.

They most certainly are good guitar lessons for beginners, but lack upper levels of advancement.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

ArtistWorks is overall the most expensive out of all the sites, with a yearly package coming in at $35 a month (3 month term), to as low as $23.25 a month for a twelve month term.

Personally, we think you may not get enough value for that price, especially without advanced musicianship training such as ear interval or songwriting lessons.

Although, their recent expansion of courses, especially their full Beginner Acoustic Guitar Lessons course from Chairman and Cofounder David Butler to their platform, have added exceptional value to their platform.

But with no song database, student’s may be inclined to go to YouTube or tablature websites to learn their favorite songs.

This may ultimately pull them away from the site as they advance and grow towards other guitar coaching online.

ArtistWorks in Review

View ArtistWorks’ Master Players >>

4. Justin Guitar

Justin Guitar is the brainchild of popular YouTube teacher Justin Sandercoe and features an interactive and modern website.

The site features all the same videos as his YouTube channel, in a more organized, user friendly package.

Justin Guitar is further unique in that he is the sole instructor and produces hundreds of videos, lessons, and content himself without the help of other instructors, famous or otherwise.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4.2 / 5)

Overview

Justin Guitar is shockingly on par with all the other sites despite being a largely solo effort and has many of the same features you find elsewhere.

Song lessons, beginner lesson plans, and advanced techniques can all be found on Justin Guitar along with some interesting extras like podcasts and advanced theory lessons.

With engaging lessons for a variety of styles and genres, Justin Guitar has something for everyone and costs exactly zero dollars for full access. If you want to know how to learn guitar easily, this site may be the ticket.

Product Services/Highlights

For that incredibly tempting cost of $0, what do you get with Justin Guitar? The answer is a lot more than you might expect at that price point.

At the time of writing, the site boasts 940 lessons, 554 songs, musicianship lessons, and interval ear training.

Lessons and songs are color coded to indicate difficulty, and a helpful “beginners start here” path and welcome video make it easy for new students to navigate the web page and lesson plans.

At first glance, the song selection is also incredibly diverse with everything from Tracy Chapman to Ritchie Valens.

Justin’s musicianship lessons struck us as very impressive simply because they are featured or advertised so prominently on the site.

The drop down menu goes on to list really advanced lessons on production, songwriting, ear training, and transcribing, features that will surely keep students engaged long past their beginner days.

The Good / What We Like

Generally speaking, Justin Guitar has just about every major option, lesson, or section of all the other sites, but for free.

That’s a huge plus that could potentially make up for any of the limitations in lesson quantity or available tools that could be hampered by the site being a one man operation.

The familiarity of having the same teacher for all lessons is valuable as students who enjoy Justin’s style and lessons will be engaged time and time again while feeling comfortable with their learning.

Furthermore, the web site is beautiful built and offers super accessible guitar lessons for beginners by experts with clearly labeled options.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

Justin Guitar does lack some of the features that are standard on other sites such as pop up tablature that follows along or is displayed next to the video.

Other in-lesson tools such as a tuner or notepad are also missing when compared to the diverse user interface of JamPlay or Guitar Tricks.

Otherwise, there is a lot to like and a ton of excess value thanks to the free membership.

Justin Guitar Summary

View Justin Guitar for Free Here >>

5. Fender Play

One of the newest additions to this best online guitar lessons review, Fender Play was launched by the legendary guitar company just within the past few years.

Fender Play has become an important part of Fender’s attempt to preserve their legacy of excellence in all things guitar while attracting new players from an ever changing student pool.

Using a wide variety of instructors in age, gender, and race, Fender hopes to appeal to the ever diversifying musical scene with a modern update on traditional guitar lessons.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4 / 5)

Overview

Despite a much shorter history than competitors, Fender Play is another strong contender featuring an affordable monthly subscription cost of $9.99 per month.

Furthermore, the website has a wonderful, easy to navigate design that is integrated into Fender’s main website.

Boasting a number of instructors, interviews, and gear demos, Fender Play has something for everyone even if it lacks some of the famous instructors of other sites.

Fender Play lessons are engaging and are super accessible as every Squier and Fender guitar or bass sold comes with a free, 6 month subscription to the service.

Product Services/Highlights

The Fender Play lesson plan is designed around a linear progression called “My Path”, which makes it super easy for students to begin learning, get hooked, and make steady progress.

Each student chooses their path based on the genre they wish to learn and options include rock, blues, folk, country, and pop for electric guitar as well as other options for acoustic, bass, and ukulele.

Fender Play also features a diverse list of song lessons, many that they incorporate directly into your path, as well as gear demos, articles, guitar tuners, and support for their IOS app to help you learn guitar online fast.

All of this comes included free with your monthly subscription giving you plenty of value compared to many of the $20 per month options.

The Good / What We Like

Fender’s “My Path” lesson plan is one of the most easy to use and streamlined lesson plans on the market, and is paired with an exceptional user interface that is so easy to use.

Videos have great tools comparable to other sites like playback speed options and pop-up tablature along with the song or style lessons.

They also boast over 500 song lesson options which are all very diverse in style, difficulty, and range from classics to modern hits.

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Lastly, one of our favorite things is how they incorporate songs and riffs into the “My Path” lesson plans early on.

This puts an emphasis on how making music can be a part of learning the guitar, which is important for engaging students and motivating them to practice.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

There isn’t much to complain about here, but while the $9.99 per month is on the cheap side, it can still create an extra monetary barrier to learning the guitar.

This is fairly mitigated by the 6 month subscription that comes with every new Squier or Fender guitar, making it more ideal for students planning on purchasing one of those specific products.

As with any new product, some people may be wary of the short history and lack of years of coverage in reviews for online guitar lessons.

Fender Play Summary

Try Fender Play Here >>

6. JamPlay

JamPlay is another veteran of the guitar lesson website world and has a long history of successful guitar coaching online.

While the site has a number of appealing features such as live lessons, famous instructors, and a plethora of tools, its song selection is widely focused on the rock and metal categories.

This makes it one of the best online rock guitar lessons even though it is structured around five, somewhat redundant genre based lesson plans.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(3.9 / 5)

Overview

Once again, JamPlay provides a lot of what beginner guitar students are looking for; quality instructors, song lessons, and a lot of diversity in the lesson options.

One nice touch is that the roster of instructors features a few high profile musicians, including Tosin Abasi, Steve Stevens, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and Kaki King.

However, the web page and lesson choices are a little harder to navigate, presenting many options as opposed to a one stop shop for beginners that then branches as you progress.

Product Services/Highlights

As stated before, many of the highlights of JamPlay are based around the sheer volume of video lessons for techniques, theory, and professional styles. Another great service is the diverse set of tools found with each video lesson.

Tabs for supplemental info (tablature, backing tracks, PDF documents), notes, comments, and ask a teacher functions are all easily accessed below the videos.

Furthermore, with your subscription of $19.99 per month, you get access to live lessons, their “jamchat” forum, interviews, and fun training games. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck in terms of extras.

The Good / What We Like

There are tons of awesome features packed into the subscription mentioned above, and there are so many lessons ranging from beginner to pro level options.

All these, along with access to lessons from famous musicians, make it one of the best guitar lesson sites, but again it comes at a decent monthly price.

From the step by step acoustic guitar lessons for beginners to the plethora of electric rock and metal songs, there is a lot to like about JamPlay.

JamPlay also features one of the best sets of in-lesson or in-video toolboxes that should allow you to maximize your learning experience with supplemental materials or follow-along tablature.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

As engaging as the lessons are, there is one flaw in their beginner lesson plan in our opinion. Instead of one, streamlined beginner lesson plan that branches out as the guitarist learns, they lead students to a page with dozens of beginner lessons and ask them to choose their own.

Some people may enjoy digging through each lesson to find the best one, but it may also frustrate some students who struggle to find what they are looking for, or begin a lesson sequence only find out half way through it isn’t the one for them.

Furthermore, your song lesson options and famous instructors are mostly focused on hard rock and heavy metal, with very little diversity otherwise, which may make it one of the best online rock guitar lessons site, but not generally the best site overall.

Jamplay Summary

View JamPlay’s Free Trial Here >>

7. Guitareo

Guitareo, though relatively new, has actually been around for years in the form of GuitarLessons.com hosted by Nate Savage.

As part of the Musora Media Inc family of music education platforms, Guitareo essentially has a rocket attached to its future as a guitar lessons provider that must be taken seriously.

In a highly competitive remote learning market, you gotta be different – and good at what you do. In this respect, Guitareo is making huge gains.

EDITOR’S RATING:

(4.3 / 5)

Overview

Guitareo’s core offering is “The Method” which is designed to give players an easy and wholistic way to start enjoying the guitar.

Aimed primarily at beginners, the course walks you through each step of learning guitar starting with basic functions such as tuning, all the way through to the principles of complex soloing.

But there’s much more than that, Guitareo is packed with highly informative video-rich content.

From a user’s point of view, the video lessons are in bite-size lengths of around 15 minutes, but can be longer or shorter depending on how long it takes to fully illustrate the lesson.

This short-form video length format not only makes it very easy to digest individual topics and concepts, it gives you a real sense of progress and lets you manage your time more effectively.

Similar to GuitarTricks, Guitareo is not necessarily driven by leveraging historically recognizable guitar gods. Still, the instructors are extremely personable, engaging and knowledgable professionals.

Product Services/Highlights

If you’re oriented towards value, Guitareo has it in spades.

Compared to other platforms, their price point is extremely reasonable at $15.00 per month. Not quite Fender Play territory and certainly not free, but you do get the insights and benefits of multiple instructor insights versus a single individual.

As video becomes more of the standard in media used for teaching, the bar keeps getting set higher. And Guitareo is no slouch – instructional videos are well produced in terms of production value using multiple angles and split screens wherever appropriate.

As mentioned, beyond the Method, you’ll find multiple sections covering specific topics in detail. If there’s a particular topic, concept, chord, scale or technique, chances are Guitareo has a lesson for it.

Like any service, you should like the people you’re working with. Guitareo’s instructors make that very easy, but some players may find the presentations a little too gimmicky for their tastes.

As for the instructors, this area is a little thin, at least for the time being. If you’ve been actively seeking out guitar lessons online, there’s no doubt you’ve come across the “Guitareo girl” Ayla Tesler-Mabe – who is a featured instructor for many of the lessons.

As we pointed out previously, you’ll find a substantial amount of course material hosted by Nate Savage. It’s clear to see the majority of Nate’s previous educational guitar material has been incorporated under the Guitareo umbrella.

If you’re a fan of having materials to work with offline, you’ll appreciate the fact that many of the lessons have downloadable assets for handy reference later.

There are jam tracks, a quick tips section and lesson “packs” which are bundles of lessons that comprehensively cover top-level techniques and topics very thoroughly.

In the Student Focus section, you have the ability to get first-hand feedback from the instructors by submitting a video. There’s also a library of live Q&A lessons, each about an hour in length, packed with insights from the teachers and feedback from students in real-time.

Likewise, the forums section is a lively communications hub where members can interact with each other. It’s also a pipeline to the platform developers and folks behind the scenes who take feedback from users, and rightly so, very seriously.

Between the Student Focus and Forums sections, you get the impression Guitareo’s platform is highly geared towards interaction.

One interesting, and ambitious feature is 500 Songs in 5 Days. The underlying premise here lies in illustrating the basic skills that can be used to play hundreds of familiar songs.

While the 500 Songs concept is sound, it’s definitely more of a primer geared towards beginner students.

The Good / What We Like

What Guitareo lacks in current content, it makes up for in opportunity.

With the amount of work being put into the platform’s growth, compatibility and usefulness, there’s no doubt you’ll see a steady stream of new content and even more robust features in the very near future.

Well illustrated lesson videos feature close-ups and split screens of the skills being applied, topics are covered thoroughly, plus the accompanying diagrams, tabs or notation are downloadable.

Even though the platform is relatively new, there’s a robust forum and options to get real, meaningful feedback from the instructors.

The Bad / What We Don’t Like

Guitareo’s strength is also it’s weakness. Because it’s one of the newer players in the lessons market, it has relatively few instructors. Additionally, compared to other sites in the space that have been around for a long time, not nearly the same volume of instructional material.

Furthermore, while the vast majority of the site is well-populated, some sections are still in the process of being fleshed out.

While there is a section specifically for Chords, scales are mysteriously missing, though they are available as videos lessons in the Courses section or can be found using the site’s search field.

Guitareo Summary

View Guitareo’s Free Trial Here >>

Online Lessons Guide

When looking for online guitar lessons it’s important to remember what the end goal is; to learn the guitar.

You should always be looking for ease of use, helpful features and tools, quality instructors, and tons of lesson options to keep you engaged as you grow.

Let’s take a look at key factors you need to consider when trying to learn guitar online.

What to Look for

An Easy to Navigate Website

Regardless of your comfort with technology, you always want to easily find what you’re looking for when you’re on a lesson site.

Time wasted searching for beginner’s lessons or a song page is practice time wasted.

Websites that have well labeled “Beginner’s Start Here” functions on their homepage are some of the best online guitar training sites because they make it so easy for new students to get started.

Even better, helpful features like prominently displayed drop down menus or website introductions serve as awesome tutorials and introductions to the product you’re either trying or buying.

A Large Volume of Diverse Lessons

Whether you’re a beginner or more experienced player, one of the first things you should look for on a lesson site is how numerous and variable the lessons are.

Unless you’re going there to strictly learn punk rock and that’s it, explore the song options, techniques, genres, or musicianship offerings to see if there is enough, engaging content to keep you on the site.

• Are there lessons on the same topic with different skill lessons so you can grow in a linear manner?
• Can you learn a handful of genres or playing styles on the site?
• How many of your favorite songs are featured?

All important things to consider when searching for the best beginner guitar lessons.

Engaging, High Quality Guitar Instructors

Different sites offer different instructor options and you should carefully comb through to find which suits you best. Do you want to learn from only one instructor who you can build familiarity and trust with?

Or, would you rather have numerous, diverse teachers and maybe a few recognizable touring musicians?

When it comes to guitar coaching online you need to be careful to make sure your instructors have a history of good reviews, testimonials from pros, and guitar skills that align with what you want to learn.

Lastly, you have to like the instructors, maybe they crack jokes, maybe they know a ton about gear, whatever it is, make sure you want to be watching them for minutes or hours at a time.

The Cost of the Lessons Makes Sense to You

For those students on a tighter budget than others, it is always important to maximize the value of your guitar related purchases.

Similar to gear shopping, you always want to get the best quality without paying top prices.

If you’re looking strictly for free online guitar lessons that may limit your options. First off, you should decide which site you like best regardless of price, and hopefully it’s one you can afford.

If not, start going down your list or ranking of the sites, and think about all the things you absolutely need to learn guitar, this is different than what you want.

Also, consider how long you want lessons or access to the site, if it’s a short time it may be worth it to pay for access to a ton of lessons, even at premium prices.

Answers To Common Questions

Not sure where to start when looking for online guitar lessons? Feel like you have more questions than answers? We’ve collected some FAQs (frequently asked questions) and with our best answers to each one included below.

Be sure to check here for a definitive guide on how to learn guitar online thanks to our reviews, informative articles, answers, and other resources.

How much does a membership to each site cost?

Generally, the prices range from $0 per month to $35 per month based on subscription plans and site to site differences.

Justin Guitar is the only completely free offering we’ve reviewed here, while Fender Play comes in at an affordable $9.99 per month.

True Fire also features over 500+ free lessons but you will have to pay for access to the full beginner lesson plan.

A free six month Fender Play subscription also comes included with every new Squier or Fender guitar and bass purchased from licensed Fender dealers, meaning you can get a good package deal of free lessons with your first guitar.

How long does it take to get good at the guitar?

Check out our very own article on that topic! The short answer is that it is different for everyone and involves a combination of forming good habits.

These habits start to stick quickly over the first few months while also building physical muscle memory and calluses over the first few weeks.

Lastly, it also takes discipline and motivation by you, the student, to make time to pick up the guitar and practice scales, chords, and techniques.

Even if it isn’t always easy or as fun as playing along to your favorite song, practice makes perfect.

What makes a guitar instructor good?

Everyone will have a different answer to this question but usually you should be looking for two things: informative lessons and an engaging personality. You’re not likely to enjoy learning from an instructor you find annoying, boring, or out of touch with your playing goals.

That’s what makes shopping around these sites important, even if one option has all the specs or subscription package you may want, are the instructors a good fit for you?

On the other hand, an engaging personality may be fun to watch, but are they also providing the best teaching and instruction possible?

Can I just learn guitar on YouTube?

Technically yes, but YouTube has a less streamlined platform and does not monitor the quality of the teachers.

Essentially, you have to sift through lots of bad or amateur instructors, and even when you find the good ones you’ve likely wasted precious time.

What’s better to learn guitar on, YouTube or a lesson site?

In that everyone may have different preferences, lesson sites are generally better places to thoroughly learn guitar.

With thousands of lessons you can take in a linear fashion as well as built in tools, you just have access to more, quality information on lesson sites.

While many players learn through some combination of YouTube videos, forums, tablature websites, and lesson sits, the best guitar lessons for beginners can be found on these lesson sites.

When it comes to song lessons, lesson paths, tools like tuners or chord finders, and years of great ratings, these lesson sites have streamlined and improved on much of the info available on these other avenues.

While they may cost more money than the others, there is a reason you are paying, dedication and quality lessons don’t come cheaply – check out our article on the best way to learn guitar online to learn more!

Can I learn my favorite songs on these lesson sites?

For the most part you probably can, unless your favorite song is some obscure, underground single. Many of these sites feature 300+ song lessons and they’re adding more every week.

While tabs and chords can be found at a number of other free websites such as songsterr.com or ultimate-guitar.com, you get the best, most detailed lessons from lesson sites like these.

What sites features famous musicians and guitarists?

JamPlay.com and TrueFire.com feature lessons from guitar luminaries like Tosin Abasi, Steve Stevens, and JD Simo.

FenderPlay.com often features live videos, interviews, or gear demos with famous musicians as well.

What site has the best beginner guitar lessons course?

Each site has their individual benefits, but one will probably stand out as the best fit for you.

Read each review above to make sure you have all the information you need to make an educated decision based on your individual needs.

When you think you’ve found your winner, see below for a quick final comparison to confirm your choice.

Is it worth it to pay for online guitar lessons for beginners?

In the grand scheme of things, you’ll get so much more out of your guitar playing with the right lessons from the get-go.

Pay once to get the best lessons, and you’ll never have to pay again when you need to re-learn or break bad habits.

Wrapping It Up, Which Provider Is Best For You?

Throughout this article, we’ve focused on four main specs throughout this article: engaging lesson plans, diverse lesson choices, affordable monthly subscription cost, and easy to navigate web pages.

But there’s more than what we see on the surface.

Editor’s Personal Notes

The remote learning space in general has become extraordinarily competitive and will continue to do so as the bar keeps getting set higher.

For us users, this is a good thing. In terms of choice, variety and price-points, there’s literally something for everybody.

At the end of the day, there are a number of factors which influence your decision for a particular educational service. Beyond the most obvious – cost, the most important elements in my opinion can be summed up in two simple questions:

• Do you like the people you’re working with?
• And, are you getting what you need out of the lessons?

Considering what you can get out of YouTube, these questions find answers pretty quick. But for some things you have to fish for the exact information you want.

The ultimate irony is that all of the services listed here got their start or at the very least have a YouTube channel. Moreover, many successful services are the result of aggressive marketing with big budgets; some are more sizzle than steak.

If you do decide to subscribe to a paid service, they better be prepared to offer up something special you can’t find anywhere else – and that’s a tall order.

Every provider has their own “secret sauce”. Hopefully, we’ve provided enough insight to give you a taste of each one.

Final Summaries

GuitarTricks

GuitarTricks has been a fan favorite and for many years. In the online guitar lessons race, it’s the dominant force and one of the most well known websites out there.

The site features great options and an extraordinary amount of material to draw from, but to be frank, we’re not completely convinced they contain anything that strictly justifies the cost of a subscription membership.

However, GuitarTricks does have a long history of success, online reviews and customer testimonials for you to justify a decision.

Truefire

Looking for a runner up? TrueFire would be choice number two thanks to their incredibly useful “In the Jam” feature that should keep students engaged longer, even after they have their beginner phase.

While their lesson selections are engaging and competitive, the price of $29 per month really limits the value when compared to Justin Guitar specifically.

However, the ability for players to practice improvising or song writing with the large selection of pre-recorded “In the Jam” tracks is a huge addition that not all sites have.

ArtistWorks

Our premium pick ArtistWorks, while still good, unfortunately comes in last place for recommended paid programs. Reasons being it has no song database, a top-heavy subscription cost, and relatively limited styles.

Having said that, we still think ArtistWorks is great at teaching specific things in depth and the instrument variety is convenient, but it just doesn’t feel as suited for modern students compared to the other sites.

More recently, ArtistWorks, has raised the bar by aggressively expanding their lesson courses in an effort to become a more robust service for modern students.

They have fully realized the need for a broader range of options for all players, including multiple styles and catering to different experience levels.

JustinGuitar

If cost is your primary motivator, the overall winner in all four categories would have to be Justin Guitar.

Why? First off, lessons via Justin Sandercoe and his website are completely free, which just makes them more accessible and a greater value than any other site listed here.

Furthermore, there is little to no drop off in quality or quantity of lessons when comparing Justin Guitar’s free site to more costly $10 per month or more options.

He has the same or more song lessons, technique lessons, and a really great section dedicated to musicianship training.

But – he’s just one guy. If his personality doesn’t resonate with you, you either have to learn to like him or look elsewhere.

Still, with all these features, we just can’t justify spending more money per month for lessons of the similar or equal quality and diversity. Reddit users certainly seem to agree as he’s one of the guitar favorites with his own subreddit.

Fender Play

If you’re a beginner who is considering buying a Fender or Squier product to learn guitar or bass on, then Fender Play is the choice for you without a doubt.

The 6 month free trial that comes with each new instrument will save you money and give you plenty of time to get comfortable with the instrument and platform before deciding to subscribe or move on to another site.

Jamplay

If you’re more into the aggressive side of guitar (hard rock, metal etc), JamPlay’s your best option with a long list of celebrity instructors, tools, and a massive library of lessons.

Similar to GuitarTricks, Jamplay has shared a long history as a go-to site for guitar instruction. Will they continue to stand up over time? Only history will tell.

Their achilles heel may actually lie in their continuous focus on the heavier style of guitar. Not a bad thing at all, but when heavy music falls out of favor with the trends, it becomes a liability.

Guitareo

Our latest addition Guitareo has a hidden advantage. They get to draw on all the experience of the other competitors to create an educational platform that’s more in line with the what students are looking for – today.

With a modest, yet robust collection of well-produced lessons and courses geared mostly towards beginners, Guitareo is thoughtfully laid out which makes getting a grip on developing your first playing skills that much easier.

On the downside the platform has relatively few instructors and some sections are obviously still under development.

On the upside, Guitareo is constantly evolving: adding functionality, content, new features, additional tools and looks to have a very bright future.

Final Comparisons

Service	Cost	Rating	Offer?
	$19.99 per Month	4.1 / 5	Trial – Yes
	$29.00 per Month	4.3/ 5	Trial – Yes
	$35.00 per Month	4.1 / 5	Trial – Yes
	$0.00 per Month	4.2 / 5	Trial – N/A
	$9.99 per Month	4.0 / 5	Trial – Yes
	$19.95 per Month	3.9 / 5	Trial – Yes
	$10.58 per Month	4.3 / 5	Trial – Yes

The post The Best Online Guitar Lessons (Reviews with Comparisons) first appeared on GuitarNiche.

We hope you find this article helpful and unbiased. By using links on this page we may receive compensation at no extra cost. If you do, thank you so much!

What is MasterClass?

MasterClass is an online instructional platform that contains hundreds of hours of educational content from some of the most instantly recognizable personalities and celebrities in their chosen fields.

Sporting incredibly polished and professionally produced content, the site includes courses from iconic names such as Martin Scorsese, Samuel L. Jackson, Gordon Ramsey, Serena Williams, and of course, many famous names in the music industry.

MasterClass Guitar Courses at a Glance

Learning Guitar with MasterClass

Riding the wave of internet-based lessons and learning, MasterClass guitar courses include multiple award-winning instructors who can help you polish your skills.

This article covers three select courses:

• Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar
• Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar
• and St. Vincent Teaches Creativity and Songwriting.

All three names are icons in the music industry and undeniably possess a ton of knowledge. But are we getting more sizzle than steak?

We’ll review all three guitar courses in great detail, warts and all, to help determine the benefits and downsides of each one.

MasterClass Guitar Lessons in Review

Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar

A comprehensive Tom Morello MasterClass review.

As one of the better online courses you can find on the website, you’re sure to enjoy it, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player.

Tom Morello MasterClass Overview:

Morello’s class covers the following topics:

• Tom’s history, experiences, and gear
• Advice and tutorials on writing songs and riffs
• Detailed case studies about RATM songs
• Philosophy and advice on various subjects, such as recording, performing, practice, etc.

Tom Morello Guitar MasterClass Video List:

Beginning the course, Tom focuses is on teaching you how to develop your unique style and creative voice while providing examples from his own experiences.

He then moves starts elaborating on his riff writing approach. Stylistically, unique sounds and compelling riffs lie in the center of Tom’s performances.

As with any strong personality, it’s no surprise that he puts so much emphasis on his own approach while teaching his students.

Another fascinating part of the Tom Morello MasterClass course is his take on what being an artist really means.

Tom believes everybody has their creative voice and mentions how to find it and use it in the first video.

“I’d like to teach a class that makes your guitar playing, meaningful to you.”

Moreover, he encourages his students to move on from imitating their favorite players to exploring and pushing the boundaries with their instruments.

This is an integral part of developing your own creative voice, own playing style and sonic identity.

The middle section of the course tackles practice philosophy, music theory, basic techniques, improvisation, and Tom’s role models.

For instance, Tom refers to several involved exercises designed to eventually help you play a lot faster. Plus he illustrates how to apply the theory and techniques with various examples.

In the final portion of the Tom Morello MasterClass course, he talks about case studies about RATM songs, demonstrates how to write a full song, and advises on collaborating and performing with other players.

Tom Morello MasterClass Review: The Good and The Bad

View the Tom Morello MasterClass Here >>

Defining Tom Morello’s Electric Guitar MasterClass

The core idea of the course is to help you hone your skills, regardless of your proficiency. There are plenty of materials and assignments that can turn your passive experience into active learning.

The entire course targets several groups – from enthusiasts who play the electric guitar for a hobby, to players aspiring to become professionals.

That being said, it’s hard to say exactly who would benefit most from the course.

Again, maintaining the focus on individuality, the course drifts away from a conventional teaching approach, to motivating students to develop their own style rather than emulate other players.

Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar – An Inside Look

The most significant benefit of this MasterClass Tom Morello course may be the unique teaching style.

This isn’t a regular video lesson you can find on YouTube or Udemy.

Instead of spending about 10 minutes explaining how to play songs from a technical perspective, Tom shows how to develop your own segments inspired by many RATM songs.

One significant detail that separates Tom’s course from typical lessons is that he doesn’t provide a step-by-step guide on playing songs.

He focuses on how parts of songs were written, why the he, the instructor chose that approach, and how to develop similar parts.

Additionally, there are no tutorials on using a DAW (Digital Audio Worksation) to record your parts.

As an alternative, Tom shows you how to record riffs and build them into a song.

Another special aspect of the Tom Morello MasterClass is that Tom not only aims to teach you how to learn to play the guitar, but perform and write music as well.

Even though he provides some exercises, the technical aspect is not the central issue in his videos.

The goal of many of them is getting you in the right mindset with the music you’re playing. As a result, the course is quite refreshing and will help you put the advice and philosophy into action.

Personality Goes a Long Way

Overall, Tom comes across as an excellent, personable guitar teacher. By comparison, many renowned guitarists may be well-versed in their trade, but aren’t necessarily good at teaching.

In fact his teaching skills stood out during the riff sections. Tom starts by illustrating a RATM riff and explains where the inspiration for the riff came from. Later, he shows various ways of modifying the riff and taking it in other directions.

Like most players, Tom was influenced by numerous people from the music industry. Accordingly, he explains several techniques from different genres he developed by listening to them.

Here’s a cross-section of genres you’ll encounter in Tom Morello’s MasterClass:

• Classical music
• Jazz
• Rock
• The blues
• Folk music
• Hip-hop
• EDM
• Non-guitar sounds

Not only has he picked up techniques by listening to such a dynamic mix of styles, but he’s also picked up the melody and attitude. Therefore, Tom can share extensive knowledge and add versatility to your course.

Also, Tom thought the course through before publishing it. He determined what his students need to know and came up with a useful approach to deliver the information.

Plus, the extensive workbook is cleverly designed and features a variety of helpful practices.

With these combined aspects, Tom Morello’s course is a strong contender for the best guitar MasterClass.

If you’re expecting to take a course on how to play RATM songs from a purely technical point of view however, this isn’t the right class for you. A better alternative would be another platform such as YouTube.

Moreover, even though both novice players and experienced guitarists can appreciate Tom Morello’s Masterclass course, not every player will find all parts of the course equally useful.

For instance, beginners may have difficulty following some advanced methods, whereas more knowledgeable guitar players won’t have a lot to gain from hearing about basic electric guitar skills.

Tom Morello MasterClass Features

• Potent riffs
• Finger exercises
• Utilizing the full potential of the fretboard
• Understanding pedal effects
• Unique sounds

Potent Riffs

One of the central issues of the Tom Morello MasterClass is learning how to play powerful riffs.

It’s a singularly dynamic electric guitar aspect Tom is famous for, and this is what components he wants his students to experiment with:

• Adding holes
• Enhancing tuning for dynamism
• Double picking
• Slides
• Pauses and chukkas
• Fills and locks
• Following your guitar’s tone
• Inverting traditional riffs

Experimenting with each of these elements is critical to creating your unique voice.

If you want to learn to play stunning riffs, just follow the tips he mentions in the video lessons. They’re straightforward, easy to apply, and yet incredibly effective.

In the course, Tom demonstrates multiple approaches to writing riffs you can take yourself.

There are numerous handy tips, such as changing your tuning to come up with a new idea.

For example, even a simple change to Drop-D tuning can provide you with an entirely new viewpoint on riff writing – as was used to write the main riff in “Killing In The Name.”

Finger Exercises

Tom delves deep and elaborates on into repetitive exercises that can help you play your instrument faster.

He clearly explains the steps to each exercise and how to perform them correctly. His techniques are easy to follow, and over time, enable your fingers to move faster and get to the proper positions.

Plus, Tom also teaches you how to play faster gradually with the help of a metronome.

All the exercises are underpinned by many theories. By including these theoretical concepts, Tom aims for a more comprehensive ensures method of understanding the electric guitar.

As a result, you can understand the instrument better and unlock certain limitations you may be facing.

Utilizing the Full Potential of the Fretboard

Another vital segment of the course is mastering the fretboard where Tom, using broad strokes, teaches you how to perform a solo in any key.

He guides you through the typical minor keys and shows you how to utilize these scales in your playing.

Afterward, he instructs you on building on that knowledge by using the same notes in different keys.

Understanding Pedal Effects

The course has several points where Morello presents his equipment and lays out ways to maximize your potential on each segment.

One of the earlier videos in this Tom Morello MasterClass review – Gear: Pedals and Effects, is dedicated completely to pedal effects.

In the video, Tom gives advice on choosing pedal types, and how to set them up to create a diverse palette of sounds.

His basic pedalboard consists of the following effects:

• Whammy
• Wah-wah
• DOD EQ
• MXR phase 90
• Tuner
• Delay
• Space station

Tom also stresses that the gear you use doesn’t matter. He doesn’t dwell on details, such as whether the fret is made of mahogany or other materials. He focuses on more important information that can improve your jamming.

Unique Sounds

The “Tones and Sounds” video sees Morello explaining how you can use pedals to develop new sounds.

He employs a noise chart to keep track of each element he develops. This is an excellent way to capture your tonal ideas and recreate them when you wish to.

Because this segment is a little more technical in nature, more experienced guitarists should it particularly more beneficial.

Who Benefits the Most From Tom Morello’s Electric Guitar MasterClass?

Anyone who wishes to learn how to play the electric guitar should take this course.

If you’re a complete beginner, you’ll have a hard time replicating Tom’s methods, but the videos and his enthusiasm will inspire you and at least expose the possibilities.

This way, you’ll know your objective, which will help you zero in on learning the fundamental electric guitar skills.

But considering the advanced techniques Tom showcases, intermediate players are sure to enjoy the course and pick up many handy tips as well.

Learn more about the Tom Morello’s MasterClass Guitar Lessons here:

Tom Morello
Teaches Electric Guitar

(4.7)

Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar

Next up is a MasterClass Carlos Santana review. The legendary guitarist starts by maintaining that the art of playing the electric guitar not only entails technical details, but also communicating and putting your feelings into notes.

He encourages players to familiarize themselves with the musicality their guitar. Santana also explains that pushing your boundaries will help you fully understand your instrument’s potential.

Carlos Santana MasterClass Overview

Santana’s core personal musical concepts:

• entertainment
• tame the beast
• and music that uplifts the world to a whole new plane of existence

Santana MasterClass Video List:

Using emotion as the the primary driver, he focuses on how you can use guitar playing to access the gateway to total wonderment.

He includes a great deal of philosophy throughout the course, but also presents more practical elements.

During those parts, he aims to change your mindset and approach to music through mental warm-ups and breathing techniques.

Santana MasterClass: The Good and The Bad

View the Santana MasterClass Here >>

Santana’s Guitar Course Insights

The Carlos Santana MasterClass course provides you with 16 videos dealing with an array of topics.

He walks you through each one, and there are additional materials, such as the ever-popular TAB, that help you apply the information presented in the videos.

However, Santana’s approach is unconventional, it’s more organic. Not that that’s entirely bad, but those looking for technical nuts and bolts may be disappointed.

Santana plays with his soul and heart rather than the head. He doesn’t necessarily describe how to move your fingers as you play guitar. Instead, Carlos wants to teach you how to add emotion to your music.

“You have to share with people what goes inside the note.”

Frankly, this course isn’t meant for everyone. If you want a technical guide on playing the electric guitar, you won’t find the details you’re after in Santana’s videos.

But if you’re a guitarist searching for inspiration and insight into emotional expression, you’ll discover a lot of useful tips.

A Closer Look at the Santana MasterClass

Again, you won’t find enough practical pieces of advice in Santana’s course, but the renowned musician offers many tips that can improve your playing:

Don’t Refer to Practice as “Practice”

According to Santana, the term practice carries a negative connotation, which is why you shouldn’t refer to it like that.

You should envision practice as a chance to work on yourself and not as an obligatory task.

Reward Yourself While Practicing

If you’re making an effort to learn some techniques or scales, don’t forget to reward yourself by having fun during the practice sessions.

After Developing Technical Skills, Focus on Your music

Consider your technical skills as a vessel that will help you reach your goal of creating music. In other words, practicing shouldn’t be a goal but rather a way to accomplish it.

Practice with a Single Note

By using just one note in your practice, you’ll adjust your ears to the note.

In turn, your confidence will grow, and you’ll know what to play when you hear the note.

Use a Rhythm Machine

Including a rhythm machine is a great way to ensure plenty of freedom to experiment.

For example, by incorporating drums in your jamming, you won’t be bound to keys or chord changes.

This lets you work on any area you want, and all you need to do is remain synchronized with the rhythm.

Learn an Entire Song

Learning every part of a song will help you truly get to know it and raise your confidence.

Learn the parts with the drums, bass, vocal melodies, keyboards, and don’t just focus on your own part.

While this is all sound advice, there’s not much to learn from the Santana MasterClass course.

Music, Guitar, and Spirituality

The videos don’t provide you with an opportunity to play Santana’s songs since he doesn’t explain any of them.

Moreover, there are no descriptions of his approaches to writing music, melodies, creating solos such as that for Tom Joad, or playing with other musicians. The topics are partially covered but only from a spiritual person’s perspective.

“Activate your imagination before you play.”

There are also so many metaphors that you might get confused at times. While they may help you get into the right mindset, they are usually an inadequate starting point for further practice or application.

Overall, the message of this Santana MasterClass review is that Carlos isn’t a good guitar teacher.

Despite his admirable accomplishments, his approach is simply too vague and won’t get you very far regarding your electric guitar skills.

Although his experience and wisdom are undeniable, he often struggles to explain his thoughts and feelings.

There are numerous moments throughout the videos where he’s trying to find the correct word or phrase to explain himself.

This is the biggest issue with the course – teaching the topics Santana is trying to teach is sometimes too challenging.

Carlos is also a spiritual person and has adopted the same approach to his guitar. Putting his way of thinking into words is difficult, and it’s even more difficult to teach it.

Additionally, Santana tells a large number of stories that aren’t closely connected to the subject matter.

He drops many names, plays something in the musician’s style, and moves on to a different topic. This can be very confusing and make the course hard to follow.

Sanatana’s Guitar

Generally, Santana’s guitar’s sound has a rich quality, but it’s completely different in these lessons because his own sound is so isolated without the backdrop of a band.

Though there are oversaturated bass levels at times, you can still recognize the familiar Santana tone and witness the famous sustain of his own signature PRS guitar.

Santana MasterClass Features

• Creating a personal sound
• Finding a source of inspiration
• Combining rhythm and melody
• Using the blues
• Going inside the note

Creating a Personal Sound

Santana believes that all of us have a special musical taste and style. He advises his audience to be confident to allow themselves to uncover their personal sounds.

To do this, you’ll need to explore a lot. One of the most useful practices is observing the work of other musicians.

Learning from and listening to the greats, such as Aretha Franklin, is part of his workbook.

It also contains a few songs written by some of the most famous guitarists, including hard rock, jazz, and other artists.

Finding a Source of Inspiration

This theme of learning from other musicians continues in other videos. Santana mentions his sources of inspiration, how he discovers them and incorporates them into his music. Here are some of the sources he enumerates:

• Nature
• Human voices
• Music from different cultures
• People’s way of walking
• The rhythm of daily and work-life

Combining Rhythm and Melody

Santana illustrates one way he came up with his unique playing style – mixing conga patterns and rhythms into his guitar playing.

He describes how he pulled this off and utilizes several melodies and types of rhythm to engage his audience.

Utilizing the Blues

Carlos is an avid fan of the blues and believes his students should cherish it as well.

Unfortunately, this section lacks some structure. He heavily concentrates on sharing his love for the blues instead of showing you how to play guitar in the particular style.

Only a few techniques are mentioned, leaving a lot to be desired.

Going Inside the Note

This is another somewhat odd lesson, but surprisingly, it features multiple handy details.

During this segment, Santana wants you to learn how to engage your heart, soul, body, mind, and vitals.

You can apply several hints he brings up. For example, you can use the vibrato technique to stir emotion.

Who is the Carlos Santana MasterClass Guitar Course For?

If you’re a huge fan of Santana and you’re looking to find out more about his insight into life philosophy, this course has a lot to offer.

Carlos talks in great detail about his life outlook and shares the profound wisdom he’s obtained during his life as a musician.

His take on the importance of music is also enjoyable. Therefore, he can help you find your source of inspiration.

On the other hand, and unfortunately so, it’s doubtful that you’ll learn much about playing the electric guitar.

Santana isn’t a natural music teacher. He spends a lot of time telling various stories and rambling instead of demonstrating useful techniques.

Find out more about Santana MasterClass guitar lessons here:

Carlos Santana
Teaches The Art and Soul of Guitar

(3.9)

St. Vincent Teaches Creativity and Writing

A review of Saint Vincent’s MasterClass and her 16-video course.

In the course, Annie Erin Clark (aka St. Vincent) deftly walks the audience through how she crafted the persona and her songwriting approach.

One segment of the course deals with the process that went into developing the song “Savior”. Detailing the process from the demo sketches to a number of rewrites and revisions, to the final mix.

Saint Vincent MasterClass Overview

St. Vincent’s course is divided into five key sections:

• Meeting the instructor
• The art of songwriting
• The roadmap to “Savior”
• Vincent’s many faces
• Guitar notes

Saint Vincent MasterClass Video LIst:

Defining St. Vincent’s Creativity and Writing Course

Annie Erin Clark’s videos are filled with practical advice on songwriting.

The artist includes many examples to illustrate her point and engage her students, the most famous of which is the song “Savior.”

The primary objective of the course has multiple facets. Here’s what it can help you accomplish:

• Improve your performance
• Finding your feet in a studio
• Polishing your songwriting
• Coming up with your unique sounds

The course can also help you boost your confidence by teaching you how to discipline yourself properly and reject anything that can harm your songwriting.

Also, Clark includes a mindset lesson that corrects negative self-talk hindering your progress.

St. Vincent MasterClass: The Good and The Bad

View the Saint Vincent MasterClass Course Here >>

An Inside Look at St. Vincent’s MasterClass  Course

“Every song needs to have an epiphany.”

Exploiting dual personalities, St. Vincent’s videos are advantageous in so many ways. One of the modules that stand out is the one called “Every Song Needs an Epiphany.”

It contains several great listening exercises that include iconic artists, such as Nirvana, Stevie Wonder, and Leonard Cohen. All of them are ideal for outlining the journey the writer later embarks on.

Another reason why the model is so valuable is that Clark manages to present some abstract concepts in a straightforward manner.

The explanations are clear, and all the methods can be easily applied and put into action. Considering how understandable all the information is, St. Vincent displays outstanding guitar teaching skills.

Her explanations and demonstrations are terrific. She has a particular way of describing terms that genuinely makes sense.

This is incredibly difficult, especially when you’re talking about abstract concepts, such as creativity and music, but Clark does it seamlessly.

St. Vincent takes her time to describe potentially problematic effects and applies a thorough strategy with each one.

She first introduces the effect and explains how it works. Then, she explains why it sounds that why and mentions notable musicians who have used the effect. Finally, St. Vincent demonstrates the effect so that you can hear it.

Such in-depth explanations will help you understand various concepts much easier and feel more confident when applying them.

Also, Clark wants to instil creativity in her students. Considering that she continually looks for ways to reinvent herself, she wants her audience to think in a similar direction.

Accordingly, the course contains a host of things you’ve likely never seen before, such as rediscovering your groove by playing a familiar song on an electric or acoustic guitar with unfamiliar tuning or putting paper clips on your instrument.

The on-screen glossary plays a significant role. Since there’s technical language throughout the videos, Annie doesn’t get a chance to explain some of them, such as phantom power and midi. But you still find out what they refer to owing to the on-screen glossary.

Even if you don’t possess a lot of prior knowledge, you can understand most of the language and benefit significantly from the course with these little extras.

As for the downsides, this Saint Vincent review will note two minor issues.

First, the course contains many demonstrations overall, but that’s not the case with the first couple of videos.

Namely, she only begins to play the guitar in the third lesson. Adding the instrument from the very beginning would have been a nice touch and made the course more gripping from the onset.

Short, But Sweet

And second, this is one of the shortest MasterClass lectures. It’s about two hours long, and while it’s generally an excellent viewing experience, more elements could have been added.

Another case study could have resolved even more obscure techniques and ensured no grey areas remain.

A bit more comprehensive workbook could have fixed some issues since the current one, though strikingly designed, lacks assignments and further reading.

Saint Vincent Creativity and Writing Course Features

• Using joy and discipline
• Composing on a budget
• Improving your songwriting
• The importance of rewriting, revising, and refining
• Different tunes and techniques

Using Joy and Discipline

Annie teaches you how discipline and joy can mix in a creative process. She reveals some of the most extreme measures she’s taken to reach her creativity zone and stresses that creativity doesn’t always look the way you may think.

For instance, in addition to active engagement (being busy and working hard), St. Vincent promotes passive engagement. It’s just as important, and it can include activities like taking a shower or staring into blank space to start creating.

Composing on a Budget

Clark provides several tips on what you can achieve if you have a modest home setup. This can be extremely encouraging if you don’t have the proper means to perform in a studio.

The musician guides you on how you can organize a bedroom studio and what essentials you need. Some of the most practical tips for guitarists playing on a budget include:

• Ensuring proper reverberation for ideal recording
• Using everyday items, such as blankets, to get higher-quality audio
• Finding strange sounds through digital presets or unexpected places (e.g., pawn shops)
• Making an entire album from your home

Improving Your Songwriting

St. Vincent deals with many subjects that are integral to your songwriting, including:

• How to tell if the lyrics are good and if you need to get rid of some lines
• Incorporating the right amount of ambiguity into the lyrics so that you can convey what you mean and your audience have enough room for interpretation
• Using release and tension to create good lyrics
• Making sure that your song works without extra details by testing it in a stripped-back version

Clark illustrates her advice by guiding you through one of her most popular songs, “Savior.” She picked this song because she had written most of it in her teenage years.

“There is no wasted effort”

As you may have noticed from her previous interviews, St. Vincent is embarrassed about her previous recordings. Many people even assume that she would never share her unfinished recordings, but this is miles away from the truth.

Clark talks at length about the work that went into writing “Savior” when she was about 17. Even though she’s embarrassed, she provides the unpolished versions to show you the song’s growth and development over the years.

The most valuable part of this segment is that even if you don’t like some parts of your song, they can become memorable lyrics you’ll be proud of.

The Importance of Rewriting, Revising, and Refining

Annie highlights the importance of rewriting, revising, and refining by going through some older versions of her songs and explaining the reasoning behind the changes.

She also provides contemporary performances of the same songs so that you can hear the differences.

This demonstration will teach you:

• How to add layers to music by using perceived loudness without overpowering your vocals
• What’s the crucial tool for making your writing more intriguing
• How to collaborate with other musicians
• How to make references in your songs to other performers

Different Tunings and Techniques

One lesson, in particular, is packed with tips. It’s the one concerning different tunes and techniques, and this is where you can finally see St. Vincent play all three of her guitars.

She walks you through the following elements:

• Tuning variations (glam, standard, St. Vincent, and Nashville) – Clark shows you what they sound like and where you can use them
• Using different tunings to create new content
• The tuning she uses in her song, Masseduction, and why she uses it
• The unique sounds produced by baritone guitars
• The technique she picked up from the finest fingerstyle jazz guitarist
• How to use harmonics

Who is the St. Vincent Creativity and Writing MasterClass For?

Even if your skills are limited, you’ll be able to follow Annie’s course effortlessly. It suits both beginners and professionals, which is extremely rare.

The course is an outstanding option for several groups:

• People who are already writing music but want to explore new possibilities
• Musicians who want to add more sounds into their arsenal using different effects, instruments, or by playing guitar in a different way
• Women facing prejudices in the industry
• Anyone who wants to find out more about St. Vincent’s versatile career

If you fall into either of these categories, be sure to check out Clark’s videos. Saint Vincent courses are rare, which is why you should take full advantage of this one.

Still, the course isn’t meant for anyone in particular. This is because it lacks further reading and assignments generally associated with similar lessons.

Consequently, if you want to take a structured course with assignments and feedback, this one isn’t right for you.

Learn more about Saint Vincent courses here:

St. Vincent
Teaches Creativity and Songwriting

(4.5)

MasterClass Guitar Lessons FAQs

You may already have a clear picture of the course you’re going to choose at this point. But before you take it, there are additional details you need to consider.

Is MasterClass Any Good?

As a smorgasbord of talent and eye-candy, MasterClass is a great option for many people, and many disciplines.

Who wouldn’t want to learn from masters such as Judd Apatow, Deadmau5, Steve Martin, and a who’s-who of other A-listers?

It offers superb courses for creative persons, such as photographers, musicians, writers, cooks, and artists. If you’re looking to polish any of those skills, MasterClass is the way to go.

Advanced Techniques From the Pros

The courses will help you add a lot of creativity to your life, and you get to learn all the fundamentals and advanced techniques from a host of well-known instructors.

What’s more, the lessons’ production quality is exceptionally high – the great thing about them is that, with the subscription, you can access the courses from whomever you want, whenever you want.

There are no class schedules, allowing you to enjoy the lessons at your convenience.

But if you want to find out more about the skills required for a non-creative career, such as a desk job, MasterClass isn’t the right choice.

Plus, not all classes deliver a comprehensive, focused experience for everyone, as we learned from the Santana course.

How Much Does MasterClass Cost?

Considering that some of the most famous experts in the world are teaching you, you’d expect MasterClass to take a massive toll on your budget. Luckily, that’s not the case.

On the contrary, the courses are relatively affordable, and the price for an annual membership is currently $180. Once you’ve purchased your plan, you can access all the features and classes MasterClass provides. This is a great value for many reasons.

• The video quality is incredible and is one of the strongest suits of MasterClass courses. All the videos are amazingly done, and all the elements, such as the sound and lighting, make the experience more enjoyable. They make the lessons easy to absorb, and you can play them on multiple devices, such as smart TVs, Android phones, iOS, or desktop computers.
• First-class instructors – All the teachers are highly competent and know what they’re talking about. In most cases, they live up to their reputation and are enthusiastic about their lessons. The importance of having legends explaining to you their craft can’t be overlooked.

Variety and Options

• A wide array of classes – There are over 90 classes you can watch on MasterClass, with more content being added almost every week. Best of all, the annual membership lets you access all of them without choosing which ones to pay for.
• Quick lists – MasterClass recommends courses based on your interests. Accordingly, you can find related lessons from different instructors to obtain even more knowledge. Moreover, you don’t have to watch them linearly. You can skip to any video you find interesting, no matter the order in which it appears in the course.
• Approachability – The complexity of the courses varies, but most of them are very approachable. Regardless of your skill level, you can listen to the lectures and find out useful information from the teachers.
• The courses include PDF workbooks, and there are communities where you can share your work with other students.

How Long Is a MasterClass?

The length of each course varies, but they usually last between two and five hours.

Divided into smaller segments, they allow you to take a break when necessary. Lessons last anywhere from six to 20 minutes, and most of the courses feature about 18 lessons.

Some courses last a lot longer and contain some bonus content, adding to their runtime.

Can I Buy a MasterClass Guitar Course by Itself?

You can buy any MasterClass Guitar course by itself with the “gift” option.

Whether you want St. Vincent’s, Morello’s, or Santana’s course, you’ll need to pay $90 to purchase them as a standalone option.

Does MasterClass Have a Free Trial?

MasterClass has a one-day free trial period that begins when you enter your account credentials and the payment method.

MasterClass needs to verify your payment method to make sure your information is valid.

However, the company offers free trials only for certain countries and people. Here are the eligibility requirements:

• You must be new to the All-Access Pass. If you’ve already purchased it or taken an introductory or trial offer, you won’t qualify for the offer.
• The payment method must be valid.
• You must register on the MasterClass website directly and not use third-party pages.

Also, MasterClass typically doesn’t offer discounts on their price. The cost of the annual membership is the same for all users.

But a few times throughout the year, the company runs a two-for-one deal.

As a result, you can buy one membership and gift the other to someone else.

Can I Pay MasterClass Monthly?

MasterClass used to offer monthly subscriptions, but the company has terminated this option. Your only choice currently is to pay for the annual subscription.

How Many Times Can You Watch a MasterClass?

You can watch MasterClass video lessons as many times as you want, provided your membership is still active.

Is the Tom Morello MasterClass Worth It?

As demonstrated in our Tom Morello MasterClass review, the famous guitarist’s course may worth it for many intermediate guitar players.

With Morello’s masterclass you can learn a host of creative approaches to the electric guitar from this world-class musician.

For instance, perhaps the course’s main highlight is his demonstrations on writing riffs and showing you exercises on doing the same task. You won’t find this in your typical interview or YouTube lesson, which is enough to justify the cost.

Real World Application

Tom also didn’t cover just any topic that popped to mind. He only explained the segments you can apply in real life.

Additionally, Morello didn’t spend half his course instructing you step-by-step how to play RATM songs. Instead, he included comprehensive topics, such as songwriting, that made the course more worthwhile.

The abstract topics are explained extremely well. Unlike many renowned guitarists who have a hard time explaining their approach or the creative process, Tom explains the issues in practical terms and uses clear language combined with a personable delivery.

Navigation and Workbooks

Navigating the workbook is also effortless. There’s a summary of each chapter and assignment that can help you learn more.

While going through the workbook, you’ll notice that Tom is very flexible and open-minded in that he doesn’t just cover the techniques he’s famous for. Instead, he integrates insights from many other musicians who have inspired him over the years.

The assignments are relevant to the course Tom’s teaching and help bring closer the demonstrations he presents in the videos. This way, you can easily follow the course by checking out Morello’s videos and going back to the workbook to practice.

Overall, for most intermediate players, the course is worth the price due to Tom’s valuable insight on multiple aspects.

Can I Get a Refund If I Don’t Like MasterClass?

MasterClass can give you a refund if you don’t like their courses. You do have a 30-day window to ask for a refund if you purchased your course directly through MasterClass.

You may still qualify for the refund if you bought your course through a different provider, but you’ll need to verify your eligibility by going through MasterClass’s refund policy.

Final Thoughts – Are Any of the MasterClass Guitar Courses For You?

To sum up, even though the three courses are guitar-centric, they offer very different content structures. Plus the instructors have their own unique approach on the subject matter.

Out of the three courses reviewed, there may be one that suits you better than the others – or perhaps none at all. Just to be sure, let’s have one last look to summarize:

Tom Morello
Teaches Electric Guitar

Tom Morello

(4.7)

Tom Morello’s MasterClass guitar course is the most well-balanced of the three offered. Featuring both practical exercises and the music theory that supports his techniques.

The many videos accompanied by terrific demonstrations make Morello’s course a more overall comprehensive experience.

Carlos Santana
Teaches The Art and Soul of Guitar

Carlos Santana

(3.9)

If you want inspiration on how to play from a completely emotional perspective, Santana’s MasterClass course is an excellent choice.

However, Santana could have done a much better job of explaining his craft for those who are technically inclined. There are few demonstrations, depriving you considerably of a more practical aspect of the course.

St. Vincent
Teaches Creativity and Songwriting

St. Vincent

(4.5)

Using a completely different approach, the Saint Vincent MasterClass course is versatile and equally good for novices thru advanced musicians.

Her uniquely artistic type of presentation can help you add new sounds to your playing, expose new ways of writing your own music, and enhance your creativity.

In Closing

While all three MasterClass courses have their sweet spots, the one that speaks to you most will depend on your own personal needs as a guitar player.

Either way, you have everything to gain by learning from professionals who reached the top of their game.

MasterClass Guitar Course Ratings as a Group:

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