Have you been telling yourself that you’ll learn to play guitar one day for years, now? Do you know every song in the Guitar Hero catalog by heart? Is air guitar your go-to instrument at a party?
If you answered yes to these questions, then it is time for you to learn to play the instrument you love. There are tons of ways to learn to play guitar: books, videos, and private tutors are just a few of them. Once you learn, playing the guitar can be a great way to escape from the stress of everyday life, and you’ll always be the most popular guy at the party – not sure about that? Imagine everyone yelling, “Freebird!” at you as you dazzle them with your new skills!
But before you tackle that one, you’ve got to learn the basics: understanding your instrument and knowing the terminology for all the parts of a guitar; figuring out your finger placement; making sure the guitar is in tune; and learning the basic chords. In this guide, we’re going to give you the lowdown on five of the best online guitar lessons available.
1.) Guitar Tricks
Guitar Tricks offers guitar lessons for everyone, from brand-new beginners trying to learn the chords, to seasoned veterans who wish to rev up their technique. Offered wholly online, this is arguably one of the best ways to learn guitar. The free trial gets you 14 days of tutorials, and after that you get full access to their library of over 11,000 video lessons for only $19.95 per month. With over 1.9 million members, Guitar Tricks’ trademarked Core Learning System is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Each lesson is offered with step-by-step instructions, allowing even the greenest of newbies to create music from day one, and it comes with a 60-day money back guarantee. Even better, Guitar Tricks offers a library that crosses most of the major musical genres, including the blues, rock, and country. Guitar players of all stripes agree that Guitar Tricks offers the best online guitar lessons.
2.) JamPlay
JamPlay is another online guitar lesson site available on the World Wide Web that has a huge assortment of lessons covering a variety of genres – from country to heavy metal – and is a solid choice for beginner guitar players. It only offers a 7-day money back guarantee, though, and is a little pricier than some of the other options. One of the things members like most about this service is its mobile apps for both Android and iPhone, allowing members to take their lessons everywhere. Also, many of the 5,000+ lessons on offer at JamPlay are taught by major artists, who offer insight into how you can emulate their unique playing style. The rates options for JamPlay include monthly memberships at $19.95/month, quarterly memberships at $49.95/quarter, and annual memberships at $139.95/year, a savings of almost $100 from the monthly rate. Right up there with Guitar Tricks, most reviewers agree that JamPlay offers some of the best guitar lessons online.
3.) TrueFire
TrueFire offers a 30-day trial so that beginner users can decide if it’s the right fit. It also differentiates itself from other online courses by offering its members not only general courses but also private workshops and classes with professional guitarists. The workshops and classes cost about $149/month, but the general lessons run only $19/month or $199 for a yearly subscription. There are about 500 courses on offer, with about 10% of them targeted toward the beginner user. TrueFire also offers lessons on an á la carte basis so that you can take only the classes that meet your needs.
4.) Jamorama
One of the cheaper paid options for online guitar lessons, Jamorama is made up of 221 lessons taught by professional instructor Mark McKenzie, who has 20 years of teaching experience. The design of the site is mobile-friendly, allowing users to take their lessons with them on the go, and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. The join-up fee is only $12.95/month, or $79 per year, so for less than $.22 per day, you could get the basics under your belt! Hours of lessons cover everything you need to know, from guitar theory to technique, and they’re all in beautiful HD quality. Even better, Mark offers one-on-one Skype Breakthrough Sessions for just $199, which includes a 30-minute session with Mark, a follow-up report with a customized learning plan based off the assessment done in the one-on-one session, email support from Mark as you continue your learning journey, and finally, LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to the Jamorama site and all of the lessons available there, both now and in the future.
5.) Justin Guitar
Justin Sandercoe created Justin Guitar in 2003, and has since racked up more than 140 million views on YouTube and receives more than 25,000 unique visitors to his web site every day. He’s been called “one of the most influential guitar teachers in history,” and guitar legend Mark Knopfler said of Justin: “If you told me you wanted to get going on guitar, I’d recommend Justin Sandercoe.”
With a lead-in like that, I bet you think this will be the most expensive guitar lesson yet, right? Wrong. The lessons offered by Justin Guitar are absolutely 100% free. Consisting of a little over 700 lessons, most of which are around 10 minutes long, Justin Guitar offers lessons to beginners and those with more experience, covering the major musical genres. In 2007, to keep the site going, Justin began accepting donations and offering some of his DVDs and books from the site for purchase.
So, how hard is it to learn a chord?
The first chord most beginners learn is the D chord. Though it may seem difficult at first, the trick is to keep trying. Before long, you’ll be the pro you always wanted to be. Check out the video below for a quick lesson in finger placement for the D chord.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve chosen the best way to learn guitar online, it’s time to look at some of the other things that a beginner player must consider:
· Study the instrument. Learn the names and functions of the different parts of the guitar, how they work, and how different tensions affect the strings and the sound.
· Once you get the basic chords down, seek out other ways to play the same chord. For instance, there are 10 different fret hand positions for the C chord. If you learn more than just one way to do it, you’ll have greater flexibility and versatility going forward.
· Practice, practice, practice! Even if you find the best way to learn guitar online and it’s wonderful and perfect, you’re never going to take center stage and melt the audience’s faces with your superior skill if you don’t first practice.
· Help your muscle memory by practicing your hand positions while you watch television or talk with a friend. You don’t have to strum in order to practice this, so people won’t wonder why you’re playing air guitar to the latest episode of The Walking Dead. Once your muscle “remember” how to form the movements that make the chords, your confidence and ability will grow.
· Power through the pain. Building guitar-playing calluses takes a little time, and it’s going to hurt while you do it. But the more you practice, the faster they will form, and the sooner you will feel – and play – better.
· Don’t give up! Nobody learns how to play the guitar overnight. It takes time, patience, dedication, and most of all, practice. Stick with it, and before you know it, you’ll be able to teach someone else the basics!
Whether you’re looking for completely free lessons or private paid ones with professional instructors, we’ve got you covered in this guide. All of these options will help you – whether you’re just starting out, or have been playing for years, we’re confident you will be able to find the best way to learn guitar for you.
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