Best Online Guitar Lessons: Our Top 10 Essential Resources

The best online guitar lessons teach you quickly and effectively, but are also fun and inspiring. Here’s a list of our 10 favourites.

In this free lesson you will learn:

• Our Top 10 best online guitar lessons (websites & personalities)
• 3 easy ways you can learn guitar online for free
• 4 pro tips for improving quickly as a guitarist

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Looking For The Best Online Guitar Lessons?

When we’re searching online, we want to find the best online guitar lessons that will help us achieve our individual goals.

• A big part of learning how to play guitar is building the right habits.
• Poor guitar instruction can lead to bad habits, which can lead to a hefty amount of wrist and hand pain if not handled properly.

Let’s take a look at some of the best online resources available for guitarists right now:

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Best Online Guitar Lessons #1 – YouTube

Before we start diving into different online schools of guitar and subscription-based programs, let’s look at the world’s most popular video content website: YouTube

Some of the best online guitar lessons can be found for free on YouTube.

There are hundreds of different channels to choose from, many of which offer some incredible online guitar lessons for a variety of skill levels.

Where Youtube is concerned, we don’t necessarily need to jump straight to the “guitar school’ channels to find inspiration and education.

A lot of musicians who aren’t teachers also post some pretty incredible and inspirational content to YouTube. There are some pretty hilarious musical Youtubers as well!

Check out Rob Scallon playing the theme to “Dr. Mario” on a guitar made out of an old Nintendo console here

No matter what kind of guitar education or inspiration you may be looking for, Youtube is always a good place to start your search.

It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t give you a solid place to start for finding the best online guitar lessons on Youtube, so head on over to our

Youtube channel for more free guitar tuition!

Best Online Guitar Lessons #2 – Marty Music

Marty Schwartz started out as a Youtube guitar instructor in 2005. 

• He uploaded his first video because a student of his came in for the third straight week, unable to play the song he had been studying.
• Marty uploaded this video in the hope that it would help his student learn the song more efficiently. Luckily, he was right!

He went on to make his mark on the internet as a solid and reliable resource for some of the best online guitar resources on YouTube.

This seasoned guitar teacher continued his journey on YouTube and has since launched his website, Marty Music

Due to the volume of content he produces, it can be difficult to know where to start if you’re an absolute beginner. To begin with, check out a few of Marty’s videos to find a video that works for you.

• Marty Music offers HD streamable (and downloadable) guitar education content for musicians of any skill level and many have benefitted from his wisdom over the years.
• Marty’s website offers a collection of both free and paid guitar instructional videos and downloadable content to help you along your guitar journey.
• Marty Schwartz is a great resource for some of the best online guitar lessons because of his wide-spread collection of instructional videos available on his Youtube channel.

He also has great taste in hats, so check him out!

Andy Crowley has over 500 lessons available on his website that targets both beginner and intermediate players.

• Andy’s pleasant demeanor and encouraging teaching methods make him a valuable resource for some of the best online guitar lessons.
• He also has an app that you can download (for both Android and iOS), so you can take your guitar education on the go with you!

Andy Guitar offers a free 10-day starter course to get you set on the right track with your guitar education and has plenty more resources available for premium members as well.

From pop and rock to blues and fingerstyle guitar, Andy Guitar provides some of the best online guitar lessons around.

As an added bonus, Andy also has a section on his website where you can purchase guitar books, DVDs and premium online courses as well as a “recommended guitars and accessories” section where you can find affordable and reliable gear recommendations.

Best Online Guitar Lessons #4 – Justin Guitar

Justin Sandercoe launched his brand ‘Justin Guitar’ in 2003. Today, his website boasts over 1,000 of some of the best online guitar lessons – and they’re free!

Justin has been on YouTube as a guitar instructor for many years and prides himself on providing free guitar instruction to budding musicians of all skill levels.

Justin Guitar also hosts a guitar community where users can interact and ask questions. This alone makes it a great place to check out some of the best online guitar lessons that a curious mind can find.

This website also features some great tools to help you along your journey (such as an ear training system and a tempo calculator).

• As an added bonus, Justin Guitar does not charge a membership fee.  Instead, Justin keeps his business going through the purchase of apps and products that he creates to help musicians.
• Justin has music books, t-shirts, videos and apps all available for purchase through the ‘Products’ section of his website.

One thing we like about Justin Guitar is his Sofa Showcase segment, where he showcases the talents of his fellow musicians and students (old and new). This gives new students of the guitar the chance to see where their talent and patience can take them.

Best Online Guitar Lessons #5 – JamPlay

Offering paid membership-based guitar tuition, JamPlay is a great resource for the guitarist that has more specific goals in mind. 

hosts a revolving door of different guitarists who develop lessons specifically for JamPlay’s audience.

• This makes them a great site for the guitarist who wants to learn specialized guitar techniques from well-known musicians, rather than hire a guitar teacher.
• Each course offers a mountain of education in tailored subject matter such as 3-note chord voicings, finger tapping, slide guitar, shredding and more.

A membership will give you access to a library of some of the best online guitar lessons to help push your playing in the right direction.

Having said that, we always recommend taking advantage of as many free resources as you can before shelling out a membership fee.

This will help you get a better feel of the resources available before making a financial commitment.

Best Online Guitar Lessons #6 – Artistworks

Artistworks offers lessons to musicians of varying skill levels, hosted by well-known musicians within the industry.

• Their guitar section boasts lessons from famous players such as Paul Gilbert and Martin Taylor
• These lessons are packed with content for guitarists looking to take their playing to new heights.

Artistworks members get access to resources such as backing tracks and music theory workshops starting at $22/month.

An interesting part of Artistworks is their video submission program where students can submit videos of their playing directly to their course instructor.

Students can then access a library of video submissions from other students as well, so they can learn from one another!

Artistworks also has a monthly broadcast that members can tune into for more musical tips to accelerate their skillsets.

Best Online Guitar Lessons #7- Jamorama

This website offers a unique spin on the guitar education process, providing a video-game-like interface for users to learn from in their browser.

• As an added bonus, Jamorama offers a social network community so that users can interact with and learn from one another.
• Unlike some of the other sites on the list, this website offers both free and membership-accessed content.
• This is a great plus for new guitarists who want to spend time learning on their own before committing to a membership.

You don’t need to purchase anything in order to sign up for access to their social network.

This means you can still engage with the community without having to spend a dime.

• You can usually find some of the best online guitar lessons by simply interacting with other musicians.
• The great part about a membership with Jamorama is that you only pay for it once, which means no expiry dates and no monthly/yearly renewals to keep track of – awesome!

Jamorama’s distinct approach to guitar tuition is what makes them an excellent candidate for our list of the best online guitar lessons.

Best Online Guitar Lessons #8 – Yousician

Yousician brings some pretty neat technology to the table with their online guitar lesson platform.

• With their downloadable app and software (available on iOS and PC), Yousician turns the process of learning guitar into a video game experience.
• On the surface, Yousician and Jamorama can seem a bit similar… but what separates them is Yousician’s app!

With no need for cables or adapters, the Yousician app uses your microphone to track your progress and scores how well you play.

With a large library of popular and well-known songs (as well as a few originals by their house parody band ‘The Yousicians’), this platform has found a fun way of offering some of the best online guitar lessons to its users.

• If you play other instruments as well as guitar, Yousician offers versions of its software for bass, ukulele, piano and voice as well.
• This platform is great for the visual learner who wants a refreshing take on modern guitar instruction.

Note: Yousician currently has an app available for Android as well, however it only supports piano at this time.

The National Guitar Academy

We’re passionate about empowering the next wave of guitarists. It’s what drives us every day.

We’re obviously biased here at National Guitar Academy, but we like to think we provide some of the best online guitar lessons on the internet.

With a huge library of FREE guitar lessons and articles, we’ve got you covered no matter what you want to learn.

Here are a few free gifts for you!

Just one more thing before you go…

We’ve talked at length about websites and content to help you find the best online guitar lessons, but don’t underestimate the power of a good teacher.

• Getting a real offline guitar teacher is the most tailored way to learn in a way that is completely suited to your needs and interests in music.
• While a Youtube video can teach you how to play a scale or song, a good teacher can show you the right path to follow with YOUR strengths and weaknesses in mind.

A great teacher can be difficult to find, but it has gotten a lot easier through social media and the internet. Expect to try 5-6 teachers before you find one that feels like the right fit.

Check your local ads, classifieds and nearest music store for different options.

Don’t be afraid to chat with a few different teachers before making a decision.

If you live in a small town, don’t feel like you’re out of luck. Many guitarists that you find on the internet offer online lessons as well and some of the best online guitar lessons come from the guitarists we admire most. The internet holds some amazing lessons for guitarists.

Want to keep going?

Here are a few more ways you can help advance your knowledge of the guitar:

• Go to a concert. Watch the guitarists! Look at their hands and effects pedals…
• Jam at an open mic and talk to other musicians (another great way to find a teacher!)
• Check out the book selection at your local music store
• Find another lesson with us that you enjoy

Recommended resources

• Guitar Keys: An Essential Guide
• 5 Songs For Beginners
• Blues Guitar Lessons For Beginners – 4 Ways To Sound Awesome Quickly
• How To Play Electric Guitar: A Beginner’s Guide
• Beginning Guitar Lessons: An Essential Guide