Learning to play the guitar can be quite difficult, but with the right practice you can create some truly wonderful music, and it can be incredibly rewarding.
Nothing quite beats the satisfaction of breaking out your guitar and being able to play beautiful music right then and there.
However, in order to get to a good level of skill with the guitar, you need to put in a good amount of practice, and it definitely helps to have a good and solid teacher by your side.
But many of us simply cannot afford to drop hundreds of dollars just to be able to afford professional guitar lessons. But, luckily, that doesn’t mean that we have to miss out on learning the guitar ourselves.
If you want to find free guitar lessons that you can easily access, then there is no better place to go than Youtube. But there are many different guitar-focused channels on Youtube, so how can you pick just one?
Well, luckily, we’re here to help you to narrow the options down to make your decision that little bit easier. Read on below to find out the six best youtube channels for learning guitar!
Learning to play guitar isn’t just a matter of memorizing the chords and then playing them in succession to play very specific music. One of the best things about learning to play the guitar is the ability to create entirely new music of your own.
In order to get to the point where you can create your own music with your guitar, you would need to spend some good time practicing and learning from the masters.
We can say with certainty that JamPlay is one of the best Youtube channels for exactly that purpose.
JamPlay actually hosts their own membership program via their dedicated website which allows users to sign up via a paid membership to access guitar lessons and tutorials.
This has led many people to forget about their incredible Youtube channel and the many wonderful free resources housed within it.
One of the best things about the JamPlay Youtube channel is that its content isn’t just catered towards one type of player, or any particular skill level.
Whether you are completely new to the guitar or you already have a few years of experience, there are resources here that are perfect for you.
Every video has something new to teach you. One video will teach you how to use a certain technique, while another may show you how to improve your rhythm section.
There’s always something new to learn, and if you stick around long enough, you’ll even start to see yourself improving over time as well.
And there are even helpful tutorials to learn to play specific songs, such as some wonderful Christmas classics.
To sweeten the deal even more JamPlay also plays host to a number of excellent teachers who take to the show to impart their own expertise and to give you tips to get better at guitar play every single time.
This range of different teachers means that every lesson is exciting, as you’ll be learning from someone new, and it also means that you get a far more varied and enriching education, as you learn from very different guitar players who each have their own distinct playstyle.
And if you don’t like any one of the teachers, you can simply avoid the episodes featuring them! Simple!
However, unfortunately, a small number of the lessons and tutorials on the JamPlay Youtube channel can seem more like advertisements to their paid service, which could potentially be annoying.
However, it is only a small minority of their videos that come across as plain advertisements.
Most of their videos are of fantastic quality, and will really help you to improve your skills. So, overall, this is an incredibly valuable resource for anyone looking to learn how to play the guitar.
When you first start off playing guitar, not only is the prospect of learning all of the finger positions, chords, and strumming patterns extremely daunting but many tutorials and lessons online are overly quick-paced and this can be very disorienting.
Many give up on learning the guitar before they are ever able to get started because so many Youtube tutorials prove to be too confusing.
Luckily, Guitar Jamz is the perfect remedy for this curse. This is a truly beginner-friendly Youtube channel that will help you to learn everything you need to know to get started on the guitar.
The host of this channel, affectionately known as Marty, has a very calm and collected tone and is able to very slowly walk the viewer through every step of the learning process.
Marty makes sure to never rush over any step in the learning process, so you won’t ever find that he is ten steps ahead of you while you are still getting started.
Marty also does not use too much technical language which can be daunting for new listeners, and if he does use technical language, he is sure to explain exactly what he means so that you can learn some of the technical stuff behind guitar playing while still learning the basics.
This is great because you can watch these videos again and again without having to feel lost or overwhelmed by the technical jargon.
The other thing I love about this channel is that it doesn’t just focus on teaching beginners how to play the guitar but also teaches intermediate and slightly more experienced players.
The show never feels patronizing, and Marty always makes sure to speak to you as if you were on his level. This helps to make you feel much more confident in your play as you learn.
However, if you are particularly experienced, you may find that Marty’s pace is quite slow. You may find yourself skipping through his videos to get to the truly juicy details, but we believe that Marty’s slow and careful pace is what gives him a competitive edge over similar Youtube channels.
We cannot recommend this channel enough, it is one of the best resources available for people who want to learn how to play guitar, as evidenced by his incredible subscriber count!
When it comes to playing guitar, there is more to it than just strumming! Another very popular guitar-playing method is fingerpicking, which involves plucking away at the six strings while holding that string down at different frets along the guitar neck.
This method requires entirely different practice, and as such you are going to need a great Youtube channel to show you how to achieve that sound specifically, right? Luckily, this Youtube channel is the perfect place to come for just that.
This channel, run by Chris Murrin, is dedicated entirely to teaching the fingerpicking style, and he teaches it in style and grace.
His lessons are carefully realized and are carefully paced throughout so as not to be too quick or too daunting for new fingerpicking players.
Chris can take you through the very basics of the fingerpicking style so that you can find your feet. He also shows you a number of ways in which you can practice the technique every single day so that you can improve your play in no time at all!
Chris also seeks to make sure that players of every single skill level are catered to. Every lesson is perfectly paced so that newer players don’t get left in the dust, while they are also not laboriously paced so that more highly-skilled players don’t find themselves bored or frustrated.
And once you have improved your fingerpicking style, Chris also hosts a number of tutorials to help you to play some of the most iconic songs ever, such as Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.
This means that you can very quickly improve your technique in no time, and create iconic songs in no time. This helps to feel far more rewarding, and also helps you to feel that you are making very quick progress.
If you want a truly rewarding guitar channel then this should definitely be added to your list!
Another thing that helps to make this channel perfect is that it has an incredibly large following! The channel has managed to accrue a fairly sizable subscriber count, and this is all because of how well Chris presents his content.
These fellow subscribers are all just as passionate as Chris is, which means that you can also discuss techniques and practices with users in his comment sections to improve even more.
This means that the channel is not just a great learning resource, but it is also a great forum to speak to other like-minded players.
Chris has helped to foster an incredibly friendly community based around a guitar-playing method that sadly does not get as much attention as it deserves.
If you’re looking for a way to learn about the fingerpicking style, then this is the channel for you. It’s got everything you could possibly want from a guitar-learning channel: clear instructions, high-quality content, and a supportive community.
This is another online service that is dedicated to bringing the beauty of the guitar to the masses.
But while their Youtube channel may be advertising a larger subscription service, it is still an incredibly wonderful resource that you can depend on time and time again to teach you some of the best techniques to play some of the best music.
This channel features all kinds of videos that cover so many different specific topics.
One video may show you some incredibly vibrant strumming techniques to inject some spice into your play, while another video may show you how you can deal with performance anxiety when playing or how you can avoid the disastrous temptation of quitting!
There is truly a great range of content available on this channel, but the best thing is that the channel is never unfocused. Every single video is fully realized and properly researched to provide you with the best advice at every single turn.
The lessons are all perfectly paced so that you can keep up with the teacher while also feeling like you are making quick and significant progress every single time.
The channel is also hosted by a very passionate team of guitarists who each bring their own style and flair to every single video.
This means that you can learn from a massive variety of guitarists who each have their own playstyle, and thus you will receive a much more enriching and fully diverse guitar education.
This is important because it allows you to see what works for others and what doesn’t work for them, and this makes it easier for you to find your own personal favorite styles and approaches.
This also helps to make you a better player, as all of the various influences on your play will make your subsequent music much more exciting.
The videos on more personal topics, such as how to reduce performance anxiety also help to set this channel apart.
Not only is the channel dedicated to making you a better player, but it is also dedicated to ensuring that you don’t give up. The channel is very uplifting and motivating, and it’s hard not to feel pumped up whenever you watch one of their videos.
Justin Guitar is easily one of the most popular and well-recognized channels on this list. With a healthy subscriber count that reaches well over 1-million, you can bet that you are in very good hands with his fantastic Youtube channel.
Justin can teach you just about anything you could ever need or want to know. He can teach you how to play an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar, or even how to strum a little ditty on the ukulele.
He is a truly gifted teacher, and there is a lot of wonderful stuff that you can learn from him.
And not only will Justin Guitar teach you how to play specific guitars or specific pieces of music, but he’ll also teach you about music theory, which helps to give you a much deeper appreciation for the music-making craft, and just what is involved in creating beautiful music.
Justin will also teach you a number of troubleshooting tips, to help you to solve some of the frequent problems that plague guitar players across the world.
These include problems with tuning, or even with strumming techniques so that you can always get the sound you want, no matter at what point you are in your guitar playing career.
He will also help you to solve other problems, such as more personal ones involving performance anxiety and stage fright, which can affect guitar players of any skill level!
Justin makes for a perfect teacher, thanks to his friendly personality, and his effortless teaching style that comes across in his videos so effectively that you almost feel as though he is teaching you in the very room you are in!
Justin also never comes across as patronizing, even while teaching the simplest of techniques. This helps to make his videos enjoyable and useful for more experienced players who may be looking for just a little bit of extra guidance with specific things.
Justin also has thousands of videos that you can click through for free and learn countless things. One video may teach you about how to better hold your chord shapes, while another video may show you some of Justin’s preferred practice techniques.
This helps to ensure that his content never feels boring, and also helps you to further develop as a guitar player not just by learning new music, but by always learning new techniques and improving your existing craft.
Included within Justin’s content is also a number of Youtube shorts, which are short-form Youtube videos that can help you to quickly learn something new in only a matter of around a minute.
This content is incredibly useful when you only have a few minutes of spare time but want to learn something!
Let’s cap off our list with another great Youtuber who easily makes some of the best guitar-oriented content on the internet. Rick Graham easily puts many guitar tutorials and online teachers to shame, and this is in part thanks to his incredibly effortless teaching style.
Rick is a very talented guitar player, and if you were to just sit and watch him play, you’d likely feel a bit daunted at just how good he seems to be.
But don’t worry, his videos are amazingly structured so that he can take you through every single minute detail of how he plays. Eventually, riffs that might have seemed daunting and impossible to you will seem like child’s play!
Rick breaks every element of every piece of music, every technique, or every chord down into sizable chunks that seek to make it simpler and easier to understand exactly what you need to do every step of the way.
You won’t be left confused or dumbfounded at how he manages to achieve certain results in his guitar play, so you never feel like you are being left in the dust.
This allows you to keep up with Rick, which helps you to feel like a more skilled guitar player, which can do wonders to actually improving your play.
Rick’s content is also perfectly catered to both beginner and advanced players so that everyone can join in with his amazing teachings so that the whole guitar world can improve in tandem.
This helps to ensure you get the most out of every one of his lessons because they are all designed to be accessible to anyone regardless of their skill level.
The best thing about Rick’s channel is that he does not come across as condescending or arrogant, and he will always do his best to explain things where he can, and when he does explain things in detail, it will never come across as patronizing to more skilled players.
This channel is easy for us to recommend thanks to its incredible quality and accessibility, plus it also happens to be one of the more popular guitar channels on the Youtube platform.
If you’re looking for an excellent place to start with your guitar journey, then Rick Graham is without question the man to follow. He’s been playing guitar for over 20 years now, and he’s got plenty of experience under his belt.
So if you’ve ever wanted to learn from someone who knows what they’re doing, then Rick Graham should definitely be someone to look out for!
Andy Guitar channel is owned and run by Andy Crowley, a professional guitarist and teacher with extensive years of experience. Speaking true to his teaching efficiency, the YouTube channel has garnered over 2 million subscribers with 1.5k videos to learn from.
In addition to the free guitar lessons, you can learn more through the website, which has bonus lessons and regular live streams. Besides learning the guitar, Andy Guitar YouTube channel also teaches you how to play the ukelele.
Marty Music channel has over 3.8 million subscribers and 2.6k videos. This offers you an endless range of guitar lessons regardless of where you are in your learning journey. The channel is also very well organised, with sections to help sample lessons based on one’s level and interests.
While Guitareo’s website provides a host of unlimited lessons based on your preferred pricing, the YouTube channel offers an array of free lessons to get you started.
The channel, currently under the name Musora Official, boasts over 1 million subscribers. The best part about the channel is how the guitar lessons are segmented. This makes it quite easy for beginners and experts to find the best lesson for them.
If you are inclined to learn a specific music genre, especially blues and Jazz, TrueFire is an excellent channel to use.
There are numerous educators to learn from, including some of the best players in the industry, like Joe Bonamassa, Kirk Fletcher and Sophie Lloyd, just to name a few. The channel has 500k+ subscribers and over 9.8k videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it OK to Learn Guitar on YouTube?
Definitely. Though there may be some people who try to convince you that learning to play the guitar via Youtube is not valid, we can tell you with certainty that it is valid.
There are many fantastic Youtube channels dedicated to teaching you how to play the guitar. The best thing of all is that they are totally free.
Who is the Most Popular Guitar Youtuber?
Jared Dines is easily one of the biggest guitar-oriented Youtube channels in the world. His channel has amassed a truly impressive 2.8 million subscribers!
How Long Does it Take to Learn Guitar?
Learning the guitar can take some significant time, and requires plenty of dedication and discipline. With frequent daily practice, a guitar player can learn beginner songs in around a month.
In around five to six months, a guitar player could become skilled enough to play more advanced music.
To Conclude
Learning to play the guitar is not that easy, and can come with some pretty significant difficulties. However, with the right teacher and the right tools, you can very quickly master the world’s most popular instrument.
If you’ve been looking to learn the guitar on a budget, and you want to learn from the best youtube channels for learning guitar, then we hope that our list has helped you to find some awesome inspiration and that you feel ready to rock out on your guitar.
Learning to play may feel daunting to start off with, but provided you exercise plenty of patience and take it slow, you will be shredding your guitar in no time.
My name is Howard Matthews and I have been playing the guitar since I was knee-high. My parents like to joke that I was pulling the strings even before I was born. In fact, one of my earliest memories is sitting on the couch with my dad’s guitar, wreaking havoc on the chords.
Now, 40 years later, I can attest that I play them much better than I did back then. I have followed in the footsteps of both my parents – much to their delight – and have been the main guitarist in my band for the best part of three decades.
Music has always been my passion, and until recently my life has been so consumed with it that I haven’t had a moment to have a breath (and I wouldn’t have it any other way)!
