Discover the Best Guitar Classes Online
Learning to play guitar can be a fun and rewarding hobby that helps you perform songs at parties, record an album, or entertain guests. It requires some music knowledge and a willingness to practice regularly. Thankfully, virtual lessons can help you improve your skills and become a better guitar player right from your home. These courses include live professors who can help correct your techniques and improve your music knowledge.
Why You Should Learn Guitar Online
Learning guitar can provide many benefits, including providing you with a new hobby and creative skill. For example, you can practice guitar, learn songs, and sing at open mic competitions to show off your abilities. Furthermore, you can make friends with other musicians and form a band for fun, playing originals or covers on the weekends.
However, many people learn guitar and start a side hustle or full-time career as a musician. These gigs include performing at bars, opening for bigger bands, or playing at festivals. Even if you already have a good full-time career, learning guitar can help you earn a little extra money performing, especially if you have a strong singing voice.
Virtual Guitar Classes
Online guitar learning courses provide many benefits over in-person classes. For example, you can learn anywhere you want, learn from teachers all across the nation, and avoid commuting between classes on busy roads. Those benefits are particularly nice if you live in an area where you can’t find high-quality in-person guitar lessons.
That said, online guitar classes do have downsides that you shouldn’t ignore. For example, you typically have to provide all your materials, meaning you’ll need a computer to stream videos, a guitar to practice your lessons, and sheet music with songs to learn. You also get less personal attention from your professor simply because you’re not in the same area.
However, these courses provide far more benefits than downsides and often work well for many people. They’re especially useful if you don’t have a big budget because they usually cost far less than in-person lessons. If you think virtual guitar lessons are right for your needs, try out one of the online guitar courses listed below.
Absolute Beginner Guitar: Basics & Fundamentals
Absolute Beginner Guitar: Basics & Fundamentals is a New York Guitar Academy Class that teaches important, beginner-friendly lessons in guitar. These include proper left- and right-hand techniques and posture. You’ll play open chords and practice strumming and picking patterns.
Then, you’ll learn how to read guitar tab notation to play popular songs by artists like the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. Your live professor will provide hands-on support that makes practicing your lessons easier to handle.
Guitar Made Easy (Ages 18+)
Guitar Made Easy (Ages 18+) is a Los Angeles City College program that highlights many important guitar-oriented skills. You’ll learn proper tuning techniques and play single-note melodies. Later, you’ll practice chords and more complex music concepts.
This class requires either an acoustic guitar or an electric model with an amp. You’ll also use the book Guitar Method 1, 2nd Edition by Schmidt and Kock. This guide teaches important guitar techniques that you can practice for your professor in class.
Words & Music, Teen Songwriting
Words & Music, Teen Songwriting is a Songwriting School of Los Angeles class that accepts teens between 13-19 years. Students will learn proper songwriting techniques, such as writing melodies and chords and how to pair them with meaningful lyrics.
You’ll learn how to write songs on whatever instrument you want, including guitar or keyboard. Though this class focuses more on songwriting than performing, you’ll still practice multiple guitar-oriented skills and expand your musical knowledge.
Music Production for Songwriters, Level 1
Music Production for Songwriters, Level 1 is a Songwriting School of Los Angeles course that expands on their beginning songwriting class. You’ll learn how to produce music on your laptop using a guitar, your voice, other live instruments, and even programmed synthesizers.
Other subjects you’ll practice include listening critically, integrating production techniques, using prosody in your productions, and enhancing your song with better arrangements. This class is suitable for anyone with some performance experience who plans on recording.
Private Online Group Guitar Classes
Are you interested in scheduling a fun team-building exercise that your employees will love? Private online group guitar classes for businesses from CourseHorse can help you schedule a unique and exciting event for your team. These courses include in-depth lessons from a skilled professional who understands how to play guitar and the best methods for reaching all students.
Even if CourseHorse doesn’t have any guitar teamwork-building lessons for your team at any given moment, they can create one that meets your needs. Reach out to them using their contact form to learn more about how well they work for you. They can explain their lesson plans and set up a course that makes sense for your business’ needs.
Thankfully, finding online guitar classes with CourseHorse provides benefits that other booking platforms do not. For example, they never charge booking fees and confirm your order within 24 hours. They also let you adjust the number of students up to the day of the class. Even better, they support multiple platforms, including Microsoft and Apple computers.
Online vs. In-Person Guitar Classes
In-person guitar classes include guided support from a skilled guitar teacher who will adjust their teaching methods to suit each student. For example, they can sit down with you, watch your guitar fingering, and provide tips and suggestions that help you play better. You’ll also interact with other students in the class to meet potential friends or bandmates.
By contrast, online courses take place entirely via video platforms, like Zoom. You won’t be in the same room as your teacher and won’t get as much personalized attention. That said, they can still watch you play and provide improvement suggestions. Even better, they can record these classes to make them easier to attend if you can’t show up at the scheduled time.
If virtual guitar courses sound like the best option for you, it’s important to examine each class carefully. These lessons include elements like cost, size, and focus that can change your experience dramatically. Thankfully, most lesson plans should detail these and other items for you, including required learning materials necessary for practicing guitar.
Cost
Check the class cost before booking to ensure you don’t overspend. Typically, courses cost anywhere from $50 to over $500, depending on multiple factors. Contact the professor before attending to discuss what you get with each course. If it sounds interesting to you and you can afford it, research other factors first before making a commitment.
Size
Class size can seriously affect how well a person learns guitar. For example, some people benefit from smaller courses because they need more personal time with the professors. Others like larger classes so they can talk to multiple people during each lesson and make new friends. Thankfully, most online guitar classes provide an estimated size number in their lesson plans.
Level
Do you have any experience with guitar or are you just beginning? Each guitar learning course should list the required skill level for all students. Some focus on teaching basic techniques, such as chord shapes and scale patterns. Others highlight more advanced methods, including structuring your solos and even improvising in a live performance.
Focus
Make sure that your guitar class focuses on playing styles that interest you. For instance, do you want to learn jazz guitar to become a professional performer or rock guitar riffs for your garage band? Some classes may focus on specific genres, while others provide general techniques that work for all guitar-based music. Read the class description to learn more.
Support
Read the lesson plan to learn whether your class provides any other support for your learning. Will they send you a learning package with guitar sheet music you can practice? Do they provide a live-chat service that makes talking with your professor easier? Research these benefits to ensure that you find a program that makes the most sense for you.
Can I Learn Guitar for Free Online?
Some people prefer learning guitar online using free video-based platforms, like YouTube or Vimeo. Guitar teachers often create in-depth courses on these sites that teach things like proper fingering, scale patterns, chording techniques, and soloing methods. If you’re on a budget, this option may work well for you. However, it’s better to go with professional classes whenever possible. These courses provide specialized and guided support from live teachers. Free videos provide almost no extra help, so if you get confused by a lesson, you’ll have to figure it out yourself. Live, online professors can help adjust your techniques and ensure you learn them properly and play guitar more effectively.
