10 Best YouTube Channels to Learn Guitar

YouTube is a great resource for those who want to learn how to play a musical instrument without paying for a course or private lessons. On YouTube, there are many great channels that offer free video lessons, guides, and tutorials for guitar learners of all levels. That’s why, in this article, we are going to review the 10 best YouTube channels to learn guitar.

1) JustinGuitar

One of the most popular YouTube channels in its field. It offers free video lessons to guitar learners of all levels. It has over 900 free video lessons and it posts new tutorials weekly.

The best place to start is the playlists section. Here videos are organized in different categories, including actual guitar lesson courses like:

• JustinGuitar’s Beginner Course
• Intermediate Course 
• Folk Fingerstyle Module
• Blues Rythm Guitar Course
• Complete Guide to Scales

The teacher has extensive experience in teaching guitar online and his lessons have been featured on the BBC, The Guardian, USA Today, and Guitar Techniques. He also has a website where you can find additional learning resources, helpful tools, and a forum.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“I just want to say thank you, Justin. I just started learning guitar and one of my friends suggested your videos. You made learning look so easy which, frankly, I didn’t expect to be. I just want to say God Bless You and Good luck for the future.”

“I’ve recently started watching your videos and you are one of the few good teachers that explain things in guitar really well. I’m probably an intermediate guitar player and I’ve learned a lot of cool things from you. I am definitely going to keep an eye out for more videos.”

2) Andy Guitar

This channel is probably the best one on YouTube if you want to improve your guitar skills by learning new songs. Thanks to these video tutorials, even people with little theoretical music and guitar knowledge can start playing popular songs right away.

The channel’s host and teacher is a friendly and communicative guitarist who will walk you through each song’s chord progression and also give you many style tips.

If you are a total beginner, you can start by visiting Andy’s Beginner Guitar Course (in the playlist section) where you’ll find 57 videos covering all the basic aspects of guitar learning.

This channel also offers free bass guitar and ukulele lessons. By the way, have you checked our article on free ukulele lessons?

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Thank you for not rushing through chords when teaching and for the great camera views. I just tried to review my chords on another site where the guy raced through all the chords. Not for me. Thanks for your patience.”

“I started playing the guitar about six months ago, that’s when I started watching your videos. I would just like to say that I would have never learned or even come close to playing the guitar if it wasn’t for your videos. Thank you so much. You are the reason I have learned to play the guitar those last 6 months, now I’ll just keep practicing to get and better.”

3) Move Forward Guitar

This channel puts a lot of emphasis on the theoretical aspects of guitar learning.

It offers an impressive collection of music theory videos for aspiring guitarists. These videos also include tabs, and diagrams to help you grasp theoretical and practical concepts.

Watching them really feels like going to guitar school. But unlike guitar school, this channel and its content are entirely free.

It also offers tutorials to those interested in learning specific music genres like jazz and blues.

Updates are not very frequent, but this channel’s existing free lessons are some of the best available on YouTube if you are serious about learning guitar in a disciplined manner and without skipping the theory.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Brilliant internet video lessons. I couldn’t get this information even from the videos and sites that I paid for. So thank you so much for spending your precious time in making these videos. I really appreciate it.”

“I follow like twenty different channels related to guitar music theory, but your channel is by far the best. I say this because you have put videos in a series that covers the basics to complex, unlike other channels where the knowledge provided is the same but with no order.”

4) Marty Music

Even though it has been around for less than 5 years, this channel already has over 2 million subscribers, making it one of the most popular ones on YouTube for guitar learners. It’s also one of the most frequently updated channels in its category.

It’s hosted by two different guitar teachers (Marty Schwartz and Lindsay Ell) and it includes guitar tutorials, gear reviews, and other interesting resources for music lovers.

In addition to basic guitar lessons for beginners, this channel offers many videos (and playlists) aimed at those interested in certain music styles (pop, classic rock, blues) and songs from different decades (60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s).

On this channel, you will find useful lessons for both acoustic and electric guitar players. It also offers free videos to those interested in learning how to play the bass guitar.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“I started to learn the acoustic guitar at 51. I find your lessons great. The structure is easier than a few others I’ve tried.”

“Marty! What a champ. I’ve been watching your videos since I started playing in February. I haven’t seen anybody else that can teach better than you. There’s just some vibe you have that no one else has. Keep up the good work.”

5) LetsPlayGuitar!

Another helpful resource for those who want to improve their guitar skills by learning new songs right away.

The channel’s host will teach you many popular songs by slowly showing you their chord progression, by explaining the song’s most important features, and by giving you useful style advice and tips. Some videos also include tabs to make the learning process even easier.

You will not find a “beginner’s course” in the playlists section but there is a section dedicated to “fingerstyle arrangement” and other 4 playlists with songs from popular artists or bands like Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and One Direction.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Yours is the only channel who actually teaches something! Others just advertise their website and stuff. I appreciate your work!”

“I don’t have much money to take guitar lessons, but I found your channel. You really taught me a lot through your videos. I want to say thank you for teaching me so much.”

6) GuitarLessons

This YouTube channel has been around for over 10 years and it offers many useful free resources for guitar learners.

It has a well-organized playlists section. If you are a complete beginner, we recommend that you  start with one of the following playlists:

• Music Theory for Guitar
  
• Beginner Guitar Lessons
• Popular Guitar Lessons for Beginners
• Guitar Maintenance and Care

You will also find several playlists with video lessons on lead guitar, rhythm guitar, blues guitar, and fingerstyle.

There are also three very useful videos on how to learn how to play a song by ear.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Thanks!  I am just a few months into learning and so far have been learning all open chords.  This lesson really helped me form some good sounding bar chords, so now I am hooked and really eager to practice them.”

“Hi Nate, good video as usual. It always encourages me to look back at my lousy playing and try to improve. In a world of an infinite amount of YouTube tutorials, it is very hard to find actually useful lessons. You are one of the gems. Thank you!”

7) Swift Lessons

This channel has been around for over 14 years and it’s updated regularly.

You should start by visiting the playlists section right away. If you’re still learning the basics of guitar playing, the following playlists will come in handy:

• Music Theory
• Guitar Chords
• Guitar Scales
• Beginners Guitar Lessons
• Beginner Guitar Songs
• Guitar Exercises
• Guitar Maintenance

Other playlists include videos on more specific aspects of guitar learning:

• Strumming Techniques
• Slide Guitar Lessons
• Finger Style Guitar Lessons

For those interested in specific guitar styles and genres, this channel offers an amazing variety of video lessons for aspiring Jazz, Blues, Country, Folk, R&B, and Reggae guitar players.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Amazing lessons, man. Watching your videos I’m going from “I can play the guitar” to “I can actually understand what I am playing”. Keep up the good work!”

“I’m two years into guitar playing from almost scratch and now revising all I think I’ve learned, and these lessons are invaluable, especially the emphasis on naming and numbering the notes as one is playing. When they asked Jerry Garcia the best way to learn the Guitar, he said: “Learn the fretboard”. Your method is invaluable for beginners and for more advanced players who think they know it all but can’t name the notes they are playing! Thank You.”

8) Your Guitar Academy

This great UK channel is hosted by several guitar teachers.

It may have fewer followers than other channels, but its contents are definitely top-notch. Not only does it posts new content regularly, but it also lets you know in advance when future videos will be released. You can also set a reminder and be sure not to miss them.

There are several playlists dedicated to both beginners and advanced learners, as well as videos focusing on the styles of popular guitarists like Eddie Van Halen,  Steve Lukather, Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour, John Benson, Santana, and many others.

Many videos contain links to additional resources on their official website, like interactive pictures showing the various chords and progressions.

This channel also includes useful videos on how to polish and repair your guitar.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Sat through the whole hour and learned this arrangement. By far the best tutorial of this song on YouTube, thank you so much for the clear explanation and tutorial!”

“Thanks from Australia guys. I used this video to help me do my RGs intonation, and it worked perfectly.”

9) Easy 2 Play Music

With almost daily updates, this channel offers another extensive collection of popular songs for guitar players to learn.

Each video shows every song’s chord progression and strumming pattern with both a live demonstration and the use of visual aids (tabs, diagrams, and lyrics).

It also has many video tutorials for Ukulele learners.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“Thank you so much for posting. I’ve been trying to find tabs that are easy to see and ones that sound like the actual song. I have no clue how to play the guitar, but you make me sound like I do.”

“I promised my friend that I would learn to play that song… some days later you upload that video… just amazing. Thank you so much.”

10) Anyone Can Play Guitar

This channel is very useful if you want to learn specific aspects and styles of guitar playing.

In addition to a 28-video playlist for guitar beginners, you will find free tutorials about:

• Acoustic Guitar
• Fingerstyle
• Blues Rhythm
• Rockability Rhythm
• Surf Guitar
• Complete Song Lessons
• Alternative Songs
• Christmas Special

This channel has been around for 8 years it uploads new content several times a month.

WHAT LEARNERS SAY ABOUT IT:

“This is exactly what I was looking for. I have clown fingers that take a very long time to “learn”, and you’ve broken rockabilly down into a beat-for-beat template that I can add layers to as I practice (every day). Thank you for remembering that there’s always someone out there who needs to see step-by-step how to achieve the sound they want.”

“Absolutely love this lesson! I’m definitely in the blues camp, I really love this 12 bar standalone blues number with lead licks mixed in with the rhythm guitar, although I try to keep an open mind when it comes to the guitar!”

Don’t Rush

When learning how to play a new guitar instrument, it is essential not to hurry and to enjoy the learning process.

Watching one video a day and taking your time to absorb the most important concepts and skills is definitely much more effective than watching 5 videos and finding out you later that you struggle to keep up and you have forgotten stuff from previous basic lessons.

So be patient and you’ll start seeing major improvements when you least expect it.

Do you have questions about these YouTube channels and ways to learn guitar online? Are you are already familiar with these YouTube channels and you want to share your experience with other readers? Do you know other useful online resources for learning guitar online and you would like to recommend them? Feel free to leave a comment below.