Learning guitar for free - is that possible?

As a fourth, I can still remember my childhood in the nineties and what it meant to learn an instrument at the time. If you had the desire to learn guitar, this often meant long trips to music lessons, high costs for teachers and tedious practicing without immediate feedback.

Nowadays the Internet and modern learning apps elegantly removed these hurdles. The possibilities of learning guitar free of charge are almost endless. The selection ranges from video tutorials and apps to complete online courses .

How do you find the right option to be able to learn guitar for free? Let us explore this digital instrument-learning world together.

My personal trip to the western and electric guitar

Before we get deeper, I would like to tell a little story. In my childhood, like most of my classmates, I first learned recorder and then piano/keyboard. But the fascination for the guitar playing didn't let go of me for years. About 15 years ago I was faced with either a used guitar or for a similar price to add a new HD television. Since I have been burning under my nails for a long time, I chose my first western guitar without having the slightest idea how to play them.

Since I was strongly involved in work and was not particularly well positioned after a long and expensive degree, the private lessons unfortunately fell flat. chic and pedagogically mature smartphone apps like Simply Guitar or Yousician .

Fortunately, the free resources that I found online made me a passable amateur player for the campfire and friends in a few months (maybe it was also years, cough).

By the way: Did you know that the guitar is the most played instrument worldwide? No wonder that so many people want to take this path. But now to the tools, tutorials and tricks that can still help you today to realize your dream of playing the guitar - without even spending a cent.

The best free online guitar courses

01 YouTube channels

YouTube-especially if you take into account English-language offers-is a gigantic library of video tutorials, courses and advisors for learning the guitar play in any conceivable way. Learn guitar for free at will, individual preferences and at your own pace. Also completely independent. All that is needed is a smartphone, enough battery (optionally a power bank) and for a better learning experience a Bluetooth speaker.

Judiciary

Justin Sandercoe, better known as the judge , is a British guitar teacher with a YouTube channel that offers the best for beginners. His refreshing nature and clear instructions make learning straightforward and entertaining. Incidentally, Justin inspired millions of guitarists worldwide with his free lessons.

The complete course for beginners is available for Umme on the guitar teacher's website. The judicial start-up course is the best on the Internet-this is what tens of thousands of guitar students from all over the world are.

Marty Music

Marty Schwartz is the head behind Marty Music and specializes in easily understandable tutorials that are aimed at guitarists of all levels of experience. With his relaxed manner and helpful instructions, he attracts spectators from all over the world.

For beginners, Marty also offers a guitar leader in PDF format for free download for beginners-packed with chords, tone ladders, triads, Arpeggios and more. There are also more helpful videos and guitar courses on his website. It is always worthwhile to register for the newsletter of the charismatic guitar coach.

Andy Guitar

Andy Crowley offers a wide range of video tutorials that range from the absolute basics to more advanced techniques. “Songs for Beginners” section is particularly cool , who inspires songs that everyone wants to play immediately.

As a beginner, I would like to recommend 10-day guitar entrance course Playing the guitar near everyday life is an excellent opportunity to improve as an absolute beginner in the shortest possible time.

Andy created the video course to encourage you to take your guitar in your hand every day for 10 days-even if it is only for 10 minutes.

Norman of Guitarschool.at

Would you prefer to want tutorials in German? Then Norman from Guitarschool.at recommended.

Norman's video instructions are especially for adults who want to learn guitar online. To play along, with classic techniques, fingerstyle and finger picking, from electric guitar to Flamenco, you can find all of this on the offer of this YouTube channel . There are also tips, tricks, tutorials, interpretations and student videos ... all about the guitar.

When beginners watch a guitarist on the guitar, they often ask: "What guitar do you use? Western guitar, electric guitar, classic guitar, flamencogitar?".

The guitar teacher Norman is a big fan of all these guitar types. That is why he has put together a versatile guitar platform. On guitarschool.at you will find all information and courses for every guitar style. The guitar online basic course is a relaxed guitar school for adults (for a fee).

On its YouTube channel, however, there are already over 70 enormously helpful lessons for learning basics and techniques on the acoustic guitar. Here is his playlist: Learning guitar .

02 Free apps

Learn for free guitar, when and where it suits you. Pedagogically structured courses, personalized learning experience and real-time feedback. All of this offer modern guitar-learning apps . However, most apps are subject to a fee. Although the fees are manageable and justified, we want to concentrate on 100 % free learning to learn guitar.

Therefore, only apps should be mentioned here, which (albeit to a limited extent) can be used sensibly without a paid subscription.

Ultimate Guitar Tabs

Ultimate Guitar Tabs offers a comprehensive practice area. The integrated tab player and the interactive tabs make practicing an exciting experience.

Ultimate Guitar users have free access to most of these tabs. These can be displayed without completing a subscription because they are displayed directly on the website. You will also find the option of registration for Pro application on the website.

You have the opportunity to acquire a premium edition from Ultimate Guitar if you want this. The annual costs for this are 24.99 euros.
To illustrate, videos are presented to you in which they are accompanied by a guitarist who is a professional in his field.

Another plus point of the product is the enormous collection that Ultimate Guitar offers and which also includes the latest hits.

Songstr

When it comes to the user interface, Songsterr often praised for its slim and modern design. The dark mode (Dark Mode) of the platform is estimated by many users, since it offers an optically pleasant experience, especially at longer sessions with the platform. Another thing that deserves recognition is the precision with which the Songsterr tabs are generated, especially for certain songs and music genres.

On the other hand, some users have indicated that Songsterr offers quality, but may not always be able to keep up with the enormous amount of tabs that is available on other platforms.

However, the fact that you can play many songs completely free of charge and without registration is encouraging. For the upgrade to Songsterr Plus, € 9.99 per month is due.

Tabs Lite: Ultimate Chords

This is a great app for beginners. A slim, fast and easy to navigate user interface. There is no advertising in the middle of the lyrics, no subscription spam, and your stored tabs are opened directly.

There is an adjustable play rate and a pinch-to-zoom function with which the lyrics and chord names become larger/smaller (as with Google Messages). It is available in the Google Play Store.

03 websites with extensive online learning material

Then there are the classic websites with tabs, learning materials and instructions for playing guitar. The following options can also be learned free of charge.

Fender Play

Although Fender Play offers paid subscriptions, there is an excellent free test phase . The platform convinces in terms of structure and user -friendliness that meet the renowned instrument manufacturer. You can try out different styles and genres, which is particularly advantageous for beginners.

Also learn directly on the Fender Play website without registration or payment obligation directly 13 free guitar lessons including chords, scales and songs. This is a good starting point for your journey to play guitar. It corresponds approximately to the first three stages of the online lessons of the paid Fender Play subscription.

Here is a small sample:

 

Guitar tricks

Here you will also find a limited selection of free lessons that are conveyed by first -class teachers. Guitar Tricks provides 24 lessons for beginners to advanced to advanced via their Free Lessons program .

The high quality and clarity of the content speak for yourself. In a paid upgrade, a huge collection of songs and techniques awaits you here too.

True

With a wide range of free "TrueFire Channels" during a 14-day test access, this platform offers many lessons for beginners and advanced. TrueFire presents videos from leading guitarists worldwide so that you can learn from the best.

So why not browse a little in the free offer while you discover the potential to dive deeper? Attention: It must be actively terminated before the test period expires so that membership does not convert into a paid subscription.

Udemy-free guitar courses and tutorials

Using a visual learning platform like Udemy is an excellent way to learn guitar. The bit of unpredictability to Udemy is that the quality of the courses is very different and there are many, many options to choose from. However, the costs are appropriate. If I rate Udemy courses, I filter so that only the top rated courses are displayed. Then I look at the videos that are available for some of these courses. Then you can get an impression of how well the material is organized and whether the lecturer's approach appeals to you.

It is true that a lot of free material is available on YouTube. However, if I want to do curated and progressive learning, platforms like Udemy are better than YouTube in my opinion. Udemy enables content to be viewed offline, which I often need (with bad internet reception) and is more difficult or not possible on YouTube.

Fortunately, you will also find a lot of free guitar courses .

Learn guitar online

This German -speaking website onlinegitarrelerne.de has an elegant design and a stylish black background. The page offers some cool information about different guitar types and answers questions such as: What is an electric guitar? What are the usual features of classic guitars etc.?

Anyone, from newcomers to professionals, can also try this instrument with the simple instructions in the section "Learning to learn guitar" . The workshops and guitar songs sound pretty cool. A great offer, lots of information and an alternative to regular courses.

Guitar TV

With the help of this website you will also find numerous information and instructions to independently acquire the guitar game. Reinhold Pomaska, who runs the Guitar TV , invests a lot of effort into the offer and, in addition to his own guitar books, weekly song evenings for beginners and advanced . A forum is available to solve problems and questions as well as discussion of topics.

The self -created films are the actual heart of the program. You are not only freely available, but also make it easy for the user to learn every single aspect that is important for playing guitar. Finally, various chords are played, which start with the pick -up draft.

To explain, the corresponding film is also available in writing as a PDF. Due to the abundance of original and helpful content, this website has been given a high level of appreciation of guitar students for many years.

Guitarlessons.com by guitareo

also find a huge library with free guitar teaching videos Guitarlessons

The Riff by Guitareo

The Riff is the new Guitareo project to provide high-quality guitar tutorials for learning numerous songs.

The song selection is fantastic, especially when you like rock songs. The young guitarist Ayla brings the lessons across the lessons excellently.

Here is a sample for the popular guitar hit "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits:

04 online communities and forums

A "insider tip" for the psychology of learning are the joy of learning and fun practicing. These elements are indispensable elements in the learning process. Passion and enthusiasm for learning are the strongest motivators.

In addition, the connection to a community, finding like -minded people and even social recognition are an important source of motivation. So why not join an online community, of which there are numerous and share your progress?

The best online guitar communities are:

Reddits

This platform is one of the largest and most active guitar communities online. Whether you have any questions about certain playing techniques or just want to present your progress: The community here is extremely helpful and supportive.

The best reddates for learning the guitar are R/Guitar and R/Guitar Lessons .

Ultimate Guitar Forum

In addition to a variety of tabs and chords, Ultimate Guitar also offers a very active forum. Here you can ask questions and exchange ideas with other guitarists.

Facebook groups

There are countless guitar groups on Facebook that range from beginners to very specific genres and styles. A simple access to one of these groups can offer you many opportunities for exchange and support.

Synner Forum

At https://forums.synner.com/lessons/ there are as many content for free guitar lessons, compiled by Synyster Gates by Avenged Sevenfold . Classes begin with the basics such as holding and voices of the guitar, then passes to the caged system and finally dives into more advanced things such as Arpeggios and Legatos.

For every topic you will find video lessons that break down the information, as well as some additional materials that help you. The whole thing is structured like a community with a forum that is ideal for exchange with like -minded people.

If you are looking for exchange for the hottest E-guitar-licks in the heavy metal universe, you are excellent for synner.

Practical information on the effective use of the free learning programs

1. Set realistic goals

It is important to formulate realistic and measurable goals. This can include learning a song every week or practicing for 20 minutes a day. Small successes promote motivation and keep it up.

2. Use different resources

Don't try to concentrate on a single resource. The mix does it! YouTube videos offer visual support, while apps provide immediate feedback and provide websites to deeper insights and a wide selection of songs and techniques.

3. Games regularly

Are you ready for another "fun fact" ? Real rock stars play no less than 15-20 hours a week! But don't worry, a few minutes a day are sufficient for the beginning.

Regularity is crucial to train muscle memory and dexterity. "

4. Accept videos

Recharging (and looking) of your own performance is an excellent method for self -review and improvement. It may be a bit unusual at first, but it is extremely helpful to recognize and correct mistakes in the game.

Final words

Just start! Perhaps the best advice I can give you is easy to start. Don't make it too complicated - don't think about every decision. There is a wealth of valuable, free resources that are just waiting to be discovered by you.

Grab your guitar, find a teacher or an app that suits you, make your instrument well and start your musical journey.

When I sit in my living room and try to get the solo from "Stairway to Heaven" (not yet completely painless, I admit), then I have a smile on my lips. Because it is the way - and the path to a free guitar learning experience is certainly well taken.

So what are you still waiting for? Right out your guitar, rummage through the recommended resources and let the strings sound!

This hopefully ends up with comprehensive and motivating instructions for the exciting journey of free guitar learning. There will be ups and downs, but one thing is certain: it will be a musical experience that enriches your life and creates unforgettable moments.

Have fun playing!