The
guitar is one of those instruments that many want to learn. Getting a teacher can be pricey and to teach yourself the guitar is daunting!
However, with the following resources and tips, you should find that teaching yourself isn’t that scary!
Online Lessons
There are plenty of online lesson services to help teach yourself the guitar. Some are paid, which will offer some premium perks. Free services will often include resources like videos and work sheets. Paid services will usually add things like one to one feedback.
At Normans we are partnered with a great company who offer online lessons. They do guitar lessons along with other instruments. They are called
Gigajam and they offer some great lessons. With selected products in our catalogue you can access these
lessons for free for 6 months.
Teach yourself the guitar with videos
You can teach yourself just about anything these days through looking on YouTube. From new hobbies to practical home repairs! Teaching yourself
the guitar is no different! There are plenty of videos out there to teach you what you need.
Whether you want to go into the depths of Jazz-Fusion or just want to play a few Oasis songs. There will be video lessons on the guitar available.
Some highly recommended channels to watch for lessons are:
Justin Guitar
Guitar Lessons 365
Jamplay
GuitarLessons.com
Books to teach yourself the guitar
While a little outdated for some people, you can still get some great books on learning the guitar. From basic chord dictionaries to full comprehensive guides. Similarly, with video lessons, there is always a book out there for any topic. If you want to go down a more academic route you can also buy the ABRSM Grade books.
Apps
If you’d prefer to digest your lessons through your phone or a tablet, there are some great apps out there. Usually they do cost some money, or work on a monthly subscription model.
Fender, aside from making great quality instruments, have an app called
Fender Play. This caters a curriculum for you based on your personal preferences and goals. It can be more expensive than some resources, being around £9.59 a month at the time of writing. However, the cost of a teacher for half an hour a week can come out at £50 or more a month!
Yousician is very popular. Offering a very visual way to learn the guitar – along with other instruments. It is initially free but to turn ads off and use without interruptions there is a premium subscription.
Ultimate-Guitar is a website that nearly every guitarist, and even other musicians, will know. Being the go-to place for chords and tabs for many years. They also have an app available so that you can view these resources on your phone or tablet in the correct orientation.
Which is the best method?
There is a lot to digest here, so it can be tricky to think of the best way to go forward. I would personally suggest dipping your toe into every resource you can! Variety can make you a better musician and can guide you in ways that one source of knowledge alone can’t.
Find what suits you best and work with that. If you’re a bit more old-school you can even find basic chord sheets online and work from them!
Another thing that is always helpful, is speaking to guitar players and musicians. If you know any they can give valuable tips. Otherwise, talking online with musicians can give you insights you never might have found from lessons or videos alone!
