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Learning guitar is a continuous process. There is always another component to add to your repertoire, more styles to experiment with and songs to play.
There have never been more tools, resources and tutorials available to musicians than there are today.
If you want to learn guitar, you can find an unbelievable cache of advice and training just by searching the web. Plus, most of it is free or highly affordable.
Let's dig in to some of the best ways to learn guitar in 2022.
Ultimate Guitar Tutorials and Phone App
We recently posted a blog sharing five of this year's best phones apps for guitarists. Among them was Ultimate Guitar's comprehensive suite for guitar tabs, tips and tutorials.
Ultimate Guitar's website and phone app are the best for learning guitar using tabs. Reading guitar and bass tabs is a valuable skill in itself, and it offers a more robust understanding of your instrument than just playing by ear.
Whether you use Ultimate Guitar's website or phone app, you are going to have access to countless courses, and a bustling user forum where fellow musicians are sharing their best tips.
In the app, you'll find a built-in guitar tuner, a playlist creation tool to save your favorite tabs, and the ability to access them offline.
The app for iPhone and Android costs $9.99 a month, or $39.99 a year.
All Guitar Chords
If you're a beginner to guitar or bass, then learning the major chords is the best place to start. You can do this freely and efficiently using All Guitar Chords.
The website is free to use, and offers easily digestible visual diagrams for chords, as well as guidance on how to play in different chord positions.
Simply choose the note you want to learn the chord for, and click which type of chord you're looking for. Getting a diagram for a C Major is easy, but you can get much more in depth if you'd like, such as practicing an augmented F# chord.
All Guitar Chords comes equipped with a diverse array of other tools to help you along your journey to master the guitar. Look at their guitar arpeggios, scale identifier, metronome and guitar tuner, to name a few.
Scroll to the bottom for the "How to Use Chord Finder," writeup, which is the perfect introduction to working with the tool.
Metronomes and Drum Loops
It sounds simple, but learning to play in time is a massive component of mastering the guitar. Practicing to a click track will offer greater benefits than simply playing a song by itself.
That's why it's vital to take advantage of devices which keep the song on beat.
The internet is stocked with free metronomes like those from Soundbrenner, Musicca, and JamPlay. All of them let you customize the BPM, beat count, and more.
However, if you want to take your experience a step further, it's worth looking into a drum machine pedal or drum looper. The benefit is clear: you will be immersed in a real musical experience, which has major implications for how you express the cadence and tonality of a song.
We created the BeatBuddy drummer pedal for this precise reason. It is designed top to bottom for guitarists and bassists to improve their creative command, and progress their abilities, fast.
BeatBuddy offers more than 200 musical styles, genres and drum beats to match your songwriting needs. You can customize the BPM live, and add intros, outros and drum fills with the tap of a foot.
It's better than a metronome. It's real drum sounds, recorded by real drummers, and gives you the experience of playing with a live band. After all, there's no better way to learn guitar than through real musical immersion.
Roadie Coach: A New Age Learning Tool
In the spirit of embracing unique and progressive methods to learn guitar, let's introduce the Roadie Coach. This innovative device is not just a smart recorder, but also a music tutor and MIDI controller all rolled into one. It's a new-age tool that brings a fresh perspective to learning music, making it a worthy addition to our list.
Imagine having the ability to instantly record your performances whenever inspiration strikes, with the Coach seamlessly attached to your instrument. This feature alone makes it a great tool for capturing those spontaneous musical ideas that often come and go. But the Roadie Coach offers much more than just recording capabilities.
The real game-changer is the companion app that acts as your personal music tutor. It provides instant on-screen feedback and personalized tips based on your performance. This interactive guidance ensures that you stay on the right track as you learn, making the learning process more engaging and effective.
Whether you're a seasoned musician looking to refine your skills or a beginner just starting your musical journey, the Roadie Coach offers a transformative learning experience. It's designed to elevate your skills and ignite your passion for music, making it a truly invaluable tool for any guitarist.
Learn Guitar with Video Games
It's 2022, and any list of guitar resources would be incomplete without something unique and progressive. Believe it or not, you can actually learn to play guitar on your gaming console.
We're not talking about Guitar Hero here. We're talking about Rocksmith by Ubisoft. While this option is not free, it is an incredible way to get younger and more technologically inclined players involved in the learning process.
Rocksmith for Guitar and Bass contains over 80 interactive lessons. You'll need a specific guitar cable designed for your console, but any guitar or bass with a 1/4" input jack will be compatible.
You can play along with your favorite songs, play with another friend, and learn guitar from the ground up. Plus, it's available in English, French and Spanish. Beware though, the lessons are not especially in-depth, and might have a shelf life as you improve your skills.
One-on-one Lessons (with a Modern Twist)
Many will say that the only real way to learn guitar is to have a personal teacher. There are clear advantages to this. For one thing, they can focus on your individual strengths and weaknesses and tailor a lesson to your needs.
The problem is, the time it takes to travel to and from those lessons piles up, and often there is a rate hike for the privilege of being in a one-on-one setting.
But it's 2022, and there's a happy medium. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, video conference lessons have become more popular than ever.
What's even more cooler than that, scores of wonderful teachers who used to only offer in-person lessons have now shifted their focus to accommodate people who want to stay home.
If you're someone with a tight schedule, or just want to learn from the comfort of your home, this might be the way to go. Oftentimes, the video call lessons are more affordable than what you would have paid to meet in person.
Looking to find teachers, and don't know where to start? We recommend Take Lessons. Their website lets you easily search teachers and tutors for all kinds of things, (maybe you want piano lessons, too) and lets you filter by area, price, age and gender.
What's Your Favorite Way to Learn Guitar?
Thanks for reading our guide. We hope it gave you a little extra insight into the next step in your musical journey. We know that this is only a small taste of all the methods players use to learn their instrument.
Have an idea that isn't on our list? Comment it below! Learning an instrument is a community effort. The best way to improve your skills is to listen to the people who have done it. So let us know.
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1 comment
Wally Murray
The best way I’ve found to learn guitar and get better while just learning songs is a YouTube site called GUITAR AT WORK by Shane Simpson.
I’ve tried others, apps like Rock Prodigy, other sites like both Justin’s and Eric’s ( signed up and paid up but just couldn’t get inspired). Not saying I haven’t learn a few thing from these other sites but Shane consistently has me learning new songs and without really realizing it, learning new techniques, strumming patterns and more.
Shane uses the BeatBuddy with almost every song as his backing track and Aeros looper to teach even more like lead work over top of the chords we’ve just learned in the song.
Highly recommend the site.
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