10 Best YouTube Channels for Free Guitar Lessons

It is so much easier to learn how to play the guitar today than a few decades ago, not to mention more practical.

Thanks to YouTube and other online resources, learning to play the guitar is now as effortless as one can imagine.

You will never have to worry about spending a dime on guitar lessons as long as you have access to the internet.

YouTube has hundreds of channels offering guitar lessons, introducing you to fundamental music theory, finger positioning, tuning, chord structures, tablature reading, and other guitar-playing essentials.

Unfortunately, it can be daunting to pick which YouTube channel can offer you the best guitar-playing instruction.

That is why I prepared this list of the ten best YouTube channels for free guitar lessons to give you a head start in your search.

These YouTube Channels should help kick-start your guitar-playing adventures.

The 10 best free guitar lesson channels on YouTube

• Guitar Jamz
• Justin Guitar
• Guitareo
• Andy Guitar
• Acoustic Life
• TomoFujitaMusic
  
• JamPlay
• Paul Davids
• rockongoodpeople
• Rick Graham

Guitar Jamz

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/martyzsongs

Number of Subscribers: 2.29 million                                        

With free guitar lesson videos enjoying anywhere between 2 million and 15 million views every month, there is no denying Marty Schwartz’s Guitar Jamz is the undisputed king of YouTube channels for free guitar lessons.

Schwartz uploaded his first guitar video lesson as a learning material for one of his ‘lazy’ students in 2005.

Little did this former elementary music teacher know that his videos would be effective, prompting him to make and upload more.

Today, Guitar Jamz has more than 200 free guitar lessons and provides lessons for beginner guitarists, intermediate players, and advanced guitarists.

Guitar Jamz is perfect for beginners because each lesson Marty organizes allows progress monitoring, boosting the learner’s self-esteem.

You will also never feel rushed into learning the core concepts, complete with Marty’s detailed explanation of each step in non-technical terms like a kindergarten teacher teaching his young wards.

Beginner guitarists go through each phase methodically, starting with the basic guitar chord shapes, playing simple songs, and doing epic guitar exercises.

On the other hand, intermediate and advanced players might find Marty’s instruction too basic and boring.

It would be best to remember that Marty focuses on developing the beginner guitarist’s foundational skills, allowing him to take on any song he chooses in the future.

However, more advanced players can still watch Guitar Jamz’s collaboration videos with respected artists, such as Brett Papa, John Kenesky, and Tenacious D.

They can still improve their understanding of music theory and learn other guitar-playing tricks from legends in the business.

 

Justin Guitar

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/justinguitar

Number of Subscribers: 1.47 million        

With a gray Ivy cap crowning a gleeful face, there is no mistaking Justin Sandercoe’s Justin Guitar YouTube channel.

The Australian guitarist, educator, producer, songwriter, and performer has more than 1,800 fun and effective song tutorials and guitar lessons on his channel, perfect for guitarists of all skill levels.

Justin Guitar offers almost everything to know about guitar-playing, including ukulele, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar lessons.

You also learn how to adjust or tweak a guitar’s different parts and fix common guitar problems.

Guitarists also get music theory and guitar-playing tricks and techniques.

What endears Justin the most to his subscribers and followers is his charming personality.

Justin is never cocky nor arrogant nor conveys an off-putting vibe that will make you want to change your YouTube channel immediately.

His friendly and charming persona will make you want to learn more from this Aussie (who is now based in the UK).

Unsurprisingly, Justin Guitar continues to grow both in viewership and subscription.

After all, we all want to learn from someone who is uplifting and positive about everything.

 

Guitareo

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/guitarlessonscom

Number of Subscribers: 853,000

Guitareo’s YouTube channel provides you with easy-to-follow instruction on guitar-playing basics, including holding the guitar, finger placement and movement, essential chords, rhythm, and strumming patterns.

These lessons should give you a sufficient understanding of how to play the guitar.

Ayla Tesler-Mabe and Nate Savage also offer their expertise to intermediate and advanced guitarists.

You can get a detailed course in rhythm guitars, lead guitars, music theory, and more.

However, I would like to point out that Guitareo’s YouTube channel is only a marketing tool for its paid music lessons.

It has monthly, annual, and lifetime membership for those who can see themselves playing the guitar for several decades into the future.

You can always try the service for a week for free, or you might want to head to their YouTube channel for free guitar lessons.

Most people would take the latter option.

While the YouTube videos are teasers, you can still get good material to start on your guitar-playing adventure.

 

Andy Guitar

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9cvVvlvr-qBssphm1EdYGQ

Number of Subscribers: 2.05 million        

Andy Crowley is one of my favorite YouTube guitar instructors because of his laid-back and amiable teaching style.

Unlike other YouTube channels that offer free guitar lessons for beginners, Andy strives to make each lesson as straightforward, fun, and enjoyable as possible.

My favorite?

How about Andy’s 2-chord or 3-chord songs?

These songs may seem ridiculous at first, but they enjoy significant viewership on YouTube.

For example, Andy Guitar’s Beginners First Guitar Lesson on 2-chord songs has nearly four million views.

While Andy uploaded the content in 2014, it remains one of the artist’s most productive guitar lessons.

This YouTube channel also has free guitar lesson videos for kids, just in case you want your little one to master the guitar before reaching the next birthday.

Andy structures his guitar lessons that even a four-year-old can ace the chords after watching a video.

If you want a complete guitar lesson, you can always head to Andyguitar.com and access more than 500 materials for harnessing skills and improving knowledge in music theory.

 

Acoustic Life

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAcousticChallenge

Number of Subscribers: 436,000

Here is another exciting free guitar lesson YouTube channel worth checking out, especially if you are into acoustic guitars.

Tony Polecastro created the channel to introduce people to the delightful world of acoustic guitar-playing and folk culture.

Acoustic Life does not only present free acoustic guitar lessons for beginners, but it also offers album reviews and acoustic guitar reviews.

Intermediate guitarists might also find Tony’s interviews with guitar icons exceptional in advancing their skills.

A must-view is the Acoustic Tuesday Show for acoustic guitar geeks.

It does not matter if you are new to acoustic guitars because Tony shows you everything you need to create elegant, all-natural sound.

There is also an acoustic guitar maintenance guide video series for those who want to keep their musical instruments in tip-top shape.

Despite its singular focus on acoustic guitars, other guitarists can still learn a trick or two from Tony’s extensive video lesson collection.

 

TomoFujitaMusic

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe2OJ09kz2MEl6k4nsCMP6Q

Number of Subscribers: 407,000

TomoFujitaMusic is another YouTube channel worth checking out to learn guitar-playing essentials, techniques, and tricks.

The video collection reflects Tomo Fujita’s 27 years of experience teaching guitar at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

Fujita focuses more on the blues, believing it is the foundation of other music genres, including pop, jazz, and rock and roll.

Hence, mastering Fujita’s guitar-playing essentials can open many doors to aspiring guitarists across genres.

Fujita uploads new YouTube videos almost every day.

There are guitars and guitar gear reviews, guitar maintenance, instrument tuning, and advanced guitar-playing techniques.

Advanced guitarists can also expect to learn a thing or two from Fujita, especially if they check out Guitar Wisdom.

The channel also offers tips and tricks to accelerate one’s guitar-playing mastery, including music theory, improvisations, and others.

 

JamPlay

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/JamPlayDotCom

Number of Subscribers: 340,000

JamPlay has everything for almost anyone, from beginners to advanced guitarists and everyone in between.

While this YouTube channel is a teaser for the official site, it has an extensive video collection worth checking.

Intermediate guitarists can hone their arpeggio skills, try the blues, or get an introduction to guitar harmonics.

There is bluegrass flatpicking, jazz comping and chording, and phenomenal licks worth adding to one’s guitar-playing repertoire.

Unlike other YouTube channels for free guitar lessons, JamPlay has different teachers, artists, and players leading the lessons.

You can always choose someone to follow, depending on your playing style and skill level.

The channel also has challenging lessons for advanced guitarists, allowing them to refine their craft and transform them into legendary artists.

There are playing styles, song tutorials, and other learning activities to get you ready for your first gig.

 

Paul Davids

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/PaulDavids/about

Number of Subscribers: 2.58 million       

Having a soothing voice is not the only reason Paul Davids enjoys millions of followers and subscribers.

This YouTube guitar instruction sensation is also a phenomenal guitarist, whether you give him an acoustic or an electric.

Many guitarists visit Paul’s YouTube channel for his unique take on how people can learn to play the guitar.

Although Paul Davids does not focus on song tutorials, you can still learn a couple from his page.

What impresses many people the most is Paul’s extensive guitar and gear knowledge.

The channel’s video lesson collection demystifies many aspects of the guitar and imbibes a newfound appreciation for the musical instrument.

Paul also covers music theory, instrument differentiation, and popular reeds.

There are lessons for guitarists of various skill levels – you can find almost anything you want to learn from this channel.

 

rockongoodpeople

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/rockongoodpeople

Number of Subscribers: 346,000

This YouTube channel has the same marketing model as JamPlay and other channels on this list – using YouTube as a platform for encouraging viewers to try out their lessons for a fee.

Although a marketing tool, Rock On Good People delivers the goods where they matter the most.

This channel has an extensive guitar instruction video collection for beginners, introducing newbie guitarists to the core basics and developing their passion for music.

The videos include interesting how-tos, encouraging novice guitarists to observe healthy and positive guitar-playing habits as essential prerequisites to covering songs and improvisations.

ROGP teachers have a laid-back style, full of positivity, and always out for the good of their learners.

Novice guitarists will never feel left out or intimidated, feeling more relaxed and serving as a motivational boost.

Experienced guitarists can also learn a few tricks from ROGP, empowering them to conquer the concert stage faster.

It would be accurate to say that ROGP’s focus is more on intermediate and advanced guitarists.

However, its healthy guitar-playing habits are worth integrating into a beginner’s mindset.

 

Rick Graham

Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/starlinginspector

Number of Subscribers: 250,000

What does Another One Bites the Dust, Eye of the Tiger, Sweet Home Alabama, Born to Be Wild, and The One I Love have in common?

Besides being some of the world’s finest songs, they also have the most iconic guitar riffs of all time.

If you are a guitarist who aspires to write your legendary riff, I recommend checking out Rick Graham.

It is not uncommon for viewers to mesmerize at Rick’s riff-playing capabilities.

The good news is that Rick Graham makes it easy to execute the riffs by breaking them down into chunks, enabling beginner guitarists to play splendidly.

Rick also has videos for shredding, perfect for guitarists aspiring to be the next Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and other legendary shredders.

If you prefer honing your fingerstyle, Rick also has lessons for the arpeggio.

The channel also provides instruction for beginners, especially in building proper guitar-playing techniques.

 

Conclusion        

YouTube has many channels offering free guitar lessons for beginners and intermediate players that choosing among them can be challenging, if not frustrating.

It would be wise to remember this list of the best YouTube channels for free guitar lessons are for beginners looking to learn and master the core basics.

These guitar-playing essentials are your stepping stones to playing the songs you have always wanted to showcase in your YouTube channel or present to friends, family, or the school.

If you need more advanced techniques or tricks in playing your genre or guitar-playing style, it would be best to look for other YouTube channels.

Do you agree with the YouTube channels I listed here?

Do you have other channel recommendations?

Would you share your thoughts in the comments below and I am sure other readers would also like to know what YouTube channel you are learning from to hone your guitar-playing skills.