The 10 Best Youtube Guitar Lessons Channels (2023)

There has never been a better time to be a guitar player. In the past, if you wanted to learn to play the guitar, you had no choice but to pay for lessons.

Today, countless guitar classes, labs, and workshops are available on YouTube, all for free. Whatever style you want to learn, you’ll be sure to find more than enough content to keep you moving right along.

Just because there are innumerable guitar lesson videos available online and on YouTube, that doesn’t mean that all of them are equal.

Truth be told, they range in quality from highly professional and helpful to unhelpful and even counterproductive. Choose the wrong online guitar teacher, and you’ll likely pick up on some of their bad habits, habits that may then take you years of dedicated practice to break.

If you’re a beginner guitarist floundering in a sea of YouTube videos or a seasoned player looking to go deeper on technique and theory, don’t despair. We’ve reviewed the top ten YouTube guitar lessons channels out there so that you won’t have to.

Best YouTube Channels To Learn Guitar Playing And More

Here is our list of the top 10 YouTube channels best for learning guitar properly. Since some of the channels/ lessons are suitable for beginners and others are targeted at advanced guitar players, check out which one is best suited for your skill level and playing style.

1. Justin Guitar

YouTube sensation Justin Sandercoe has helped millions of beginning and practicing guitarists learn and hone their playing. A personable and effective communicator, Justin Guitar has accumulated over 1.6 million followers on his YouTube channel.

The intermediate guitarist will find plenty of useful content in Justin’s YouTube video library, but a good portion of his work is geared toward the beginner. Like a good sports coach, Justin stresses the fundamentals and attention to detail.

Beginner guitarists will want to check out Justin’s “NITSUJ” series, during which he learns to play left-handed.

His willingness to abandon his hard-earned rank, so to speak, and climb into the trenches with the greenest of the green (at least physically speaking) has enamored Justin Sandercoe to a whole new generation of budding guitarists.

While Justin offers plenty of valuable content for free on his YouTube channel, he also offers premium content via his website. Even in the land of paywalls, though, Justin offers a free beginner’s course that’s well worth checking out.

2. Steve Stine Guitar Lessons Review

Over thirty years of playing and teaching experience have made Steve Stine one of the most sought-after guitar teachers in the business.

Steve has helped millions of practicing guitarists in over one hundred countries improve the quality of their playing. With 711K YouTube followers, that number will undoubtedly continue to grow.

When you look to Steve Stine for your guitar tutelage, you can rest easy knowing you’re learning from a man who has mastered his craft.

Having earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Steve went on to tour as lead guitarist for bands that toured the United States and the United Kingdom.

Steve has been featured in Guitar World Magazine as an instructor and is a former professor of modern guitar studies at North Dakota State University.

Steve Stine’s YouTube channel offers tons of great free content suitable for beginner and intermediate players, with new videos regularly uploaded.

There are plenty of single, one-off video lessons available for free and many highly popular video series, including “Monday Guitar Motivation,” “Fretboard Framework,” and a six-week soloing challenge webinar.

Steve also offers a series of paid content, available exclusively at guitarzoom.com.

3. Guitareo (Musora)

Featuring a team of six highly effective and likable instructors led by Canadian guitar prodigy Ayla Tessler Mabe, Guitareo has fast become one of the top-rated guitar lesson sites on the market.

With its nearly overwhelming catalog of video tutorials and lessons, and a new video uploaded every Friday, guitarists of every style and skill level will find value at Guitareo.

Fortunately for those of us on a shoestring budget, Guitareo offers a wealth of valuable free content on YouTube.

Here, the practicing guitarist can find full-length guitar lessons, tricks, and tips for better playing and even fun and engaging guitar challenges. 1.05 million subscribers attest to the fact that Guitareo is the real deal.

Guitareo gears most of its content toward beginner guitarists, but there’s more than enough great content to keep seasoned players engaged.

With videos on subjects as diverse as crafting solos, refining tone, gear reviews, writing songs on guitar, and fingerpicking style (to name a few,) Guitareo definitely belongs on any list of the best YouTube channels for learning guitar.

Guitarists looking for more in-depth tutelage will find Guitareo.com fertile ground indeed.

With its three-pronged focus on method, songs, and support, Guitareo’s paid site features a “ten-level, step-by-step curriculum” designed to help you meet and exceed your guitar goals and a comprehensive library of popular guitar songs.

Update: After Guitareo’s acquisition by Musora Media, the YouTube channel name has changed to ‘Musora’ as part of their rebranding process. To my knowledge, the channel has transitioned from ‘GuitarLessonsOnline’ to ‘Guitareo’ and now ‘Musora’.

4. TrueFire

Truefire is a giant in the online guitar lessons market, having steadily built an unrivaled library of valuable and user-friendly content.

Guitar Player Magazine calls TrueFire “the planet’s largest and most comprehensive selection of online guitar lessons.” Fortunately for the budget-conscious, Truefire also posts tons of valuable content on its YouTube channel.

Over 500K followers attest to the fact that Truefire’s YouTube channel is far more than a commercial for paid content.

With video lessons on technique, tutorials on how to play some of the most popular songs ever recorded, and tips and tricks from some of Truefire’s 600+ world-class instructors, this channel offers something for guitarists at every level.

Truefire’s paid site boasts a very popular Master Class Series, featuring guitar legends the likes of Joe Bonamassa and Matt Schofield, as well as “In the Jam” interactive videos that let you play along with these guitar luminaries.

While many of these premium lessons are available exclusively on Truefire’s paid site, a number are featured on Truefire’s YouTube guitar channel.

In the interest of full disclosure, I currently enjoy a paid membership with Truefire but am not compensated in any way for recommending either their paid site or YouTube channel.

5. Marty Music

Marty Music, which features instructor Marty Schwartz, is next on our list of the best YouTube channels for beginning and practicing guitarists. Marty started playing guitar in high school, then studied modern music at the Sante Fe University of Art and Design.

A professional guitar instructor and former music teacher, Marty has mastered many guitar styles. With almost 4 million subscribers on his Marty Music YouTube channel, it’s no exaggeration to say Marty has influenced the playing of many millions of aspiring and practicing guitarists.

Marty Music stands apart from the veritable sea of guitar lesson channels on YouTube because, like the other entries on our list, it offers a staggering number of top-quality guitar tutorial videos for free.

From song tutorials to gear reviews to beginner’s lessons for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass guitar, Marty Music has a wide enough variety of content to engage guitarists of all skill levels.

In addition to his free YouTube offerings, Marty Music also offers a paid experience that incorporates many styles and aims to be budget-friendly.

Featuring lessons with titles like “Essential Blues Rock Bundle,” Modes Master Class,” and the “Lead Guitar Face-Melter Bundle,” Marty Music has something for guitarists of all styles and skill levels.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out Marty Schwartz’s free guitar lessons on YouTube to get a feel for his informative, enjoyable teaching style.

6. Guitar Lessons 365 Song

When experienced guitar instructor Carl Brown started a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching guitarists how to play some of the most popular guitar songs ever recorded, he struck a chord with the community.

With 1.38 million subscribers, Guitar Lessons 365 Song is one of the most popular guitar YouTube channels.

A professional guitar teacher for over twenty years, Carl Brown also operates Guitar Lessons 365, where he offers free guitar lessons on everything from basic music theory to learning acoustic guitar.

With a very respectable 276K followers, this channel and Guitar Lessons 365 Songs are easily among the best YouTube channels for guitar players.

On his Guitar Lessons 365 Song channel, Carl offers fun, easy-to-follow tutorials on popular songs of all styles. Whether you’re looking to learn your favorite songs by the Rolling Stones or Billy Joel, or crank up the dial and shred to some Ozzy and Pantera, Carl has got you covered.

Carl Brown believes “There’s an epic guitarist hiding in everyone” and has built his channel with this in mind. Every Saturday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, Carl produces a YouTube livestream called “Guitar Lessons 365 Academy.”

A great way to keep practicing guitarists engaged and motivated, the stream is entertaining and informative. Carl also offers premium, paid content via his website guitarlessons365.com.

Here, the practicing guitarist will find comprehensive, systematic video guitar lessons for players of all skill levels and musical styles. Guitar Lessons 365.com offers courses on ear training, guitar technique, music theory, and even guitar maintenance.

If you’re looking for a YouTube guitar instructor, don’t make your decision before you check out Carl Brown’s Guitar Lessons 365 and his even more popular Guitar Lessons 365 Songs.

7. Ben Eller Guitars

So far, the YouTube guitar channels we’ve looked at have been aimed at various styles of guitar playing. At Ben Ellers Guitars, rock and heavy metal rule and shredding is the primary focus.

Ben started uploading guitar instruction videos and tutorials to YouTube in 2012. The following year, he started his highly popular “Why You Suck at Guitar” series, which focuses on identifying and correcting bad habits you may have picked up as a beginner or intermediate practicing guitarist.

“Uncle” Ben Ellers offers an extensive catalog of free guitar-related videos on his YouTube channel, covering topics from alternate picking to why it’s harder to shred high on the neck.

There are also videos breaking down the style of some of hair metal’s premier guitarists, such as White Lion’s Vito Bratta and Whitesnake’s John Sykes.

Some highly entertaining and informative interviews, such as the one he does with Skid Row’s Scotti Hill on soloing, make this channel a must-watch for any hard-rocking guitarist.

If you’re a practicing guitarist with an eye toward shredding, be sure and visit Ben Ellers Guitars on YouTube.

Ben also offers premium content via the highly popular Ultimate Guitar Tabs website, and he is a contributor to Premier Guitar Magazine. Ben Eller’s YouTube guitar channel boasts 471K subscribers, a more-than-respectable number given the channel’s specialized focus.

8. Marco Cirillo

Rounding out our list of the best YouTube channels for guitarists is Marco Cirillo Guitar. An excellent place for practicing guitarists who want to learn fingerpicking and Spanish-style guitar, Marco Cirillo Guitar has garnered over 791K followers to date.

Marco earned his degree in classical guitar in 2005, then studied modern music for five years in Rome, Italy. Following his conservatorship, he moved to London, learned English, and started teaching guitar and jamming with other musicians.

Offering free videos on technique, chords, melody, improvisation, and blues styles, Marco also provides commentary on famous guitarists and guitar-related themes. Most notable, perhaps, is Marco’s “Fingerpicking in Seven Days” series, also available for free on his channel.

Marco Cirillo offers premium content through Blitzguitar.teachable.com and is also an instructor for the online guitar platform Udemy.

9. Music Is Win

Of all the channels on YouTube offering free guitar content, none is quite like Music is Win. A unique blend of guitar culture, entertainment, lifestyle, and lessons, Music is Win is no case of “jack of all trades, master of none.”

From gear and product reviews to engaging interviews with some of today’s most influential guitarists, Music is Win offers a lot of fun, entertaining, and enlightening content.

Unfortunately, unlike the other entries on our list of best YouTube channels for learning guitar, Music is Win doesn’t offer much in the way of actual lessons on its channel. That said, there’s still more than enough great content to rank Music is Win as one of the best guitar-themed YouTube channels.

Practicing guitarists interested in learning music theory, improvisation, songwriting, and “exotic scale exploration” will find a treasure trove of content on Music is Win’s paid website.

“Designed to help you reach the peak of your guitar playing potential,” Music is Win offers hundreds of hours of valuable paid content.

Tyler Larson, the founder of Music is Win, is your instructor/host and the primary reason this channel now boasts 1.68 million subscribers.

A graduate of the prestigious Berklee School of Music, which counts Steve Vai and Al DiMeola among its alumni, Tyler has appeared on studio albums and toured as a lead guitarist.

10. Everything Music

If you haven’t heard of Rick Beato and his “Everything Music” YouTube channel, you owe it to yourself to check it out before deciding which are the best YouTube guitar lessons for you.

Rick talks about lots of complex stuff beyond the understanding of most beginners, so it would be much easier and beneficial for intermediate or advanced-level guitar players to follow this channel.

A talented multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and engineer, Rick Beato has worked with several popular acts, perhaps most notably SHINEDOWN. Rick earned his Master’s in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music and has since lectured on music at several universities.

Everything Music is a fantastic resource, not only for guitarists but for anyone who plays an instrument.

Rick’s guitar content includes video lessons on technique and style, commentary on guitarists and guitar culture, and conversations and jams with guitarists as well-known as Eric Johnson and Bon Jovi’s Phil X. It’s no wonder Rick Beato’s Everything Music enjoys a vast subscriber base of 3.73 Million followers.

For those who want to delve deeper into music education, Rick offers premium content via his website, Rickbeato.com. Here, practicing guitarists can learn music theory and train their ears to improve their natural pitch.

While there’s plenty of quality content on Rick’s paid site, he is very generous with his video lessons and conversations, posting most of them to his YouTube channel.

If you still aren’t sold on the value Rick’s channel can bring you, consider that Gibson, in 2021, released a Rick Beato Signature Double-Cut Les Paul Special. How many guitarists who haven’t sold a million copies are awarded that distinction?

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

To the traditionalist, learning guitar on YouTube may seem the height of folly; and one could make the case that, until relatively recently, they may have been right.

Thanks to an emergent crop of highly professional, fun and engaging, entrepreneurially-minded guitar instructors, YouTube guitar lessons have come a very long way.

If you’re a practicing guitarist looking to take your playing to the next level, or even the greenest novices, check out the channels listed above before choosing the best YouTube guitar lessons for you.