Searching for the best free guitar lessons for beginners on YouTube? Here are 14 of the best YouTube channels where you can learn guitar online for free!
There are so many guitar tutorials available online that it can be an absolute nightmare knowing where to start as a new player. Who is the best guitar teacher on YouTube? What channel caters to your specific tastes? Do they upload enough videos every month to keep you busy?
As a beginner guitarist, it is so important to have structure in your learning process. If you are a bit of a scatterbrain like me, it can be all too easy to hop from one random YouTube guitar tutorial to another.
This is where these channels shine!
Below you’ll find a selection of excellent and well-established channels on YouTube for free guitar tutorials. I have tried my best to include pages that will cater to as wide a variety of players as possible.
Best YouTube Channels For Free Guitar Lessons For Beginners
1. Justin Guitar
Best For Structured Courses
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 1.9 million | 1200 | Weekly |
Link – Justin Guitar YouTube Channel
Justin Sandercoe has been producing some of the best online guitar lessons on YouTube for 20 YEARS at the time of writing. As one of the original and longest-serving YouTube guitar lesson channels, it would be a massive oversight not to include this absolute legend.
Video lessons on his YouTube channel ‘Justin Guitar‘ are well-curated. However, the best way to navigate the veritable smorgasbord of videos is by heading to JustinGuitar.com and following along with the free guitar lessons from there.
There, you will find complete structured courses, individual song lessons, technique tips, practice tools, and much more. Oh, and did I mention that all of this content is completely FREE?
So dedicated is Justin to guitar tutelage that he actually filmed a video series where he tries to learn guitar left-handed (he’s a righty). The aim here is that by effectively starting again from scratch, he will gain a much better understanding of how it feels to be a complete beginner.
2. Marty Music
Best For Learning Songs
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 4.8 Million | 4300 | Daily |
Link – Marty Music
Like Justin Sandercoe, Marty Schwartz is another absolute institution when it comes to YouTube guitar lessons. At the time of writing, his channel Marty Music is closing in on the 5 million subscriber mark with over 4000 videos encapsulating most genres.
His videos include song lessons, short beginner courses, guitar maintenance tips, and beginner guitar theory breakdowns. However, he does concentrate heavily on teaching well-known songs in a beginner-friendly format. For that reason, he would definitely be my recommendation if learning songs is what you’re after.
He is a prolific content creator, releasing a new video almost every day. So, there is bound to be plenty for almost every player to dig their teeth into.
Check out his YouTube channel below. Make sure to head over to his well-organised playlist section, where you can easily browse free guitar lessons based on your interests.
3. Andy Guitar
Best For Complete Beginner Guitarists
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 Million | 2300 | Daily |
Link – Andy Guitar
Andy Crowley is another long-standing member of the YouTube guitar tutor community, having been producing content for 16 years at the time of writing.
His videos are mainly aimed towards beginner and intermediate guitarists, with the majority of the content being easy song lessons. Head to his channel and you’ll find videos such as ’10 songs you can play with 2 chords’, ‘Top 5 easy AC/DC riffs’, and ’10 easy guitar solos for beginners’.
For many of these videos, he’ll actually take riffs and solos that are fairly complex and advanced, and then simplify them into a format that a new player should be able to manage. You’ll be surprised at just how many songs you can learn with a few simple chords and techniques under your belt.
You’ll also find a raft of other beginner-focused tutorials, such as an introduction to fingerstyle playing, mistakes that beginners need to avoid, and the 12-bar blues.
So, if you’re new to guitar and would like to quickly start sounding great, Andy Guitar is a great place to start.
4. Song Notes By David Pots
Highest Quality Video Guitar Lessons
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 460,000 | 620 | Weekly |
Link – Song Notes By David Pots
In terms of production quality and attention to detail, I would rank Song Notes by David Pots as one of the best on YouTube.
Every video is beautifully shot with multiple angles and includes incredibly detailed on-screen annotations and chord diagrams. All online guitar lessons also include a handy PDF that you can download and follow along with.
A downside is that, as the videos are of such high quality, David can only put out a couple of free guitar lessons per week. However, they are definitely worth the wait thanks to the effort he clearly puts into them.
There are over 600 videos at the time of writing, covering a ton of different genres. Additionally, there are plenty of online guitar lessons on guitar techniques and theory, and you’ll even find backing tracks to practice along with.
5. Guitar Lessons 365
Best For Intermediate & Advanced Songs
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 Million | 1800 | Weekly |
Link – Guitar Lessons 365
Guitar Lessons 365 does have a separate website where, for a monthly subscription fee, you can join their guitar academy. This is where you’ll find owner Carl Brown’s structured theory and technique lessons.
However, if you cannot afford to pay for a subscription, Carl also has an incredible YouTube channel filled with hundreds of free and in-depth full song lessons.
The channel features tracks from a ton of different genres, with content for beginners and advanced players alike. However, I feel it is with the more intermediate and advanced songs that this channel truly shines.
Complex songs are wonderfully explained across videos that can last over an hour in some cases. I mean, most recently, he posted a lesson on that new Extreme song that broke the internet for a while. Trying to explain the techniques behind THAT solo takes a very talented teacher indeed!
6. TrueFire
Most Comprehensive Learning Experience
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 550,000 | 10,000 | Daily |
Link – TrueFire YouTube
TrueFire is one of the world’s largest subscription-based online guitar lesson websites. With almost 80,000 videos at the time of writing, it is one of the most comprehensive resources available for learning guitar.
But, did you know that TrueFire also has a YouTube channel where you can peruse many of the lessons for free? With almost 10,000 videos currently available from many of the world’s top artists, this is absolutely a resource worth diving into!
If you’d like to check out the entire TrueFire library of 80,000 well-structured videos and courses to really turbocharge your learning process, click here to visit TrueFire.com. A 2-week free trial is available during which you can test-drive the entire course library.
Disclosure: If you decide to sign up for TrueFire using the link above, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
Although you won’t get all of the lessons available on their website, the TrueFire YouTube channel will at least give you a taste of the premium content that awaits. You can then feel confident enough to perhaps subscribe for a month and pick up the remaining lessons that interest you.
7. Let’s Play Guitar
Best For Fingerstyle Acoustic Songs
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 1.95 Million | 345 | M.I.A |
Link – Let’s Play Guitar
If fingerstyle arrangements of popular songs are what you crave, then Let’s Play Guitar is the very channel for you! This is a popular destination to learn guitar on YouTube with almost 2 million subscribers and over 300 high-quality videos.
Unfortunately, the channel owner has been missing in action for the previous five years. However, there is still plenty of content to keep you going with these beginner and intermediate fingerstyle YouTube guitar lessons.
Obviously, fingerstyle acoustic is a little more complex when compared to simply strumming chords. As a result, you might want to wait until you’ve mastered some simpler songs and techniques before diving into this excellent resource!
8. for3v3rfaithful
Best For Kids
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Million | 720 | Weekly |
Link – For3v3rfaithful
Boasting over one million subscribers, and with in excess of 700 videos under her belt, Ellen Chang has been teaching guitar on her channel for3v3rfaithful for well over a decade.
She mainly teaches popular songs on acoustic guitar and sticks to simple chords to make all of her free guitar lessons very beginner-friendly. All tutorials are well-annotated, and the cutesy style, along with her constant beaming smile, should make this channel very appealing to children picking up the instrument.
If you are brand new to guitar, make sure to check out her playlist ‘Guitar Lessons For Beginners‘, which should be a great starting point for your musical journey.
9. Learn Guitar Favorites
Best For Country Guitar Lessons
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 190,000 | 2100 | Daily |
Link – Learn Guitar Favorites
Country music fans will definitely want to check out Robbie Trujillo’s channel ‘Learn Guitar Favorites‘. With almost 200k subscribers and 2100 videos at the time of writing, this channel is a one-stop shop for learning the most popular country tracks on acoustic guitar.
Related Post – Best Country Guitar Players Of All Time.
Check out his playlist section, where all of the videos are neatly arranged by year and by artist. Robbie has videos aimed at beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level players, so there should be plenty of content for all ability levels.
10. The Groovy Guitar Dude
Best For Pop Music Lessons
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 560,000 | 1600 | Weekly |
Link – The Groovy Guitar Dude
If Ted Theodore Logan had launched his own YouTube guitar lesson channel, this would be it! The Groovy Guitar Dude, aka Cody, is an ultra-laid-back tutor with surfer dude vibes aplenty.
If learning popular music tracks is your bag, then this could well be the channel for you. Cody has created over 1600 videos at the time of writing, covering the most up-to-date songs from K-pop, hip-hop, R&B, country, and of course, pop!
Brand new players will also appreciate his beginner series, which covers basics such as essential open chords, strumming patterns, and the dreaded barre chord.
11. Marin Music Center
Best For General YouTube Guitar Lessons
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 830,000 | 1100 | Weekly |
Link – Marin Music Center
Marin Music Center is aimed at beginner to intermediate guitarists who want clear, song-based lessons taught in an engaging, down-to-earth style. The channel focuses on breaking popular songs and techniques into manageable steps, making it accessible without feeling oversimplified.
Players can expect practical tutorials covering chords, rhythm, and fingerpicking, with an emphasis on learning real music and building confidence on the guitar.
12. Your Guitar Academy
Best For Structured YouTube Guitar Courses
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 300,000 | 2600 | Weekly |
Link – Your Guitar Academy
The keyword that Your Guitar Channel likes to throw around when talking about their channel is ‘structured‘. Indeed, this is an excellent channel for those who might otherwise find themselves jumping around from one random YouTube instructional video to the next.
This page has a ton of multi-part courses on pretty much every subject and genre, giving you a clearly laid-out path on which to progress. Courses include guitar theory, techniques, practice routines, and even how to sound like your favorite artists.
There are plenty of structured courses aimed at complete beginners, but they also have you covered for when you advance beyond the basics. And, all for free! If you’re a bit of a scatterbrain like me, this is the channel for you.
13. ArtistWorks
Learn From The Pros
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 180,000 | 1500 | Weekly |
Link – ArtistWorks YouTube Channel
The key selling point for ArtistWorks is that many of the tutors on this channel are world-famous artists. Here, you’ll find free guitar lessons from greats such as shred guitarist Paul Gilbert, blues-rock maestro Jared James Nichols, and fingerstyle virtuoso Andy McKee.
While many of the lessons are aimed at intermediate and advanced-level players, you’ll also find a ton of simpler videos aimed at fledgling guitarists.
Specifically, beginner players will want to dive into the channel’s ‘Beginner Guitar Course: Learn From Legends‘ playlist. This comprises a series of beginner-friendly videos from some of the top current players.
14. Steve Stine Guitar Lessons
Best For Quick Tips
| Subs | Videos | Uploads |
|---|---|---|
| 760,000 | 2400 | Weekly |
Steve Stine has over 30 years of experience as a guitar teacher, has toured the world with numerous bands, and is a featured writer at Guitar World. So, it’s safe to say that the guy knows a thing or two about guitar.
You’ll find a myriad of free guitar lessons aimed towards more intermediate and advanced players, with a heavy blues and rock flavor. However, there are plenty of videos for new players that you can delve into before you advance to these harder lessons.
Specifically, new players will want to check out his FREE Beginner Guitar Course on YouTube playlist. Here, you’ll find over 40 in-depth videos covering the basics of guitar.
For quick tips, I suggest checking out his Guitar Tips For Beginners playlist. This is a series of over 560 60-second or less videos that you can watch on the go and put into practice later.
Link – Steve Stine Guitar Lessons On YouTube
So! Which is the best YouTube channel to learn guitar? After perusing this list of top-tier teachers, I hope that you’ll have found a handful of pages that will work well for you.
If you feel that I’ve left out any unmissable YouTube channels that offer free guitar lessons for beginners, feel free to drop me an email. You’ll find a link to my contact form in the footer at the bottom of this page!
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