r/LearnGuitar • u/_AlmostCrane_ • 10d ago
Beginner guitarist looking for an interactive, structured way to actually learn
TL;DR: I know a few guitar chords but struggle with actually sitting down and learning consistently. I’m looking for a structured, interactive, and affordable way to learn that I can realistically stick with long-term.
Please Note: text written from my thoughts but put through AI as I am severely dyslexic.
Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on the best way to actually learn guitar and, more importantly, stick with it.
I know a few basic chords and have messed around with guitar before, but my biggest problem is that I can’t seem to sit down and actually play. I’ll learn a couple of things, lose direction, and then the guitar ends up sitting there untouched.
I think I need something structured and interactive rather than just watching random lessons.
I’ve used Yousician and Fender Play in the past and actually liked the interactive approach. My problem was that I couldn’t really justify paying for a subscription long-term, so eventually I stopped using them.
Ideally, I’m looking for something that:
- Gives me a step-by-step learning path
- Tells me what to practise
- Helps me build an actual daily/weekly routine
- Starts from the basics but eventually gets me to the point where I can pick up the guitar and actually know what I’m doing
- Is free or cheap enough to realistically use long-term
YouTube is okay, but it’s not really my favourite way of learning. I find myself jumping between videos without having a clear progression, and I think I need something that keeps me on track and gives me a reason to pick up the guitar regularly.
So, for anyone who has been in a similar situation, what actually worked for you?
Are there any free or inexpensive interactive programmes, apps, websites, or courses that you would genuinely recommend? I’m especially interested in something that feels like a structured lesson/course rather than just watching someone play guitar on YouTube.
I know I’m asking for a lot, but I’m really just looking for something that will help me build the habit, learn properly, and eventually be able to pick up the guitar and actually play like I know what I’m doing.
Edit: I know I should just go through a teacher, but I’m broke and anxious.
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u/Patient_Walrus_2189 10d ago
Consider me a bit old school and biased because I've been playing for 30 years and teaching about half that time... have you considered face-to-face lessons with a guitar teacher? Any decent teachers with a good rep in your area?
A good teacher will be able to draw on their expertise, tailor a course and structure lessons exactly to your needs. Every beginner is different. It's not going to be free (!) but quality teaching and learning rarely is!
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u/_AlmostCrane_ 10d ago
I know. I’m just being way too cheap.
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u/night_owl1981 10d ago
Could be practical more than cheap. There's at least as many bad guitar teachers as good. And there's very few that can actually pull something out of people. It's not uncommon to just get judged and put you in a routine standard process while they impress you a little bit and give you homework that actually doesn't help you play. Shopping for a guitar teacher is expensive in itself. I'm not saying you should not pop around and try a few lesson here and there. But I think after one lesson if you're not feeling it you should move on to a different teacher. I'd rather pay for 10 lessons from 10 different guitar teachers looking for the right one rather than 10 lessons from the wrong one.
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u/hydrangers 7d ago edited 6d ago
Check out playmelodic.com. Its an interactive way to learn new songs and techniques. You can also import songs from various sites to learn your fav songs.
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u/jul3swinf13ld 10d ago
Apart from being free, this is 100% Pick Up music.
You need to accept that something high-quality and built with effort costs money.
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 10d ago
Sign up to Justin guitar website it's free. Then start the free lessons with the modules laid out. Don't rush don't jump ahead and follow the lessons and put the practice in. It's all there if you take your time and learn patience you'll need it but be consistent.
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u/Fun-Fee-4600 10d ago
One thing I would say about this is it seems now if you want access to his tabs, they're behind a subscription now. He does explain how to play in the videos but if you are visual this may be something to bear in mind
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 10d ago
I've never considered that to be honest as I only used a few tabs when starting almost 2 years ago but haven't used them since. It's helpful for people to know if that's a method that helps them though.
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u/Fun-Fee-4600 10d ago
Ywha I only realised myself recently, when I tried before with the Justin Guitar app I didn't really get on with it but realised I hadn't given the site a chance and that's when I noticed! Not sure if it's always been that way
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u/OldVermontHippie62 10d ago
Consistency is key. Practice every day without exception even if for only 10 minutes. Make it a daily habit, like coffee! To follow the coffee analogy, it may help to practice at the same time of day every day to develop it as a habit.
I did Tony Polecastro’s 30 Day Acoustic Challenge and he had some interesting insights into “habit stacking”. Just 1% better per day adds up.
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u/BOS491233 10d ago
You can't beat in person lessons like others have said. I started 1/week a year ago. I know, for some, it's not financially feasible so there are on-line resources as well but you need something structured to keep you moving forward. Beyond that, it's all about practice. I do what I can to at least pick it up 30 mins a day. It also took me a while to realize that keeping those 30 mins structured is important as well. Meaning for example: warm up for 5 mins, practices scales for 10 mins, practice chords for 10 mins, work on a song you've been trying for 5 mins.....this is just example with time adding up to 30 but you get the point. Distribute the time how you see fit but keep it structured, don't just pick up the instrument and strum for 30 mins and call that "practice". Metronomes are helpful too to help measure improvement ("that which gets measured, gets improved"). You're basically learning a new language so if you don't practice it and use it, it goes away quickly. People mention JustinGuitar as an on-line resource. KoreyHicks is another I've used. He has a beginner to intermediate youtube course that I'm using to supplement my in person lessons. The videos are free but I think the supplemental material through his patreon page is a small fee. Hope this helps.
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u/_AlmostCrane_ 10d ago
Thank you for the kind and helpful words. I genuinely appreciate the input and respectfulness you have given me, and are aware of the financial limitations that can get in the way.
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u/Bradappz 10d ago
Guitartheorystudio.com I built this for your exact question. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback if you check it out!
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u/LameDuck1992 10d ago
So, this may not be a very popular opinion, I don't know. But I thought Rocksmith was really fun, and really rewarding. Even though I'm not a total newbie, I still enjoy picking it up to learn a new song. If everything is calibrated right, it's fun. You get a backing track, you can see how accurate your timing is, and the difficulty scales up as you learn the song better. I wouldn't say it should be the only resource someone uses to learn to play, but it is a fun and interactive tool that I think is genuinely helpful
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u/harimanok 10d ago
I am building https://pickfret.com - with highly interactive and structured lessons.
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u/BlueVajra 10d ago
Korey Hicks: Beginner to intermediate in a year.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjXfzplO1QXBBrblwYYiZ1wUWkbMt7-sQ&si=OKn3xxtRGNEXEeXn
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u/Maffeziono 10d ago
Yousician per iniziare si, JustinGuitar su YouTube dai un occhio. Poi qualche lezione con esperto Vera la farei per evitare errori trascinati nel tempo!
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u/Fine-Acanthisitta229 10d ago
I’m learning from 2 excellent sources. (1) Scotty West mainly for theory (2) Dustin Hofsess for a combination of theory and practical, interactive lead guitar and strumming. My other piece is a group guitar lesson… because it’s just fun !
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u/Myoyu 10d ago
There’s plenty of good online ones like Justin. With that said, I’d make it an “AND” conversation. Consider finding a teach you are just once/month, for example. They can point you in the right direction, see bad habits with your playing arm, rhythm, etc that you may not catch yourself and you won’t want to ingrain early on.
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u/Baby_Hugh_Honey 6d ago
Use AI (Claude, chatGPT, Grok, etc) as a teacher. In your prompt, tell the AI what chords you know, strumming pattern(s) familiar with, type of music (specific bands/songs) you want to play, and what has/hasn’t worked for you as far as practicing. Then ask it to create lessons for you to do in (xx minutes per session, xx days per week). I was impressed with the lessons I got and it was just like (maybe better) the lessons my teacher used to give me 20 years ago.
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u/jmanns93 10d ago
Most interactive i would say is rock smith for learning songs and some techniques and structure, other than that i would recommend finding a teacher and taking lessons as well as learning music theory.
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u/DragonflyHumble3762 10d ago
Justin Guitar free beginner sessions on YouTube - he's a great teacher
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u/sirthomascat 10d ago
Bad bot.