Beginners Archives - Metro Sound & Music

There are many resources available on YouTube to help you learn to play guitar. Everything from tuning, finger position, theory, and song tutorials are available. With so many options available, how do you know which are the best? You’re in luck: we’ve compiled a list of some of the best channels for guitar lessons.

JamPlay

Mark Lettieri is the man behind JamPlay and has collaborated with artists such as Snoop Dogg and David Crosby. Together with his team, Lettieri provides a wide array of guitar lessons on his YouTube channel and offers detailed courses on his website. JamPlay provides various tutorials to guitarists of any skill level, meaning any musician can find something to learn on their channel. However, the videos aren’t full explanations of the concepts but rather previews of what the complete courses offer. Despite this, you will learn something from JamPlay’s channel.

GuitarJamz

For the absolute beginner, there is no channel better suited than GuitarJamz. Mark Schwartz provides comprehensive lessons that explain and demonstrate things slowly. He also answers common questions guitarists may have throughout his videos. Marty also has a great sense of humour, so his lessons are delightful. However, his patience level is great for beginners looking to learn the ropes, but the pace may be frustrating for more advanced guitarists. If you want to learn how to play a particular song or mimic an artist’s style, Marty provides videos on these topics as well.

GuitarLessons & The Guitar Fam

Nate Savage is the man behind both GuitarLessons and The Guitar Fam. He has been creating online guitar lessons for more than ten years, so he is an experienced tutor who knows how to create valuable lessons. GuitarLessons was his original channel; however, he recently moved to The Guitar Fam with his partner, Chelsea Amber. GuitarLessons still has its videos listed, however, so you can take a look through its extensive library. His channel is straightforward to navigate and covers mostly beginner topics, including playing chords and holding the guitar. So, if you want videos that cover beginner essentials, check out these channels.

Justin Guitar

Justin Sandercoe covers everything you want in a guitar channel, including acoustic guitar lessons, electric guitar lessons, and ukulele lessons. He also provides plenty of videos to improve your music theory and general guitar knowledge, meaning that guitarists of all levels can get something out of his channel. Justin also has an amiable, inviting attitude that reflects in his videos. No matter your skill level, Justin Guitar will surely teach you something.

Rick Graham

For those looking to play riffs, look no further than Rick Graham. Although he plays extremely difficult rifts, he breaks them down into digestible chunks. He also goes over the techniques he uses to make the riffs easier, meaning that his viewers can perform their stunning versions with practice and guidance. Guitarists of all levels can learn something from Rick Graham.

Each of these channels can teach you new guitar knowledge. Take a look at their channels and learn something new!

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So you want to learn the guitar. That’s a fantastic decision to make! The guitar is an extremely fun, expressive, and versatile instrument that you will love playing. Now you must be wondering – should I learn acoustic or electric guitar? While either choice is a good one, we will discuss the benefits and disadvantages between them to help you make your choice.

Acoustic Guitars

Benefits Of Acoustic Guitar

Starting with an acoustic guitar has many benefits, including:

Cost-effectiveness: Acoustic guitars tend to be more budget-friendly than their electric counterparts. With an acoustic guitar, all you need is your guitar and a few other accessories; however, you need an amplifier and other accessories that add up quickly with an electric guitar.
Focus on the basics: With an acoustic guitar, you do not have volume knobs, pedals, and distortion. This helps you stay focused on learning the guitar basics and lets you easily hear your mistakes.
Mobility: With no cords required, you can easily take your acoustic guitar with you anywhere. Just throw your guitar in its case, and you’re good to go! The same can’t be said for an electric guitar, which needs an amp and a power source.

Overall, starting with an acoustic guitar provides numerous benefits, including lower costs, helping you focus on learning the basics, and providing better mobility.

Disadvantages Of Acoustic Guitars

There are only a few disadvantages of starting with an acoustic guitar, namely:

Heavy strings: As a novice player, your fingers will not have the dexterity required to perform with the heavy strings that acoustic guitars have comfortably. As such, the strings will hurt your fingers until you play enough to get used to them. However, your fingers will gain strength over time.
Harder to fret: Since they have heavier strings, it is harder to fret notes with an acoustic guitar. Unlike you establish a firm fingering style, you may find it difficult and frustrating to navigate the fretboard. However, this is another skill you will develop as you practice.

While starting with an acoustic guitar has a few drawbacks, you will overcome these with time. These guitars are overall great for beginners.

Acoustic Guitar Genres

You’ll likely be interested in an acoustic guitar if you enjoy the following genres:

Acoustic music
Bluegrass
Country
Folk
Singer-songwriter

So, think an acoustic guitar is the right choice for you? Shop our wide selection of acoustic guitars!

View Acoustic Guitars

Electric Guitars

Benefits of Electric Guitar

Although acoustic guitars are a great option, there are benefits to going with electric guitars, including:

Ease of playing: Electric guitars tend to have lighter strings, narrower necks, and lightweight bodies. This means that your hand can make more chord and scale shapes with ease. So, a beginner would play an electric guitar for hours versus an acoustic guitar, which would tire their fingers.
Volume adjustment: Unlike acoustic guitars, which have a set volume, electric guitars can have their volume adjusted. So, whether you want to turn the volume up, down, or plug in your headphones, you have options you don’t have with acoustics.
Guitar effects: Electric guitars have a wide variety of sounds available to them through guitar effects. So, they are more versatile than acoustic, and that may be appealing to you.

Therefore, electric guitars provide ease of playing, allow for volume control, and produce an assortment of sounds through guitar effects.

Disadvantages of Electric Guitar

Electric guitars are fun and expressive instruments, but they come with certain disadvantages, namely:

Price: Electric guitars are more expensive than their acoustic counterparts, and then factoring other necessities such as amps makes them even more pricy. So, electric guitars may not be the choice for you if the price is a big factor. To minimize costs, you may be interested in picking up a beginner-friendly Jumpstart Package that comes with the guitar and any accessories you need!
Covers your mistakes: While having a guitar that covers up your mistakes may seem like a benefit, if you genuinely want to learn to play the instruments, you should properly learn the basics. As the sound you produce is augmented with electricity, your mistakes become less obvious, meaning you may not correct them like you would on an acoustic.

So, while electric guitars are fun and beginner-friendly, these drawbacks may turn you away from starting with the electric guitar.

Electric Guitar Genres

You’ll probably want an electric guitar if you picture yourself jamming out to the following genres:

Blues
Jazz
Metal
Punk
Rock music

Decided an electric guitar is what you want to try? Check out our selection!

View Electric Guitars

Which Guitar Should I Choose?

Overall, choosing your guitar comes down to your preferences. If you’re more interested in rock-‘n’-roll, you’ll likely be inclined towards the electric guitar. Likewise, if you are more of a country person, you will probably want to pick up an acoustic guitar. However, just because you decide to go with an acoustic guitar doesn’t mean you can’t pick up an electric guitar in the future, and vice versa. So, pick a guitar that inspires you and makes you want to play and practice. In time, you will master the basics and develop an original style like those of your idols.

Tag: Beginners

The Best YouTube Channels for Guitar Lessons