10 Best + Free Guitar Courses & Certificates [2026]

  • 1. Guitar for Beginners [Coursera] - Best Free Course
  • 2. Beginner Guitar Course (Classic) [JustinGuitar] - Best Practical Course
  • 3. Beginner Guitar Lessons [YouTube] - Best Crash Course
  • 4. Ultimate Beginner Guitar Masterclass (2021 Update) [Udemy] - Best Paid Course
  • 5. Beginner Guitar Lessons [YouTube] - Best NEW Course
  • 6. Tasty Guitar Lessons [Tasty Guitar] - Best Advanced Course
  • 7. Guitar Tricks [Guitar Tricks]
  • 8. How to Play Guitar | Learn Guitar [Yousician]
  • 9. Play Guitar for Life [GuitarZoom]
  • 10. The Professional Guitar Masterclass [Udemy]

Learn guitar with this comprehensive list of the web's best guitar courses, ranked by 1,000+ student reviews.

💻 Which Guitar Course Provider is best for me?
  • Udemy and Eduonix are best for practical, low cost and high quality Guitar courses.
  • Coursera, Udacity and EdX are the best providers for a Guitar certificate, as many come from top Ivy League Universities.
  • YouTube is best for free Guitar crash courses.
  • PluralSight, SkillShare and LinkedIn are the best monthly subscription platforms if you want to take multiple Guitar courses.
  • Independent Providers for Guitar courses & certificates are generally hit or miss.
💰 How much do Guitar players make?
$19,500 - $26,499
6% of jobs
$26,500 - $33,499
10% of jobs
$38,500 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers.
$40,500 - $47,499
13% of jobs
$47,500 - $54,499
12% of jobs
The average salary is $57,275 a year
$54,500 - $61,499
7% of jobs
$61,500 - $68,499
11% of jobs
$74,000 is the 75th percentile. Salaries above this are outliers.
$75,500 - $82,499
6% of jobs
$82,500 - $89,499
7% of jobs
$89,500 - $96,500
5% of jobs
US National Average$19,500 $96,500$57,275/year
Sort By:

Provider

University

Tags

Rating

Duration

Difficulty

Publication Year

Language

39 Filtered Courses
Guitar for Beginners
provider
Best Free Course

1 )

Guitar for Beginners (2015)

0.0
Taught by the Berklee College of Music, this class teaches true beginners the essentials of playing guitar. No prior musical experience is necessary. In 15 hours of learning, students will know how to strum, tune, read music and structure chords.
icon
Pros
icon
Cons
    • Covers just enough music theory to build a foundation without burdening students.
    • Course does not stop with just a few chords. It teaches students enough to expand their abilities.
    • Great mix of technical and musical knowledge.
    • Course focuses too much on peer reviews. From beginners.
    • Pace picks up dramatically in the second half. True beginners may struggle.
    • Students dont touch the guitar for the first two weeks.
Beginner Guitar Course (Classic)
provider
Best Practical Course

2 )

Beginner Guitar Course (Classic) (2019)

0.0
This course by Justin Guitar introduces newcomers to the fundamentals of playing the guitar. It covers basic playing techniques, chord progressions, reading music and guitar care.
icon
Pros
icon
Cons
    • Course is designed to integrate any songbooks you might already have.
    • Comes with a Beginner Song Course App that adds dimensions to the learning process.
    • Course material is arranged by grades that make it easy to see when the difficulty is rising.
    • Courses have transitioned from an older template, and there are rough edges because of it.
    • Course does not offer much advice on where to go when the basics are covered.
    • Course claims to cover improvisation, but it leaves much to be desired on this front.
Best Crash Course

3 )

Beginner Guitar Lessons (2010)

0.0
This YouTube tutorial teaches the essence of guitar in 30 friendly video lessons. Each is less than 10 minutes, making it easy to get through the series on whatever schedule suits you.
icon
Pros
icon
Cons
    • Course covers technique in depth, which is great for beginners.
    • Course gets surprisingly deep into chord progressions.
    • Course includes hand stretches to promote healthy practice.
    • Format does not allow the tutorial to teach you specific songs you might want to learn.
    • Lessons unintentionally skimp on tuning advice.
    • Lessons are old. You will not be able to reach the instructor with specific questions.
Best NEW Course

5 )

Beginner Guitar Lessons (2019)

0.0
You just got your first electric guitar and you're ready to rock! Check out this lesson I made to get you started as quickly as possible!

iconQuality Score

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 99 / 100

Tasty Guitar Lessons
provider
Best Advanced Course

6 )

Tasty Guitar Lessons (2017)

0.0
Below are some free lessons from my Youtube Channel. They are on a variety of topics and levels, each TAB is downloadable for FREE, or you can buy the entire collection in one eBook file for just $4.99, and you'll be sent a free updated collection monthly (if new lessons are released). Although most of these are more for intermediate to advanced players please dont forget I am happy to teach beginners as well :) If you have any special requests for topics you would like me to do a video lesson on please CONTACT me and let me know and I will do my best to cover it in the near future. I will update frequently so please check back often for new videos, or better yet subscribe to my Youtube Channel and like and share with your friends!

iconQuality Score

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 99 / 100

Guitar Tricks
provider

7 )

Guitar Tricks (2018)

0.0
Picking up a guitar and making beautiful music is a great feeling and a big accomplishment. Sadly, most people believe they will never learn how to play. Thats why we started Guitar Tricks to provide online guitar lessons for those searching for an easy, fast, and fun way to learn guitar.There are different ways people have tried and failed to learn guitar. In-person instructors and YouTube seem like great options at first, but they usually lead to slow progress and staggered results.Its impossible to achieve your guitar goals with wannabe celebrity instructors, or searching through hundreds of broken lesson videos. At Guitar Tricks, well give you all the guitar knowledge you need to succeed with our award-winning, step-by-step curriculum.Guitar Tricks invented online guitar lessons in 1998, and has grown its comprehensive lesson library to over 11,000 lessons, and over 1,000+ songs, with top-notch instructors from all over the world.Youll feel confident learning with our easy-to-follow lessons that build on your skills slowly, so you move on to the next level with ease.The best part is that Guitar Tricks has lessons for everyone, whether youre an absolute beginner learning guitar or an advanced guitar player looking to improve your technique. With lessons that teach you from the ground up, covering every genre of guitar, you wont get bored or lost with repetitive lessons.At Guitar Tricks you can jump right into playing your favorite songs by artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eagles and tons of other popular artists.

iconQuality Score

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 99 / 100

8 )

How to Play Guitar | Learn Guitar (2019)

0.0
Guitarists of any level can improve their playing with Yousician. Whether youre a beginner hoping to pick up the basics or youre already advanced, our missions and exercises are perfect for building a wide range of skills. Learn chords, strumming, melodies, lead, rhythm, fingerpicking, and so much more!Our guitarists are motivated by a huge inventory of videos and lessons, tons of popular songs to play, Weekly Challenges to push your skills, and comprehensive progress-tracking as you learn. You dont need any additional cords or cables for your acoustic or electric guitar, just a desire to play!

iconQuality Score

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 99 / 100

9 )

Play Guitar for Life (2021)

0.0
Heres What Youll Discover In Play Guitar for Life:How to properly hold, tune and setup your guitar. So you can play songs comfortably and always stay in tune.How to choose the right guitar pick for your hands and playing style.10 critical chords every acoustic guitarist must know. So you can quickly play your favorite songs by ear.How to fret chords the right way. So you get the best sound with the least amount of effort.A simple bouncing technique that makes switching chords easy as apple pie.How to easily move from one chord to the next. So you can tie chords together to play songs.How to use a metronome. So you can keep your practice focused and productive.A simple scratching method to figure out the rhythm of any song, quickly and easily.10 essential strumming patterns to play thousands of hit songs.One secret to gain perfect strumming control. So when people listen to you play songs it will sound like real music instead of practice.How to create contrast in your playing. So you can color any solo or chord.How to spice up your chords with simple changes. So old, boring chords are fun and exciting again.The 3 essentials of music theory. So you dont waste time on confusing stuff that wont help your playing.A simple arm trick that will help you play barre chords without hitting dead notes.How 1 simple lick can be the starting point for an amazing solo.A simple mind trick to visualize your fretboard. So you know it will sound hot before you even play a note.How to thread your licks together so your solo sounds complete.How to instantly know which scale to use for your solos. So you never play the wrong notes again.5 crucial exercises so you can build massive hand and finger strength.How to solo in the real world over rock, blues, country, and metal riffs.4 skills every guitarist MUST know: slides, trills, hammer-ons and pull-offs.The secrets of the CAGED system. So you can play solos anywhere on the fretboard and avoid getting stuck in one position.An easy introduction to modes. So you can avoid confusion and frustration and start using them in your solos.15 easy and powerful licks so you create inspiring solos from scratch.When and why to use straight vs. shuffle rhythms.How to perfectly execute the 5 most crucial blues bends. So you can eliminate dead notes and solo with confidence.A little known call and response trick used by B.B. King that will amaze fellow guitar players.A simple chord-chasing technique that allows you to play blues solos without hitting any wrong notes.The magic of chromatic notes and major pentatonic licks.3 simple ways to keep your solos from sounding like a scale.Everything you need to know about TURNAROUNDS.... and much more!

iconQuality Score

Content Quality
/
Video Quality
/
Qualified Instructor
/
Course Pace
/
Course Depth & Coverage
/

Overall Score : 99 / 100

The Professional Guitar Masterclass
provider

10 )

The Professional Guitar Masterclass (2017)

0.0
Want the very best guitar lessons on the web? With proinstructor feedback??

Iam an award-winning GITgrad, a15+ yearprofessional guitarist with 70k+students, and the founder of Guitargate-sponsored by PaulReedSmithGuitars.

"This course will teach you how to master your fretboard, understand music theory, and most importantly, how to use these tools to craft your own unique sound."

*Watch lecture one (free preview) for a course introduction video

This course is a four part, interactive, step-by-step, all HD video course which teaches you everything you need to play with complete confidence and control in any genre of music!

Professional players don't "hunt and peck" or play without a plan. If you're getting paid to do studio work, tour with a working band, or even just play out in you local town, you need to know your instrument front and back, and know how to sound like you. This course is designed to give you exactly that.

Get beyond tabs. Get beyond memorizing note for note. Learn how to improvise and play with ease around the fretboard!

No tricks or gimmicks! If you follow the course and work hard, you will feel confident playing in any genre, over any changes, with anyone, anywhere, and be able to put your own personality into the music! It's really not that difficult if you try!

For the price of one month of private guitar lessons, you can have unlimited lifetime access to a world class guitar curriculum with real individual feedback from a professional instructor!

Lectures feature all HD videos with multiple camera angles (so you can easily see the neck), downloadable fretboard diagrams, custom jam tracks to play along with, and detailed lesson text. If you post a question or a video link in the discussion forum, I will personally respond with real individual feedback! I try to check it daily.

No matter where you are in your playing, this course will fill in the "gaps" and break down the neck and music theory in a simple, and most importantly, applicable way.

While this course is geared to players with at least 6 months of experience, you will go from the very beginning to playing over complex non-diatonic changes leaving no stone unturned. There isn't a more comprehensive course available anywhere.

After completing this course, if you wanted, you will have the tools to be a working professional guitarist... Or, you could just be a great guitar player and have a TON of fun. Either way, I personally GUARANTEE you won't find another course as streamlined, simple, and effective as this one. I've spent my whole professional life crafting this unique approach to the guitar, and I stand by it 100%.

The success I've had with my students has been nothing short of outstanding! Check out these student testimonials:

Gerard Bellini - "I attended Berklee online. Although they hit all the topics, you are the glue that puts it all together. My hat is off to you. Thanks!"Erick Plascencia - Washington, D.
C. - "I'm amazed at how good your program is. I've learned more in one week than I have ever taught myself in the 10+ years that I've "played" the guitar!"Bob Turitz - Eagle, CO - "Seriously, I have never learned so much in the past 25 years than I have in the last few months! I love your teaching style!"Graham Baughman - Louisville, KY - "Having played for 20+ years, all blues stuff, I am glad to finally learn the neck. Thanks for building a great way to learn! There is no other web site like yours! Thanks!"Jim Ferrie - Shrewsbury, England - "I've been playing guitar for 45 years and your lessons and style of teaching is second to none. It is my most important find in my quest to learn guitar! I have never been more motivated to learn!"Chris Reynolds - Hertford, England, UK - "I've been self taught for 12 years mostly by tabs and songs. I haven't seen theory explained in a way that makes so much sense, and I've spent many years looking!!"Ryan Endersby - Fredericksburg, VA - "I have improved my ability ten fold. I finally feel comfortable on the fretboard and having individual feedback is AMAZING! You will learn your instrument!"JC Senatore - Blacksburg, VA - "In 2 months, I've gotten better than I have in the past 2 years. No joke."Tristan Johnson - Concord, CA - "I love the site, and it provides an excellent value. After a decade of strumming and learning a lick here and there, my playing is blossoming and I'm inspired in a way I don't think I've ever been!"Donnie Eastman - Atlantic City, NJ - "I've had lessons for years and never understood theory and modes. In five minutes I felt that ah-ha" moment! Awesome!"

Lastly, I would like this course to be as interactive as possible, so if you wish to post videos completing lessons, or have a question about any specific lesson, please post the YouTube link or the question in the discussion forum and I will respond to you ASAP.

This is something you won't find on any other course anywhere! Again, I will try to check the forums daily. I hope to see you inside!

And remember, you have a no questions asked 30 day money back guarantee. I'm confident you'll see the quality of the course right away, but if you don't love it, that's fine too...
just send me a message and tell me how I can improve:)

Also, just to make sure you love it, you can preview the course for 5 minutes without purchasing. So take a look around!

Please Enroll Today!

Cheers,

Michael Palmisano

Practice hard, and I'm looking forward to watching your videos!!

Who this course is for:
Players who want to learn music theoryPlayers who want to fill in the "holes" in their playingPlayers that struggle with improvisingPlayers that want to "learn their neck"Not for students expecting to learn songsNot for students that want to learn specific licks or tricksPlayers that want to be able to play any kind of musicAmateur Players wanting the tools to play professionallyPlayers who want to feel confident playing with other people

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • Develop your own unique voice on the guitar
  • Understand and APPLY music theory
  • Play any chord anywhere on the neck
  • Understand the function of chords in progressions
  • Know how to analyze and interpret chord movement
  • Immediately know what scales to play
  • Visualize the whole neck in a specific key
  • Understand and internalize the function and sounds of different scales
  • Understand the difference between key center, chord scale, and chord tone approaches
  • Understand the CAGED System
  • Play all diatonic and common non-diatonic scales anywhere on the neck
  • Understand the available tonal options when improvising
  • Analyze and solve advanced chord functions

Show All

How useful was this

Guitar

Best Courses list?

1. How would you rate this page?
Average Rating: 0
Vote Count: 0
2. Optional Review Comment