Welcome to HowtoLearnGuitar.net!

So you want to know how to learn guitar? Well my name is Steve and I am here to help you choose a guitar course to learn from, I’ve reviewed two of top guitar courses on the market today and I’m going to let you know exactly what I think of them so you can get started straight away.

First off, I am not a great guitar player, I only started a few months ago and I am learning using one of the courses I recommend here! That’s right, this isn’t me just choosing a course that looks good, I am actually following the course I think is the best and learning guitar myself! This blog records my progress as I go through the course so you can see I really am following it.

What are the courses then?

Well you have Learn and Master Guitar which is probably the top course on the market today, but as it uses DVD to teach you then it is more expensive, or you have Jamorama which uses downloadable lessons of text and video to teach you, so it is a lot cheaper.

Now I have to say – I bought Learn and Master Guitar with my own money, but I was given Jamorama for free when I told them I was going to build a website about me learning, but that won’t bias my opinions!

So with Jamorama you read your lesson and then you watch accompanying videos along the way, this course gets you stuck in very fast, in fact you start learning chords before you even learn any notes! The course pushes you quite hard and you’ll need to absorb everything you read and then practice it at your own pace until you master it, then move onto the next lesson.

The two main things I like about it though are the bundled software, and the jam tracks. The bundled software is good because you get a metronome in it (I had to buy one) and you get software which helps you to read music, plus it makes it into more of a game which stops it being boring! The jam tracks are quite funky ones which you can listen to with the guitar being played on them, then you listen to another version with the guitar removed and you play the guitar part.

Oh plus there is the price, at around $49 then it is a nice affordable course for anyone.

Learn and Master Guitar is totally different, it is around $149 and for that you get a bunch of DVDs and a workbook sent to you through the post.

In Learn and Master Guitar you watch a DVD lesson which is usually 30 – 45 minutes, and he explains all the concepts to you and you play along with him as he takes you through the notes and chords you are learning, then after the lesson you are given a period of time to master those techniques/notes etc, usually a week or two, and in that time you work through exercises in the workbook and there are workshops on the DVDs which are around 30 – 45 minutes long where he takes you through the exercises and you play along with him.

There is a lot more structure to the Learn and Master Guitar course, you start off with the basics and you slowly build on them as you get better and better, you aren’t thrown into the deep end like with Jamorama. Also it is very comforting to have someone explaining the concepts to you on the DVDs and taking you through the exercises.

But then the course does make you move slower at first because you’ll be learning all the basics first, so you need to make sure you stay motivated, with Jamorama you get thrown in and learn some chords and play them to a song, then you go back and start the basics, here you start off with the basics and progress.

Also in Learn and Master Guitar then the jam tracks are a lot less ‘funky’ they are more traditional songs and you play alongside the guitar in the song, rather than replacing it. So it is a shame there is not once course which blends the two together then it would be perfect!

So in my opinion if you want to learn guitar fast and start playing soon, but maybe stop playing or learning after a month or so and go off and start just learning songs off YouTube and building up a repertoire of songs that way, then Jamorama is a great introduction to guitar, but as you have to do a lot of reading and there is nobody there pushing you forwards and no structured practice time, then you might find it hard to stick to.

However if you want to really learn to play the guitar for good and are prepared to put in the work, then Learn and Master Guitar is the course for you.

You can get Jamorama by clicking here < <

You can get Learn and Master Guitar by clicking here < <

What do I need to start learning?

Well you need a guitar, I opted for an acoustic guitar, but I wish I’d gone for an electric guitar now as then I could plug headphones into the amp and practice in peace without people hearing my mistakes! Plus it take less pressure to hold down the strings, so you might get a shock if you try and play an acoustic guitar later, but it helps you learn the fundamentals of playing without as much trouble trying to hold down the strings.

Plus you’ll need something to make sure your guitar is in tune (I bought a Korg guitar tuner off Amazon which does acoustic and electric tuning) and then you’ll need a metronome, although Jamorama does come with software for that, but a Korg metronome off Amazon means you can practice anywhere.

Finally you’ll need some plectrums, get a small selection so you can choose the type that suits you best, there are thinner and thicker ones, and wider and thinner ones, I prefer a medium thickness myself.

That’s it – once you have a course and a guitar and a plectrum you can start learning! The tuner and metronome are extras that I bought after a week or two of learning.

Good luck!