Guitar Tricks Review: Features, Pricing, and Online Guitar Lessons Guide

For decades, learning to play the guitar required finding a local instructor, scheduling weekly sessions, and paying substantial hourly rates. While in-person lessons have their advantages, they are often expensive, inflexible, and difficult to fit into a busy schedule.

Fortunately, the digital age has democratized music education. Today, aspiring guitarists can learn from the comfort of their homes using structured, online learning platforms.

Among the pioneers of online music education is Guitar Tricks. Founded in 1998, Guitar Tricks has spent over two decades building one of the largest online repositories of guitar lessons in the world. Boasting a library of over 11,000 video lessons and a catalog of over 1,000 officially licensed songs, the platform claims to be the fastest and easiest way to learn guitar.

In this comprehensive, 1700-word review, we will analyze Guitar Tricks. We will look at its famous “Core Learning System,” review its song library, examine its pricing models, test its learning tools, and outline the pros and cons to help you determine if it is the right digital instructor for your musical journey.

What is Guitar Tricks?

Guitar Tricks is an online learning platform accessible via web browsers, iOS, and Android devices. It is designed to accommodate players of all skill levels, from absolute beginners who have never held a guitar to advanced guitarists looking to master complex techniques like sweep picking, slide guitar, or jazz improvisation.

The platform is staffed by over 30 professional, vetted instructors, each bringing a unique teaching style and genre expertise. Rather than using randomized YouTube tutorials, Guitar Tricks structured its lessons into a cohesive curriculum. This system is designed to build muscle memory, rhythm, and musical theory in a logical sequence.

Core Features of the Platform

Several features make Guitar Tricks a highly effective educational tool:

1. The Core Learning System

The foundation of Guitar Tricks is its proprietary Core Learning System. This is a step-by-step path designed to take beginners from basic mechanics to playing complex genres:
– Guitar Fundamentals 1 & 2: For absolute beginners. You learn how to tune the guitar, hold a pick, read tablature (tabs), play basic open chords, and master simple strumming patterns.
– Genre-Specific Tracks: Once fundamentals are complete, the system splits into three core paths: Blues, Country, and Rock (each divided into Level 1 and Level 2). Here, you learn the specific techniques, scales, and rhythms that define these genres.

2. Multi-Angle Video Player

Video lessons are shot in high-definition using professional multi-camera setups. The player typically displays:
– A wide shot of the instructor.
– A close-up of the fretting hand (neck).
– A close-up of the picking hand (bridge).

This multi-angle view is crucial for guitarists, as it allows you to see exactly how fingers are placed on the fretboard and how the pick is striking the strings. The player also includes speed controls (allowing you to slow down videos to 0.5x speed without altering the pitch) and loop controls (letting you repeat a difficult section continuously until you master it).

3. A Massive Song Library

One of the main reasons guitarists lose motivation is practicing repetitive scales and exercises. Guitar Tricks keeps students engaged by teaching techniques through real, recognizable songs.

Their library contains over 1,000 officially licensed songs from legendary artists, including:
– The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd.
– B.B. King, Johnny Cash, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
– Modern artists like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Foo Fighters.

Each song lesson is broken down into small, digestible segments (such as the intro, verse, chorus, and solo) and includes official, accurate guitar tablature.

4. Interactive Guitar Tools Suite

Guitar Tricks provides a suite of built-in digital tools to assist with daily practice:
– Tuner: A simple, accurate browser/app tuner to keep your instrument in pitch.
– Metronome: A essential tool for building timing and rhythm.
– Scale Finder: Interactive tool showing fretboard layouts for major, minor, pentatonic, and exotic scales.
– Chord Finder: Visual dictionary containing thousands of chord shapes and voicings.
– Jam Station: A collection of high-quality backing tracks recorded by live studio musicians, allowing you to practice soloing and rhythm playing in various keys and tempos.

The Core Learning System: A Closer Look

To understand how you progress through the platform, let us break down the curriculum structure:

graph TD
    A["Guitar Fundamentals 1 (Tuning, Basic Chords)"] --> B["Guitar Fundamentals 2 (Strumming, Minor Chords)"]
    B --> C["Choose Your Style Track"]
    C --> D["Rock (Level 1 & 2)"]
    C --> E["Blues (Level 1 & 2)"]
    C --> F["Country (Level 1 & 2)"]
    D --> G["Advanced Song & Technique Study"]
    E --> G
    F --> G

• Guitar Fundamentals Level 1: Focuses on the absolute basics. You learn the anatomy of the guitar, tuning, simple melodies, and your first three-string chords (C, G, D).
• Guitar Fundamentals Level 2: Introduces full open chords, minor chords, basic barre chords, reading tabs, and dynamic strumming techniques.
• Blues Track: Teaches the 12-bar blues progression, shuffle rhythms, slide guitar, and minor pentatonic soloing.
• Country Track: Focuses on fingerpicking, chicken picking, open-tuning country licks, and the CAGED system.
• Rock Track: Focuses on power chords, heavy distortion riffs, palm muting, major scales, and classic rock solo techniques.

Guitar Tricks Pricing and Membership Plans

Guitar Tricks operates on a subscription-based model. It offers a limited free trial and paid premium plans:

The Free Account

When you register, you get access to a limited “Free Basic” account. This includes:
– Access to approximately 24 introductory lessons.
– Basic sample tools (tuner, chord finder).
– No access to the licensed song catalog or advanced style tracks.

Full Access Membership (Premium)

To unlock the entire 11,000+ lesson library, all songs, tools, and advanced tracks, you must subscribe to the Full Access plan:

Note: Guitar Tricks is famous for its 60-day money-back guarantee. If you buy a monthly or annual subscription and decide within the first 60 days that the platform is not for you, you can contact their customer support for a full, hassle-free refund. This is one of the most generous guarantees in the online education industry.

Who is Guitar Tricks Best For?

Absolute Beginners:

This is the platform’s primary strength. The Core Learning System is exceptionally logical. It prevents the common pitfall of trying to learn songs that are too difficult, which leads to frustration and quitting. The slow, steady pacing builds confidence.

Intermediate Players:

Intermediate players will benefit from the massive song library and the advanced modules on speed building, sweep picking, and music theory. The Jam Station is also excellent for practicing improvisation.

Advanced Players:

While there are advanced tutorials, highly advanced jazz, classical, or metal players may exhaust the core curriculum. They may find more specialized value in niche masterclasses rather than a general learning platform.

Pros and Cons of Guitar Tricks

Pros:

• Highly Structured Curriculum: The Core Learning System is the gold standard for beginners.
• Massive Song Library: Over 1,000 officially licensed songs with accurate tabs.
• Excellent Video Player: Multi-angle views, loop tools, and speed control make learning visual and easy.
• Generous Guarantee: 60-day money-back guarantee removes financial risk.
• Interactive Tools: Built-in chord dictionaries, scale finders, and metronomes.

Cons:

• Pricing: At $19.95/month, it is more expensive than mobile-only guitar apps (though significantly cheaper than in-person lessons).
• Interface Design: The web dashboard, while highly functional, looks a bit dated compared to modern sleek SaaS apps.
• Lacks Real-Time Feedback: Unlike apps that listen to your playing via a microphone (like Yousician), Guitar Tricks relies on you self-evaluating your playing.

Final Verdict

Guitar Tricks remains one of the best online platforms for learning guitar. Its structured Core Learning System solves the biggest issue self-taught guitarists face: lack of direction. By combining clear, high-definition, multi-camera instruction with a massive library of licensed songs that you actually want to play, it keeps learning engaging and fun. Backed by a risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee, it represents a highly recommended, cost-effective alternative to private instruction for anyone serious about mastering the guitar.