Guitar Start Guide
Guitar Start Guide is an independent editorial resource for beginners who want honest, practical guidance before deciding how to learn guitar.
We don’t promise you’ll shred solos in a month. We don’t claim a secret shortcut exists. What we do is gather the information that actually matters for someone starting from zero — and present it clearly, without hype.
Who This Site Is For
- Beginners who want to learn guitar but have limited time — typically 15 to 30 minutes a day
- Complete beginners with no prior music background
- People unsure whether to use an app, a YouTube channel, an online course, or a private teacher
- Anyone who tried to start guitar before and quit — and wants to understand why, and what to do differently
What We Cover
- What to practise in your first weeks — chords, strumming, and your first songs
- How to structure short daily sessions so they build on each other
- Honest comparisons of online guitar courses, apps, and YouTube learning
- How to choose a first guitar without overspending
- Basic theory, chords, and reading tabs for beginners who need a starting point, not a conservatory curriculum
How We Approach Content
Guitar Start Guide is an editorial site, not a course platform. We research, write, and update our guides to reflect what beginner learners actually need — not what sells best. When we recommend something, we explain what it does well, what it doesn’t, and who it’s suited for. We also tell you when a free alternative is genuinely good enough.
How We Research and Review
We are an independent review site run by a marketer, not a guitar teacher or a professional player. We do not claim to have hands-on tested every course, app or guitar we cover. Our reviews are based on the vendor’s official pages and documentation, published pricing, refund and privacy policies, and publicly available user reviews and feedback. In some cases we have had direct access to a product; where that is so, the page says so. If a page does not say so, treat it as research-based.
If you own or represent a product we cover and would like us to look at it hands-on, we would be glad to. Get in touch through our Contact page and, if we get access, we will test it and update the page, saying clearly which parts we tested. Method last updated: 16 October 2026.
A Note on Affiliate Links
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy a course or product through one of our links, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. This is one of the ways Guitar Start Guide stays free to read. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial recommendations. You can read our full Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy for more detail.
What We Are Not
Guitar Start Guide is not a guitar school. We do not offer live lessons, one-on-one coaching, or personalised feedback on your playing. If you need that level of support, a private teacher is worth the investment — and we’ll tell you when that’s likely to be the better choice. We are also not affiliated with any single course provider. We cover multiple options — including Jamorama, Simply Guitar, Yousician, Fender Play, Guitar Tricks, and JustinGuitar — and try to give each an honest assessment.
Questions or Corrections
If you find an error in any of our guides, or have a question about how we’ve evaluated something, you can reach us through our Contact page. We read every message and take corrections seriously.