Guitar Start Guide
Paid lessons and YouTube are not the only options. Jamorama is about $97, paid once, with 60 days to get your money back, and it gives you the structured path that free videos lack.
Gibson’s own Learn & Play app: an expert-designed path from your first chords to full songs, with interactive lessons and real-time feedback.
Try the Gibson App →When people research Guitar Tricks vs YouTube, the question underneath is usually “why would I pay when there are millions of free lessons?” It’s a fair point — YouTube is a genuinely incredible resource. But free and effective aren’t the same thing, and the hidden cost of YouTube is the time you lose bouncing between random videos with no plan.
Here’s an honest look at where each option shines, where it lets beginners down, and how to decide. If you’re new here, our How to Learn Guitar section is a good companion.
The core difference: a path vs a pile
Guitar Tricks gives you a path. Its Core Learning System puts lessons in a deliberate order, so each skill builds on the last and you always know what to do next. YouTube gives you a pile — an enormous, brilliant, chaotic pile. The lessons are often excellent individually, but nobody is sequencing them for you, and the algorithm is designed to keep you watching, not to make you a better player.
Guitar Tricks vs YouTube at a glance
| Feature | Guitar Tricks | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid subscription (around $20/month at the time of writing) | Free (with ads) |
| Structure | Ordered, step-by-step curriculum | None — you build your own path |
| Quality control | Vetted instructors, consistent | Wildly variable |
| Progress tracking | Built in | None |
| Distraction risk | Low | High |
| Best for | Beginners who want a plan | Specific questions & supplementing |
The middle ground: Guitar Tricks charges a monthly subscription; YouTube is free but has no path. If you want the ordered curriculum of a paid course without the recurring bill, Jamorama is our overall pick — a one-time payment, lifetime access and a 60-day money-back guarantee (see what’s inside →).
Why “free” has a hidden cost
The problem isn’t that YouTube lessons are bad. It’s that beginners can’t yet tell good advice from bad, and they can’t sequence a curriculum they’ve never seen. That leads to three classic traps:
- Gaps: you skip the boring-but-vital fundamentals because a flashy video looked more fun.
- Contradictions: two teachers give opposite advice and you don’t know who’s right.
- Distraction: you sit down to practise and 40 minutes later you’ve watched five gear reviews instead.
Where YouTube genuinely wins
Let’s be fair — YouTube is unbeatable for specific, targeted questions. “How do I play the intro to this exact song?” or “Why does my B string buzz?” get answered instantly and for free. It’s also brilliant for seeing many players tackle the same technique, and for gear demos. The mistake is treating it as your entire curriculum rather than a supplement.
Where a paid course wins
A structured course removes decisions. You open it, it tells you exactly what to practise, you do it, you tick it off. For most beginners that removal of friction is worth far more than the subscription fee, because the single biggest predictor of progress is simply practising consistently. A tidy path makes consistency easier.
The best approach for most beginners
Use one structured resource as your spine, and use YouTube as your reference library. Follow a real course for your fundamentals, then hit YouTube whenever you want a specific song or a second explanation. If you want to compare paid options against a superb free course, read Guitar Tricks vs JustinGuitar, and if apps appeal more, our Yousician vs Simply Guitar and Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks comparisons will help.
Skip the overwhelm: YouTube is bottomless and free, but if the endless scrolling wears you down, Jamorama hands you an ordered curriculum so you always know what to practise next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really learn guitar from YouTube alone?
You can, but most people learn faster with a structured plan. YouTube alone works best for disciplined self-starters who are good at building their own curriculum and staying on task.
Is Guitar Tricks worth it when YouTube is free?
If the structure and progress tracking keep you practising consistently, yes. The value isn’t the videos themselves — it’s the ordered path and the reduced decision fatigue that help you actually stick with it.
What’s the biggest downside of learning on YouTube?
No sequencing and constant distraction. Without a plan you tend to skip fundamentals and get pulled into unrelated videos, which slows progress even though the individual lessons are free.
Should I use both?
That’s the ideal setup for most people: a structured course as your main path, and YouTube as a free reference for specific songs, techniques and second opinions.
What to Read Next
Prefer one structured course you own for life over renting an app? Jamorama is our top recommendation — a 10-part video course, pay once, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
See what’s inside Jamorama → Read our reviewHow we reviewed this (updated 16 October 2026): this page is based on the vendor’s official information, pricing and policies and on public user feedback. We have not hands-on tested the products listed.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend what we genuinely rate.