Guitar Start Guide
Marty is excellent and costs nothing, and we would never talk anyone out of watching him. Plenty of players have got a long way on his channel alone, and if money is tight that is where you should be tonight.
The snag is that a back catalogue has no running order. You pick the next video yourself, and beginners tend to pick songs a level or two above where they are, then conclude they have no talent. Jamorama takes that decision off you: a teacher’s sequence, bought once for roughly $97 at the time of writing, with a 60-day guarantee behind it and no subscription to remember to cancel.
See why we recommend Jamorama →
Marty Schwartz has taught more people their first riff than almost anyone alive. This Marty Music review looks at what his enormous free YouTube library does well, and — just as importantly for a beginner — where it can leave you stranded. If you’re the kind of learner who thrives on “let’s just play a song right now,” you’re going to like him a lot.
Who is Marty Schwartz?
Marty Music is the channel of Marty Schwartz, a longtime guitar teacher whose warm, chatty delivery has made him a go-to for song tutorials. He’s been posting for well over a decade, so the back catalogue is deep: rock, blues, acoustic pop, riffs, and full-song walkthroughs across styles. Beyond YouTube he sells structured paid courses through his own site for people who want a proper curriculum.
What Marty does brilliantly
His superpower is making a song feel reachable. He breaks a famous riff into bite-sized moves, plays it slowly, and gets you to a recognisable result fast. That early win is powerful — it’s the thing that turns a curious dabbler into someone who actually practises. A few standout strengths:
- Huge range of real songs, from campfire acoustic to classic rock
- Genuinely encouraging tone that lowers the intimidation factor
- Clear close-up camera work on both hands
- Great at explaining the “feel” of strumming and timing
If your motivation runs on playing music you love rather than drilling exercises, that song-first approach is gold. It pairs naturally with a structured foundation — our Start Here guide covers the fundamentals Marty sometimes assumes.
Where beginners get stuck
Marty’s channel is a library, not a syllabus. There’s no clear “start here, then do this” thread running through hundreds of videos, so an absolute beginner can end up cherry-picking songs that are two steps beyond their current ability, getting frustrated, and blaming themselves rather than the sequencing. The other gap is feedback: like any video teacher, Marty can’t hear your buzzing strings or tell you your timing is drifting.
For those two problems, a structured subscription course fixes the ordering, and a listening app fixes the feedback. Our guitar apps guides cover the tools that grade your playing in real time.
Marty Music vs structured paid courses
| Feature | Marty Music (YouTube) | Structured paid course |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Around $10–20/month or a one-off fee |
| Step-by-step path | You build it | Laid out for you |
| Song library | Enormous | Varies, usually smaller |
| Teaching warmth | Excellent | Varies by platform |
| Progress tracking | None | Usually built in |
| Best for | Motivated self-starters | People who want to be led |
If you want that guided spine, a course like Guitar Tricks or Fender Play gives you an ordered path from your first chord onward, then you can dip into Marty for the songs you’re itching to learn.
Do you need his paid courses?
Only if you want Marty’s specific teaching in a curriculum form. The free channel is more than enough to learn on if you’re happy to steer your own ship. The paid courses make sense when you’ve decided you love his style and want a structured deep-dive into, say, blues or fingerstyle — not as a required next step for basic competence.
If you only follow one path: Marty’s YouTube lessons are fun to dip into, though a beginner who wants everything in order will make faster headway with Jamorama.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marty Music free?
The YouTube channel is entirely free and vast. Marty also sells optional paid courses on his own site for people who want a structured, styled curriculum, but you don’t need them to start.
Is Marty Music good for absolute beginners?
The teaching is beginner-friendly, but the lack of an ordered path means true beginners should pair it with a simple starter sequence so they don’t jump into songs that are too hard too soon.
Marty Music vs Andy Guitar — which is better for starting out?
Andy Guitar offers a clearer beginner starter course, while Marty offers a bigger song library. Many learners use Andy for structure and Marty for songs. See our Andy Guitar review for the comparison.
Can I learn guitar on YouTube alone?
Yes, plenty of people do — but you’ll progress faster if you add either a structured path or a listening app that gives you feedback on your playing.
What to Read Next
- Jamorama Review 2026: Is It Worth It for Beginners?
- Fender Play Review 2026: Worth the Subscription?
- Guitar Tricks Review 2026: Still the Best Online Course?
- More reviews & comparisons
How 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 Marty Music.
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