Becoming a better shredder
January 10, 2025 5:33 AM Subscribe
I've been playing guitar for 40 years. I'm decent but not great. I've listening to a lot of contemporary prog, metalcore, etc., and would like to become faster, cleaner, and especially develop a better sense of rhythm. I don't want to take in-person classes. What online class/videos/app has worked for you?
(Coming back to mention Justin Guitar. His website offers a wealth of well-organized free content but I got the impression that you might be a bit beyond the skill level that he has focused on. He seems to be adding more intermediate material, but it's not at the level of his beginner course.)
posted by synecdoche at 8:04 AM on January 10 [2 favorites]
posted by synecdoche at 8:04 AM on January 10 [2 favorites]
My guitar playing husband recommends chrisbrooks.com
posted by dorkydancer at 9:47 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
posted by dorkydancer at 9:47 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
related: the guitar handbook. this is the knowledge i came up with. lotta good nutshell theory.
no content on modern prog, but og prog master robert fripp contributes in the forward.
posted by j_curiouser at 12:52 PM on January 10 [2 favorites]
no content on modern prog, but og prog master robert fripp contributes in the forward.
posted by j_curiouser at 12:52 PM on January 10 [2 favorites]
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YouTube
There's obviously a lot of stuff on YouTube, but it can be an overwhelming abundance. In terms of actually learning things (versus just entertaining guitar-related content) I like the following:
- Eric Haugen. He's my favourite right now. Very laid back. Might not be what you are looking for; he's known for saying "I don't trade in hot licks" and tends toward more melodic playing. He spends a lot of time on CAGED but also on different ideas for practicing and mindset stuff. I like that while he does dip into some of the classic rock canon, he also looks at players who are skilled but have a distinctive sound. He has a number of courses on TrueFire (more on that below).
- Anyone Can Play Guitar. I only recently started watching some of his content but I wanted to call him out particularly because right now he is doing a 30-day technique challenge. Each day he features a different exercise focused on some technical skill.
- Guitar Lessons Vancouver. Another one who is pretty new to me, but I like that he features different exercises. They are often in a particular blues-based rock concept, but he features, for instances, licks that help develop certain skills.
Some of the YouTube people have playlists that structure things in a more meaningful way.
Online Classes
If you are looking for more structured, self-guided instruction, there are a couple I am familiar with:
- PickUp Music. You subscribe and you get access to a number of different kinds of courses across different skill levels. There is a free trial so you can explore and see what they have. I like it because while they do have beginner courses, I think it's catering more to more experienced players. They have "Learning Pathways" that are longer courses focused on either general skills ( (Beginner, Late Beginner, Intermediate, Intermediate II), skills (Fingerstyle, Theory), or genres (Blues, Metal, Country) as well as "Master Classes" that are shorter intensives on specific skills or topics (examples include "80s Metal Guitar," "How to Write Prog Riffs," "R&B Techniques"). Their content is very well produced and the teachers are highly qualified; some of them also teach in music programs at colleges in the US. Another nice feature is that at the end of each "grade" in a Learning Pathway you can submit video of yourself playing one of a selection of songs and get feedback from an experienced player. The feedback is usually good and insightful; you do have an opportunity to ask the instructor to focus on something if there's an area you want them to look at. There is also a community attached to it that is decent.
- Truefire. This is less organized compared to Pickup and is more of a grab bag of different courses offered by a lot of different teachers. Eric Haugen, whom I mentioned above, does courses with them but there is a pretty huge selection. I've not gone that deep into what they have to offer but it's a lot, almost to the point of overwhelm. I think of these basically like the modern version of the videos you used to buy at the music store. That's not necessarily a bad thing—just means that there are a lot of options that might cover the same general area. I got on there for Eric Haugen, and his courses are good but I am not sure if topically they are what interested you. There's also no feedback loop, like with PickUp.
A lot of these YouTubers do offer their own guitar classes on their own dedicated platforms but I am not as familiar with them. I did a trial of Paul Davids' once but it didn't click with me. I don't think it was bad, just not for me. With Eric Haugen, I liked that it was on TrueFire which mean there was other stuff to look at even if his didn't end up being what I wanted.
1:1 Virtual Lessons
You can also do 1:1 guitar lessons online now. I'm actually doing my first one this weekend. I found him through til.com, which is a hub for different teachers to offer lessons. I noticed that there are a few who are "YouTube Famous," which doesn't necessarily translate into them being a good teacher, but you can book a one-off lesson so the risk is not that high. That's what I am doing—I'll have one lesson this weekend and see if it goes okay and then go on from there. The prices for lessons there vary greatly. Some of them are (apparently) instructors at Berklee and that sort of thing; they run a bit more expensive than some of the others.
I'm curious to see how it goes because I think some of my issues are physical technique related. But, I've heard from people who have done virtual lessons say they can be very good. And, in-person lessons are not a sure thing either. (I did some last year but I felt like the teacher was just giving me tabs of riffs to learn and I didn't progress any faster than what I was doing on my own.)
posted by synecdoche at 7:34 AM on January 10 [4 favorites]