Discover the Best Guitar Classes in Los Angeles
Learning guitar isn’t just a fun pastime but can be a financially rewarding experience if you start a part- or full-time gig as a musician. Mastering this instrument requires practicing your scales, learning chords, and building calluses on your fingers to press down the guitar strings. Thankfully, there are many guitar classes in Los Angeles that can make this process simpler.
Why You Should Learn Guitar in Los Angeles
Do you want to learn a fun and always-popular skill? Then learning guitar is a great option for you. It makes it easier to play your favorite songs for friends or yourself. Even better, people use music as an emotional release particularly if they learn proper guitar soloing techniques. For example, you can play emotionally rich melodies that help you vent your negative emotions.
Furthermore, you can even make friends by forming a band and playing songs live for fun. Some people even start a side hustle playing at bars or other venues. While you might not get as good as someone who’s been playing their whole life, knowing your chords and how to string them together makes it easier to play these gigs with friends.
In-Person Guitar Classes in Los Angeles
Learning guitar in-person in Los Angeles can provide many benefits that virtual classes don’t. For instance, you will learn hands-on with a professor who’s in the same room with you as you play. This setup makes it easier for them to provide feedback for your playing. You’ll also work alongside other students in a fun and cozy classroom setting.
Thankfully, multiple LA schools provide hands-on, in-person guitar classes that can teach beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. Each course provides a slightly different focus and has varying benefits that make them worth considering. The following classes are among the most popular in the Los Angeles area for learning guitar.
Beginning Guitar
Beginning Guitar is a Santa Monica College course not far from Los Angeles. It teaches you how to read music, play open chords, and master basic music theory. You then help your classmates pick the music you want to play as you practice with Guitar Method by Hal Leonard.
You do need to bring a guitar to the class such as an acoustic, classical, or electrical model. Amps aren’t necessary but a small amp is okay if you need it. Class size typically maxes out at 10, meaning you have more than enough personal time with your professor.
Guitar Made Easy (Ages 18+)
Guitar Made Easy (Ages 18+) is a Los Angeles City College class out of East Hollywood that teaches basic guitar techniques. You’ll not only learn about a guitar’s design but how to tune and maintain it. Then, you’ll transition to more in-depth subjects.
These include playing single-note melodies and creating chords with rich harmonies and resonance. You can then transition to reading sheet music and guitar tabs to play your favorite songs. This class should give you the essentials you need to start playing guitar right away.
Guitar for Young People (Ages 9-17)
Guitar for Young People (Ages 9-17) is a Los Angeles City College class in East Hollywood that teaches many of the same lessons as the Ages 18+ course. However, it focuses on teaching to the unique learning abilities of younger people to make their lessons easier.
For example, the teacher uses kid-friendly language and popular songs that their students likely know from the radio to keep them excited to learn. Students do need to bring a guitar that they can use to practice while in class and at home.
Learn to Play Guitar in a Day
Learn to Play Guitar in a Day is a Santa Monica College class that features a one-day workshop set up. You’ll get a crash course in guitar that includes basic chords, strumming and picking patterns, tuning methods, caring for your guitar, and more.
Then, you can move on to playing your favorite songs to improve your skills even further. Your professor will provide suggestions and feedback for your techniques, including ways of playing chords more effectively and how to handle alternate strumming patterns.
Understanding the Guitar
Understanding the Guitar is a Los Angeles City College course in LA that can teach you how to play basic chords, including open and barred patterns. Furthermore, you’ll learn about complex guitar terminology and how to play more intricate guitar parts.
In this way, this class focuses on enhancing your existing guitar knowledge and making you a better player. Just as importantly, it strives to support your learning in fun and engaging ways. That makes it an excellent course for anyone who loves the guitar.
Ukulele: the Easy Way
Ukulele: The Easy Way is a Los Angeles City College course in Hollywood that teaches you how to play this fun, four-string instrument. You’ll discover how it differs from guitar, practice tuning your uke, memorize chord patterns, and master proper strumming and tuning techniques.
Then, you’ll learn how to play popular songs on the ukulele, including transposing them to this instrument. This step includes simplifying guitar chords to handle the ukelele’s fewer strings. When you’re finished, you’ll feel more comfortable playing this compact instrument.
Virtual Guitar Classes
If you can’t find an in-person guitar course that you enjoy or would rather not fight LA traffic, consider virtual lessons. These provide many benefits for the learning guitar player. As mentioned previously, you don’t have to drive in LA and can, instead, stay at home. You also get more options because you can learn in classes from anywhere in the world.
Are there drawbacks? You’ll have to supply your own materials, which means buying a guitar. Virtual classes also require a computer with strong internet and often have limited socialization opportunities. That said, they do have a live professor and other students with whom you can chat, if you want to make new friends while learning guitar.
Thankfully, many high-quality online guitar classes should be available. These courses provide a hands-on, virtual experience that works well for many people. Some courses even expand their lessons to include more advanced music theory, as well as support for music production, songwriting, and other music-related fields.
Absolute Beginner Guitar: Basics & Fundamentals
Absolute Beginner Guitar: Basics & Fundamentals is a New York Guitar Academy course that teaches beginner-level guitar lessons. You’ll learn how to play either right- or left-handed, practice proper hand movements, play open chords, and master strumming patterns.
Once you have the basics down, you can transition to playing songs by reading tab notation. While you’ll learn always-popular songs by artists like The Beatles, you can use your new skills to practice with any song. That makes this course a great way to immerse yourself in guitar.
Music Production for Songwriters, Level 1
Music Production for Songwriters, Level 1 is a Songwriting School of Los Angeles course that covers subjects like music theory, proper production, guitar recording techniques, and basic performance skills. It gives you an immersive and engaging learning environment.
You’ll also learn how to record MIDI, synthetic instruments, drums, and keyboards. This course works well for anyone interested in writing and releasing music after learning guitar. It also includes some guided guitar practice to improve your skills.
Words & Music, Teen Songwriting
Words & Music, Teen Songwriting is a Songwriting School of Los Angeles program that teaches 13-19 year olds how to play instruments and write songs. Students will practice basic guitar and keyboard skills to improve their musicianship and write better songs.
During each course, students practice hands-on exercises, learn more about music theory, and arrange their songs for a group. This information gives them more context for their work and provides high-quality support that makes sense for their needs.
Private Group Guitar Classes in Los Angeles
Private group guitar lessons can provide your employees with a fun and engaging teamwork-building experience. Thankfully, CourseHorse has live, online group guitar classes for your company. These include help from a skilled professor who can guide your learning experience, provide insight into your mistakes, and improve your team’s playing skills.
Even if you can’t find guitar classes for private groups in Los Angeles on CourseHorse right now, you can always contact them to learn more about their options. They continually add new classes and work hard to vet all professors for quality. Even better, they can set you up with a course if you can’t find one to ensure you get the private experience you want.
And while you might know of other booking platforms like CourseHorse, they don’t provide the same scope of benefits. For instance, CourseHorse never charges booking fees, confirms your order within 24 hours, supports multiple platforms, and lets you change your group size up to the day of your class. These benefits ensure that you get the best experience possible.
