The amount of guitar learning material out there is crazy! Compared to other instruments, guitar certainly has the easiest point of entry, but it can be overwhelming, and not many ‘teachers’ know how to teach either’.
If you’re a logical learner like me, music theory is especially important. However, Guitar is certainly a field where many like to learn shapes and tricks and very few take the time to learn theory. Thus, if you feel the need to understand musical concepts to learn quicker and feel confident creating, I’ve collect some of the best channels below.
If you’re completely new to music theory, I also have a beginners series for music theory starting with Scales and Modes, moving into Chord Creation, and finally Chord Progressions. I also go into timing and reading note notation on my Ultimate Guide to Guitar Tabs article. I explain things logically and include a lot of examples to make sure you understand these concepts deeply.
Without further ado, let’s check out some channels!
Move Forward Guitar
This channel has so many videos on theory, along with fretboard charts on where and how to apply it. He has some useful videos for the very beginning, such as understanding intervals on the string which will certainly help speed up your learning!
Signals Music Studio
This is my personal favourite channel. The host is very energetic and he breaks down concepts in a way that is SO easy to understand. Best of all, he plays the guitar when he explains most of them. When it came to me understanding what the Japanese do, such as borrowed chords and 7ths, this channel has been a lifesaver.
He explains various other topics that I have yet to hear other channels talk about. He also has a theory learning progress video which could help you figure out where you stand right now, and has come out with a course if you are interested!
Fret Jam
This channel (and blog) definitely deserves way more attention. If you’re someone who is interested in lead, soloing and improvisation, this channel will break down all the theory you need to know about chords, scales, and target notes to make sure your riffs and licks work every time.
Music Theory for Guitar
If you want to feel like you’re back in music school and prefer to have concepts written on a white board so you can see it clearly, this is the channel for you. He covers a lot of the bigger concepts in music like Augmented chords and odd time signatures, and he even has a playlist called Back To Basics {Music Theory for Guitar].
David Bennett Piano
While not a guitar channel, I really love how he explores different genres of music and also compiles songs of different modes and so on. It’s a great channel if you want to hear where certain concepts of music theory are applied and why certain songs work the way they do.
Trevor Wong Music
If you’re interested in jazz, indie rock, math rock, or other alternative styles, Trevor has some amazing videos that give you new chords and unique tunings to use, along with great explanations on how to build progressions and melodies for those chords. If you feel you’re in a rut and want some new stuff to experiment with, this channel is amazing, especially if you love Ichika Nito, Yvette Young or Tricot.
12 Tone Videos
Last, but definitely not least, is 12 Tone Videos. This is an amazing channel if you have 10 minutes to sit down and really absorb the information. It talks about various concepts of theory, including topics that I never see talked about on other channels. It questions music and why things are the way they are. If you are interested in creating music that is different, this is definitely the place to learn some rare and unique techniques. The cute rough sketches are an extra benefit 😉
Conclusion
There are a lot of amazing learning channels out there, so keep an eye out. You never know what you could find with a simple Youtube search.
Definitely check out my other blog posts for guitar tips and beginner insight. Perhaps check out my shop for other useful materials and like my Facebook page to keep updated on future posts!