30 Great Places to Learn a New Instrument Online
One of the most useful benefits of living in an Internet-connected world is that virtually every kind of knowledge is at your fingertips. Even things that used to require taking classes or having an instructor by your side, like learning how to play an instrument, can now be learned on the Web. These days, aspiring musicians can simply open up online lessons to get access to everything from basic instruction to tools for honing more advanced musical skills, and options exist for nearly every instrument and skill level. We've collected just a few of those great instrument learning resources here to get you started, but there are dozens more out there that can help you develop your musical skills.
These sites cater to a range of instruments and can be useful tools for any kind of musical learning endeavor.
- YouTube: One of the best resources for learning an instrument is pretty simple: YouTube. Just do a simple search for whatever kind of lessons interest you, and you'll find helpful musicians and music teachers who've shared their expertise though videos on the site.
- About.com: About.com is a great place to go for information on just about anything, including how to play an instrument. Visitors to the site can find lesson archives for guitar, piano, and a variety of other wind, string, and percussion instruments.
- eHow: eHow is another basic resource for finding music lessons. There are collections of videos that can help you learn how to play a variety of instruments, or just help you to learn some fundamentals that will help you in understanding music.
- Google Hangouts: With the help of Google Hangouts or another web conferencing tool, music lessons can take place at any time and from anywhere. You can find a teacher online or ask a friend who plays an instrument to give you a few long-distance lessons.
Piano and Keyboard
Learn how to play the piano or keyboard through the helpful resources and links provided by these sites.
- Hear and Play: Hear and Play aims to teach aspiring pianists how to play by ear. The site offers up four free lessons, but additional web support and DVDs must be purchased to advance.
- Zebra Keys: Zebra Keys offers access to 50 free piano lessons that vary in difficulty. Each lesson is accompanied by an animation that illustrates how to play what's being taught, making it easy to follow along.
- PianoNanny.com: Whether you're a beginner or a more advanced student, you're bound to find some helpful material on this composer and studio musician's free site.
- Piano Tricks: Piano Tricks offers free piano lessons that come with sheet music, sound files, and video demonstrations.
- Pure Lessons: You aren't likely to find a better resource for learning piano for free online than Pure Lessons. The site is filled with videos that can teach you how to play a wide range of songs.
Whether you want to play beautiful classical pieces or rock out in a band, these sites can ensure that you learn the skills that will make it possible to play guitar like a pro.
- Jamorama: One of the most popular online sites for learning guitar, Jamorama offers learners access to hundreds of lessons. Though it's a pay site, the resources offered could be just what a budding guitarist needs to learn basic skills, understand the fundamentals of the instrument, and improve over time.
- Guitar Noise: From music theory to playing classic songs, this site offers up a wealth of resources that can help you to master the guitar.
- GuitarMasterClass.net: To date, there are more than 2,000 guitar lessons on GuitarMasterClass.com. Students can learn everything from how to play slide chords to how to play a salsa solo.
- JustinGuitar.com: Guitarist Justin offers lessons on this site at low or no cost, depending on the resources of the learner. There are dozens of video lessons and helpful tools, and learners can even engage with Justin through live webcasts.
- Internet Guitar Database: The IGDb doesn't create learning content on its own, but it does provide dozens of links to music learning tools on other sites that can help you to start learning to play the guitar.
- Chordbook: Through Chordbook, guitar learners can hear and reference more than 1,300 guitar chords, learn scales, and tune a guitar.
- iPerform3D: Sign up for these lessons to get access to lesson in drums and guitar that use some seriously cool 3D technology that allows learners to zoom, rotate, and tabulate anything that needs more clarification.
- Guitar Tricks: Head to Guitar Tricks to make use of free guitar lessons, learning tools, reviews, and forums that can help answer any of your questions as you learn.
- Guitar Lesson World: Patrick MacFarlane shares his expertise in playing guitar through the lessons and exercises on this site.
Learn to keep a beat like the pros by taking advantage of the videos, lessons, and other resources offered on these educational sites.
- 411 Drums: This site is home to over 500 drum lessons, drumming tips, a history of percussion, a glossary, and many more useful educational resources.
- Drum Bum: Drum Bum has cataloged thousands of links to free drum lessons on the web, making it a great starting point for any drummer looking to learn more.
- Drums Database: What does the drums database collect information on? Online drumming lessons, of course. Through the site, learners can find lessons that cover nearly every style and technique used in drumming.
- Virtual Drumming: If you can't haul a drum set around or just have neighbors who don't like the noise, you can still learn to drum. Just use the virtual drumming resource provided by this site.
- Drummerworld: There isn't any shortage of drum-learning materials on Drummerworld. Visitors to the site will find drum clinics, videos, sounds, booklists, discussion forums, and so much more.
From saxophone to viola, these lessons will help you to learn popular string and brass instruments.
- Lenthe Lessons: Students of the trombone can use this helpful site to get stylistic, interpretative, and technical suggestions for playing popular audition pieces.
- You Can Play Sax: Those who've always dreamt of playing the saxophone can get help with learning through the numerous video lessons, groups, and community resources offered here.
- Cello Online: From understanding the basics to buying the right equipment, this site is loaded with lessons that can help you learn to play the cello.
- String Bass Online: Learners can find helpful double bass learning resources on this site, including classes, exercises, and audio.
- Violin Online: This site will walk you through everything you need to know about playing the violin, from how to care for it to tips on practicing.
- Viola Online: Listen to the viola being played, learn the basics, and get a chance to practice on your own through the resources on this site.
- ActiveBass: On ActiveBass, beginning bassists will find lessons, tabs, basics, forums, and even a store.