Online guitar lessons for adults
If you are an adult starting from zero, a structured video course is enough to begin. Free and low-cost options will teach you your first chords and songs. If you already know your chords and have stalled, more videos rarely fix it. What works is regular feedback from a teacher who hears you play and tells you what to change next. That is what a mentorship program adds.
Below are the four main ways adults learn guitar online, who each one fits, and how Sonora's mentorship works if you are the stuck player.
By Spencer Handley, founder of Sonora · Published · Updated
The four options, and who each one fits
Every one of these has helped real adults learn guitar. The right one depends on where you are now and what has stopped working.
Apps and video libraries
JustinGuitar, Fender Play, TrueFire, Guitar Tricks
- Good fit for
- Beginners, and anyone who wants a big library of songs and techniques to pull from.
- What it does well
- Low cost, a clear path through the basics, and you can practice at 11 p.m. if that is when you have time.
- Where it falls short
- Nobody hears you play. Once you know your chords, the hard part is knowing what to fix, and a video cannot tell you.
- Typical cost
- JustinGuitar's core lessons are free on justinguitar.com. The others sell monthly or yearly subscriptions and list current prices on their own sites (Fender Play, TrueFire, Guitar Tricks).
A local private teacher
A teacher at a music store or in their own studio, usually once a week
- Good fit for
- Players who want a person in the room and live close to a good teacher.
- What it does well
- Real-time correction, a relationship, and someone who can watch your hands. A great local teacher is hard to beat.
- Where it falls short
- Quality varies a lot, and a week between lessons is a long time to practice a mistake. Your choice is limited to who lives nearby.
- Typical cost
- Thumbtack puts typical guitar lessons at $40 to $70 per hour (source).
Live 1:1 lessons through a marketplace
Booking a teacher by video call on a lessons marketplace
- Good fit for
- Adults who want a private teacher but have none nearby, or want a specific style.
- What it does well
- A much wider pick of teachers than your town offers, and no driving. You can try a few before you settle.
- Where it falls short
- It is still usually one lesson a week, and the curriculum is whatever each teacher brings. Switching teachers often means starting over.
- Typical cost
- Each teacher sets their own rate, shown on their profile.
A mentorship program
A structured curriculum plus a dedicated mentor who reviews your playing between lessons
- Good fit for
- Players who already know chords, have stalled, and want someone to hear them play every week.
- What it does well
- Frequent feedback on recordings of your own playing, a curriculum built for your level, live classes and other players at your stage.
- Where it falls short
- It costs more than an app and asks for steady practice. If you have not learned your first chords yet, start with something cheaper.
- Typical cost
- Varies by program. See how Sonora tuition works.
How Sonora works
Sonora is an online mentorship program built for adults with jobs and families. You get a dedicated mentor, a working professional musician, who reviews your playing and gives you daily feedback on what to work on next.
- Beginner Bootcamp, for beginners. A 12-week program that builds solid fundamentals, for new players or anyone coming back after a long break. It starts at $297 (see the Bootcamp).
- Core Program, for intermediate players. For players who can play but feel stuck. It runs 3 to 12 months and works on fluency, improvisation, the fretboard and playing in the styles you love. Advanced players have their own mentorship track.
- A dedicated mentor. You send recordings of your playing and get specific feedback, so you are never guessing what to fix.
- Live weekly group classes. Live classes every week with our mentors, plus a private community of players at your level.
- 5 to 10 hours a week. That is what most students practice. The plan is built so every hour counts.
- How to start. You apply, then have a free call with a mentor about your playing and goals. We recommend a program and quote tuition after that call. You can read how tuition is set first.
Who Sonora is for, and who should start elsewhere
A good fit if you
- know your chords and a handful of songs, and have stopped improving
- want to improvise, play with other people or understand the fretboard
- can give it a few focused hours a week
- want a musician to hear you play and tell you the truth
Start somewhere else if you
- are a brand-new beginner on a tight budget. Start free with JustinGuitar or our own free training, and come back when you hit a wall.
- only want to learn a few songs for fun
- cannot find a few hours a week right now
A few of the mentors
Every Sonora mentor is a working musician. Three of the full-time mentors:
- Arianna Powell
Touring and session guitarist, currently with Olivia Rodrigo. Teaches pop guitar, chord melody, jazz and gospel.
- Jamey Arent
Session and touring guitarist and longtime educator. Teaches blues, jazz, funk, soul and rock.
- Ross Martin
Bluegrass and acoustic guitarist. Teaches flatpicking, acoustic jazz and music theory.
Questions adults ask us
Am I too old to get good at guitar?
No. Sonora is built for adults with jobs and families, and age is not what holds people back. One student, Dennis Perry, started at 70 so he could write a song for his wife of 43 years, and he did. Adults learn differently from kids, mostly because you have less time, so the way you practice matters more than how many years you have left.
How much do I need to practice?
Most Sonora students practice 5 to 10 focused hours a week, and many see real progress at around 5 to 7. You do not need to clear your schedule. A short daily session with a clear goal beats a long one where you noodle through songs you already know.
Do I need a new guitar?
No. Any acoustic or electric guitar in reasonable playing condition is enough. If the strings sit very high off the neck, a setup at a local shop usually fixes it for far less than a new guitar. Your mentor can tell you if an upgrade would help.
How is this different from learning on YouTube?
YouTube is a great library, and we publish lessons there too. What it cannot do is listen to you. In Sonora you record yourself playing, a mentor who is a working musician reviews it, and you get specific feedback on what to fix next. That loop is what gets a stuck player moving again.
How much does Sonora cost?
Tuition depends on your level, how long you enroll (3 to 12 months), how much one-on-one mentorship you want, and how you pay. Two students in the same program on the same payment plan always pay the same. We recommend a program and quote tuition after a free call with a mentor, and financing and scholarships are available.
Find out where you are stuck
Watch the free 40-minute training on the fretboard and getting past a plateau, or apply and talk it through with a mentor on a free call.