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Learn how to play music: the 10 best ways to learn guitar, piano, and how to sing online!

Writer's picture: Christopher WhiteChristopher White

Bringing you the best affordable online music courses to help you discover your inner musical talent


As a musician - not that I’ve practiced much lately - I’ve done my fair share of music courses over the years. I even did a three year popular music degree, although much of that was spent outside the classroom, if you know what I mean.


It’s been a while since I’ve taken any music training, but if I was starting from scratch, or a beginner or intermediate wanting to learn how to play guitar or learn piano, where would I start? I was curious, so started researching online music courses.


Here’s a selection of the best ukulele, singing, guitar and piano learning courses I could find - all seem really simple, easy to follow, and are priced really affordably! And you’ll not even have to leave your own home to follow them.


Rock on everyone!


What's on this page:





Learn Piano for all


Wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit down at a piano and just PLAY – ballads, pop, blues, jazz, ragtime, even amazing classical pieces? Now you can… and you can do it in months rather than years without wasting money, time and effort on traditional Piano Lessons.


Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 300,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.


Piano for all is specially designed to take complete beginners to an intermediate level faster than any other method.


Now it’s YOUR turn to be the life and soul of the party - just like this piano playing dog!




How to sing with Singorama


Melanie Alexander (not pictured above) is an experienced vocal coach, with commercial successes including having recorded 7 albums - two which went Platinum and another that went Gold. She’s now developed this fantastic and easy to follow vocal training which will stop you cheating yourself out of the satisfaction and joy of singing beautifully!


It doesn’t matter if you failed music in school, or you’re the worst singer in your choir…or even if people have called you tone deaf.


This course will enable you to:

  • be able to sing with power… where your voice effortlessly resonates with strength and clarity.

  • get a smooth tone with beautiful vibrato.

  • add an extra octave or more to your range.

  • develop your “mixed voice” where you can easily shift from your chest voice to your head voice with effortless agility - hitting those high notes without any cracks.



Easy Ukulele lessons: learn how to play the ukulele


I've picked up a ukulele many a time, and despite being an average guitar player, I still can’t seem to get my head around the bizarre tuning of the uke. NOT ANY MORE! In just three seven-minute videos per week, Ukulele Buddy by professional music tutor JP Allen will have your progress skyrocketing, as it focuses on the things that will help you the most (in a way that turns weaknesses into strengths … simply and systematically).


  • No more boring, ineffective practice

  • Get amazing through quick, simple videos

  • Learn from an incredible ukulele teacher!

  • Effortless chords

  • Strumming secrets




Rocket Piano! Lessons for beginners


Another piano training method, this time from Rocket Piano - and one that over 90,000 people have used to learn how to play piano!


If you’re new to piano and don't know where to begin, this course could be for you. You’ll get the results you want and be amazed in the process. Discover how to read music, how to improvise, how to play Jazz and Gospel, and how to play with the magic and "feel" of a professional.


It’s designed to be the easiest system to learn to play the piano available anywhere. Rocket Piano is jam-packed with quality information, including hundreds of sound files, pictures, diagrams, videos lessons AND step-by-step instructions training you to read music AND play by ear. What are you waiting for?




Rock Mastery: start playing your favourite songs in minutes


Do you want to be able to start playing your favourite songs in minutes - not weeks - without becoming bogged down in confusing music theory? That’s the sort of thing that puts people learning to play guitar off, and lose their passion.


Pick Up And Play, featured on New York Times, VH1 and Fox5 among others, is a ‘shortcut’ - a counterintuitive approach to learning to play your favourite songs. It allows you to pick up your guitar, turn your brain off, and just play, without sounding robotic, lifeless or mechanical.


It promises to maximise your practice time, so you can see real improvements, in less time, by eliminating the most common reasons most people struggle for weeks or even months to learn to play just a single song, and focusing on exactly WHAT and HOW to practice.


Don’t worry, no difficult (and boring) scales or exercises, and no need to study music theory.


Plug me in, baby!




How to read music notation: for beginners


When I was a child, I did actually learn how to read music notation - and got quite good at it. The only trouble was that it was through years of music lessons, and I doubt most people really have the time (or the money) for that these days. Personally, I’ve pretty much forgotten how to read music now, so this guide sounds perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to read music quickly and easily!


Written by a piano teacher with over 30 years of experience, this 32 page ebook (with 27 pages of bonuses) will have you reading music in no time, without resorting to boring repetition. It’s aimed at children - but to be honest, if you’re just starting out then it’ll be great for you too.


Make the learning of music notes fun, instead of a chore. You’ll be shown how to remember all the notes on the keyboard, and how to remember all the notes on the bass staff and the treble staff.




Blues Jam session: get your own professional backing band


Regular Guitar World, Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar Magazine contributor Zack has developed this brilliant learning resource for guitarists who want to take their blues playing to the next level, but don’t necessarily have a band to play with - or the money for expensive lessons!


As part of the Blues Jam Session course, you’ll get over 60 Rock / Jazz / Classic / Funk Blues Styles Jamming Tracks. So basically, you’ll get your own professional blues band in the comfort of your own home.


The course also contains:

  • Scales, Chord Charts & Improvisation Guides

  • All the keys, a full chord chart for every track, all the guitar scales and notes as well as improvisation tips for each individual track.

  • Easy-to-follow improvisation so you won't get stuck playing the same tune over and over again

  • Hours Of Video Lessons & Step-By-Step Instructions

For less than the cost of a professional school, you’ll have full access to tons of videos and blues guitar tutorials, all compiled by professionals,


No matter whether you are just starting on guitar or you've been playing for years, you'll learn something new with this. Seasoned guitarists will love the advanced improvisation tips provided for every jam track!



Guitar Notes Master: fretboard theory


I don’t know about you, but the way I think about my guitar fretboard is fairly sketchy at best - I have a general feeling about where notes are, but I can’t say I’d feel confident enough to get up on stage and pump out some awesome riffs!


Built by guitarists for guitarists, the software fretboard tutor Guitar Notes Master will help you rapidly develop your guitar playing skills, quickly learn the fundamentals of guitar fretboard theory: note positions, intervals, chords, scales and arpeggios - even away from your guitar!


It’s a series of interactive lessons that combine clearly explained concepts of fretboard theory with simple exercises performed on the Virtual Fretboard in order to help you rapidly absorb and retain the information in the lessons.

  • Understand how intervals are related on the fretboard enables fluid improvisation up and down the neck without resorting to the same-old scale patterns.

  • Understand how chords and scales are built from these interval patterns enables the guitarist to find chord voicings and scale patterns anywhere on the guitar neck in order to fit your arrangement perfectly.

  • Learn to build chords from first principles means that you can play even the most complex chord without resorting to a dictionary.

  • Effective fretboard navigation using easily memorable techniques will help you to find notes rapidly and improve sight-reading skills.




Learning to Play Guitar: the absolute beginner's guide


Yes, most of us can attempt to play the riff from ‘Layla’ by Eric Clapton, but how good does it really sound?


This guitar course was written for beginner guitarists by professional guitar teacher Anthony Pell and claims to be one of the best beginner guitar eBooks online.


The key to successfully learning to play the guitar is to have structured lessons with regular practice, and this course includes 21 of them (plus 3 bonus lessons) - structured step by step lessons to get you playing the guitar in no time.


It’s incredibly good value, at less than half what a single lesson would cost - and you don’t even need to travel anywhere, as you’ll be learning at home.


Essentially, it’s a fun, easy way to learn the guitar with included backing tracks.




Essential Killer Guitar Control Secrets


Santana, Clapton, Frusciante, YOU…what do they all have in common? The ‘brain to hand connection’!


Claude Johnson has been playing and teaching guitar for over 25 years and helped over 4 million guitarists with his Guitar Control newsletter and instructional courses.


He believes that if you play from the heart, the technique is secondary. Not that technique is not important, but guitar legends all use this concept.


The course will teach you that you don't need to play fast solos all the time. It's all about playing the right notes.


Guitar Control has three critical components, which when combined, will awaken the killer lead guitar player that's already within you:

  • Essential Technique,

  • Fretboard Knowledge, and

  • The"Brain-to-Hand" Connection.

To learn on this course, you will need at least a basic level of technique. Claude will show you how you can boost your technique quickly.


The second component is fretboard knowledge. You’ll learn how the entire neck connects together.


After watching this course, you'll know how all the notes tie together into melodic and harmonic arrangements and patterns, and how to command the fretboard for song writing or improvising.


How good does that sound? Rock on and become the guitar legend you never knew you could be!




BONUS: Freestyle Rap Like a Natural: the Limitless Flow Method


Have I ever rapped myself? No. Would I love to be able to? Well of course! Just call me Chris Jay Eminem.

Most people who try freestyle rapping do it without a plan. They understand what a great freestyle rap sounds like from hearing their favourite rappers. They even have quality beats at the click of a button.

But what they don’t have is proven step-by-step exercises to get them through that critical first day.


The Limitless Flow Method literally has only 4 simple steps and the founder says that with this course, you’ll be free-styling naturally in minutes - even if you’re a complete beginner!


It’s helped over 7,587 people from over 127 countries start freestyle rapping like naturals - so maybe you could be the 7,588th!



 

Why learn how to play a musical instrument?


We don’t know if the human brain can actually benefit from learning any particular skill, but we do know that it takes effort and dedication to achieve mastery over any given skill. Whether it’s learning a new language, playing a musical instrument, or becoming a better writer, the brain will benefit from regular practice and training. Music and writing are two skills that require significant mental exertion, and thus the brain benefits greatly from regularly practicing these skills. Additionally, music and writing are both highly creative activities, and thus they improve our ability to think creatively and solve problems.


1. Learning an instrument can improve your memory


Learning a musical instrument improves memory because it works the brain harder and stimulates different patterns of brain development, thereby helping to enhance cognitive memory and muscle memory. Music training helps children develop the skills they need to learn and remember things better. A study conducted by Dr. Eduardo Marturet shows that playing music can help improve a child's learning ability and memory.


2. You'll feel less stressed by learning music


Music has a unique affect on our emotions, it could make us happy or sad or even amplify the current emotional state we are feeling. Studies show that music can help with calming down, it’s also been proven to lower heart beat and blood pressure, which reduces the stress hormone cortisol, so we feel calmer.


Whilst just listening to the music helps, research shows that learning how to play an instrument brings comfort and daily practice which keeps the stress away. Music helps relax by connecting people together, this is theorised by psychologist Michael Jolkovic who says, “…music (can) satisfy the need to unwound from the worries of life…but unlike the other things people use for this purpose, like excessive eating, drinking, TV or aimless web surfing, it makes people more live and connected with one another…”


Psychologist Jane Collinsworth further reiterates the claim saying, “Music can have a tremendous relaxing effect on our minds, and bodies, especially slow and quiet music. This kind of music can have a positive effect on our physiological functions; slowing the pulse and heart beat, lowering blood pressure and reducing the levels of stress hormones…”


3. Could it make you smarter?!


Extensive research has found that those who had music lessons were generally brighter than their peers; children who played an instrument performed better academically than others. This ties in closely with the benefits of learning an instrument — both sides of the brain being engaged it helps develop not just memory but also other areas such as logic, spatial awareness, and problem solving. In a study, it was discovered that "Music training is far superior to Computer Instruction in Dramatically Enhancing Children's Abstract Reasoning Skills". There are further studies in children and adults that show that music training correlates positively with academic achievement. It goes without saying music is a vital part of our lives. Without it we would be lost!


4. It builds self-confidence


Once you've mastered one aspect of the game, move on to another. You'll learn faster if you're not trying to do everything at once, and you won't burn out. Also, you'll probably enjoy yourself more if you focus on just one thing at a time.


5. Last but not least - it's fun!


“Music is the universal language that transcends barriers and boundaries. It is the language of love, hope, peace, and happiness.” Music is one of those things that can really change your mood and put you in a better frame of mind. Learning how to play an instrument is something that anyone can do, whether they're a complete beginner or just starting out. Not only does playing a musical instrument help you develop your brain, it also teaches you about rhythm, tempo, pitch, and timing.


So - what are you waiting for? Go out there and start getting creative with an instrument or two!



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