Have you ever dreamt of learning the guitar?
Picking up the instrument and losing yourself in the music is a fantastic way to while away the hours. Now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it’s never been easier to start learning.
There are countless beginner guitar lessons online that you can enjoy. In this review, we’re examining two of the most popular—the seasoned Guitar Tricks and a newer Fender Play platform.
When it comes to Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks, which one is right for you?
If you are learning how to play the guitar, finding the right tutoring program is crucial. The best online guitar lessons for beginners are those that keep you engaged and entertained. This ensures you keep practicing even when the guitar lessons become more challenging.
Additionally, your experience will be better if the platform offers an excellent user interface, great songs and tutorials for practice, and other supplementary features to aid anyone’s effort in learning the guitar.
Online lessons are rising in popularity and can be a much more cost-effective solution when compared to traditional face-to-face lessons.
Today we’re going to provide a comprehensive Fender Play review and an in-depth Guitar Tricks review to determine which platform will help you most in your effort to learn the guitar.
In these Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks reviews, we’ll examine the following:
- Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks: A Quick Overview
- Origins of Fender Play and Guitar Tricks
- Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks: Feature by Feature
- Fender Play Review
- How much does Fender Play cost?
- Fender Play Pros and Cons
- Is Fender Play Worth it?
- Guitar Tricks Review
- How Much Does Guitar Tricks cost?
- Guitar Tricks Pros and Cons
- Is Guitar Tricks worth it?
Let’s dive in!
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Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks: A Quick Overview
Before we look at the services that each brand offers, it’s important to understand a little bit about both.
Guitar Tricks was one of the first providers of beginner guitar lessons online.
Established in 1998, it has since amassed a massive catalog of lessons–over 11,000!
Over the past two decades, the platform has grown to offer a huge choice of material for guitar players of all skill levels.
For anyone interested in trying it, there is a Guitar Tricks free trial available.
In comparison, Fender Play is the new platform on the scene, only launching to guitar enthusiasts in 2017. Despite this late arrival, it’s been able to provide a wide range of beginner guitar lessons online already.
The Fender collection of material is more for intermediate and advanced players and is still quite small. Just like Guitar Tricks, there is also a Fender Play free trial for those players interested in trying it out before purchasing a subscription.
SEE ALSO: Learn Guitar With Apps: The 13 Best Ones To Use Today
Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks Feature by Feature
For those interested in a more in-depth overview of the differences between Fender Play vs. Guitar Tricks, review the chart below, which explains the major differences between the two platforms.
| Fender Play | Guitar Tricks | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99/month or $89.99/annually | $19.95/month |
| Free Trial? | Yes | Yes |
| Lessons offered | Unknown | 11,000+ with more added each day |
| Instructors | Dozens | Over 30 |
| Songs | Over 700 | Over 1,000 |
| Music Genres | 5 | 14 |
| Private Lessons | No | Yes |
| Skill Level | Beginner | Beginner to Intermediate/Advanced |
Fender Play Review
To ensure that this Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks review is thorough, we will take a look at the differences between the two platforms and give a specific Fender Play review. In the following paragraphs, we take a close look at whether this platform is good for beginners, how easy the platform is to use, the features available to guitar students, and the overall cost.
Fender Play Review: Is this Platform Good for Beginners?
The Fender Play platform starts all of its new guitarists on a system called “My Path.” After choosing your instrument and music style, such as acoustics and country or electric and rock, My Path creates a system designed specifically to your needs. My Path takes you through five levels, with each level building of the last and getting harder than the previous level.
Though each level builds up in difficulty, the final level is still basic compared to other platforms. Fender Play is a great starting point for beginners, where Guitar Tricks has a more robust offering for intermediate and skilled guitarists.
Does the Platform Offer Features for Intermediate and Advanced Players?
Though Fender Play is quickly catching up to Guitar Tricks in some capacities, it is not yet as in-depth of a platform for more advanced players. By the end of the final lesson, Fender Play is still teaching easy to intermediate principles instead. On the other hand, Guitar Tricks offers multiple tutorials for each level of learning, including the advanced level.
For those who already have a foundation in guitar, choosing Fender Play would not the best option to choose.
User Experience
Given the brand name, the Fender Play interface is very high-quality and extremely user-friendly, as you might expect.
It’s very sleek and modern looking, which makes navigating your way around the website or the app very easily and quickly.
Thanks to the design, finding the lessons, information, or tools that you’re after is effortless with Fender Play. The main dashboard provides a clear overview of your progress.
Overall, the website and app are very highly polished, and there has been a lot of effort put into the design.
Guitar Instructors
Although the user interface is important, when it comes to deciding the best online guitar lessons for beginners, the instructors are the most crucial factor in your development.
How quickly you grow and learn will depend on their engagement. That’s why the skill of the teachers is very important in this Fender Play review.
When the platform first launched, they called upon some of their most well-known musicians to provide some unique lessons.
However, their main roster of instructors, are graduates from some of America’s leading music programs at USC, UCLA, and Berklee College of Music. This means they can provide you with a considerable choice of guitar styles.
There are two types of instruction to choose from, learning songs and riffs, or learning pure skills.
This means that if you just want to learn your favorite Rolling Stones song, the Fender Play team can show you how to rock out. But if you want to learn the theory behind the music and write your killer track, the skills side will take you through how to do that step-by-step.
Fender Play content, features, and lessons
Equally as important when it comes to beginner guitar lessons online is the overall quality of the material and video lessons that they provide.
The videos on Fender Play are amongst some of the most professional on the market and are all recorded with 4K video software. They’re also filmed with multiple camera angles, making it feel like the tutor is there in the room with you.
Every video is available across the Fender Play mobile app also, which means you can watch and learn while on the go.
It’s important to point out that although the overall quality of the videos is high, the video player itself is quite basic. It lacks the additional features that others such as the Guitar Tricks one has.
As the Fender Play software is still relatively new, it does not have as comprehensive a song library as Guitar Tricks offers. However, it does still have an extensive collection of songs suitable for players of all abilities. The library is constantly growing too, so if you’re unable to find your favorite track, then it might appear soon.
When it comes to tools to help you, Fender Play does provide some useful items such as:
- a guitar tuner,
- tabs, and
- chord charts.
However, to maximize the playing experience you will likely need to download and pair with other Fender apps such as Fender Songs.
How much does Fender Play cost?
One of the most commonly asked questions from any Fender Play review is, “How much does Fender Play cost?” This is one of the most attractive aspects of the platform, with a monthly subscription of $9.99 and an annual subscription at a 25% discounted price of $89.99. Fender Play’s monthly subscription costs half the price of the Guitar Tricks subscription.
Fender Play Free Trial
For anyone looking to try the software before committing to a subscription, there’s a Fender Play free trial available, which gives users full access for 30 days. Additionally, the subscription can be canceled at any time.
Fender Play Pros and Cons
Pros
- Beautiful and modern website design
- Very easy to navigate and find the lessons and videos
- Affordable subscription and to try before you buy with the Fender Play free trial option.
- Fast growth rate
- High-quality tutors
- Dozens of instructors and hundreds of songs
Cons
- Not as in-depth of a library as other online providers
- Some lessons only teach the basics of a song
- Lacks some of the most advanced techniques for skilled players
Is Fender Play Worth it?
For the beginner guitar player, Fender Play is absolutely worth it. Not only does it provide a sleeker interface than other platforms, such as Guitar Tricks, but it also offers high-quality music lessons at an affordable price. However, for those interested in a more robust platform for a few extra dollars, Guitar Tricks does provide more features overall for all playing levels.
Guitar Tricks Review
When it comes to the online guitar lesson world, Guitar Tricks is one of the most well-known and most popular providers on the market.
Over its 20+ years as a guitar lesson provider, Guitar Tricks has helped teach thousands of guitarists how to play the guitar. The following Guitar Tricks review looks closely at what this seasoned platform offers.
We also look at how it compares in Fender Plays vs Guitar Tricks as we review if the platform is suitable for beginners, what the user interface is like, Guitar Tricks instructors, and much more in this comprehensive Guitar Tricks review.
Guitar Tricks Review: Is the Platform Easy for Beginners?
Not only is the platform easy to understand, as discussed below, but Guitar Tricks also pushes its new users to start in the Guitar Fundamentals section of the lessons. From there, each guitarist has the option to complete additional levels of a specific genre.
The fundamental section of the course is split into seven sections, each building off the last chapter. Not only does Guitar Tricks do a great job of breaking down the fundamentals of playing a guitar, but they do it in short, engaging video content.
Additionally, the tutorials are rated so that you know exactly what difficulty you are playing at. Each tutorial offers the opportunity to learn guitar techniques and then implement them as you practice the guitar.
Is the Platform Conducive to Intermediate and Advanced learning?
Rather than going through the platform’s fundamentals stage, Guitar Tricks offers tutorials in two additional categories, “Experienced Lessons” and “Learn Styles of Guitar.” Each of these tutorial platforms is located on the main dashboard of your account.
Additionally, Guitar Tricks offers over 1,000 songs and provides over 11,000 tutorials from 30+ different instructors. Because of this, Guitar Tricks is the premium option for intermediate and advanced guitarists.
User Experience
Any popular online guitar lessons require a functional and easy-to-use interface. Guitar Tricks would not have reached the popularity it has today if not for their very user-friendly platform.
As soon as you log in, the dashboard is highly intuitive, and it becomes very clear where to navigate to continue your learning.
It’s all readily available from the initial dashboard, from beginner lessons and songs to more advanced lessons (and even learning different guitar styles).
Guitar Tricks also provides you with a convenient mobile app, allowing you to continue to learn while on the go.
Guitar Instructors
As one of the most popular online guitar lesson providers, Guitar Tricks has been able to build up an impressive roster of high-quality and experienced instructors.
With over thirty guitar instructors available, you are always able to find the right one for your needs.
The core lesson plans are one of the most attractive aspects of the Guitar Tricks online lessons.
The clear video lessons take you through the process of learning the guitar in a simple step-by-step process. The same instructor remains with you throughout, helping to establish familiarity alongside and ensuring the style of instruction is the same.
The Guitar Tricks instructors focus on providing a highly informative and engaging collection of lessons that teach you how to play the guitar and learn their favorite songs at their own pace.
Guitar Tricks content, features, and lessons
One of the most impressive features we found in our Guitar Tricks review is the sheer number of features and content that it offers you.
There are thousands of lessons available for you to choose from, covering everything for both beginner and advanced players. There are also guitar lessons for hundreds of popular songs and a huge variety of guitar styles.
Of course, learning to play the guitar is different for everyone.
While these online lessons are incredibly thorough, sometimes you still get stuck on certain aspects.
That’s why Guitar Tricks provides you with a unique one-to-one video call with one of their expert teachers. This lets you focus on the issue and helps you to overcome any difficulties that you might be facing.
Every song on Guitar Tricks comes with a full tab and notation, while some of the most popular ones have a backing track too so you can play along too.
You can also loop their videos, letting them play the same section over and over again. This is particularly useful for more complex songs, and each video is filmed in high definition and with multiple cameras.
The platform also has a vast collection of tools to help with the lessons, including a tuner, scale finder, metronome, and fretboard diagram.
How Much Does Guitar Tricks cost?
Just like it is with Fender Play, one of the most common questions from people is how much does Guitar Tricks cost?
The platform provides you with two options for membership. The Basic package is effectively a Guitar Tricks free trial, giving you access to 24 lessons, and a limited number of tutorials and tools.
To unlock all 11,000 lessons, the full access subscription costs $19.95 a month. It’s possible to purchase an annual subscription, which lets you save 25% and gives you access to four free gifts too.
There’s also a no-questions-asked 60-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the program.
Guitar Tricks Free Trial
As mentioned above, there is a Guitar Tricks free trial. Signing up for this allows you to test the service to see if it is the right fit for you.
Guitar Tricks Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sleek and easy to use website
- Proven history of teaching guitar, with over twenty years’ experience
- Huge catalog of 11,000+ lessons and videos
- 1,000+ of the most popular songs to learn
- Lots of additional tools to help improve your playing
- Ability to access one-to-one lessons
- Services for both beginner and seasoned guitar players
Cons
- Subscription is a bit more expensive than Fender Play (although there‘s so much more available on Guitar Tricks)
- With so much content, it can be a little confusing knowing where to begin. But if you follow their Core Learning System curriculum first, you’ll have a good foundation.
Is Guitar Tricks worth it?
For those interested in a robust learning experience, Guitar Tricks is the premium online guitar platform. Though Fender Play offers a newer, comparable interface and is the newer kid on the block, Guitar Tricks has it beat. With an immense amount of songs, tutorials, and talented instructors, a dedicated guitarist will start picking up guitar skills within weeks using Guitar Tricks.
Fender Play vs Guitar Tricks, which is better?
In short, Guitar Tricks is the most robust option. Here are some reasons that Guitar Tricks is better than Fender Play:
- Fresh and modern design
- Generous allotment of online lessons
- Increased tools to boost your skills
- Additional training options for intermediate and advanced guitarists
Both Fender Play and Guitar Tricks provide a fantastic way to learn guitar online.
The Fender Play software offers a somewhat comparable design, while the Guitar Tricks platform is a proven provider of high-quality lessons.
In our experience, the Guitar Tricks website edges ahead over Fender Play thanks to the huge choice of lessons and videos available for you to take part in.
There’s so much content on Guitar Tricks that you’ll be able to easily spend hours using the software and learning how to play. There are also more useful tools to boost your playing experience even further.
Fender Play is the most cost-effective solution; however, given the sheer value for money that you receive with the Guitar Tricks platform is worth the investment.
There are also a lot more options for intermediate and advanced players with Guitar Tricks.
This means as your skills develop and grow, you’ll still be able to find plenty of content and lessons to take your guitar playing even further!
Regardless of which you choose to invest in, both Guitar Tricks and Fender Play are great options for those dedicated to learning the guitar.
Which online guitar app do you love to use?
Share in the comments below!
Marko is a passionate composer, producer, and multimedia artist with a Master of Music degree. His career involves performing, creating, and producing his own music in his home studio using digital and analogue equipment. Marko is a multi-instrumentalist (he plays guitar, bass, piano, theremin, and other instruments). performs live acts and DJ sets, and works on feature and short films, documentaries, festivals, theaters, and government initiatives.
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