ArtistWorks Guitar Lessons Review 2023: Best Online Online Guitar Lessons?

artistworks guitar

ArtistWorks is a truly capable platform if you want to learn how to play the guitar and a lot of other instruments. However, there is so much room for improvement. Considering it has been in the game for quite some time now, enhancing and improving its policies and adding offline video downloads should be a top priority. Despite the downsides, the instructors are great and the lessons are very helpful.

Outline3

Course Outline

The courses are pretty standard, but the instructors, who are very patient when it comes to teaching each student, make them exceptional. They handle novice players very well and teach lessons in a way that these students can really understand. They make what could have been boring lessons more interesting for newcomers.

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Value for Money

The pricing is pretty much straightforward. They do offer a free lesson for new users but with limitations. If you really want to learn, you will have to sign up and choose between the quarterly, semi-annual, or annual plan. The price is pretty much on the high-end, especially for the limited guitar courses.

Platform

The platform is quite easy to use. You can find everything you need quickly, and it works on PC, MAC, iOS, and Android devices. However, there is no way to access the platform offline. Unlike other platforms, you cannot download any of the videos, which is kind of a bummer if you want to study on the go and there’s no guaranteed internet connection where you’re going.

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Student Feedback

Most students find the instructors truly helpful because of their experience in music and teaching. However, most of them have problems with the auto-renewal policy. Apparently, some users who are trying to cancel the account got charged money for auto-renewal. This can be avoided by cancelling before the three-month period ends, however.

Pros
  • Knowledgeable instructors
  • Excellent patience in teaching
  • Complete lessons
Cons
  • Website bugs
  • Pricing is a bit on the expensive side
  • Some issues with policies such as auto-renewals

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About ArtistWorks

ArtistWorks is a large-scale music learning platform that does not only teach guitar and piano lessons. You can choose between different string instruments such as woodwind instruments, strings, the banjo, mandolin, voice lessons, and a whole lot more. 

For this ArtistWorks review, we will only focus on the guitar lessons, which is one of their most popular online courses. 

It started way back in 2008 when the internet was not as accessible as it is today. Since the day it came out, however, it continued to grow and paved the way for other successful platforms. 

ArtistWorks’ guitar course features ten master guitarists as instructors who will teach you different styles of electric and acoustic guitar playing. Once signed up, you will get a chance to learn rock, jazz, country, bluegrass, blues, classical guitar, and more. Even beginners are welcome as it does have the appropriate courses for them.

What does ArtistWorks Offer?
artistworks guitar

  • It allows you to learn at your own pace, giving you a chance to absorb all the lessons and work on muscle memory.
  • It consists of hundreds of high-quality guitar lessons for all levels. 
  • It allows you to choose between different genres and playing styles.
  • It enables you to watch videos on a loop and slow them down for more authentic learning. 

The best thing about these lessons is that you can learn in the comfort of your home. There is no need to travel to your instructor’s house and learn at a time-sensitive pace. You can learn whenever and for how long you desire.

What is ArtistWorks? And How Does it Work?

Unlike other platforms, ArtistWorks is quite simple. Once you sign up for one of their plans, you’ll have access to the platform and choose between different instructors who specialize in other guitar playing genres and styles. 

After choosing your instructor, you can choose between a wide range of high-quality videos and start learning. You have the ability to loop on sections that you want to learn repeatedly, and you can also slow down the videos without too much compression and pixelation.

It allows you to learn at a pace you are most comfortable with, unlike face-to-face lessons with an instructor where the time is limited.

Who is ArtistWorks Suitable For?

ArtistWorks is suitable for guitar players of any level. Whether you never held a guitar in your life, or you are an intermediate player who wants to take their skill to the next level, ArtistWorks will be a suitable platform for you. 

If you are a guitar player who is not sure of which genre or playing style you want to master, this guitar lesson website will also point you in the right direction. The best way to figure out what kind of guitar player you want to become will be based on your influences and the music you listen to. 

However, some guitarists do not focus on one genre or playing style. Whether you want to be a Grammy award musician or a session player in the future, it is better to learn different styles, and ArtistWorks can help you do that. 

Just remember that it is always better to start learning the lessons that interest you the most. Once you master a specific playing style, you can move on to the next interesting one. 

Playing the guitar or any other instrument is a never-ending learning process. Even if you feel that you know everything, there is always something new you can learn. 

With that said, even if you are a guitar master of a specific genre, ArtistWorks can still teach you a lot of things. Plus, it enables you to learn more instruments aside from guitar if you want to broaden your knowledge and become a multi-instrumentalist.

What Makes ArtistWorks Unique?

ArtistWorks may seem like any other guitar-learning platform at first, but what makes this website unique is its simplicity. 

Imagine being in a restaurant with so many items on the menu. You will find it challenging to choose what you want to eat because of so many choices, right?

The same goes for guitar lessons. With limited genres, instructors, and courses, you won’t find it confusing to choose. Having a limited number of choices does not mean that it is necessarily bad; giving you fewer options can also be a good thing in this context.

This is what makes ArtistWorks unique. It is the simplicity and straightforwardness that allows it to be more consolidated and effective. 

Another remarkable aspect of this platform is the patented Video Exchange Technology that is integrated into it. If a student has a question, they can submit a video and have their instructors respond with a video as well.

Who Created ArtistWorks?

David Butler, a former AOL executive, founded ArtistWorks in 2008 (1), in the hope of mastering jazz guitar. However, since there were not a lot of jazz guitar players in the area, David together with current CEO Patricia Butler thought about the idea of video learning. 

Their idea is that anyone who had access to the internet can learn how to play and experience virtual learning with interactions between student and teacher; just like the conventional way but through a different channel. 

ArtistWorks Vision

The company is dedicated to teaching anyone who wants to learn how to play different instruments. The courses are more affordable than paying a face-to-face instructor. The platform is available all over the world, as part of their motto, “Teach the World Music.”

What Will You Learn with ArtistWorks?

ArtistWorks may not have a lot of instructors, but each of them is handpicked and selected because of their credentials in live performance and teaching. 

With this collection of highly qualified teachers, each course is guaranteed to be full of useful lessons that are relevant to the course you want to learn. The clear roadmap will bring you closer to your goal without going back and forth or on a zig-zag learning path.

Courses and Instructors

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Each guitar course has one mentor that specializes in it. 

Here is a list of all the courses that ArtistWorks is offering:

Beginner’s Acoustic Guitar

This course is specifically geared for adult beginners. It gives you access to a large library of lessons, play-along tracks, and more. For an additional fee, you can experience ArtistWorks patented Video Exchange Technology.

Instructor: David Butler

What you Will Learn:

  • Beginner guitar chords
  • Reading guitar tabs
  • Tuning your guitar
  • Basic music concepts
  • Playing along with easy guitar songs

What is included?

  • Over 100 guitar lessons
  • Easy guitar lessons and songs
  • Music and Backing tracks
  • A worldwide community of beginner players
  • Step-by-step guitar lessons

Who is it for?

  • Adult beginners

Bluegrass Guitar

You can get a chance to learn from Bryan Suttin, a Grammy and multi-BMA guitar player of the year winner as he teaches Bluegrass lessons which are suitable for anyone. 

Instructor: Bryan Sutton

What you Will Learn:

  • Guitar improvisation
  • Lead and rhythm guitar techniques

What is included?

  • Unlimited access to lessons
  • Unlimited access to video exchange
  • Library
  • Up to five submissions to the instructor
  • Music theory workshop

Who is it for?

  • Intermediate guitar players

Rock Guitar

Learn the fundamentals, licks, advanced scales, techniques, and speed guitar taught by the one and only Grammy-nominated rock guitar god, Paul Gilbert. He has been teaching lessons for years, and he is the perfect combination of an excellent guitar player and teacher. He is known for playing in bands like Mr. Big, Racer-X, and other solo projects. 

Instructor: Paul Gilbert

What you Will Learn:

  • Guitar shredding techniques
  • Speed exercises
  • Pentatonic exercises

What is included?

  • Interviews with guitar icons
  • Unlimited access to lesson library and feedback
  • Slow-motion and looping on videos

Who is it for?

  • Players of any level

Electric Country Guitar

This course is guided by Guthrie Trapp, a Nashville guitar icon. He uses his iconic Telecaster to deliver lessons. You will learn basic country riffs up to the more advanced lessons such as guitar solo and chord structure. 

Instructor: Guthrie Trapp

What you Will Learn:

  • Improv scale exercises
  • Bends and slides
  • Perkins to boogie styles
  • Country standard lessons
  • Learn how to use a guitar slide

What is included?

  • Over a hundred guitar videos
  • Slow-motion and looping on videos
  • Music theory workshop

Who is it for?

  • Players of any level

Blues Guitar

In this course, you will learn different blues techniques that will allow you to jam with other blues players, improvise scales, and create jaw-dropping blues guitar solos. It is taught by Keith Wyatt, lead guitar player of The Blasters. He will teach you anything from modern blues to Texas Roadhouse. 

Instructor: Keith Wyatt

What you Will Learn:

  • Classic blues to rockabilly
  • Boogie and shuffle exercises
  • Play with feeling
  • Walking bass lines and horn riffs

What is included?

  • Access to tons of videos
  • Slow-motion and looping on each video

Who is it for?

  • Novice to advanced players

Fingerstyle Guitar

This lesson is taught by 14-time British Jazz Award Winner Martin Taylor. You will learn how to play full-sounding solo guitar in this course. 

Instructor: Martin Taylor

What you Will Learn:

  • Melodic approach to Jazz Guitar
  • Jazz standard lessons
  • Tips for accompanying singers 

What is included?

  • Access to musician interviews
  • 100+ video lessons

Who is it for?

  • Suitable for all levels

Classical Guitar

In this course, you will learn the basics up to the advanced classical guitar techniques (2). So make sure you dust off that nylon string guitar and start learning with Grammy award-winning classical guitarist Jason Viaux. 

Instructor: Jason Viaux

What you Will Learn:

  • Classical method exercises
  • Beginner to advanced lessons

What is included?

  • Access to over a hundred videos 
  • Video exchange 

Who is it for?

  • Beginner to advanced classical guitar players

Jazz Guitar

Jazz guitar is one of the hardest playing styles. It is not like any other genre with the 4/4 time signature. It is much more complex than that. However, instructor Dave Stryker will teach you everything you need to know to learn how to become a true Jazz guitarist. 

Instructor: Dave Stryker

What you Will Learn:

  • Gritty jazz techniques
  • Full breakdowns of Jazz standards
  • Jazz comping lessons
  • Warm-up exercises

What is included?

  • Access to hundreds of videos
  • Access to guitar backing tracks

Who is it for?

  • Intermediate players and beginners of jazz guitar

Dobro and Lap Steel

A Dobro is not really a popular instrument, which is why it is difficult to find a teacher like Andy Hall to teach the Dobro or Lap Steel to students in need of a good lesson. 

Instructor: Andy Hall

What you Will Learn:

  • Strumming
  • Chop chords
  • Creating solos
  • Rolls and picking patterns
  • Gear and alternate tuning 

What is included?

  • Access to reso guitar and lap steel video lessons
  • Video submissions
  • Video exchange 

Who is it for?

  • Players of any level

Jazz improv Guitar

Because jazz guitar is way complex, it takes a different lesson to learn how to improvise solos and jam with jazz bands. In this course. Chuck Loeb will teach you essential techniques in jazz improv. 

Instructor: Chuck Loeb

What you Will Learn:

  • Jazz improvisation
  • Six jazz positions
  • Learning music codes
  • Ear training exercises 

What is included?

  • Tons of lessons
  • Music theory workshop

Who is it for?

  • Intermediate jazz guitar players

ArtistWorks Pricing
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ArtistWorks Student Feedback

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Final Verdict: Is ArtistWorks Worth it?

I rate this guitar lesson a 3.5 out of 5.

ArtistWorks is not the best option for beginners, but if you have a specific guitar playing style you want to learn and master, this platform is totally worth it. 

The instructors are remarkable and the lessons are easy to learn. However, what bugs most people is the website itself. It is riddled with bugs, and the pricing can be a little over the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

  1. https://artistworks.com/about-us
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_guitar_technique
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