TrueFire Review

Today, learning online is more popular than ever before, with lessons from celebrities frequently appearing in ads posted everywhere. Amazingly, you can now take a guitar lesson from Carlos Santana. However, it's interesting to note that this kind of online learning started way back in 1991. All this time, TrueFire Online Guitar Lessons have been growing and expanding.

In-person guitar lessons average between $40 and $60 per hour or $30 per half hour. Although expensive, it can be worth it. For example, with one-on-one attention, you could avoid learning bad habits and could learn faster. Also, in-person learning could be perfect for motivating and encouraging your development, similar to having a personal coach. So, if you have the money and time, in-person lessons remain ideal in many ways.

Still, with online courses, you can learn for free or for a fraction of the cost for in-person lessons. For example, you can start with TrueFire online lessons with a free 30-day trial. Afterward, you'll pay a monthly fee that would be similar to one half-hour of private lessons. Thus, you can expect to save a great deal of money in the long-run.

Way back in 1991, TrueFire started helping people learn guitar online. Back then, videos weren't like today, so they started with audio versions of print lessons that appeared in major guitar publications. From humble beginnings, they have consistently grown and have amassed 40,000+ interactive video guitar lessons and over 800 courses. Plus, there are now over 600+ top educators to learn from at home.

With TrueFire, there is an endless array of lessons that could keep you learning for over a decade or more. Thus, some people pay the hefty lifetime fee, currently at $2499, because they expect to make the lessons part of their daily lives. With lessons from top professionals and new courses added every week, TrueFire is immersive. So, if you expect to play guitar for a lifetime, the monthly fee won't be off-putting.

For those who are just starting out and need more guidance and structure, head to the Learning Paths, where you can choose among genres of music, such as:

• Jazz
• Country
• Acoustic
• Blues
• Rock
• Bass

Right away, you'll see the Quick-Start Paths for Beginners, intended to get you started as quickly as possible. Then, you'll learn in "bite-sized chunks," followed by jam sessions, you can slow down and repeatedly loop to learn at your own pace. 

Just as you might dive into conversations in a foreign language with modern language learning apps, you'll dive into playing guitar without getting bogged down with reading music or learning theory.

The free beginner's videos give you an idea of what to expect before you advance in your lessons. There are also beginner and late beginner courses under the courses tab as you begin to gain experience. As you go, you can track your progress and get a sense of accomplishment.

For a monthly tuition fee, you can explore ongoing or individual private lessons. Perhaps it's the next best thing to taking real-life lessons, but as of yet, the interaction is not in real-time. Thus, you will record videos or send messages to your instructor, who will get back to you with feedback. If you aren't sure about recording videos, the easy way is to use your computer's webcam.

Importantly, you have a choice of instructors based on your skill level and what style of music you prefer. You can research the instructor's videos on the site to see if their style, personality, and experience fit what you're looking for. If you've taken online classes, the process will be familiar and straightforward to follow. 

If you love an individual instructor's style, you may find more about them in the Channels section. There, you can find free and premium content from a vast list of educators.

The option for private lessons with accomplished guitarists is an exciting option to consider. However, you could use that money for lessons with a local instructor instead.

If you want to try out TrueFire for free, there is a 30-day free trial. However, there is also a selection of free lessons. New lessons are continually updating, and so far, there are over 6,000+ lessons available. 

As you would expect from this in-depth site, you can search the lessons to find one that appeals to you. If you like an individual educator, you can search by their name. Or, if you want to learn a particular style of music or just learn the basics of guitar for beginners, you can search the catalog.

With so many free lessons, you could stay busy for months.

One criticism of the TrueFire platform has been that people who want to learn specific songs might be disappointed. The platform has a focus on techniques and developing your skills rather than learning your favorite song. For those who want to focus on performing their favorite artists, this could be a drawback.

However, the site is expanding the Guitar Song Lessons, and you can submit your entries for songs that you want to see included. Notably, most lessons aren't focused on learning note-for-note versions of complete songs. Instead, you will develop the skills, such as fingerstyle arrangements, to play songs based on the popular jams.

So, if your goal is to start a cover band with a lineup of your favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, then this might not be the right place for you. However, the skills you develop will certainly help you learn or create your own music. For learning songs, you'll need to learn how to read guitar tabs, so just keep that in mind when going through this section.

As I touched on before, TrueFire features some impressive video features that use a Soundslice interactive tab. TrueFire refers to these videos as Video Tab Sync Courses.

With these newer videos, music notation plays in sync with the audio and video at one time. There's no need to install any additional software on your computer since it works through the browser, even on smartphones or tablets.

By clicking on the notation, you can jump to the point in the recording when the note plays. To make learning easy, you can loop selected parts and slow down the music. Thus, you can practice as much as you want until you've got it. Plus, you can hide distracting parts of the music and focus only on what you want.

Along with customizing your experience with Soundslice, there are also multiple angles of the guitar and performer. That way, you can get a clear picture of each moment as it's happening. It's the next best thing to being in the room and watching the musician up close. 

There are over 5000 individual video lessons that feature the Soundslice tab. Older videos on TrueFire may not feature the Soundslice tab, but most popular courses now have the option. Consequently, it's never been easier to learn at your own pace.

Some of the compatible apps work only with iPhone or iPad. One such app is Lictionary. The app opens up hundreds of free guitar licks lessons on your device. There's also an app for Private Guitar Lessons that makes it easy to interact privately with your instructor. 

With the Notes on Call app, you can relive the glory days of audio lessons by phone, which is how TrueFire began so many years ago. Thus, you can listen to the lessons while you're driving or riding in the car. There are over 1,200 audio guitar lessons to choose from.

An innovative app called the Eye and Ear Exam for Guitarists challenges your chord recognition abilities. Similar to a gaming experience, you achieve ranks and scores that go to a leaderboard. Thus, the challenges can help motivate learning through new techniques.

For jamming out anywhere, there are the In the Jam and JamBox apps. You can play along with the pros on your iPhone or tablet and customize the mix.

If you prefer learning on-the-go, then these apps let you take advantage of the TrueFire platform wherever you happen to be.

Further Reading:

Try One of These Top Online Singing Lessons

My Review of ArtistWorks - Good or Bad?