What Reddit offers for learning guitar
Reddit has several active guitar communities where people post lessons, answer questions, and share what worked for them. The largest is r/Guitar, which has over 700,000 members and covers everything from beginner technique to gear reviews. r/LearnGuitar is smaller but focused specifically on people teaching themselves, so the posts are usually pitched at beginners. Both communities let you ask questions, get feedback on your playing, and see what resources other people recommend.
The value of these communities is that they're free, they're active most hours of the day, and they're run by people who play guitar rather than by companies selling courses. Someone will usually answer a specific question — "how do I stop my fingers from hurting" or "what's the difference between these two amps" — within a few hours. You can also search old threads to find answers to questions that have been asked dozens of times before.
Reddit is not a replacement for structured lessons or a method book. It's a place to get unstuck when you're confused, to find out what other beginners struggled with, and to stay motivated by seeing what other people are working on. Many people use it alongside YouTube tutorials, a method book, or lessons with a teacher.
Key Takeaways
- r/LearnGuitar is the main Reddit community for people teaching themselves, and r/Guitar is larger but covers all skill levels and gear discussion.
- You can ask specific questions about technique, gear, or practice routines and get answers from experienced players within hours.
- Searching old threads often answers common beginner questions without needing to post, which saves time and lets you read multiple perspectives.
- Reddit works best as a supplement to structured learning like YouTube tutorials, method books, or lessons, not as your only resource.
- Communities have rules about self-promotion and spam, so read the sidebar before posting to avoid having your post removed.
How to find the right subreddit for your situation
Start with r/LearnGuitar if you're a beginner or teaching yourself. The community is explicitly for people learning from scratch, so posts about finger pain, chord changes, and basic technique are normal there. The moderators remove posts that are mainly about gear or music theory without a learning angle, which keeps the focus tight.
r/Guitar is better if you want to discuss gear, see what other players are working on, or ask questions that aren't strictly about learning. It's more of a general guitar community, so you'll see posts about new pedals, famous players, and music news alongside learning questions. If you post a beginner question there, you'll still get answers, but you might also get replies about gear that aren't relevant to you.
There are also smaller communities for specific styles: r/classicalguitar for acoustic fingerstyle, r/metalguitar for heavy music, r/jazzguitar for jazz, and r/Fingerstyle for acoustic picking. These are useful if you already know what style you want to play and want information from people who specialize in it. For a complete beginner, they're usually too narrow.
What to post when you're stuck
Be specific about what you're trying to do and what's not working. "How do I get better at guitar" will get vague answers. "I've been practicing barre chords for two weeks and my fingers hurt after five minutes — is this normal or am I doing something wrong" will get real information. Include how long you've been playing, what you're practicing, and what you've already tried.
If you're asking about gear — which amp to buy, which strings to use, whether you need a capo — say what you're playing, what your budget is, and what matters to you. "I want a cheap amp for bedroom practice" gets different answers than "I want an amp I can gig with." The more context you give, the more useful the replies will be.
Read the community rules before you post. Both r/Guitar and r/LearnGuitar have rules about self-promotion, spam, and the kinds of posts they allow. If you're selling something or promoting a YouTube channel, your post will be removed. If you're asking a genuine question, it will stay up.
How to search for answers you might already have
Use Reddit's search function to look for threads about your question before posting. Search r/LearnGuitar for "finger pain" or "barre chords" and you'll find dozens of old threads where people asked the same thing and got answers. This is faster than waiting for replies to your own post, and you get to read multiple perspectives at once.
The search works best if you use straightforward words. "How do I stop my fingers from hurting when I play" will return fewer results than "finger pain." Try different versions of your question — "chord changes," "switching chords," "chord transitions" — because different people use different words.
If you find an old thread that answers your question but you have a follow-up, you can post in that thread if it's recent enough, or start a new post and link to the old one. Most communities are fine with that as long as you're not spamming.
What kind of feedback you can get on your playing
Both r/Guitar and r/LearnGuitar have weekly threads where people post videos of themselves playing and ask for feedback. These threads are called "Feedback Friday" or "Clip Critique" depending on the community. You can post a short video of yourself playing a song or exercise, and people will comment on your technique, timing, or tone.
The feedback is usually honest but kind. People will tell you if your timing is off or if you're muting strings by accident, but they'll also point out what you're doing well. This is useful because it's hard to hear your own mistakes when you're playing, and a second set of ears can catch things you missed.
Keep in mind that feedback from strangers on the internet is not the same as feedback from a teacher. A teacher can watch your hands and correct your posture or finger position. Reddit feedback is based on what they hear and see in a video, so it's better for big-picture things like timing and tone than for small technical details.
Finding specific resources people recommend
When you ask a question in r/LearnGuitar, people often recommend YouTube channels, method books, or websites. Justin Guitar is mentioned constantly for beginners — it's a free YouTube channel with structured lessons that start from absolute zero. Marty Music is another popular YouTube teacher. For method books, people often recommend "Hal Leonard Guitar Method" or "Fretboard Logic" depending on what you want to learn.
You can also search for "best resources for [your goal]" and find threads where people have already compiled lists. Someone has probably asked "what's the best way to learn fingerstyle" or "how do I learn music theory on guitar" before, and you can read what worked for other people.
The advantage of getting recommendations from Reddit is that you hear from people who actually used the resource, not from a company selling it. If someone says "I used Justin Guitar and it worked for me," they're not being paid to say that.
How to stay motivated and avoid common beginner mistakes
One thing Reddit communities do well is normalize the beginner experience. You'll read posts from people who have been playing for months and still struggle with the same things you do. This helps because learning guitar is slow and frustrating, and it's straightforward to think you're doing something wrong when really you're just at the stage where everything is hard.
People also post about what they wish they'd known when they started. Common themes are: practice a little every day instead of a lot once a week, don't buy expensive gear before you know what you want, and don't compare yourself to people who have been playing for years. These aren't rules, but they're patterns that show up again and again because they're true for most people.
You can also follow along with other people's progress. Some people post monthly updates about what they've learned, and reading those can help you set realistic goals for yourself. If someone learned to play a full song in three months, you know it's possible, and you can see what they practiced to get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn from Reddit or from YouTube tutorials?
YouTube tutorials are better for structured learning — you follow along with a lesson and learn a specific skill. Reddit is better for getting unstuck, asking questions, and staying motivated. Most people use both: they follow a YouTube lesson and then ask Reddit when they get confused or want feedback on their playing.
Do I need to post videos of myself playing to get help?
No. You can ask text questions about technique, gear, or practice routines and get answers without posting a video. Videos are useful if you want feedback on your playing or if you're trying to describe something that's hard to explain in words, but they're not required.
What if someone gives me bad information on Reddit?
If you get conflicting answers, ask a follow-up question or search for more threads on the same topic. If information seems wrong, you can also check it against YouTube tutorials or a method book. Reddit is useful, but it's not the only source — cross-check important things.
Can I ask about gear on r/LearnGuitar?
Yes, if the question is about learning. "What strings should a beginner use" is fine. "Should I buy this $500 amp" might get removed because it's more about gear than learning. If your question gets removed, try r/Guitar instead, which allows more gear discussion.
How long does it usually take to get an answer to a question?
Most questions get at least one answer within a few hours, especially if you post during peak times (evenings and weekends in North America). Some questions get answers within minutes. If your question doesn't get answers, it might be too vague — try reposting with more detail about what you're trying to do.