Why Guitar Classes Don’t Always Teach You Music (And What To Do Instead)

Most people sign up for guitar classes because they want to make music. They don’t dream about memorizing scales or slogging through exercises that feel disconnected from the songs they love. They imagine themselves playing along with records, jamming with friends, maybe even writing their own tunes.

But here’s the hard truth: traditional guitar classes often miss the mark. They focus on information instead of transformation. They pile on theory, drills, and charts—without showing you how to translate that into the music in your head.

As a guitarist who has spent decades studying, teaching, and performing, I’ve seen this pattern again and again. And it’s why I started teaching a weekly guitar class on Patreon—because players deserve more than shapes on a page. They deserve to experience what it feels like to really make music.

---

The Trouble with Traditional Guitar Classes

Walk into any music store on a Saturday morning and you’ll see it: rows of students strumming G–C–D like their lives depend on it. Their teacher nods along, correcting finger positions, maybe introducing the next “campfire chord.”

Nothing wrong with that. But if you stop there, you’re not really learning guitar. You’re learning shapes. You’re learning patterns. And patterns alone don’t make music.

What’s missing?

• Connection to sound. Many classes drill shapes before ears. You learn what to play without learning why it works.
• Creativity. Students often graduate from lessons without ever improvising a single note.
• Context. Songs are chopped into fragments and exercises, rather than being taught as living, breathing music.

The result? Frustration. Burnout. That guitar ends up back in its case, collecting dust.

---

A Better Way to Learn Guitar

Instead of treating guitar classes as a checklist—scales, chords, songs—we need to treat them as a conversation with the instrument.

That’s exactly what I do inside my weekly Patreon class. Each Friday, I walk you through one idea—a chord progression, a riff, a soloing concept—and we explore it together. Then I show you how to actually use it in music.

Think about it like this: every time you pick up the guitar, you’re talking to it. You’re asking it questions (“What happens if I bend this note here?”) and it’s giving you answers (a sweet blues wail, or maybe just a sour twang). My Patreon class is built around that conversation.

---

The Three Pillars We Cover Every Week

When I strip everything down, I believe guitarists need three pillars to build lasting skill:

1. Chords – the building blocks of rhythm and harmony.
2. Scales – not as memorized shapes, but as raw material for melodies.
3. Arpeggios – to link chords and scales together across the fretboard.

Every Friday class is built on these pillars. One week we might dig into minor pentatonic phrasing. The next week could be about triad inversions and how they open the neck. Each class is practical, musical, and designed so you walk away playing something real.

---

A Story from My Patreon Students

One of my Patreon members joined after two years of private lessons. He could play cowboy chords. He knew a few pentatonic shapes. But he couldn’t make music.

In our Friday class, I gave him one riff in A minor. We looped it, bent a note, slid into another, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

“Wait,” he said. “This actually sounds like the records.”

That’s the moment I want for every player. And it happens all the time in our Patreon sessions.

---

Why Online Guitar Classes Work (If You Use Them Right)

A lot of players are turning to online guitar classes, and for good reason. They give you access to world-class teachers, flexible schedules, and libraries of lessons you can revisit any time.

But here’s the trap: too many students binge-watch lessons like Netflix, without actually applying them. They mistake watching for learning.

That’s why my Patreon class is structured around doing. Each week you get:

• One focused lesson (20–30 minutes live or recorded).
• Tabs, riffs, or charts so you can practice right away.
• A weekly challenge to apply what we covered.
• A replay library so you can revisit anytime.
• Community feedback inside Guitar Freaks Hangout so you’re never stuck alone.

---

The Missing Piece: Guitar Classes Accountability

One of the biggest challenges in guitar classes—online or offline—is accountability. Who’s making sure you actually practice? Who’s helping when you get stuck? Who’s celebrating when you nail that tricky solo?

That’s where Patreon makes a difference. This isn’t a faceless course. It’s me teaching, week in and week out, with real students who show up, ask questions, and grow together.

---

Stop Wasting Time—Join the Right Kind of Guitar Classes

If you’re tired of the same old chord-strumming treadmill, you’re not alone. Most guitarists give up not because they lack talent, but because their guitar classes never showed them the joy of making music.

Here’s my Dan Kennedy-style, no-BS pitch:

👉 If you’re ready to move beyond cookie-cutter lessons…
👉 If you want to unlock the fretboard and actually make music…
👉 If you want a weekly guitar class that holds you accountable and keeps you improving…

Then join me on Patreon.

For less than the cost of one in-person lesson, you’ll get:

• A weekly live/recorded guitar class.
• Tabs, riffs, and practice prompts to use right away.
• A replay library of past lessons.
• Direct access to me and a supportive guitar community.

Don’t let another month slip by with dusty scales and half-finished songs. Click here and reserve your spot: Join my Patreon weekly guitar class.

---

Final Thoughts

Guitar classes don’t have to be dry or discouraging. With the right approach—and the right accountability—you can turn every lesson into real music.

Remember: chords, scales, and arpeggios are just tools. What matters is how you use them to tell your story through the guitar.

The choice is yours: more of the same old exercises… or a weekly class that transforms your playing.

I’ll see you Friday.

---

Keep Learning

• Guitar Lessons (Electric): A Simple Map for Total Fretboard Confidence
• Explore more online guitar classes at TrueFire