Guitar Tricks
Guitar Tricks is an online guitar education platform founded in 1998 that delivers a structured video-based curriculum, 11,000+ lessons, and integrated practice tools to individual learners ranging from absolute beginners to advanced musicians via a subscription model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Guitar Tricks does
Guitar Tricks Inc. is an online guitar education platform founded in 1998 that claims to have invented the online guitar lessons category. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with no disclosed funding and operates with a lean 11–50 employee structure as a privately held, independently operated business. It has coached over 4 million members cumulatively and positions itself as a pioneer in structured, instructor-led guitar instruction delivered via the web.
The platform is built around a proprietary Core Learning System (CLS), a structured curriculum progressing learners through Fundamentals, Acoustic, Blues, Rock, and Country style courses at two levels each. The content base exceeds 11,000 video lessons and approximately 894 song tutorials spanning 10+ genres, supported by an integrated Guitar Toolbox of practice tools (Scale Finder, Jam Station, Metronome, Chord Finder, Tuner with alternate tunings, Fretboard Trainer). Differentiating features include a video Feedback System where members submit playing videos and receive personalized instructor responses, and the Guitar Insider weekly video series. Credentialed instructors include alumni of MI's Guitar Institute of Technology and a Doctor of Musical Arts who chairs the Los Angeles College of Music Guitar Department, and the instructor roster has toured with artists including Taylor Swift, Pink, Jason Mraz, and John Fogerty. The platform is delivered via the guitartricks.com website and native iOS/Android mobile apps, with social login (Google, Apple, Facebook).
The business model is a product-led, self-serve B2C subscription anchored on Full Access annual plans priced at $359 (regular) or $99 (promotional), with a monthly tier and lifetime individual course packages available. Supplementary revenue streams include 1-on-1 private Zoom lessons (professional services) and promotional bundles such as the Summer Ultimate Beginner Bundle that combine subscription access with ancillary digital content. Marketing relies on organic channels — a YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers, SEO-driven blog content, social media, an active community forum (22,953 threads and 124,457+ posts), and an affiliate program. Customer segments span absolute beginners (primary), intermediate players seeking genre specialization, and advanced musicians pursuing artist study and niche techniques. No enterprise or institutional customer concentration exists.
Guitar Tricks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guitar Tricks
- Legal name
- Guitar Tricks Inc.
- Website
- https://guitartricks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Guitar Tricks is an online guitar education platform founded in 1998 that delivers a structured video-based curriculum, 11,000+ lessons, and integrated practice tools to individual learners ranging from absolute beginners to advanced musicians via a subscription model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guitar Tricks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Music Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Educational Support Services (61171)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Education & Practice Software (Ear training, tutors, metronome tools) (MPAIAIAJ), Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE), Music Theory, Ear Training & Musicianship (EDAMANAF), Core Digital Curriculum & Courseware (Full Programs & Units) (EDAFACAA)
Keywords
Where Guitar Tricks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Guitar Tricks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Full Access Subscription (Annual): Annual subscription providing unlimited access to all 11,000+ lesson videos, song tutorials, style courses, and tools. Regularly priced at $359/year, with promotional pricing at $99/year during major sale events.
- Full Access Subscription (Monthly): Monthly subscription providing full access to all lesson content. Sign-up via the website or app.
- 1-on-1 Private Zoom Lessons: Instructors are available for individual Zoom lessons at additional cost beyond the subscription fee, providing personalized instruction for members seeking individualized coaching.
- Summer Ultimate Beginner Bundle: A promotional bundle offering 12 months of Full Access ($99, normally $359) bundled with Power Drills Series, Premium Bootcamp Access, 100 Essential Licks Series, Guitar Guides E-Book Collection, Guitar Goal Planner, and 4 Bonus Gifts (total retail value nearly $1,000). This is a limited-time seasonal upsell combining subscription with digital content add-ons.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Access Annual Subscription - Regular |
| Subscription | Annual | Full Access Annual - Summer Promotion |
| Subscription | Monthly | Full Access Monthly |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Lifetime Access (Course Packages) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Guitar Tricks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guitar Tricks is an online subscription-based guitar education platform that delivers on-demand video lessons, structured curricula, practice tools, and live 1-on-1 instruction to individual guitar learners. Its flagship Core Learning System organizes more than 11,000 video lessons and 1,500+ songs into a sequenced path from beginner to advanced, supplemented by 1-on-1 Private Zoom Lessons with instructors.
Product overview
Guitar Tricks is an online guitar learning platform offering a unified subscription service built around its Core Learning System—a structured curriculum comprising Fundamentals, Acoustic, Blues, Rock, and Country style courses at two levels each. The platform provides over 11,000 video lessons, hundreds of song tutorials, technique tutorials, artist studies, and music theory courses. Supporting tools include the Guitar Toolbox (Scale Finder, Jam Station, Metronome, Chord Finder, Guitar Tuner, Fretboard Trainer), a Feedback System for instructor video responses, the Guitar Insider weekly video series, Essential Licks series, and community Forums. Mobile apps for iOS and Android extend access to mobile learners. The platform positions itself as the inventor of online guitar lessons (since 1998) with over 4 million members taught.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Full Access Subscription
- 1-on-1 Private Zoom Lessons
Quantifiable outcome
- Surveys show 9/10 Guitar Tricks users learn faster with their lessons than by watching free video lessons on YouTube.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Guitar Tricks
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Guitar Tricks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature6 records
Guitar Tricks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Apple (iOS App Distribution)coreGuitar Tricks offers a native iOS app distributed through the Apple App Store, allowing members to access lesson content on iPhone and iPad devices. Users must sign up on the website first before logging into the app.
- Google (Android App Distribution)coreGuitar Tricks offers a native Android app distributed through Google Play Store, enabling Android smartphone and tablet users to access lesson content on the go. Users must sign up on the website first before logging into the app.
- 30 Days Singer (Singing Lessons)minor30 Days Singer (30daysinger.com) is listed as a related resource on the Guitar Tricks website under the Resources menu, offering singing lessons for members who want to complement their guitar learning with vocal training. This is an affiliated or sister product cross-sell relationship.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Guitar Tricks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JustinGuitar: Justin Sandercoe's online guitar school, founded 2003. One of the most well-known free/paid online guitar lesson platforms with structured beginner courses, song lessons, and a large YouTube following — directly competing for the same beginner-to-intermediate guitar learner as Guitar Tricks.
- Fender Play: Fender's subscription-based online guitar (and ukulele/bass) learning platform with structured lessons, instructor-led videos, and mobile apps. Directly competes in the online guitar lesson subscription category and benefits from Fender's instrument brand and capital resources.
- Yousician: App-based interactive music learning platform covering guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano with real-time feedback on playing via device microphone. A subscription-based competitor offering gamified, multi-instrument lessons that directly overlaps Guitar Tricks' guitar lesson offering.
- TrueFire: Online guitar lesson platform with a large library of video courses across blues, rock, jazz, country, and fingerstyle, taught by working professional guitarists. Directly competes with Guitar Tricks for the intermediate-to-advanced guitar learner segment.
- JamPlay: Subscription-based online guitar lessons platform offering live workshops, on-demand courses, and style-specific instruction. A direct competitor in the online guitar lesson subscription category with comparable content depth and pricing model.
- ArtistWorks: Online music lesson platform offering video exchange lessons across multiple instruments including guitar, bass, and voice, with Grammy-winning instructors. Competes directly with Guitar Tricks' video feedback system and instructor-led subscription model.
Emerging players
- Pickup Music: Subscription-based online guitar learning platform focused on genre mastery pathways (blues, country, funk, jazz) with modern UI, working-musician instructors, and community features. An emerging direct competitor targeting the same intermediate guitar learner.
- Songsterr: Interactive guitar tablature and play-along platform with a large song library and learning-oriented features. Emerging competitor with partial overlap, particularly in song-based learning where Guitar Tricks' Song Library competes.
Broad incumbents
- MasterClass: Subscription-based premium online education platform featuring celebrity instructors including Tom Morello (guitar), Carlos Santana, and others. A broad incumbent offering guitar classes within a wider portfolio of categories, competing for aspirational learners.
Others
- 30 Days Singer: Sister/affiliated singing lessons platform cross-promoted on the Guitar Tricks website. Comparable business model (subscription-based online lessons with structured curriculum) and direct relationship to Guitar Tricks, but in a different instrument vertical.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Guitar Tricks social profiles
Digital presenceGuitar Tricks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guitar Tricks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Guitar Tricks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guitar Tricks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guitar Tricks
What does Guitar Tricks do?
Guitar Tricks is an online subscription-based guitar education platform that delivers on-demand video lessons, structured curricula, practice tools, and live 1-on-1 instruction to individual guitar learners. Its flagship Core Learning System organizes more than 11,000 video lessons and 1,500+ songs into a sequenced path from beginner to advanced, supplemented by 1-on-1 Private Zoom Lessons with instructors.
Is Guitar Tricks a public or private company?
Guitar Tricks is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Guitar Tricks founded?
Guitar Tricks was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Guitar Tricks based?
Guitar Tricks is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Guitar Tricks make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Full Access Subscription (Annual) is the primary driver. The others are full Access Subscription (Monthly), 1-on-1 Private Zoom Lessons and summer Ultimate Beginner Bundle.
Who are Guitar Tricks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JustinGuitar, Fender Play, Yousician, TrueFire, JamPlay and ArtistWorks. Emerging players are Pickup Music and Songsterr. MasterClass is listed as a broad incumbent. 30 Days Singer is listed as an others.
Does Guitar Tricks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Guitar Tricks.
What industry is Guitar Tricks in?
Guitar Tricks's product category is Online Music Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAI, Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIAIAJ, Music Education & Practice Software (Ear training, tutors, metronome tools). Its NAICS code is 61161.