Learning to play the guitar is a dream for many. Whether inspired by favorite musicians or simply seeking a new creative outlet, the allure of strumming chords and playing melodies is undeniable. While traditional guitar lessons with instructors have been the standard, the digital age has ushered in a wave of innovative solutions, most notably, guitar learning apps. Among these, Yousician stands out as a popular choice, boasting millions of downloads and a gamified approach to musical education. But does it live up to the hype? Is Yousician truly the Best Guitar Learning App for aspiring musicians? After six months of using Yousician to embark on my guitar journey, I’m here to share my experience and provide an in-depth review.
Tuning Up with Technology: My First Steps with Yousician
Initially, like many beginners, I dabbled with free YouTube tutorials. However, I quickly realized I needed a more structured and interactive approach. That’s when I turned to apps, and Yousician immediately caught my attention. Available on both Android and iOS, and boasting over 10 million downloads, it seemed like a promising platform to start my musical adventure.
Yousician app interface showing interactive guitar lesson, a leading guitar learning app for beginners.
The app’s onboarding process is smooth and user-friendly. A friendly Australian instructor, whose face remains unseen, guides you through the basics, explaining guitar anatomy and proper holding techniques. The app’s performance was impressive even on my OnePlus 10T, though users with visual impairments might benefit from using Yousician on a tablet due to the potentially small size of the musical notes on smaller phone screens.
What immediately appealed to me was Yousician’s intuitive note layout, reminiscent of Guitar Hero. Colored blocks cascade down the screen, indicating the correct string, fret, and finger placement. This gamified approach was a significant selling point, making the initial learning curve less daunting and more engaging. To this day, I mentally associate finger numbers with colors thanks to Yousician’s visual cues.
After the introductory lessons, which include tuning your guitar using the built-in tuner and grasping fundamental guitar techniques, Yousician transitions to a subscription-based model. The Premium and Premium+ packages offer varying levels of access. For those wanting to learn popular licensed songs (beyond Yousician’s original compositions), Premium+ is the way to go, costing around $11 a month. Premium+ unlocks learning for multiple instruments (guitar, piano, ukulele, vocals) and includes celebrity-led courses, although these courses are admittedly brief.
Yousician’s song library is surprisingly extensive, featuring a mix of modern hits and classics. From Twenty-One Pilots and Imagine Dragons to 90s and 00s favorites, glam rock anthems, and timeless tunes from artists like The Beatles and John Denver, there’s a wide range to explore. Personal favorites I enjoyed playing included The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” Paramore’s “The Only Exception,” and The Cranberries’ “Linger.”
Learning to Play: Interactive Lessons and Gamified Progress
Despite having no prior musical background, Yousician enabled me to quickly play recognizable songs. Lessons are thoughtfully structured, combining video tutorials with real instructors and interactive exercises. Each lesson segment typically lasts between 5 to 10 minutes, making learning manageable and fitting into busy schedules.
The app’s biggest advantage lies in its interactivity and immediate feedback. I could slow down sections, replay them as needed, and receive visual confirmation of correct note playing – notes turn green for correct and red for incorrect. This real-time feedback is invaluable, especially for beginners who might otherwise develop bad habits learning from less interactive resources like YouTube or books.
Yousician excels at motivating consistent practice. Similar to Guitar Hero, the app scores your performance in each lesson and song, awarding star ratings and placing you on online leaderboards. This gamification element can be surprisingly addictive, driving you to improve your score and strive for higher rankings. Completing lesson levels leads to account “leveling up,” providing a tangible sense of progress and accomplishment, which, as a beginner, I found genuinely encouraging.
Time to Go Solo? Reaching a Plateau and Exploring Beyond Yousician
After reaching level 5 in Yousician, I had grasped fundamental guitar skills and basic music theory concepts, including power chords, octaves, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. At this point, while I enjoyed playing new songs within the app, I began to consider whether to continue my subscription.
As a casual player dedicating roughly 30 minutes to an hour most days, the lessons were becoming increasingly technical and demanding, progressing at a faster pace. I recognized that my goal was recreational enjoyment, not rock stardom. While Yousician had been instrumental in building a solid foundation, I felt the need to explore beyond its structured curriculum.
I wholeheartedly recommend Yousician to absolute beginners seeking a user-friendly and effective guitar learning app. However, I believe its primary strength lies in its ability to get you started and build foundational skills. Its usefulness might diminish beyond a certain point as learners progress and seek more advanced or specialized instruction. The testament to Yousician’s effectiveness is that I now confidently look up chords online to play songs independently. Perhaps, like Fleetwood Mac, it’s time for me to “go my own way,” armed with the basics Yousician provided, and explore new avenues in my guitar journey.
