Most online guitar courses won’t actually make you better.

But before I get into it, let me get something off my chest.

If you’re not here for the “why,” feel free to scroll down — but honestly, this part might explain a lot about how I approach teaching, and why I even bother making content like this.

My Gift (And My Curse)

If you’re thinking, “Oh great, another guy just trying to sell his own stuff” — I get it. That’s fair.

But let me tell you a little about where I’m coming from.

In life, we have gifts and we have passions.

• Your gift is something you’re naturally good at — you didn’t earn it, it just is.

• Your passion is what you love, whether you’re good at it or not.

My natural gift?

It’s not music.

In fact, out of everything I tried growing up, music was probably the thing I was worst at.

But it was my passion — so I stuck with it. Worked for 20+ years at it. Every bit of skill I have is from stubborn effort, not natural-born talent.

What is my gift?

Teaching and leadership.

Those two things are tied together.

Teaching is about recognizing patterns, guiding people from confusion to understanding.

Leadership is about getting people to believe in a better way and follow you there. Throughout my life, this gift has been a double-edged sword — whether it was raising my hand in 1st grade to correct the teacher (not popular), or getting into trouble during my PhD for pointing out broken systems.

If I see a pattern that’s wrong, I physically can’t keep my mouth shut. It’s who I am.

And it’s why I have to make videos, podcasts, and newsletters like this — even if it annoys people.

Why Most Online Courses Don’t Work

Here’s the simple truth:

To actually get better at guitar (or anything), you need three things:

1. A method (a clear, step-by-step process)

2. Practice

3. Feedback and accountability

Most online courses?

They only give you the method — and that’s actually the least important piece.

Here’s the typical online course formula:

• Hire a great player.

• Shoot amazing 4K footage with multiple camera angles.

• Have them explain their method (maybe).

• Give you a big PDF of tabs.

• Toss in a backing track.

Sounds good, right?

But here’s the problem:

• Great players aren’t automatically great teachers.

  (Artists have to be selfish; teachers have to be selfless.)

• Even simple concepts get dragged out for hours.

  (Almost everything in music can be explained clearly in 10 minutes or less.)

• You have no feedback when you get stuck.

  (No way to ask, “Am I doing this right?”)

• No accountability to keep you practicing consistently.

So people start a course, get about 15% in, hit a roadblock, get frustrated, and quit. Or they jump on Reddit, get 10 different opinions, and switch methods entirely. Or they buy another course hoping this one will finally fix it.

(Trust me, I’ve bought almost every guitar course out there for research — it’s the same every time.)

The Rice Story (Yes, Really)

Let me put it another way:

A few months ago, my fiancée wanted to make rice for dinner.

She’s a great cook — but rice? Rice was her nemesis.

I told her, “Two parts water, one part rice, simmer 30 minutes. Simple.”

But during the cooking, every five minutes, she kept trying to lift the lid.

She was anxious. She wanted to check.

I stopped her every time.

Finally, 30 minutes later, perfect rice.

The difference?

She already had the method — she just needed feedback (“Don’t lift the lid!”) and accountability (me standing there making sure she didn’t lift it).

That’s the power of having someone guide you.

Not with some fancy secret sauce — just simple feedback at the right time, and a little accountability to keep you on track.

So What Actually Makes You Better at Guitar?

It’s not 5 hours of 4K video.

It’s not 30 pages of tabs.

It’s not backing tracks.

It’s:

• A clear method

• Plus regular feedback

• Plus consistent accountability

That’s it.

And that’s why when people ask me, “Can I just do it on my own now?” after 2 weeks, I say:

“Where has doing it on your own gotten you for the last 20 years?”

We all think we don’t need help — especially men.

(I know. I’ve been there too. We’d rather struggle than admit we need accountability.)

But the truth is:

Feedback + accountability = real progress.

What My Program Actually Looks Like

If you’ve made it this far and you’re wondering, “Okay, what does Andre’s program actually involve?” — here it is:

• You pick a method you want to focus on (blues, modes, legato, jazz, etc.)

• You practice it (about 15–30 minutes a day, 4–5 days a week)

• You send me videos and questions anytime

• I give you personalized video feedback within 24 hours

• I check in if I don’t hear from you for a while

• We stay on track together for 12 weeks

It’s not about having a million hours of content.

It’s about steady, guided progress with feedback and accountability — until you become the best version of yourself on the guitar.

Not Julian Lage. Not Tommy Emmanuel.

You.

At your best.

Final Thought

If you don’t want to learn from me, that’s 100% fine.

Just please — next time you buy something, make sure it comes with real feedback and accountability.

Otherwise, you’re just paying for a dream, not a transformation.

Talk soon,

Andre