Our mission is “Coaching Personal Greatness One Lesson At A Time”. We believe that each of us is capable of more. By learning and improving in music, we not only experience the fun, connection and excitement of playing, but we live one of life’s greatest lessons, “what you put in is what you get out.” Playing music helps us all be calmer, have better focus, and be better at accomplishing great things over time. Also, playing guitar is super fun!

Nope! Back when our founder was starting the school, people used to make fun of him. “Dan,” they’d say “don’t you think your mission should maybe be to, you know, teach guitar? What are you trying to do, change the world? You only have 20 students!”  Now we have over 1,000 students, because it turns out that lots of people feel greatness inside of themselves that they want to express. There are lots of ways for us to become more of the person we want to be–and learning to play a beautiful chord or a beautiful song is one of them.

We have great classes and great private lessons. The classes provide a fun, social atmosphere for learning. The private lessons allow the student to receive focused one-on-one attention from the teacher. We think you’ll be happy either way…and guess what? You can always switch—or do both. 🙂

Yes! Attractive gift certificates are available for any number of lessons. We also offer prepaid gift cards that can be used on various programs schoolwide. Select the desired amount and give them something to smile about!

You are welcome to bring your guitar, but you do not need to. Guitars are available for your complimentary use–including electric and acoustic guitars, basses, 3/4 size guitars, classical guitars and left handed guitars.

We have guitars available for you to take home for just $21 per month. We’ll need to take a deposit of $159 on the guitar which is refunded when you return the guitar.

With practice, you can usually be playing your first song in your first week! Our proven curriculum and effective teachers will give you all the tools you need to progress, so after that your progress really depends on how much you practice. Most of our students who practice at least three times per week can play a song by heart in front of other people within two or three months. Of course, you can never completely master guitar—there are always new skills, songs, and techniques to master.

Don’t worry! Our teachers are patient and supportive, and we have a top notch curriculum to help beginners gently achieve confidence and competence.

We have left handed guitars available for your use, and lots of experience teaching left handers.

Private lessons and classes are available in our Midtown, Upper East Side, Queens, Brooklyn locations, online via Zoom, or in your Manhattan home or office.

Check out “A Guide to Buying Your First Guitar” to learn more about what kind of guitar might suit your needs best, along with recommendations for the most popular guitars students like to start out with.

The first step is to set up a discounted trial lesson at one of our locations, in your Manhattan home, or even online. Click here for instant online booking or call or email our friendly staff. We’ll ask you about your experience and interests and suggest one of our expert teachers for a no-obligation trial lesson.

You’ll probably really enjoy your trial lesson. After that, most students continue with a regular weekly time.

NYC Guitar School is a premium guitar lesson provider in New York City. We have a very selective process for hiring teachers, we pay our teachers more than most of our competitors, and we charge a bit more than most other schools.

For detailed pricing on all our offerings check out our Price Sheet.

Other types of lessons (in-home, Suzuki, vocal lessons, etc.) operate similarly–call 646-485-7244 or check those particular pages for exact pricing.

Private lessons are 30 or 45 minutes long.

Totally! We always start you off with a trial lesson to make sure it’s a great match between you and your teacher. If it’s a good fit, you can plan to continue with them weekly. If you’d like to explore other options…you can book a new trial lesson with a different teacher before committing.

We have a strict 48 hour cancellation policy and there are no refunds with fewer than 48 hours notice. Lessons canceled with fewer than 48 hours notice will count as a lesson and the teacher will be paid for the reserved time. To cancel or reschedule a lesson with more than 48 hours, contact your teacher by email.

As a yearly member, you can add as many lessons as you like at the discounted member rate.

Fear not. Your lesson credits don’t expire for a year–so you can use them later.

If you need to cancel your lesson membership before your year ends, you can pay the $100 membership cancellation fee. That will stop any future charges. Charges for the annual membership that have already been processed are non-refundable. Any unused lesson credit will expire after one year.

Go ahead and take the lesson! You get 48 lessons over the course of your year, between holidays and vacations this almost always works out perfectly for weekly lessons.

You can use a debit or credit card to purchase a discounted set of five lessons. After your fifth lesson, your card will automatically run for the next set of five. You can stop lessons at any time and receive a FULL refund of unused lessons.  This is our most flexible option.

Yes! Experience extra motivation and fun by learning together with a friend for only an extra $10 per ongoing lesson. There is no extra charge for your trial lesson, though—so try it out!

Our classes are step-by-step and song-by-song with an expert coach. Step-by-step means that new material is presented in a broken down, sequential manner with small, achievable steps. Song-by-song means that we teach using real songs, which make our classes fun and motivating. And an expert coach means that our teachers are more than highly proficient musicians–they are skilled at explaining and motivating students to reach understanding and proficiency.

NYC Guitar School Group Class Memberships include unlimited sessions of our effective, fun and affordable step-by-step group guitar classes at all levels with experienced and engaging teachers–plus access to an extensive video lesson library. Take one class a week or take a class every day. Mix and match in-person and online classes. Enjoy learning in a positive community environment.

Class Members can also add a Rock Band Membership for band placement, regular rehearsals and showcases. Visit the Adult Rock Band or Kids and Teen Rock Band pages for more info.

For detailed pricing on all our offerings check out our Price Sheet.

A: It’s easy to sign up online or by phone. To sign up online, click on the “Enroll” button next to the class you want to take and follow the subsequent directions. From there, sign up for our unlimited membership and take as many classes as you’d like! To register by phone, call the school at 646-485-7244 with your Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express.

A: YES! If you can practice three times per week while you’re taking classes with us, then your success is assured! After your first month you may not wish to immediately perform in Madison Square Garden–but you will be able to play basic and enjoyable songs with satisfaction and pride.

You will be playing along with your first song after your very first class at NYC Guitar School! That fun–and motivating. After that, if you come to class regularly and practice several times a week, you can expect to know all your basic open chords after a couple months, to have the skills and strums to play hundreds of popular songs after a few months, and to learn basic scales, barre chords, and beyond after about a year of study.  Learning guitar can be an exciting journey that never ends–there are always new songs, styles, collaborations and insights to explore, which you can do in our Lead Guitar, Rock Band and other advanced programs. But at NYC Guitar School, you will be playing from Day One!

No problem! We have loads of available free makeup classes. Just take a look at the class schedule and click “Enroll” to sign up! Traveling? We have online options too–plus our classes are designed so that you can jump back after a missed week without losing your momentum! Our members also get free access to hundreds of video tutorials and practice sessions, so you can simply watch and learn along with the prerecorded video of the session you missed. Finally, we offer discounted private make-up lessons for students who want to go over their missed class one-on-one. It is EASY to stay on track with NYC Guitar School!

After your trial month, the NYC Guitar School Class Annual Membership is $149/month or $1,400 a year (but you can pause or cancel your membership anytime for a modest fee). If you try out our classes, we think you’ll realize that the value you receive is incredible. Afraid of commitment? Take classes a-la-carte with a pay-as-you-go option for $175 for 5 classes! Want to upgrade to the annual membership? Click here or give us a call at 646-485-7244.

If you have absolutely no guitar experience, then Guitar For Absolute Beginners is the right class for you!

In the class description, there are prerequisites for each class–and for all the beginners classes there are also warm-up videos to play along to. If you are unable to play along with the whole video, that’s probably a good place to start.

You can also give us a call at 646-485-7244 or email us…we’ll be happy to guide you in choosing the class that is right for you. But if you’re one of those students who have already looked at our classes and are ready to just start jumping in, that’s OK, too!  Our teachers are warm and friendly, and exploring different classes and teachers is part of the fun of joining our school.

For an absolute beginner, classes progress as follows: Guitar 1 through Guitar 9. It’s that simple! Guitar 1: Guitar for Absolute Beginners is for total newbies…and by the time you get to Guitar 9: Barre Chords II for Advanced Beginners, you are ready to take your guitar playing in any direction!

After you’ve completed all of the beginners classes you can take a wide variety of electives, including Guitar Ensemble, Lead Guitar, Fingerstyle Guitar or even a Rock Band. And remember, along the way we have lots of classes for different levels and styles of playing to help you customize your curriculum towards your goals!

That depends on YOU. You stay in each class for as long or as little as it takes. For most beginners, this means 4-6 weeks for Guitar 1: Guitar for Absolute Beginners, and for 8-12 weeks for subsequent classes. But everyone is different, so if your pace is faster or slower, that is OKAY!

And some classes, like Lead Guitar Workout, you can keep coming back to for YEARS! And you are always welcome to go back and review an old class!

No problem! Take a look at the class schedule and see if we have another session of your class, then just click “Enroll” to sign up! Our classes are also designed so that you can jump back in starting next week and still be on track – as long as you practice throughout the week! Our members also get free access to hundreds of video tutorials and practice sessions, so you can simply watch and learn along with the prerecorded video of the session you missed. Finally, we offer discounted private make-up lessons for students who want to go over their missed class one-on-one. Click here to book a make-up private lesson online, or give us a call at 646-485-7244.

If you see that a class you’d like to sign up for is full, please email info@nycguitarschool.com and we can get you added to the waitlist or give us a call at 646-485-7244. If a spot opens up, you’ll receive an email.

Online classes or lessons are exactly the same format as in-person classes and private lessons with the exact same teachers — only you get to play from the comfort of your own home. Instruction is real-time and all you need is your guitar, Internet connection, a computer, or a mobile device.

No, it’s super easy! We use the Zoom platform, which works across virtually any operating system or device. After you schedule your lesson, we will email you a link for the lesson. Just save that email, and then click the link before the lesson begins.

This is the number one question we get asked by new students. Meeting a teacher and starting to learn guitar online can be both exciting and–depending on how much experience you have with taking lessons online–a bit daunting. But we’ll help you get ready step by step. When you sign up, we’ll send you a link for a test meeting to make sure that your equipment is ready for your lesson. If you need to download an app or an extension, you’ll be prompted to do so. Just follow the prompts!

Of course you won’t want your first lesson to be interrupted by technical issues! So check your lesson time and give yourself some extra time before your first lesson to make sure that your internet signal is strong and that your video and microphone are working. Watch this fun video for a step by step checklist to make sure that you are totally ready: 2-Minute VIDEO: “How To Get Ready For Your First Online Guitar Lesson.”

Absolutely. Our step-by-step curriculum is based around our best-selling Guitar For Absolute Beginners book. You’re supported with clear video warm-ups and practice guides, and most importantly with small group live-online classes with expert teachers. Thousands of complete beginners learned to play with us, and you can, too.