The best advice I received when I took up guitar last year was to pick one that looks cool. The reasoning is that you’ll become obsessed with it. And while I’m definitely enamored with my blacked-out acoustic Fender, it feels less impressive when I hit a sour note.
I’ve been immersed in the arts since a young age. I took writing, dancing, drawing and painting very seriously. But music is new to me, and it’s been a struggle to read sheet music, find the best techniques and troubleshoot issues.
Even though I consider myself «right-brained,» I’m still an AI journalist by profession, which got me thinking: Could artificial intelligence help improve my guitar practice?
I poked around on AI platforms and chatbots to see if any could assist me in my journey of learning a new instrument.
While AI certainly can’t replace instruction from my human teacher and in-person group lessons, AI has actually helped me with my new hobby.
AI can answer guitar-related questions
I’m new to playing guitar, so I’m constantly plagued by questions: What’s the best guitar to buy for a beginner? What are some starter chords? What’s a fret?
When I used the free version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to search for a few queries, I was pleasantly surprised by its thorough and accurate answers.
ChatGPT gave me a solid answer when I asked what the best guitar for beginners would be. It listed several models and brands for acoustic, electric and classical guitars. After verifying with other websites and customer reviews, it seems that every recommended model is beginner-friendly.
Beyond the initial question, ChatGPT also listed important accessories to buy as a beginner — tuner, picks, strings and more — as well as factors to consider when purchasing your first guitar.
You should avoid taking AI-generated answers at face value. It’s best to always fact-check information with the manufacturer’s website or other expert sources, in case the AI tool hallucinates or pulls information from dubious sources.
ChatGPT can also help you troubleshoot when your guitar isn’t quite working or sounding right. You can ask the AI assistant about common issues you may be experiencing, and it will offer easy solutions.
AI can help tune my guitar
When I bought my guitar, some of my biggest worries were whether I’d be able to tune it accurately and tell when it needed to be tuned. ChatGPT can’t listen to my guitar via chat, but it can provide thorough instructions on how to check and tune it.
For more advanced tuning assistance, you’ll need to opt for an AI tool other than ChatGPT.
AI can be a valuable tool for tuning your guitar by providing real-time feedback through apps or devices that detect each string’s pitch. Many tuning apps, such as GuitarTuna (free for a basic subscription or $20 per month for an unlimited subscription) and Fender Tune (free), use your phone’s microphone or a clip-on tuner to listen to the guitar’s vibrations and indicate whether each string is sharp, flat, or in tune.
AI-based tuning has limitations, though. The tool relies on the quality of your phone or microphone, which is likely not as precise as that of professional tuners. Environmental noise or poor microphone sensitivity can also affect accuracy.
While AI is convenient and effective for basic tuning, it may not always catch subtle tuning nuances or handle non-standard tunings as well as human ears.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
AI can find your favorite song’s guitar chords
Some of the best advice I received when I first started playing was to focus on learning my favorite songs. Yes, it’s good to always start with the basics — you have to crawl before you walk. But after learning the names of strings and the order in which they appear on the guitar, and you get comfortable strumming, it can be motivating to start fiddling around with the chords of your favorite songs.
Since starting guitar, I’ve used AI to find chords for songs I listen to a lot, such as I Burned LA Down by Noah Cyrus, which has a relatively simple chord structure. It’s up to personal preference, but playing my favorite songs made practice feel less like a chore and more like an exciting challenge. It also helped me develop a deeper understanding of rhythm, chords and techniques in the context of real music, making my progress feel more relevant and real-world.
As a beginner guitar player, AI helped me instantly identify and play the chords for my favorite songs. Apps and tools, including Chord ai, Chordify, and Songsterr (each offers a free tier with paid add-ons), use AI to listen to a song and generate chords in real time, making it easier to follow along and learn.
This is a huge benefit for beginners like me who may struggle to figure out chords by ear.
For instance, I spend a lot of time on TikTok scrolling through song covers posted by other people, looking for snippets I can copy at home. I came across this cover of The 1975’s About You, which is a song I absolutely love; the bridge especially gives me chills every time I listen to it (and I’ve listened to it a lot).
I wanted to give it a try myself. The chords didn’t seem too complex, but the original creator didn’t post the chords in the comments or caption. There was some discussion in the comments about it sounding like the chords Ed Sheeran used for Photograph, and another person commented that the chord progression sounded like D, A, Em, G, then back to A.
To get a more solid answer, I actually turned to AI.
I have Chord ai downloaded on my phone. This app can listen to music played from your device as a recording, from video or audio streaming services like YouTube and SoundCloud, or from media files saved on your device, and detect chords. I saved the TikTok cover of About You to my phone and uploaded it to Chord ai. It instantly read the file and laid out the chords: D, A, Em, G, then back to A.
AI gave me the same answer as the experienced players in the video’s comments, confirming that the chords I was playing were correct. This has come in handy numerous times, as I’ll hear a cover of a song and want to mimic it for practice.
There are still limitations to this method, though. AI can only provide basic chord progressions, as it often misses nuanced changes or fingerpicking patterns. This means that complex songs or non-standard tunings might not be accurately transcribed by AI.
While it’s a great starting point, it’s always helpful to double-check with official tabs or sheet music for more accuracy and to take up lessons with an expert.
AI made me a practical schedule for practicing guitar
My biggest issue when I first picked up a guitar a few months ago was the consistency. I’d play for two to three hours one day, then not play for the next four or five days in a row. Since I’d go through bursts of motivation, I knew I needed to make a formal schedule to keep myself accountable.
ChatGPT was a surprisingly helpful resource for creating a weekly practice schedule outside my once-a-week in-person guitar lesson.
I told the AI tool how long I’ve been playing (three months), how many hours a week I’d ideally want to practice (between five and seven hours), and the days I can’t practice due to other obligations.
I was impressed that the schedule ChatGPT created incorporated warmup, technique, chord and scale practice and even some improvisation. The weekly schedule I was given balances review with free play.
This way, I never have an excuse for not practicing and can never blame not knowing what to practice next for slacking off. If you’re a chronic procrastinator like me, having a rigid schedule that accounts for your proficiency and skill level can be encouraging.
My verdict
In my experience, AI can significantly enhance a beginner’s guitar learning experience by creating personalized practice schedules, teaching chords, assisting with tuning and promptly answering questions that may arise during your journey learning a new instrument. AI-generated tips and tricks can even be motivating and encouraging.
AI-driven apps can generate real-time chord progressions for my favorite songs, making my practice time more enjoyable and relevant.
It’s important to recognize that AI’s capabilities are limited to providing structured exercises and information — it cannot replicate the nuanced feedback and personalized guidance of in-person instruction.
