MartyMonologues
Tales and wisdom from the man himself.
I've been making guitar videos since the early days of YouTube. If you've ever wondered what the life of a guitar teacher on the internet actually looks like, this is it.
Where it all started — and what nobody tells you about learning guitar. These are the honest origin stories behind the channel.
The most personal guitar video I've ever made. If you've ever felt like you weren't cut out for this, this one's for you.
A counterintuitive take on how I actually maintain and improve my playing — and why traditional "practice" isn't the whole story.
The full origin story of this channel — from the first upload to millions of subscribers. None of it was planned the way you'd think.
The real obstacle I see holding guitarists back — and it's not what most people think. A candid talk about what actually moves the needle.
Some stories sound made up. These aren't. From Slash to Eric Clapton's actual guitar — the encounters I still can't believe happened.
The most surreal 24 hours of my career, told start to finish. Two things I never expected to happen — both happened on the same day.
Celisse is one of the most talented guitarists working today. Getting to play alongside her was a highlight I didn't see coming.
Four iconic guitars. One day. What it actually feels like to hold the instruments of your heroes and try not to lose your mind.
Some instruments carry weight beyond their wood and strings. This is a story about one of those guitars — and what it meant to play it.
Dubai. New York City. And a gig I still don't fully know how to describe. These are the stories from behind the stage.
Taking the Marty Music & Friends show to Dubai was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Here's the full story.
New York City. A legendary venue with serious history. The Marty Music & Friends show hits the Big Apple — and it does not disappoint.
This one still gets me. A gig that started normally and went completely sideways. I've told this story live a few times — here it is on camera.
More personal than any guitar lesson I've ever made. The hat has a story — and it's one I hadn't shared publicly until this video.
Factory floors, rescue missions, and an accidental brush with Lynyrd Skynyrd. The side of guitar content you don't usually see.
I got a full behind-the-scenes tour of where the strings on your guitar are actually made. A completely different way to think about your gear.
Everything that could go wrong with my gear did go wrong — right before a show in New York City. D'Addario saved the day in a big way.
Not something I planned. Not something I could have predicted. One of the stranger and more memorable chapters in the ongoing story of this channel.
The Marty Monologues are a series of personal, story-driven videos separate from my guitar lessons. They cover everything from how I built my YouTube career to wild experiences on the road — told in my own words, without a lesson structure.
Not at all. These videos are stories first. You don't need any guitar knowledge to follow along — they're designed for anyone who's curious about the guitar world, the YouTube world, or just appreciates a good story.
Honestly — and I mean this — it was largely unplanned. I cover the full story in "How I Accidentally Built a YouTube Guitar Career." The short version: I showed up consistently, cared about the student's perspective, and the platform grew around me over many years.
A few that still feel surreal: I got to hold and play guitars owned by Eric Clapton, Jeff Buckley, Paul Kossoff, and Mark Knopfler in one day. I jammed with Celisse, Lizzo's incredible guitarist. And there was the day Howard Stern called me — the same day I met Slash. All of these stories are on this page.
That's the title of one of my most-discussed videos — and the nuance matters. I don't do traditional isolated practice the way most people think about it. My "practice" is embedded in the creative work I do every day. The video explains the full philosophy behind it.
All my free lesson libraries are linked in the "Explore More" section below. I've built full free collections for Jimi Hendrix and more — with structured sections, tabs, and everything you need to actually learn the songs.
More free lesson libraries — each one built to take you deep into a specific artist or style.
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