Are you looking for online resources to improve your technique?
Do you want to see progress in your musical journey and improvement in your practice sessions?
Whether you sing or play an instrument (or several), the internet is a wealth of information for musicians who are looking to improve their skills.
All of these websites have free resources available, and some have paid ones as well.
Whether you play the viola, the piano, the clarinet, or the snare drum, you’re sure to find some useful technique-building tips here to carry you into the new year!
Bassoon
Music and the Bassoon, run by the University of Texas at Austin, features repertoire from the beginner through advanced level, scales and exercises, and instructional videos on a variety of topics including articulation, right-hand technique, and slurring.
Cello
Hans Zentgraf’s Cello Academy is a fantastic resource featuring lesson videos for the beginning, intermediate, and advanced cellist. He also has a very informative blog.
Cello Online is a great resource for cellists who want to learn more about their instrument. The website covers cello basics like setup, bow strokes, and bridge adjustment, and offers free sheet music with accompaniment. I especially enjoyed their free string class, which traces the development of the cello and its repertoire from its invention through the 20th century.
Clarinet
Clarinet Mentors offers free samples of their paid clarinet online courses. There is a free eBook for beginners.
If you’re looking for videos, pictures, and instructions to improve your clarinet technique, visit Clarinet Now. Professional clarinetist and teacher Chris Jones has packed the site with helpful tips and demonstrations.
Cornet
I had a hard time finding online resources for the cornet (cornet enthusiasts, you guys should get on that!) but I did find Duane Carter from Expert Village. Duane has put out several YouTube videos for cornetists featuring arpeggio exercises, scales, breathing techniques, and more.
Double Bass
Discover Double Bass offers free video lessons from a variety of tutors that will walk you through playing in thumb position, improving your bowing, and much more. They also have paid courses on topics as varied as jazz bowing, fractal fingering, and left hand technique.
String Bass Online is great resource for beginning or intermediate bass players. The website has explanations of fingering patterns, shifting, and bowing directions and offers free sheet music with accompaniment. They also offer a free string class which traces the development of the double bass and its repertoire from its invention through the 20th century.
English Horn
Carolyn Hove has compiled a detailed list of English horn repertoire. Her site also has information on reed making.
Euphonium
George Palton has a lot of information for brass players on his blog, including a list of exercises for the euphonium.
Flute
Learn Flute Online has a free eCourse for beginners and a paid course for intermediate and advanced flautists. It also has mini courses and lessons on hymn playing, vibrato, Irish flute music, and more.
The Flute Channel features many quality lesson videos on beginning tone production, technique and breathing.
The Flute Coach is a blog and a website with videos, paid online lessons and courses for beginner and intermediate flautists. There is also a paid course for flute solo preparation and advanced flute etudes.
French Horn
John Ericson and Bruce Hembd co-founded Horn Matters, which features an enormous knowledge base including a pdf library and the University of Horn Matters. The University section offers free courses on advanced horn repertoire and pedagogy.
Guitar
Justin Guitar is a fantastic resource for guitarists. Justin has beginner, intermediate and advanced courses as well as tons of tutorials and chord charts for popular songs and information on music theory and technique. He also has tools such as tuners and metronomes built into his site,
National Guitar Academy has free video lessons for beginners and a lot of information about music theory, chord structure, and rhythm.
Harp
Harp School is a wonderful resource for harpists. The website offers a ton of free lesson videos as well as a paid lesson plan for beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses. They also offer the option of having paid lessons with a long-distance via webcam, which is great for those who do not live near a harp teacher. The site also has a blog, a guide to choosing the right harp, and a key chart for both lever and pedal harps.
Oboe
Erika Qureshi’s site Healthy Oboist is dedicated to safe, healthy, and injury-free oboe playing. As a professional oboist and teacher who has overcome injury, she gives information about posture, body mapping, proper breathing, and other tips to help promote healthy playing in other musicians.
Oboe Insight is a blog and website with information about reed making, tips for beginners, and musical etiquette.
Organ
The American Guild of Organists website has a great Educational Resource page that contains links for mini courses, videos, repertoire lists, and much more.
Percussion
Free Percussion Lessons offers, you guessed it, free lessons to percussionists who are learning the timpani, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tambourine, triangle, mallet instruments, and more. They also have lessons on music theory, drum circles, and orchestral percussion.
Piano
Zach Evan’s Best Piano Tips has a very helpful blog and videos about topics like playing trills, fingering fast arpeggios, and learning jazz piano. He has free webinars on piano technique and a music theory section. He also offers a free online course.
I Play the Piano has paid online courses on repertoire and technique for beginning, intermediate, and advanced pianists. You can preview a few of the lessons of each course for free.
Pianist Magazine is the best online resource I have found for pianists of all levels. The site has the latest news about pianists around the world, a very helpful blog with tons of technique tips. They also have an excellent set of free lesson videos for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players. The videos cover topics like playing slurs, pedaling through staccato sections, and playing polyrhythms.
Piccolo
See the Flute entries
Saxophone
Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. has a wealth of articles with tips on improvising with pentatonic scales, ear training, improving your tone, and everything in between. They also have paid courses available.
How to Play Saxophone has a blog for saxophonists and a database of free lesson videos available to those who have a premium membership.
Trombone
Digital Trombone is a great resource with articles about everything from breathing and legato playing to pedal tones and intonation. They also give out a free jazz etude to those who sign up for their newsletter.
Trumpet
eTrumpet Lessons offers free and paid lessons for beginners, as well as a helpful blog.
Trumpetland is a rich resource for trumpeters. They offer both free and paid lessons on everything from vibrato to jazz interpretation to expanding your range and overcoming performance anxiety. They also have a lot of information on the history of the trumpet, its repertoire, and famous players. The also have a section featuring news, jobs available for trumpeters, and upcoming festivals.
Tuba
George Palton has a lot of information for brass players on his blog, including a list of exercises for the tuba.
Viola
Viola Man is a website dedicated to providing free resources for viola players. There are lessons about developing a proper bow hold, playing with vibrato, learning scales, and much more.
Viola Online is great for beginning or intermediate violists. The website has explanations of fingering patterns, shifting, and changing strings and offers free sheet music with accompaniment. The free string class traces the development of the viola and its repertoire from its invention through the 20th century.
Violin
Online Violin Education is a wonderful online resource for violinists of all levels, and a personal favorite of mine. Heather’s website offers many paid courses and original books, as well as a ton of content on YouTube and periodic free five-day challenges for technichue, harmonics, double stops, and more. Her books on learning violin positions are the best I have found.
Julia’s website Violinspiration offers a free membership with weekly lesson videos. She also has lessons on how to play certain popular songs and a free eBook of violin music available. She is also the founder of Julia’s Violin Academy, a paid online system with lessons and support to help you learn and progress in your violin playing.
Violin Online is great resource for beginning or intermediate violinists. The website has explanations of fingering patterns, tuning, and bow placement and offers free sheet music with accompaniment. Their free string class traces the development of the violin and its repertoire from its invention through the 20th century.
Important Note: This post does not contain affiliate links. I am not affiliated with any of these websites, and I do not receive any sort of compensation from them if you purchase something by following the links in this post. I just found these sites helpful and informative, and I wanted to pass along the information!
What technique-building websites do you use? Let me know in the comments!