When it comes to learning music, then you’ll need to know what you are looking for before striking out and investing in one.

For example, if you are a beginner, then you’ll want something very easy, whereas if you are more experienced, you’ll want something that challenges your existing skillset.

But luckily for you, there are plenty of courses out there to get you started on the long road of musical virtuosity. The Masterclass website is one of the best places for you to acquire a course from one of your musical heroes.

From Usher to Tom Morello to Timbaland, you can get lessons in guitar, beat-making, or piano from some of the most successful people in the industry. So why not delve into our top 15 picks for masterclass music courses?

15 Best Masterclass Music Courses

1. Usher Teaches The Art Of Performance

This first course is taught by the Grammy award-winning artist Usher. This class is taught over 16 videos that cover how to hold an audience’s attention, how to build your brand and how you can gather inspiration for your songs.

Usher delivers these classes with his usual casualness, which is what makes him not only an endearing singer and performer but a great teacher.

This is a very affordable course that you can get as part of a wider subscription package.

2. Christina Aguilera Teaches Singing

Now we have a course that teaches you singing from one of the very best and most successful singers in the world.

This course helps to cover what vocal exercises Christina uses to get her voice ready before she takes to the stage or the recording studio.

This comes with over 3 hours of video, covering subjects like breathing exercises, how to incorporate growling into your voice and how you can work with the right beat.

These courses are very easy to comprehend, and you will get tips from one of the best.

3. Reba McEntire Teaches Country Music

How can you make your country music performances sound much more emotional?

Well, by studying with one of the best country music stars on the planet, that’s right, it’s Reba McEntire teaching you all of the secrets to her success.

This comes with case studies in which Reba dissects one of her hits and explains to you why it works.

Clocking in at nearly 4 hours, you’ll know everything that you need regarding performance and how to get that extra level of perfection from your recordings.

4. Deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music

This next course is taught by the amazing electronic musician deadmau5, otherwise known as Joel Zimmerman.

This comes with over 20 videos that you can watch at your discretion and some downloadable materials drafted by Deadmau5 himself.

This course will teach you the difference between digital and analog synths, as well as give you everything that you need to create your own home studio.

This course will teach you how to fabricate great beats and how to create sonic textures that listeners will find impossible to forget.

5. Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring

If you have studied classical music but you want to make some serious money by getting into film scoring, then why not learn from one of the masters in the field: Hans Zimmer.

From the Lion King to The Dark Knight, he’s scored some of the very best and now he wants to teach the next generation of film composers.

This course will teach you how to score as the film is playing as well as score music for going under dialogue.

This course also selects themes of characters from Hans Zimmer’s rich discography, including The Joker, Batman and Jack Sparrow. This is a must-watch for and fans of film music.

6. Herbie Hancock Teaches Jazz

For anyone even vaguely acquainted with jazz, you’ll have heard the name Herbie Hancock.

The creator of so many great jazz pieces, Herbie Hancock will teach you how to improvise, listen by ear and construct your own jazz music.

One of the most useful parts of this course is when Herbie dissects some of his own tunes like Oleo and Maiden Voyage.

This is great for helping you understand what goes into a jazz song in terms of timing and melody. Jazz is a very hard subject, so why not learn from the best?

7. Armin Van Buuren Teaches Dance Music

This is a course taught by the platinum-selling music DJ and producer Armin Van Buuren.

This is a one-stop-shop for all things related to dance music: whether it is the beat, what pads you can use and how you can get your leads in great shape at your home studio.

This course takes you from the writing and composing stage right the way through to mixing and mastering your own music.

This will also help you to edit your music, which is often an overlooked part of the process.

8. Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar

From the stadium-filling political nu-metal group Rage Against The Machine, Tom Morello teaches his idiosyncratic approach to the electric guitar through this course.

This charts Tom’s influences and how to merge them into a style that is uniquely his own.

This also covers pedals and effects, which is undoubtedly a crucial part of a guitarist’s arsenal when trying to craft the perfect rock song.

This comes with nearly 6 hours of video, which contains everything a dedicated rock guitar enthusiast will need.

9. Carlos Santana Teaches The Art And Soul Of Guitar

With over 50 years of playing, performance and recording experience, Carlos Santana is rightly hailed as one of the gods of guitar playing.

Therefore any guitarist of any level will certainly get something from his online guitar course.

This helps you learn from blues standards as well as how to identify the right harmonies. This also covers guitar techniques and getting the right tones from your instrument.

This is a very affordable course that you can revisit any time that you want.

10. Timbaland Teaches Production And Beatmaking

Now we have a course on production from one of the biggest producers in the game, Timbaland.

This will teach you how to work with vocalists, how to get the right beat and how to layer various tracks and achieve the right levels.

This course also goes into some of his most well-known tracks, taking them apart and going through the process of how he put them all together.

This also comes with a section that will give you some great mental outlooks on how to achieve in the music business.

11. Itzhak Perlman Teaches Violin

This next course is aimed at classic music fans, giving you some lessons from the great Itzhak Perlman, a virtuoso player around the world.

This will help you with all of the violin standards, from vibrato to intonation to advanced bowing techniques.

This will also help you build up a practice schedule that will help you to achieve the same level of greatness.

It is surprising how varied this course is, going from some techniques that will help beginners to anyone who wants to get to the upper stratum of violin playing.

12. Danny Elfman Teaches Music For Film

This classic composer who has worked on classics like Nightmare Before Christmas, Danny Elfman will help you chart your journey from an ordinary composer to a composer of film scores.

This covers the melody and song structure as well as more practical things like organizing your workflow.

13. Sheila E. Teaches Drumming And Percussion

Sheila E. is a drummer and percussionist who has been working for decades with musicians such as Marvin Gaye and Ringo Starr and now she is bringing her wealth of knowledge of drumming to the Masterclass courses.

14. Alicia Keys Teaches Songwriting And Production

This course is songwriting taught by someone who garnered high praise and plenty of Grammy awards for her work: Alicia Keys. This course will cover everything from inspiration to production to editing a song.

This will also help you to get in the right mindset when you are in the recording booth.

15. Ringo Starr Teaches Drumming And Creative Collaboration

Finally, we are going to a living legend, Ringo Starr, who will be teaching you everything about drumming and how to craft a song.

He will teach you how to build a kit from scratch, what percussion instruments you will need and which you can do without. You will also be taught how to play in a band as well as write songs on your own.

This is divided into just 12 video lessons, but that contains enough to give you the start that you need, tutored by one of the very best.

Conclusion

The masterclass series is simply incredible for bridging the gap between music masters and ordinary people who, for just a handful of dollars, want to learn from the very best.

The course materials are great and there are plenty of videos that give you some great demonstrations.