Most likely you didn’t remain focused and on the right path. You must realize that getting through the initial guitar lessons is the most difficult phase. But it does get better. The more you practice and keep practicing, the easier it gets. Don’t worry! A lot of beginners get hung up at first.

I strongly believe you will never learn guitar lessons on your own. Before you can learn you’ll need assistance from an expert. Without training you’ll do nothing more than just “mess around”. Even if you figure out how to play part of a riff, you’ll accomplish nothing more than that. It’s not until you become absolutely serious about working your way towards becoming a skilled guitarist. The same holds true with learning any kind of instrument.

Beginner guitar lessons will help keep you motivated and ensure that you develop skills at a steady rate, one that challenges you and that is reasonable. It all depends on which type of training course is best for you. There are so many types of courses, how do you know which one is the best? Most likely, multiple programs will work for you. All you need to know is how to separate the good from the bad.

For most beginners, when considering guitar playing lessons, the first thing that comes to mind is private lessons. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this and I’ll tell you three reasons why:

1. Private lessons are very expensive. On average we’re talking $16 for a 30 minute lesson at 2 lessons per week. This works out at $150 a month or more.

2. Private lessons have a biased instructor. You’re better off with a source that guides you step-by-step through all the lessons without steering you into a genre or method based on his/her personal tastes. Learning from a human has other flaws. If the instructor should be in a bad mood or just lack motivation one day, you will still be charged for that session and not learn as much.

3. Personal lessons may teach multiple students. If this is the case, the more students taught at once, the harder it will be to get the one-on-one attention you need. Sometimes, a period of 30 minutes isn’t long enough to answer all the students’ questions or give them individual help as needed.

Home study courses and beginner guitar lessons online are fantastic since they allow you to learn at your own pace. They are far cheaper than taking private lessons ($150 per month and up), but are about the same quality as receiving training from a personal instructor. What you get out of these courses depends on what you put into them.

Learn and Master Guitar is one of my favorite ways to learn guitar lessons and I strongly recommend it to any beginner. Not only does it provide plenty of lessons but it also teaches information, proper techniques, and cool tricks all guitarists need to learn. What makes the course fantastic is that it comes with a CD and DVD that correspond with its book. Best of all, it only charges a fee of $119 ONCE! Now that’s less than what the lead guitarist in my old band was paying per month ($150 or more) and the lessons through Learn and Master Guitar take 6 months to complete. Finally, it’s basically a course just like that offered by a private instructor or class.

Another site that’s hard to beat for low cost is Jamorama. What makes them stand out is that they offer 24 beginning guitar lessons for free. I’ve search several other sites and could not find one for much cheaper.

When searching for guitar lessons for beginners online you must look for the following:

- Reputable author
- Lessons start out easy then gradually become more difficult
- A wide variety of lessons and skill levels
- Allow you to play songs you like and know well
- It’s easy to follow and makes good sense
- Provides bottom written music and guitar tabs
- Teaches exercises, chords, scales, and advanced techniques

Though there may be a lot of beginner guitar lessons online, very few of them are strong and reputable. I’ve tried many of them myself, only to find that they weren’t even worth the money.

So if you’re serious about learning guitar courses online and don’t want to waste time and money, I suggest that you try either Jamorama or Learn and Master Guitar.

Liam Gibson of LearnGuitar-User-Reviews.com, specializes in helping aspiring guitarists get the info that they need to make the right choices. Liam, a stage guitarist himself, leads his team of guitar experts to constantly review new courses and products in the market and make sure you get the best value products that work for you. Check out actual user reviews and feedback of the most popular guitar courses at Learn Guitar User Reviews.

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Many of us do the very same thing. Whether it is because we don’t have enough time or because we don’t have the vigilance to seek out a local instructor, or we can’t find time in our schedules to get to guitar lessons or to practice, each one of us has a reason why the guitar remains collecting dust in the corner.  We go through our lives with a little nagging feeling that we failed ourselves in music lessons and the guitar that lives in our closet serves to remind us of things we once wanted but couldn’t achieve.

Fortunately, there is a glowing light at the end of the tunnel. With the advent of the Internet, there is now another choice for the folks who have the desire to play guitar – easy guitar lessons online. There are many sites which you may find on the net which will offer beginning guitar lessons and locating these is pretty easy. All that you actually need to do is perform a fast Google query and you’ll discover everything that you need. You’ll discover sites that have things like guitar lesson dvds, guitar lesson videos, guitar lesson software, tips, and even forums so that you can talk with those who are either just learning the craft of guitar playing, or have become well versed in it, and would like to assist you on the journey.  Whether it’s electric guitar lessons or folk guitar lessons you are looking for, there are plenty of venues to choose from that will have comprehensive starter material.

What if you could learn to play the guitar online by completing your lessons at any time your schedule permits? Would you find  learning guitar easier? Indeed, you would!  Don’t worry that you won’t find a site that gives quality lessons.

Luckily, most guitar teaching sites online feature free guitar lessons. If the lesson format of one site doesn’t suit your needs, then you have other sites to try. Take a look around and find the best online guitar lessons for you. There is no best way to learn guitar, but there is a site that offers exactly what you need. Just compare a few sites to decide what features you like best. Have a look at other sites which provide similar facilities and see what other clients say about them. Some online sites offer good services that are worth paying for.

Usually when signing up you’ll gain access to several different things like luthier services, lessons, tips, help, and naturally the coaching videos. Learning to play guitar online isn’t difficult, as a matter of fact, it can be quite enjoyable. Not only does this type of learning solve time constraints, but you can learn at your own pace and avoid having to travel for lesson appointments. If you tend to be a shy person, you might find that you like learning on the Internet better than you do at a local music shop where you often have to play with other guitarists before you are ready.

If completing beginners guitar lessons online, or using some guitar lesson software seems like something which might help you finally get that old guitar out of the closet for good, then check on the Internet and see what you can find for courses. For some easy guitar lessons out of the box, see: Instructional Guitar Reviews . You’ll find some good beginner guitar lesson software that you can try in the privacy of your home. Once you get started, you should be playing a few songs in just a few weeks!

Don’t wait another day to start to learn to play the guitar when there are many online courses and software programs that can make learning guitar simple and convenient for you. Start enjoying the guitar that is collecting dust in your closet!

see Instructional Guitar Reviews at http://guitarlessonmarketplace.com

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Online guitar lessons are only available by logging in to a system with a per session charge or by maintaining a subscription fee. This means that you never always have unlimited access to your lessons once paid for. Either the one time fee needs to be paid again to retake a lesson, or you only have access as long as you maintain the subscription. Years later how much to you have to pay to retake certain lessons; Are they always still going to be available? Your internet service must be working properly and the particular service that you are accessing needs to be functioning properly. With many companies disappearing in today’s business world, you have no guarantees that you can have access to all of the content.

Guitar software on the other hand, that you load onto your computer and run on your computer, is always accessible without any internet access, and you have it on your computer to use the lessons for years, as opposed to being on a server elsewhere. You only pay one time, and can restudy the material as often as necessary. Retaking a lesson over, and over again, and referring back to the same lesson content at much later times, is essential to mastering the material.

Online guitar lessons also are often a smorgasbord of various ideas and concepts from various teachers. This provides no continuity of learning and leaves the guitar student with lots of neat ideas that are independent and various. This reflects in the students limited playing ability as it become obvious the student has no real understanding of the instrument other than in a fragmented way. High quality guitar software on the other hand offers a fully cohesive instruction system. This is important to your consistency of practice and learning and is necessary to ever to reach any higher level of guitar knowledge and playing skill.Online guitar lessons also do not have the technology of training and teaching tools that a high end guitar software program offers. It simply isn’t available.

Increasing your guitar playing ability in a manner where you gain results in this lifetime, in a shorter period of time, than in many, many years is important to many guitar students. Any tool or idea available can be helpful. But you don’t want helpful, you want progress. You don’t need a few more ideas, your need real skills and understanding. So as you evaluate various learning systems such as guitar lessons software versus online guitar lessons, you can make more productive decisions for your personal learning choices as you are flooded with a tremendous amount of options for guitar learning.

To Learn More About Guitar Software check out http://www.springofknowledge.com

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The beginner guitar lesson course that has been around the longest is Guitar Tricks which was started in 1998. Since then thousands of lessons have been posted on their site from over forty guitar teachers. You get access to all these video guitar lessons by registering with them and paying a monthly fee. Guitar Tricks will give you twenty-four free lessons just for registering with their site.

Another course of beginner guitar lessons that features free videos is Amazing Guitar Secrets. This course was created by a seasoned guitar teacher named Dan Denley who also presents all the guitar video lessons. The course not only features videos but audio tracks plus ten books. You can view the material on the web or by having it all delivered to your door. Dan Denley runs a blog which features sample videos or video guitar lessons specially made to present his course plus you can read comments by readers of the blog. Just do a Google blog search for Dan Denley.

Jamplay is another beginner guitar lesson course that you can access by paying a monthly fee. The videos are presented in an informal, friendly way but at the same time are packed with solid information. The guitar teachers are specialists in every genre you can name, even Hawaiian slack key and classical guitar. The best thing about Jamplay and Guitar Tricks is that the lessons are being updated all the time so you are not stuck with one bunch of teaching material forever. Jamplay have a range of free lessons on their website plus full details of how they teach guitar and who their teachers are.

Now for Next Level Guitar. If you have not seen examples of the other video guitar lesson courses on YouTube, you have probably noticed the ones from Next Level Guitar. Many of them are presented by an amiable dude in a backwards baseball cap who lives and breathes guitar. They have well over three hundred lessons on their website divided up into genres and skill levels. They also have a forum which will give you an avenue for getting answers to any questions you might have. As for free video lessons for beginners, there are aver forty of them for you to check out so even if you do not join, you will get some valuable material for your next guitar practice session.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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Learn Guitar DVD:

Like learning to play guitar online, learn guitar DVDs use videos as the instructional tool. Each lesson has supplement with a printed workbook and practice sessions. Learn guitar DVD is one of the most effective ways of learning and it gives you a more in depth foundation of theory and reading music.

But if you are not a beginner then you may not need all of the course content that comes with the package. For this, online lesson is a better alternative for you. But if you are a beginner then learning to play from DVD lessons is the most suitable alternative available. It lays the foundation for you to become a master guitar player.

Advantage of learn guitar DVDs

* There is no monthly fees
* Large amount of content spread across multiple videos
* You don’t need an Internet connection or computer to watch or practice lessons

If you like going through lesson plans, taking it one step at a time, and having an exact road map to learning something then learn guitar DVD method is likely best for you.

Online guitar lessons

Whether you are a beginner guitar player, or been playing for several years. Online guitar lessons may be the best for you. The Internet makes easier for you to learn guitar on your own. To learn to play guitar online the only thing you need is:

1. An Internet connection
2. A computer connected to it and
3. Your guitar – acoustic, or electric.

Most of the online guitar lessons websites are generally month-by-month memberships. You need to pay/register to become a member and gain access to their lessons database. You can cancel your membership after learning everything and never be billed again. Generally, the Lessons inside membership sites would include:

* basic musical theory
* introduction lessons to acoustic and/or electric guitar
* learn to play guitar chords
* learn to play guitar tabs
* Advanced lessons for scales, and lead guitar

Online membership sites are often best suited for people who already have some basic knowledge about playing guitar. This way they can go in, find the lessons they want to learn more about watch them and move on. Even beginner can benefit from online learn guitar sites as well. The lessons are usually short and concise. They focus on teaching you to play more so then theory and this is what the majority of beginners want. Learn to play songs now, and you pick up the theory later.

Advantage of online guitar lessons:

1. They can supply you a ton of content for cheap. It doesn’t cost anything to add a new lesson each week.
2. You don’t have to wait for anything to be shipped to you everything is available on a companies website right away.
3. You can learn from literally anywhere there is an Internet connection.

Therefore, the Internet, DVDs, and streaming video, all are easier then ever to learn to play guitar. It’s up to you to choose the most suitable options depending on what learning goals do you have, what you do aim to achieve, and how long do you expect it to take? Do you want to be professional, semi-pro or strictly an amateur guitarist? Also have you thought about what style of playing will best serve you best?

Rob Taylor’s
Learn Guitar DVD blog.

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As with learning anything, it will take a lot of time and effort and there are no short cuts that will allow you to play better faster. The best way to get acoustic guitar lessons is to get them from someone you know or paying for lessons given in person. Online acoustic guitar lessons can help start you with the basics and teach you proper finger movement, but it may still be difficult to grasp specific concepts and ideas from a person on a video.

Acoustic guitar lessons given online do not take into consideration a person’s individual strengths and weaknesses. Every guitarist is different and when you receive acoustic guitar lessons from a person, you will be able to better connect with your teacher and there is a greater chance of properly learning the guitar. Acoustic guitar lessons can become very complicated, especially as you begin to progress and so, it is important that you take lessons from someone who is experienced and patient. Taking guitar lessons online may become frustrating, especially during complicated songs.

If you deicide you want to begin taking acoustic guitar lessons, it is important that you are passionate about learning the instrument. Learning the guitar is something that will take a lot of time and practice. Guitar lessons can get rather expensive, so you will want to make sure this is something you really want to learn. You need to think about why you want to learn the acoustic guitar and how it will benefit you. If you are not serious about music and learning, it may be a waste of your time and money to take acoustic guitar lessons.

If you decide you want to start taking acoustic guitar lessons online, it will benefit you to do some research on the site and make sure they can deliver lessons that are helpful and will cater to your needs. You will want to make sure the lessons are divided evenly and will walk you through necessary steps as your abilities increase. Any lessons online should include videos, written instructions as well as a way of contacting the person in charge of the lessons in case you have additional questions.

Taking acoustic guitar lessons is a great way to get involved in music. If you are passionate about the guitar and really want to learn more about it and music theory in general, you may want to consider taking lessons.

Want to learn to play guitar? Visit Learn To Play Guitar Tips and advice on how to learn guitar. http://www.acousticguitarinformation.com

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The most important reason is that online guitar lessons are more cost-effective and affordable. It’s a known fact that a local instructor can typically charge you at least $ 20 per lesson. Let’s say you enrol a guitar class for a year, your cost would be at least $ 1040 (excluding the printed materials). The worse thing is that you may not even start to learn the intermediate or advanced techniques within one year. On the contrary, some of the top online guitar courses would only cost you a one time price anywhere from $ 20 to $ 200 which is obviously a lot cheaper.

Online guitar courses could also save you a lot of time and hassle. The traditional guitar class has this one downside that may not be so obvious to some people. Imagine that you have to set a rigid schedule and travel back and forth the class every week. It’s wasting time and gas and if you don’t think so, try to do your math and add up all the time and money you spent on travelling in, let’s say, a year.

We all have our own study or job, friends and family so sometimes it’s very hard to sit down and practice the skills you have learned. Now imagine that you are not prepared for the next week’s lesson because you haven’t had the spare time to practice. So even if you attend the class, you won’t be able to follow or catch up the lesson and you’re just wasting value. By taking online guitar courses, you can learn to play and practice your guitar anytime and anywhere you want. It’s definitely better for someone who has a busy lifestyle. You’ll never worry about missing a lesson.

Some people prefer to study on their own so that they can learn how to play guitar at their own pace. Learning through online video courses is no doubt the best way for them to do so. They are like some intensive programs that allow you to skip those parts you are not keen to learn and focus on those of interest to you. If you miss something in the video lesson, you can always watch it over and over again as many times as you want. Whereas if you’re in a guitar class, you can’t possibly do so. Besides, verbal instructions from a guitar teacher may soon be forgotten if you’re an absent-minded person.

Most of the top quality online guitar lessons are very creative and innovative. Their lesson materials not only have texts, diagrams and graphics, but also include videos, audios, jam along tracks, interactive guitar-related softwares and games. Some of those stuffs like tuning softwares, ear training games etc. are even free of charge. Besides, you can also learn the beginner guitar lessons for free from some of these online courses. You really can’t find these free stuffs in most of the offline private guitar lessons out there.

So try out the online guitar course and see if it really works for you. As far as risk is concerned, most of the guitar courses offer 60-day or even up to one-year money back guarantee so your risk of losing is minimized to zero.

Read our review from http://www.coolest-guitar-lessons-review.com/ and find out which online guitar course is the best.

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I have never seen a guitar played that fast. It almost looked fake. Perhaps what is more amazing, however, is that Michael can actually teach these seemingly impossible techniques to us mere mortal guitarists.

If you have ever desired to play lead electric guitar solos for rock, hard rock, metal, blues, pop, country or improvisational jazz then please pay close attention to this review.

The Purpose

According to the author, Michael Angelo Batio, Speed Kills was created to be the ultimate guitar lesson on speed picking technique. This course concentrates on speed techniques that challenge even the most advanced players. Even so, an intermediate guitarists can begin working with this and expect incredible gains.

About The Author, Michael Angelo Batio

Mr. Batio has been referred to as the fastest guitar player on the planet. After watching his video guitar lessons I absolutely believe it. And as if that was not amazing enough, he actually taught himself to play a custom built, combination of a right-handed and a left-handed electric guitar both at the exact same time. Seeing this alone was worth the price of the first DVD.

Guitar One Magazine chose Michael Angelo Batio as the Number 1 Shredder of All Time.

Batio has created the ultimate face-melting instructional DVD says Guitar World Magazine.

One of the elements that make Batio such a master guitarist is his depth of knowledge about music theory and classical music. He has even produced a DVD called 25 Jazz Progressions.

Who Will Benefit Most From Speed Kills?

This guitar lesson course is ideally suited to intermediate guitarists that wish to improve their lead guitar skills and techniques with an emphasis on speed. Having a thorough knowledge of music theory is not necessary but having some basic understanding of chords, scale types and modalities would be useful.

An excellent preparation for this course would be the 6 part Metal Method Complete Video Guitar Lesson DVDs by Doug Marks.

Is This Speed Guitar Course For Acoustic Or Electric Guitar Players?

Electric guitar.

The Lesson Format

Each lesson begins with a brief talk by the author explaining the upcoming exercises. This is followed by a fast then slow video close-up demonstration and a clever play-along animated tab with sound.

The Contents of the Speed kills Lead Guitar Lessons DVDs

- A protective organizer case for the DVDs

- Each DVD contains a printable PDF file with chapter lists and tabs for each lesson.

DVD #1 Speed Kills, This DVD introduces advanced picking techniques with a No Boundaries performance, tuning, tremolo picking, preventing hand injuries, alternative picking, hammer-on and Pull-off, arpeggio madness, diminished licks plus a discussion and solo performance of the Double Guitar.

DVD #2 Speed Kills 2, This DVD contains more advanced techniques plus developing essential warm-Up skills. 28 lesson groups with 69 exercises.

DVD #3 Speed Kills 3, This DVD contains the most challenging techniques plus advanced Shredding.

DVD #4 Speed Lives, Michael step by step teaches the song, No Boundaries. In the last section of this DVD you play the lead part over his rhythm accompaniment.

The Negatives

It was annoying to print out the support materials for each lesson even though it only took about 15 minutes for all four DVDs. I would prefer to receive them all pre-printed and bound. However, this would substantially increase the cost of the course so I suppose that it is actually a reasonable compromise.

The course would benefit from more topical details on the video titles. It can be a little confusing if you wish to return to a specific lesson.

The Positives

Receiving advanced guitar instruction from a true guitar virtuoso is a rare opportunity. Michael speaks and plays with confidence and humor. He is down to earth, articulate and easy to follow which is somewhat unusual for someone of his extreme playing ability.

The clarity of the video production is excellent. The close ups and angles of the shots are extremely clear and understandable. I am glad that this course is not made up of just video snippets but instead offers the richer learning experience that can only come from wall to wall video.

This course is incredibly affordable not only because the pricing is lower than most programs of this advanced level but, also because you can purchase just one DVD at a time with no obligation to buy any more.

Support

The Metal Method Company offers email, phone, mail and a student forum to answer questions. They also offer a fairly exhaustive frequently asked questions section at their website for quick reference.

The Price Analysis

Metal Methods Speed Kills Video Guitar Lessons contains the equivalent of about 6 months to over a year worth of guitar lessons if you were to space them out as if you were taking weekly lessons from a local guitar instructor.

A local instructor will typically charge anywhere from $20 to $50 per lesson. Your minimum cost at only $20 per lesson for 6 months would be at least $520.

The choice comes down to:

The Complete Speed Kills DVD Program at $64.80 to $79.80 USD, depending on how many DVDs you purchase at a time, or a local instructor at $520.

Guarantee

You can return the DVDs for any reason within 60 days of receipt for a 100% money back refund.

The Bottom Line

Let me see. Do I recommend the inexpensive, advanced speed technique video guitar lesson DVD series that is taught by Michael Angelo Batio, the fastest guitar player in the world, who just happens to be incredibly entertaining? You bet I do. In a heart beat. Speed Kills is truly a must have advanced electric guitar lesson course for anyone that is in serious pursuit of lead guitar excellence.

This Review was written by John Mackinnon. For more course details, free lesson samples, a video of Mr. Batio Playing his Double Guitar or to buy any of the Speed Kills DVDs just follow this link: http://www.compareguitarlessons.com/Review-Speed-Kills-Lead-Guitar-Lessons.html For a detailed review of the electric guitar course that serves as preparation for the Speed Kills Lesson series please click here: http://www.compareguitarlessons.com/Review-Metal-Method-Guitar-Lessons.html

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So now the guitar lies under the bed, waiting. Because the need to be an electric guitar player is stirring anew, like the rumblings of last night’s Bengal Curry. Again your imagination goes to work, this time with a dash of much needed reality in the mix. Now you can clearly imagine yourself striding purposefully home after your day’s work or study, going directly to that quiet place where you begin releasing the guitar demon that dwells behind your plastic pen pocket. This time things are going to be different.

That is a good start. You need to have a space where you can give your electric guitar lessons the attention they deserve. The people you live with are going to have to understand that a person who takes electric guitar lessons needs to be cut some slack. At the same time you might need to take serious stock of how you use your time. You have a job or studies to do. You need to keep your room clean and help out with chores around the house. You cannot devote time to electric guitar lessons with other obligations following you around with expectant looks on their faces. Are there TV shows you always watch? You need to include the “me time”. If you practice in the living room you should do it when other people aren’t using the it. If you find you have much less time to devote to guitar lessons than you thought you had, don’t give up. As your guitar studies progress you will find that electric guitar time and “me time” are the same thing!

So what kind of electric guitar lessons are best for you? Examine the simplest solution – buy a guitar lesson book. Too simple? It really might be all you need. Some people need the guidance of a face to face teacher or the experience of seeing their guitar lessons on video, but there are many people manage with printed instructions and music.

If you need a more intense experience, but you do not have a live guitar teacher near where you live, then give online electric guitar lessons a shot. With online lessons, you just sit in your room and soak up the teacher’s instructions, and then do your practice. You do not waste time travelling to teacher who you may not care for! Some people do better without a teacher making them play it until they get it right. Online electric guitar lessons are more student-friendly. You can approach any obstacles in your own individual way, in your own time. One of the most outstanding advantages of online electric guitar lessons compared to tuition with a live teacher is the expense. You can get even the very best lessons on the internet for a fraction of what you would pay your local guitar teacher!

You can also buy your guitar lessons in video format. Video lessons are available for students of all ages and stages. With videos you can review your lessons as many times as you want, and even if the joy of electric guitar lessons leaves you again, your video lessons will be waiting for you when it gets back.

Ricky Sharples has been playing guitar his whole life, and is presently engaged in building a blog called Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free. Ricky’s blog features free tools, lessons and resources for guitarists of all ages and stages. Ricky updates the blog regularly so if you are interested in learning to play guitar there will be an enormous variety of tip, tools and tutorials for you.

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I was only eight years old when I met my first guitar instructor and I remember it like it was yesterday. He was a part time lounge guitarist that always smelled like cigarette smoke and definitely didn’t enjoy teaching kids. He was impatient, grouchy and didn’t hesitate to yell at me when I nervously chewed on my guitar pick. I didn’t understand him, I didn’t enjoy the lessons and soon wanted to quit. Fortunately my mother understood the problem and talked me into continuing with a different teacher.

I was luckier with my second teacher, Miss Mosier. She was a twenty-something hippy that loved kids as much as she loved to teach. I actually began to look forward to my lessons. When she introduced a little finger picking exercise that lead to playing an old Bluegrass song called Buck Dancers Choice, I was hooked. Finally, I was actually learning to play guitar and having fun!

Today, due to inexpensive video technology, there are many options that take the guess work out of learning to play guitar. Now it is possible to bring world class instructors into your home to teach guitar for less money and often in less time then it takes to learn from a randomly selected local instructor.

Here are 10 tips for selecting a guitar lesson program:

1. The Medium: find a dvd based or online guitar lesson program that offers both video and audio lessons with a book as a reference guide. This combination should work well whether your primary learning style is reading, listening, watching or a combination of all three.

2. Good Production Values: the video lessons should be thoughtfully organized. There should be lots of close ups of both of the instructors hands as they demonstrate each lesson. The audio needs to be clear so that each note and chord can be distinctly heard.

3. Skill Level: If you are a rank beginner make sure that the guitar lesson program states that it is geared for beginners. A beginning guitar program should teach the parts of the guitar, re-stringing and tuning as well as the fundamentals of scales, chords, keys, reading tabs and playing songs. If you are interested in a specialized program like Blues Guitar Lessons check to see what level of skills are required before you begin.

4. The Instructor: ideally should have experience as recording studio musician as well as touring with a band. A college degree in education and lots of hands-on teaching experience are equally important.

5. Music Theory Instruction: should be peppered through out the guitar course. A basic understanding of how scales, keys and chords work can free you from the limitations of just memorizing songs. This can provide the musical tools necessary for writing songs and improvising solos over just about any kind of music.

6. Guided Practice Sessions: this means that the video instructor first teaches you a system for practicing the guitar then plays along with you to help establish good habits. Much enjoyment and progress can be lost due to poor practice routines. In fact, I would be willing to bet that a high percentage of the people that quit do so because of a poor understanding of good practice fundamentals. Only one guitar lesson course that I am aware of gets this exactly right.

7. Jam Tracks: these are usually short recorded songs or rhythm tracks that provide a way for a guitar student to practice playing with a band. Jam Tracks can be invaluable for learning to play rhythm guitar parts in synch with other musicians or while improvising solos.

8. Individual Pacing: a guitar lesson program should provide an environment where the student can learn at a pace that is ideal for their individual learning style.

9. Fun: that’s exactly right, a guitar lesson program should be fun. If it isn’t fun early in the program it will be hard to stay motivated long enough to develop even basic guitar skills.

10. Price: expect to pay about $130 to $200 for a top-notch, dvd based, guitar lesson program that is aimed at rank beginners through intermediate acoustic and electric guitar students. There are many lesson programs available in the $30 to $60 range that have some of the important benefits mentioned above but I have found most of them to be somewhat incomplete and inconvenient. For detailed guitar lesson reviews go to a website like CompareGuitarLessons.com.

While a great, organized, video guitar lesson program taught by a top instructor can be critical to learning to play the guitar there are also a few other essentials:

- Start out with the highest quality guitar you can afford. Too often cheap beginner guitars won’t stay in tune, are hard to play and just don’t sound very good. A guitar that is priced in the $200 to $500 range will be much more satisfying to play. Why make learning guitar harder than necessary?

- Expect that playing the guitar will feel awkward at first but that slowly it will become easier and smoother. Don’t quit. Practice frequently in short bursts of 10 to 20 minutes. When your hands are sore or you start to become frustrated take a break.

- Learn how to practice like a professional: this is a significant eakness of many, if not most, guitar lesson programs. Rarely is there enough emphasis on learning how to practice effectively. A good practice routine should have a definite structure and purpose with fun activities at the end as a motivator. Practice sessions that are generally short, frequent and fun usually stimulate rapid learning. For more information on this topic read an article called “Learn To Play Guitar Twice As Fast In Only Half The Time” at CompareGuitarLessons.com.

John Mackinnon started taking guitar lessons over 40 years ago and still enjoys the learning process. His website, http://www.CompareGuitarLessons.com is dedicated to reviewing dvd based and online guitar lesson programs, offers guitar related articles, guitar resource links and a free newsletter.

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