Learn Guitar Blog

WorkshopLive Announces Over 1000 Lessons

WorkshopLive is a unique form of online guitar learning and has been so successful that they have now launched lesson number 1000.

The above photo is of famous west coast guitarist, Jody Fisher, who is one of many music instructors at WorkshopLive and has created 80 lessons including their 1000th.

Others who have contributed include Baltimore guitarist Tobias Hurwitz. Says Hurwitz:

Until now, if you wanted to play guitar, you would have to conform to your teacher’s instructional and playing techniques. WorkshopLive takes the exact opposite approach and matches you with a musician who’s attuned to your specific needs and interests. It’s basically the same principle as an online dating service, only it’s designed to bring together the musically compatible.

Such is the quality of the offerings by WorkshopLive, once can teach such concepts as creative pentatonics, sweep-and-tap arpeggios and multi-finger tapping - all over a high speed internet connection.

Mark Knopfler’s Guitars

I know that some of my readers are very interested in Mark Knopfler and his guitars.

For those of you who don’t know, Mark was part of the very successful Dire Straits band of the 80s.

Mark is particularly reverred by guitar fans, because he has an almost genius-like ability with the guitar.

He even prefers to finger pick on his electric guitars rather than use a plectrum!

Here is a list of his guitars, if you know of any others, please leave a comment!

• Fender Stratocaster
• Fender Telecaster
• Gibson Les Paul
• custom Pensa Suhr (various)
• Schecter (Strate and Tele)
• National Style 0 Resonator
• Gibson Super 400

Guitar Blogs

Check out this guitar blog I found, it’s called “A Guitar Teacher’s Lesson Notebook”.

Quite fascinating actually, there are posts on such things as:

• guitar workshops
• custom made amps
• singing lessons
• how to start a rock band
• beginner, intermediate and advanced tutorials

All at the below link:

A Guitar Teacher’s Lesson Notebook

Free Guitar Lessons

If you look, there are free guitar lessons all around.

One such offering is via videoguitarlessons.com

You can take lessons from such legends as:

• Larry Carlton
• Marc Seal
• Bill Yates
• Rick Okie
• and many, many more!

You can learn

• blues
• country
• jazz
• rock
• and much, much more!

I am not affiliated with this site, so check it out and make your mind up yourself. Here is a recent press release:

(PRWEB) August 1, 2006 — VideoGuitarLessons.com, the Pasadena-based provider of World Class Video Guitar Lessons, designed for both online collaboration and CD/DVD purchase, has added two very important elements to its marketing strategy: big name teachers, and loads of free guitar lessons.

Enter a Skunk, a Guitar, and a Little Dog.

Musicians and guitar students can now take guitar lessons on video from Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), Jazz Giant Larry “Guitar” Carlton (Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan), Steve Lukather (Lead Guitarist of Toto), plus a roster of other Guitar and Bass Heavyweights. Guitar lessons cover all major music genres and skill levels.

The Best Things in Life are Free

Sweetening the deal even more, VideoGuitarLessons.com now offers dozens of guitar lessons for free viewing on its site, including ones from Baxter, Carlton and Lukather. Shoppers can now peruse over thirty complete guitar lessons from all major genres and skill levels free of charge. “We don’t even ask for an email address,” said Rick Okie, Cofounder, Professional Guitarist and Guitar Instructor of VideoGuitarLessons.com. “We want our customers to focus on the music they came here to learn, not worry about spam,” Okie continued.

Such a free promotion — without strings — is almost unheard of in online business. But Okie is confident that by giving away a sizable piece of his business for free, the advantages will become irresistible. “If you took one of our guitar courses from a studio teacher, you’d easily spend $750 bucks. Or you could come here, work your lessons at your convenience, day or night, home or away, for about a dollar a lesson. And your whole family can play.” Okie said.

The company also offers deep-discount memberships to budget-challenged schools, youth clubs, and organizations.

So check it out for youself, and at least see the free guitar lessons - it cannot hurt to at least see what they have to offer, it could help your guitar game!

Guitar Hero 2

Jamming fans prepare for Guitar Hero 2!

Due out in November this year, this is the sequel to the highly successful original, Guitar Hero.

Originally spawned in the arcades, this game features a guitar-like controller. Fret position is not imporant, but timing is, so this is actually a useful aid for a guitar novice who wants to learn how to play guitar.

The second game features a cool 2 player mode in which one person plays the lead and the other plays the bass or rythm guitar. Pretty cool, eh?

There will also be a new practice mode so if there was a particular riff that you always found very difficult, you can replay it many times over without having to go through the entire song.

I can’t wait for this title!

Fretlight Guitar

Check out this video below of the fretlight guitar.

It plays exactly like a regular electric guitar but you can learn how to play guitar with ease!

Via a USB connection to your computer, you can easily program it and the frets will light up showing you where to place your fingers - no need to take your eyes off the fretboard to look at the sheet music or tab!

Whether you want to:

• try a new scale

• learn new chords

• play your favorite riffs and songs

• step through chord progression

Then you can do it with this product.

Its a real guitar, plays like a real guitar, has a responsive neck, and can be used by beginners and intermediates alike.

Learn Guitar in only Seven Minutes!

There is a lady named Jean Welles who claims to be able to teach guitar to almost anyone in only seven minutes, yes 7 minutes to learn how to play the guitar!

A teacher for over thirty years, Welles says:

“Even if you have never picked up or played any instrument before, I can teach you the basics in just 7 minutes.

Welles has also created a series of DVD and video tutorials as another medium of teaching. These use the basis of Christian worship songs - which for many of our readers may be useful, but many may also not be interested in knowing the chords to popular religious songs and prefer to learn rock guitar riffs or similar.

Nevertheless, Jean Welles has credentials in teaching guitar including a Masters in Guitar Performance from the University of Southern California.

Learn to play guitar riffs video

One of the best ways to learn to play guitar riffs is video. Learning riffs is the first step and will give you basic understanding of notes and how to move your hand on the guitar. Once you have mastered a few different riffs, you will be ready to move on to complete songs. There will only be bigger and better things from here.

These few steps I will give you will help you to learn to play guitar riffs from a, learn to play guitar riffs video and help you with your general guitar skills at the same time.

The beauty of video

One of the best things about a learn to play guitar riffs video is that you can stop, pause, play and rewind when ever you need to and you don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves as you’re the only one in the classroom. Video is also good because you can make sure you have mastered one thing before you move on to the next and you never have to worry about falling behind.

Getting off on the right foot

This step could make or break your attempt to learn from a, learn to play guitar riffs video if you expect too much from yourself at the beginning you will become very tired of it very quickly. There is nothing more frustrating then loving something you’re not very good at, so take you time and don’t get too ahead of yourself. If you follow the steps in order, it will be a lot easier then you think.

Choosing the right video

This is not that hard as there are a lot of choices and most of them are the right one. Just about all learn to play guitar riffs videos will help you. Price does not matter and either does a name, just because it has famous persons name on it does not mean it will be better or worst than any of the others on the shelf. Pick one that sounds right and I am sure you will be happy with it.

Choosing your guitar

Choosing your first guitar can be hard and there is generally no section or lesson on your learn to play guitar riffs video. To be honest most cheap guitars are just as good as the most expensive and when you first starting off you don’t need anything too special. Try out different styles and shapes in the store first and see what feels right and what is the most comfortable. Remember you will have to hold it up for very long periods of time and if it feels wrong now it will feel a lot worse when you have been holding it up for a couple of hours.

Learn to play guitar riffs videos are the next best thing to a real teacher. So take your time and absorb everything you can!

Learn to Play Guitar Music

Many of us have been sitting around a camp fire, singing with the others while someone else was playing the guitar and wished to be the on who was playing. Being able to play the guitar can make people look up to you, especially when you’re a teenager. You are often invited to parties by people you barely know to play the guitar. In addition, if you’re interested in playing the guitar, your parents won’t probably make you attend other boring instrument lessons.

The Guitar

If you are willing to learn to play guitar music, the first thing you need is a guitar. If you don’t have a guitar yet, you will probably need to purchase one. If you have a friend who knows how to play the guitar, bring him or her along when you pick one.

First you will have to decide between an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar. There are pros and cons to both of them. It is somewhat easier to learn to play guitar music on an electric guitar, but you’ll also have to buy a guitar cable, a guitar pick and a guitar amp. In addition, there are a lot of buttons and knobs to worry about.

While it as a bit more difficult to learn to play guitar music on an acoustic guitar, this type of guitar is a lot less complicated. You will only need to buy the guitar and a guitar pick that costs about 50 cents. However, for a child who gets frustrated very easily, an electric guitar might be a better choice because it is easier to play and the progress will be faster.

Guitar Lessons

The next thing you should do is find a guitar instructor. You have the highest chances of finding a good instructor in your area by just asking around. If you’re having trouble, call a local music store, as they will probably offer guitar lessons. If they don’t, they are usually able to recommend a teacher.

Older people who just want to learn a few chords can get away with learning guitar from videos, books or online lessons. However, young people who want to learn to play guitar music can benefit more from private lessons. A private teacher can spot out your mistakes immediately and help you correct them in time. In addition, he will give you feedback and make you feel good about yourself when you progress.

General Advice

Before starting to take guitar lessons, you could spend some time learning guitar basics and getting used to the instrument. This way you can start your first lessons feeling confident and being able to play the first exercises the instructor will give you.

Learn to play guitar music because you want to, not because someone else makes you do it. Playing the guitar should be fun. If you are enjoying it, you will practice more and get better more quickly. If you’re not enjoying it, you might need a change – maybe a new teacher or a different schedule.

Many guitarists talk about the personal satisfaction they’re getting from being able to play the guitar. They say they get the best feeling by just sitting by themselves and playing the guitar. However, it’s fun to play for other people to. Pulling out a guitar at school or when you’re surrounded by friend will suddenly get you everyone’s attention.

Learn to Play Guitar Fast

There are many beginner guitarists out there eager to learn to play the guitar easily. However, just about as many have a rather vague idea about what this means. This article is aimed to clear out a few misconceptions about playing fast, state some basic rules about learning to play the guitar Fast and provide you with a general idea about the way this style of playing should be used.

Misconceptions about Playing the Guitar Fast

Despite this increasing trend about playing fast, speed is not relevant by itself. However, used in the context of a good music and with taste, speed really is a good thing.

Another misconception about speed is that in order to learn to play guitar fast you have to practice Fast. It is indeed true that at some point you will need to practice Fast. However, the first step is to develop some techniques before you can work on playing fast. There’s no way to learn these techniques other than slowly.

How to Learn to Play Guitar fast?

The key to playing fast is being able to think before you play. Aaron Shearer, a famous guitar teacher, promoted the “aim directed movement”, meaning that you have to know exactly where your fingers should go before you move them there. You can only achieve this by slow practice.

You should develop your finger strength as well, and practice not only flexing the finger, but extending it as well. Since we were born we have used our hands to grab things and hold them, developing our flexors. You need to develop your extensors as well in order to learn to play guitar fast. A good way to do this is by practicing Rasgueados.

You can build body energy to hold out during the fast playing periods by practicing speed bursts. On a speed burst you have to take a small piece of a scale and play it forwards and backwards using the eighth note as the rhythmic value for every note. Play the same part of the scale backwards and forwards without stopping, using the sixteenth note instead. Thus you can isolate the problems in playing a scale, such as string crossings or shifts.

How to Use Speed the Right Way?

Scott Tennant makes a good statement about speed in his book, Pumping Nylon. He states that when you look at a good piece of music, you notice that the Fast-playing parts only last for a couple of measures. While knowing your scales and being able to play them quickly is a good thing, it’s not necessary to use this speed for long periods of time.

There are several articles available online to help you learn to play guitar fast. However, don’t expect it to come is. There will actually be a lot of work involved. You should begin by learning about several strategies of developing your finger strength, speed bursts and Rasgueados.