So you want to play rock 'n' roll guitar?
Well, listen closely to what I say.
Get yourself this DVD and you'll go far
If you take the time, you can learn how to play.
Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar
is your one-way ticket to guitar godliness.
This is your golden opportunity to learn the coolest instrument
in the history of all mankind, from one of the most authoritative
sources on the planet.
As you might have imagined, the "For Dummies" series of DVDs has one for learning how to play the guitar. The audience it seems to be intended for is adults who are rank beginners who want to learn at a gradual pace. That's not to say the DVD is lacking in amount of information, however, when compared to "Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar," at 225 minutes, it's obvious that more ground is covered with a longer running time.
For those unfamiliar with the 'shreds' phenomenon on youtube, it involves taking a video of a guitar solo, usually a live performance, and overdubbing it with terrible music for an oddly hilarious effect. Take brake from learning to play the guitar with this Santana shred.
It's important to be dedicated to learning music and improving yourself, but as with everything else, maintaining a sense of humor is also important. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
...and now, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Carlos Santana (and band.)
Country guitar lessons involve learning technique specific to country music. Finger picking, the major scale forms, bends, hammer-ons, and double stops are some of the playing concepts covered. The best DVD video series and lesson books available for learning to play country guitar styles are presented in this article, so you can make an informed decision about how to go about mastering the art of country guitar.
Here is a list of the pros and cons of usingGuitar lessons on DVD.
Ultimately, I think the good points outweigh the bad, but here's the
deal.
Without a guitar teacher to give personal attention, you run the risk of developing bad technique which could slow down your progress and even contribute to repetitive strain injury (RSI) Also, you can't ask a DVD questions (well, you can, but it won't answer you.)
There isn't any evidence to suggest that self-taught guitarists are more likely to develop problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, so the advantage of guitar lessons on DVD is the convenience of learning from home on your own schedule, and saving money.
The best DVD you can get is shown on the left here, Fender Presents Getting Started on Electric Guitar. It's from Hal Leonard, one of the most trusted authorities in learning guitar. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
The thing that stops a lot of people from trying to learn how to play the guitar is that they think they don't have the talent. But think about it - who defines what "talent" actually is? It's easy to identify talent when you see it, in the case of certain virtuoso players, or child prodigies, but when people convince themselves that they're "tone deaf" or "all thumbs," all they've done is discourage themselves from learning guitar before they even try.
I've taught hundreds of people to become proficient players, and they all learned in their own unique way. Some advanced faster than others, but the only ones who never made any progress were the ones who never practiced. The point of this blog is to not only show you that you can do it, but that you can do it on your own, using DVDs and online video....as well as a little patience.
What better way to get inspired to learn the guitar by watching this 11-year old kid jam out to a 12-bar blues backing track - his bending and tremolo chops are well honed, and he knows the fretboard well enough to not hit a single wrong note!
