The internet’s emergence has changed a lot, as far as
learning to play the guitar is concerned. It has now become one of the easiest
methods to learn just about anything under the sun – including how to play the
guitar. A simple Google search will probably reveal thousands of different
sources on how you can learn to play the instrument – starting from the basics
all the way up to the toughest of lessons. Then there’s the plethora of
websites offering dirt-cheap guitar lessons. And let’s not forget the countless
online-learning/online-education websites offering different university and
college courses free-of-cost to anyone who has internet access (such as Coursera)!
My point is that the advent and emergence of internet in the
last decade has made it very easy for guitar players to pick up a guitar, learn
how to play like their favorite rock stars and become a pro at it! But there
are countless other ways through which you can learn the guitar as well. Let’s
have a look at some of these, shall we:
1. Guitar-learning Websites
Guitar-learning websites are getting more and more popular
with the passage of time. And why shouldn’t they, since these websites do
provide the best of both worlds – (a) they provide guitar lessons aimed at all
sorts of guitar players, regardless of their proficiency, (b) use a combination
of different material in order to deliver these lessons, such as videos,
one-on-one time with instructors, instructional books, and so on, and (c) give
people an immense amount of freedom as far as choosing what lessons they’d want
to take, and/or what exactly they would like to learn or work on. Above all,
these guitar-learning websites don’t cost a lot; GuitarTricks, for instance, provides
access to 5000 lessons for less than $15 a month! Other good online
guitar-learning websites include JustinGuitar
and JamPlay.
2. Private lessons
Another great way of learning to play the instrument is
through the help of a guitar teacher or an instructor. For me, private lessons
are the best way of learning guitar hands down. However they are more suited for
people who are willing to put in some serious time into learning the guitar,
who may want to fast-track the process of learning the guitar, and those who
have deep pockets – private lessons usually cost crazy money (a good guitar
teacher may cost you as much as $60-an-hour!). On the upside, private lessons
can be customized and personalized according to your specific requirements or
needs. It is the quickest way of learning the guitar, and working with a
professional on a daily basis will develop and hone your skills in the best
possible manner, and the instructor will also be able to identify and correct
any mistakes in your playing style.
3. Youtube
You have got to love Youtube! One of Web 2.0’s crown jewels,
and one of the greatest achievements of our time, Youtube has been an absolute
revelation when it comes to looking up video-lessons or learning stuff through
the help of videos. A simple ‘learn guitar’ search on Youtube should yield
hundreds of results, if not thousands, on all kinds of guitar lessons on video!
Learning to play the guitar on Youtube can be a lot of fun, not to forget that
videos allow you to see every detail in real-time, as it happens in front of
you. Above all, these videos are free. You can also find series of lessons on
Youtube.
4. DVD-based Guitar-learning Lessons
Another form of guitar lessons which used to be quite popular
a few years back. You can still easily get a hold of guitar lessons on DVDs
from any music store, or online off any guitar store as well as from
guitar-learning websites. Like Youtube, these DVD lessons provide learners with
certain advantages, such as the freedom of time, and practicing and learning the
instrument whenever you find the time to do it. Unlike other aforementioned forms
of learning however, you don’t get any personalized attention or instruction at
all.
5. Coursera (and other online education websites)
Coursera is a popular online-learning website that partners
with some of the top universities and schools in the world to provide all kinds
of different courses to just about anyone who might want to take them up. The
beauty of the model is that it allows people no matter where they might be in
the world to take courses offered by the top universities in the world, free of
cost! Coursera is also a Berklee
College of Music partner, and offers many of their courses on the website –
such as the Introduction to Guitar course (direct link), a 6-week course
taught by Thaddeus Hogarth, which starts in April 2013, and is aimed at
students thinking of picking up an acoustic or electric guitar. I suggest all
beginner guitar player thinking of learning the instrument enroll for this
course for free (you also have plenty of time to prepare for it). Apart from
Coursera, there are plenty of other online-learning/distance-learning websites
out there as well, offering similar services.
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