Learn Electric Guitar

An acquaintance of mine, British guitarist and over all super nice fellow Phill Mason has released a brand new online guitar course: Crash Course Muso – Beginners Guitar Video Lessons.

He is graciously giving away several total beginner lessons for anyone keen on starting out to learn guitar.

And I must say, the quality of these lessons are totally jaw-dropping. The audio and video on these guitar lessons are nothing short of amazing (yes, of course I signed up to have a look – everything else would be cheating in my book…). I never, ever go about recommending something I haven’t actually tested myself.

Phill has chosen a wise slogan for his course: “Play first – learn later” With this he’s correctly stating that it is (to anyone but the hard-core – 100% theory-driven “guitar nerds”) far more satisfying to actually learn how to play some basic riffs and easy songs from the very beginning, rather than being bogged down with a lot of boring, “mumbo-jumbo” theory.

We all obviously want to actually learn how to play something worthwhile on the guitar, right?

Of course, the theory bit is also taken care of. After you have learned to play some rewarding stuff, you will be shown the basic underlying principles (in other words theory) as you progress. Smart move!

Phill has a very relaxed, pleasant and laid-back – still firm, direct and no-frills – style of teaching. This makes you believe in him as a teacher and trust in his ability to deliver the goods. You will also very soon begin to believe in your own abilities to actually learn guitar.

Is it all guitar rosy then?

Anything negative to say at all, it can’t all be total guitar nirvana? Well, the only thing I have found so far is the fact that this is strictly a total beginner guitar package as far as I can see.

If you have some basic skills already in place, you might want to opt in for the more advanced, paid options. Mind you, these are still very, very cost effective.

Even if this is, by nature and design, basic guitar skills being presented, you are also being shown how to do proper right hand (strumming hand) damping of the strings. A vital lesson to be learned early on indeed!

A rocking good way?

If you’re seriously interested in the fastest way possible to learn electric guitar, then I would urge you to have a look at the Crash Guitar Course! For a free guitar course option, it doesn’t get any better that this – definitely amongst the absolute best online guitar courses I’ve come across so far.

Five thumbs up … eh…, could I borrow three of your? You’ll get them back – promise! :-)

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Hello Fellow Guitar Player!

In this section I will try try my best to answer various guitar related questions I have received over the years.

This is often times questions related to learning how to play guitar. However, there will also be the odd question about guitars in general, such as guitar maintenance and repair.

Do you have a question? Do feel free to contact me, or post it in the comment box below!

OK, let’s dive into some guitar related Q and A, shall we?

An Easy Way to Learn to Play Electric Guitar

Q: I’m a teenager and have very little experience with guitar playing. I just want to know how to play a couple of notes.. Can you help?

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A: If your on a budget, the easiest way is probably to have a guitar playing friend showing you some simple tricks and tips. I will guess you even know a guitar playing teacher at your school or perhaps a relative which can help you out for free.

There are also quite a good number of beginner guitar videos to be found on YouTube…

I will have to advice you that you will be far better off if you can afford some qualified instruction. It is quite common to pick up bad habits, and these habits is always harder to correct later on. Do it proper, right from the start and you will be on your way in no time!

Maybe you have someone who can help you find (or borrow) a beginner guitar book or DVD, or better still buy one of the many good online guitar courses?

Without a doubt , the best (and subsequently most expensive) is to be have a private guitar tutor.

My best advice is perhaps to never give up and do your best with what you have. Remember, some truly great guitar slingers are self taught :-)

Sore finger tips and callouses

Q: Any tips about ways to build callouses?

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A: Perhaps the best tip in my opinion, is to make a commitment to yourself  – telling yourself that you’re going to stick with it until you’ve learned how to play the guitar. Like anything else, this takes time.

Then, you should consider how to set a schedule for regular practice. I always recommend that – when ever possible, you practice at the same time every time. It is very important to get into the habit of practicing!

It is never wise to practice playing guitar in long passes without rest. 30 to 40 minutes and then a short break tends to produce better results.

Remember to have some reachable goals for your playing. When you have found exactly what you want to learn — which licks, styles, songs etc.) it is just a matter of practicing those until you have them nailed.

Above anything else, do make sure you’re having fun and that you’re playing the type of stuff you really dig yourself.

As for your question about sore fingertips and callouses – these things will be fixed over time with regular playing. You will remember to take regular brakes, right?

You might consider using a guitar capo on say the second fret. This will make your guitar easier to play when you’re starting out.

Another useful tip is to have your instrument looked at by a qualified person to figure out if it might benefit from some minor adjustments. A better playing comfort will be helpful both in the shorter and longer perspective!

Help with guitar teacher

Q: Help, my guitar teacher has my doing scales and stuff, and I only want to learn how to write songs!

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A: Have you taken the time to explain to your guitar teacher what it is that you really want to learn?

Often times we assume that people really ought to know what we want. However, no one are mind readers – at least not as far as I know. So you definitely want to sit down and map out a plan of what it is that YOU want and need.

If there is no such communication between teacher and student, then the teacher will begin showing you stuff he/she knows will be beneficial to you in the long run, chords, scales … that kind of stuff.

Again – you must be absolutely clear about your goals! If you want to learn how to write songs, say so! Others want simply to learn a particular style of playing, some folks want to join a band. There are many reasons why people want to learn electric or acoustic guitar and your teacher should definitely be made aware of them.

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