Picture this: You’ve been listening to Malmsteen, Angus
Young, Jimi Hendrix or Mark Tremonti (who I rate very, very highly btw) for
some time now. Inspired by your rock idols, you’ve bought yourself a shiny brand-spanking-new,
kickass guitar, you’ve bought an amp with a great effects processor, and you
have all add-ons and accessories that are required to play the guitar. You’re
all ‘amped’ up (pun intended!) and ready and raring to go!
The only problem now is figuring out how to play the whole
thing!
Luckily, there are literally countless numbers of ways you
can learn how to play the guitar – from personal tutors, to classes, to online
courses – you’ve got the whole deal. And the road that plan to take will depend
on factors such as determination, budgets, the time that you can spare, your
geographic location, and many other factors. Your chosen path might even also
have a bearing on what sort of a guitar player you end up becoming.
For instance you might be(self-proclaimed) the most
ambitious guitar player out there, someone with deep pockets who’s willing to
shell 200 bucks an hour on private lessons from one of the biggest names in the
industry, however all of it won’t matter one bit if you cannot spare 30 minutes-a-week
on practicing . Your efforts would yield nothing but frustration, and not to
mention the money you’d be wasting this way.
Here is a guide on what are some of the most common factors
that you should consider before starting to learn the guitar. Applicable for
all guitarists, all genre players, and all instruments (bass, acoustic,
electric), it lists some of the ways you can learn the guitar and be good at
it.
1. Personal Tutor
Time Considerations:
Shortest time required
Budget Considerations:
Could be expensive, but depends on the teacher/tutor chosen.
Location
Considerations: No location restrictions.
Going for a personal tutor is the best way of quickly
reaching the top-most echelons of guitar play, and that too in the shortest
period of time. It all really depends on the kind of teacher that you choose,
and while it is a debate for another day, as a rule of thumb, choose a teacher
who boasts an impressive portfolio of graduates and has a proven track record
of being one of the best in the business. Prepare to shell out the big bucks
for a good teacher though!
A good tutor will try his best to develop your
guitar-playing skills, and get you to the highest levels. Look in your local
ads, on online forums, the newspaper, and the yellow pages. Check with the
colleges in your vicinity as well. However location shouldn’t be your priority
since many good teachers now offer lessons online, thanks to Skype. Be prepared
to pay the big bucks for some of the more renowned names though – Tom Hess and
Dave Weiner for instance.
Verdict: Choose
to go for a personal tutor if you can spare the time and money and want to
advance quickly.
2. DVD/Video Lessons
Time Considerations:
Allows you to work at your own pace, if you lead a busy life for instance.
Budget Considerations:
Cheap, not very expensive, and some Youtube videos are of course free.
Location
Considerations: No location restrictions.
If you don’t have the cash to spare on a private tutor, or
maybe (more importantly) you want to practice at your own pace, perhaps going
for video or DVD-based lessons would be a good call. A good, high-quality
Youtube course or a DVD-based course would still give you a good structured
lesson plan that takes you from the basics to an intermediate or an advanced
level, however just not as personalized as a tutor-based course.
But let’s not forget its biggest advantage: it allows you to
work and practice as you like and whenever you like. And these lessons are
cheap, as a good set of DVD lessons would cost even less than a single private
lesson!
Websites such as GuitarTricks.com offer excellent DVD and
Youtube videos-based lessons. Their unlimited membership costs around $15 which
puts as many as a massive 5000 videos at your disposal. That is one-tenth the
price of a single lesson by a good teacher! However you will need a fairly fast
internet connection.
Verdict: Learning
at your own pace, and for 1/10th the cost!
3. Guitar Books
Time Consideration:
Can work at your own pace
Budget Considerations:
Suitable for a limited or a non-existent budget
Location
Considerations: You need to be close to a store that carries these, or get
a subscription.
I’ll say this right in the beginning: I don’t recommend
books or magazines at all, and when compared with DVDs and videos, books won’t
let you actually see what you should be doing. In addition, the amount you
spend on a year’s subscription to a good magazine will be close to what you
could spend on a good online lesson. However most magazines subscriptions come
with additional goodies such as CDs and DVDs, access to premium online lessons
and at times, even free gifts such as a distortion pedal or a set of strings. One
of the mags I’m subscribed to has coupons that get me some amazing rebates and
discounts on popular guitars and musical instruments.
Magazines are cheap, so if you only have a few bucks to
spend, go for it, since some magazines and publications such as Total Guitar
UK) have great lessons for all guitarists, and these mags are a great way to
expand your knowledge and horizons.
4. Learning from Peers and Friends
Time Consideration:
can take anywhere from a short span of time to very long.
Budget Considerations:
Free? Surely your friends wouldn’t ask money from you.
Location
Considerations: You need to be able to meet your friends regularly.
If you surround yourself with musicians and friends who jam
and play the guitar, it could be a great, free (!) way of learning how to play
the guitar, as well as improving yourself as a guitarist. Even if it’s just one
jam per week, you might just be surprised at how much you can learn and pick up
from your friends. Above all, jamming with others is just so much fun, and you
could even record yourself playing and put the videos on Youtube!
Verdict: Its fun,
and you could learn a lot form each other.
5. Learn by Listening
Time Consideration:
Depends on you.
Budget Considerations:
N/A
Location
Considerations: Works wherever you are.
How do you think Hammett and Page learnt how to play the
guitar? Those guys didn’t have access to Youtube or private lessons did they?
These guys learnt the art themselves, through trial-and-error, by listening and
copying artists and I strongly recommend you try it too! By doing this, you
will be able to experiment and learn from your own mistakes, and above all,
develop a great ear and listening skills – an invaluable asset to have as a
musician.
Verdict: Use this method as a supplement to your
learning-method-of-choice.
6. Free Resources
Time Consideration:
Depends.
Budget Considerations:
Free!
Location
Considerations: Accessible anywhere.
Got no cash whatsoever to spare? Totally broke but still
have love for the music and want to learn the guitar? Check out Youtube. Then
there are other great free resources such as JustinGuitar.com as well. The only
potential downside is that you could be overwhelmed by the information
available at your disposal, and of course you won’t have any proper guidance or
supervision. My recommendation: try looking for a resource that takes you
through the lessons in a proper structured manner.
Verdict: The perfect (and the only) option for someone with
zero budget.
No comments:
Post a Comment