Article Surfing Archive

I've been playing the guitar since I was in my teens and sad to say, that with life's commitments, I haven't improved much over the years. I can get by strumming some chords, but always wished I could play by ear or to solo!

Recently, I've been exploring some options to improve my guitar playing skills online. In this article I'll talk about 3 things you'll need if you want to learn guitar online. I hope my experience and tips will help you in your musical journey.

Before I start, you should know that there are some excellent tutorials online. Some of the better ones are a structured course with step-by-step videos and play along music. If you're contemplating to learn guitar online, then here's what you'll need to get started.

1. A Guitar

I know this sounds obvious, but this an important fact you'll need to know. You don't need an expensive guitar or amp to get started. Remember that its about the skill and not the instrument. I've read countless bios of famous guitarists and many of them (like Brian May who hand-built his first guitar) started with old, beaten up, hand-me-down guitars.

My point is this: Don't get hung up on your guitar. All you need is a basic guitar. I prefer an acoustic if you're a beginner as you won't get caught up with the technical aspects of it not sounding right. I can tell you from experience that I've wasted a lot of money because I thought another pedal/gear/pick will make me play better.

Just make sure it stays in tune and has fresh strings. An acoustic guitar will also free you to practice more often as you can just pick it up an play anytime without worrying about plugging in your gear.

2. A Decent PC

A good online guitar course will have a series of videos that will guide you step by step, much like a personal guitar tutor, but at your own pace and with much less stress!

To learn guitar from an online course, you'll need a pair of PC speakers. Nothing fancy, but a good pair that is clear and audible is essential. The videos themselves will be played using your browser usually with a Flash or Quicktime plugin, both of which are available free online.

3. Determination and Persistence!

I mentioned earlier that with an online guitar course, you can learn at your own pace. However, that can also be to your disadvantage as you will not be accountable to anyone except yourself!

That's why its important that you set goals for yourself. For example, to learn a certain lick or song by the middle of next month, etc.

Your guitar playing can also reach a "plateau" and you feel like you're playing the same thing over and over and not improving. That's where you'll need to persevere and not give up. Even if its a few minutes daily, continue to practice and one day, you'll have a breakthrough. How fast that comes depends totally on you!

That's it for now. Remember that all the best guitarists have one thing in common - practice. Yes, that's the secret to mastering your instrument and there's no shortcut around it. Vary your practice routine with breaks in between and treat yourself once you've nailed something down.

Remember, you're on your own when you take guitar lessons online, but its an excellent way to improve your guitar playing from the comfort of you own home at your own schedule.