I Learn to Play Guitar - Part 1

2007-09-21T23:59:00.001-04:00

When I was thirteen I decided to learn to play guitar. Having been raised in a family where country music and fiddle tunes were standard fare most material consisted of three cords and a lot of toe tapping. To give you an idea of how well I progressed, by the time I was fifteen I was playing in a country dance band, the Mississippi River Boys, as their drummer! However, within six months I had built up the nerve to stand up in front of a microphone, play rhythm guitar and sing. This pastime (I say pastime because we never earned much money on the Lanark County, Ontario country dance hall circuit) continued for the next 27 years with me filling different roles as vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lead guitarist and sometime bass guitarist.

One day I finally decided that enough was enough and packed it in. I went for the next fifteen years hardly ever picking up a guitar. Then in 1998 I decided to join a few friends who participated in a monthly music night - mostly a sing-along - and my love affair with the guitar started again. The next thing I knew I was back performing in a trio, Grateful We're Not Dead, playing for house parties, anniversaries, barn warmings, etc. with our remuneration being food and beer - not necessarily in that order.

But this time around, being retired, I decided to learn to play guitar again. I googled the web and eventually ended up at Andrew Koblick's Guitar5Day.com where, after much deliberation, I purchased Amazing Guitar 2.0, the Ultimate Blues Primer, and the Ultimate Fretboard Guide. These items along with a variety of free online guitar resources have become my staples for developing my guitar skills. Now, even though my style still sucks, it sucks a lot less that it used to and is, hopefully, getting better every day.

Learn To Play Guitar For Free

2007-09-21T07:33:00.000-04:00

If you've just bought a guitar and are learning to play, you may not want to put out money on courses until you decide you are committed to hours of practice and sore fingers. So how do you learn to play guitar for free. Here are some suggestions:

Sit in with a friend who already knows how to play
Check out your local library for guitar lesson books
Go out to a club or concert and watch the guitarists
Get on the Internet and search for free guitar lessons

The final option may be the most useful because it essentially provides you with all the previous suggestions rolled up into one. This is the main way that I add styles and techniques to my playing. I watch and listen to others who are willing to share their skills online.

So to help you on your way, the following links will start the search for you.

Free guitar lessons on:

My.Break

These links should give you a start on looking for free, online guitar lessons.

Go knock yourself out.

I Learn To Play Guitar

I Learn to Play Guitar - Part 1

Learn To Play Guitar For Free