Obviously the Internet is the single best development to help not only guitar players, but those interested in any profession, hobby or interest on virtually any topic.

Just a while ago an instructor, the printed book, tapes, recorded and live music were about the only options to help a student learn. There is so much more that I won't even be able to mention it all here I'm sure.

Mentioning every single topic or techonolgy isn't my goal however. My point of this post is to let you know to use every possible resource that might help you. As I mention elsewhere on this blog, and my other sites, I

believe that a live instructor is a must, at least in the beginning stages of learning. That's primarily to notice, and stop any bad habits or poor technique the student may start to develop. Additionally, of course, for the experience of the teacher.

Even when using a teacher though, there's no reason not to employ the wealth of other options available to enhance the progress, and make it more enjoyable.

As I mentioned, the Internet offers many of the alternate means of learning. There are many, many websites that offer free and paid lessons...some just in the form of guitar tablature, but others having very good video lessons.

There are other 'systems' and courses, and down loadable programs as well. Some you purchase outright, some are subscription services. Some have different programs that cover a specific genre of music. You could spend hours and hours looking over the multitudes of available online options for the aspiring guitarist.

With the increased speeds of computers, and the advanced stages of technology in general, there are also many new options in software and hardware available. I can remember when, if you wanted to learn a solo to a song, it was a matter of putting the 'album' on the turntable, slowing it to 161/2rpm, and copying it by ear.

This was a long and tedious process. Now there's hardware and software, (including the computer itself) that will allow you to easily play back a tune at a slower speed to make learning it a piece of cake.

There's also programs that will actually show the played performance on a fretboard, and allow the student to slow it down. I can't really think of a better way to learn that fast solo...including from another human.

If you've really got the desire to learn to play the guitar, and the dedication it takes, there's no better time than now. You have all the tools anyone could ever hope for.

Here's a link for one of the best options for learning. I've mentioned it here before, it's something I use and I know it's a great product.

So, for little more cost than the guitar itself, you can learn...and learn as quickly as you brain and hands are capable. Just go do it.

Also, never forget...even with all the tools available, there's always the need for daily practice.

I can't recall from whom I got the idea, but it has opened up another aspect to my playing. Now I understand that at some point most people start recording, but I'm not talking about just making demos, or recording a 'finished' tune. I'm talking about listening, really listening to your progress.

I remember the first time I (a friend actually) I recorded my playing. I had been playing for a few years, was just 'ok', but I really just felt like I was in a rut. I really hadn't learned a lot in a very long time, it seemed at least. When some friends and I were just trying to work up a few tunes, one of my friends had his cassette deck rolling. I didn't even know it was being recorded. I remember the other guitarist and I were just kind of trading solos. We messed around for a while, and then while taking a break, he started the tape rolling. He had taken the first solo, and I immediately recognized his playing. HOWEVER, (and it's a big however) when he was finished, another lead started, and I truly asked him, (who is that ?), I honestly thought it was something else that he had previously recorded.

Now please don't misunderstand this, I'm not a great player, and surely wasn't then. What had shocked me was the fact that I really didn't totally appreciate how much I had learned. I had even impressed myself with a solo that I would have thought was beyond where I was as a player.

As I mentioned, I'm not even close to being a 'Guitar God', and I'll never be a truly great player, but I love playing the guitar, and I believe in using every advantage there is to better my playing. If you start recording at least some of your playing, it will give you even more feedback on where you are as a player. You might even impress yourself, and just as importantly, help you to hear where you need more work.

daughter playing now also. She loves it, and is very dedicated. My (7) year daughter would rather use the guitar as a food tray or a stage for her Hannah Montana toys though. So, there's more than just my love of playing guitar that I have as inspiration to keep this site going, and keep it going I will.

Back to the site...I WILL be developing this into a content oriented site, and not just a thin, poor attempt at an auction site. That wasn't, and isn't my intention. I just have too many irons in the fire at the present time, and can't give the needed attention to any of them. I have to make a decision to drop some projects until such time that I can do them the way they deserved to be done. Personally, I can't stand to run across a site like this one...much less own one.

So, if you're a guitar player, and I'm guessing you are, please check back occasionally. Although I haven't decided exactly in what direction I plan on going, I will be starting to add more content soon. I hope to be able to start daily post, and also maybe adding some product reviews, and I'd really like to do some lessons. The guitar lessons may prove to be the biggest hurdle initially, as I'm probably going to be looking at some custom development for a player, and a convenient way to input chord/note symbols on a represented guitar neck. I'm thinking something that the user can also manipulate to input their own chords also.

So, for the few of you that have came back occasionally, again, I apologize, and the the project will continue on. It will probably be more in the form of a slow, but steady growth, instead of a throw a bunch of money into it and get it going now type of deal.

Until Next Time

Learning to play the guitar can be a very rewarding thing. It can also be very hard. I was so excited when I got my guitar as a gift. I immediately picked it up and made believe I was a Rock Star

.

I stood in front of the mirror and acted a fool. I tried to play a few of the chords with the documentation provided with the guitar. Wow, it was hard. It was not that the chords were hard; it was that the guitar and fretboard were too big for me.

If you are thinking about learning to play the guitar I would suggest getting fitted. Go to a music store and have a professional fit you for a guitar. They will suggest a variety of guitars that are made to fit your arms and hands.

This is one of the reasons people give up on trying to learn to play the guitar. The fretboard is too big for their hands, and they just can’t form the chords. I thought I would list a few of the smaller guitars available:

• Yamaha JR1 FG Series: it is a ¾ size acoustic guitar. Yamaha offers a great smaller guitar that is not too expensive for a beginner. A great guitar with 18 frets and a beautiful natural satin finish.

• The Little Martin: Comes in a couple color schemes. Fantastic craftsmanship and quality. This guitar is one you can grow with. It produces beautiful sound and music. The small size makes it easy for everyone to learn to play. Comes with a big bag to carry it in. They are more expensive and may not be the best for beginners.

• Squire MA1: small ¾ size acoustic guitar. Affordable and easy to play. Produces superior sound and is made with great quality. MA1, sounds like a tank and has the durability of one. Will take the punishment of someone learning to play the guitar. This guitar is affordable for a beginner.

These are just a few of the many small guitars available for beginners to learn on. If you do not have a music store go to your local music store and try out the guitars they have. It will let you know if you will have a size problem. Bigger is not always better. The only way is to actually put your hand around the neck.

Testing a guitar is the best tip I could possibly give. It will help you learn to play without having to overcome physical limits. Rock on!

Hi, my name is John and I wanted to comment on how I learned to play the guitar. I was given a six string acoustic guitar as a gift some time ago. It set in the closet and collected dust for a while. Then one night, at a party a friend started playing

his guitar. Everyone was singing along and it was great. Later he showed me a few chords and I was hooked.

I decided I was going to learn to play the guitar. My problem is I do not have time to do much more than eat and sleep. Personal local lessons were also so expensive I would never be able to afford it. I began to research alternative methods to learn to play. Some of the ways I found were:

• Computer Software: There is a wide variety of packages available to teach you to play the guitar. You can learn to play acoustic or electric guitar this way. It is recommended you learn acoustic before trying to play an electric guitar.

• Local Lessons: For me this was too expensive and too time consuming. Lessons would take over an hour. It would also take an hour to get there and back. I just did not have this kind of time or money.

• A friend to teach you: If you are lucky enough you can get your friend to teach you. This is how I started to learn. My friend is not a professional but he has been able to teach me a few things.

I left out the way I learned; video training. I learned through a web site that had teachers who taught through video clips. My friend also sat in on some of the lessons and helped me a little on the cost. This web site had a wide variety of teachers. You could learn beginning guitar, jazz guitar, rock guitar, blues, acoustic and even classical. The amazing part was the cost. It was amazingly affordable. I could take the lessons when I wanted to, and learn at my own pace.

There are many web sites that offer video training. The other cool thing is that you can try before you buy. That saved me some money. I tried classical and found that it was too hard for me. It saved me the money of having to pay for a lesson that was too advanced, and really not my style.

The other great thing about the site I learned from, was all the free tools available. Some of them were:

• Metronome: you will need the shockwave browser plug-in to use this tool. It is great to help you keep time and stay in rhythm. A must have tool, as any instructor will tell you.

• Chord Dictionary: You will need the flash plug-in to use this tool also. This tool is awesome. It has sixty three basic chords and allows you to both see, and hear them. You could probably learn to play with just this tool.

• Fretboard Tuner: A Simple tool that helps you visualize the chords and can be used to tune your guitar.

• The Fretboard Note Chart: Great tool. It requires flash. It is great for the beginner because you can use your mouse to see all the chords available on the fretboard. It is very cool and extremely helpful.

• Minituner: A simple graphical tool that allows you to record and play back a chord or music. It's a very useful way to tune your guitar.

I believe if you search you will find these tools all over the Internet. It was nice that they were right there on the site I chose to learn from.

I learned to play the guitar over the Internet through video lessons and would recommend learning this way to anyone. It was fun, easy and very affordable. I hope my journey of learning to play the guitar via the Internet has been helpful for at least some of you.