[microphone johnson]

I picked up my guitar about two months ago. I immediately started lessons as I did not want to learn some bad habits that I had to unlearn later. Due strictly to monetary reasons I am discontinuing my lessons. I will have had eight lessons. I've learned all the major chords and some minor chords. I can fumble my way through a couple of Christmas songs and when I say fumble I mean fumble.

I was looking for some recommendations on some at home lesson programs. I have lurked around here for a while and did a little internet research. I narrowed it to four possible choices (there seems to be literally thousands to choose from). I was thinking about:

Hal Lenoard
Fretboard Logic
Jamorama
Master and Learn the Guitar.

I am a very "have to see it once, do it myself a thousand times" kind of learner. I don't get much from listening to someone. I learn through my hands. I liked the idea of playing along to the backing tracks on Jamorama and the Master and Learn series.

Any experience with any of these programs? Raves and critcisms would be great. I'd love to hear any other suggested programs. As far as style, my new years resolution is to play along with Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, and Best of My Love by the end of 08 By the end of 09, I want to be playing Master of Puppets.

Also, any suggestions on a metronome. I need a real basic one that clicks rather than beeps.

Man, that was long. Thanks a ton.

Microphone Johnson

[chuckswood2001]

Im not much for buying lessons that i can get free on the net, kirk has many great lessons on this site, but may be a little advanced for beginners, justinguitar.com - free guitar lessons from Justin Sandercoe check out this site, then when u get a little better check out kirks plane talk, justin has many vid lessons on just about everything from beginner to advanced

PS, this is just one of the many sites that has free lessons

Chuck

[allthumbs]

I didn't care for Fretboard Logic. It was too much like a math program for me to handle.

[starsailor]

I can empathise with the monetary reasons, I could never afford lessons, I've done most of my learning through a mixture of GFB, I trawled the net for any 3 chord songs I knew well and started learning them, I also found a lot of free stuff on the net that pointed me in the right direction and as Chuckswood said, there are plenty of free lessons out there. With a bit of time surfing you'll find virtually all the things in those lesson sites you mentioned.
I must confess if I had money to spend on those lesson packages I'd prefer to put it toward an Amp, or a guitar, or strings etc.
I'd recommend Kirks lessons, it would be worth looking through them as there are a few there you may be able to play as you have a few lessons under your belt.Kirk always puts a few easy songs on the latest is this one God rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Easy

Finding this site was the biggest turning point for me, I'm not brilliant by any means, but I've posted some songs after a little encouragement which has boosted my confidence a lot and I also know that if I get in a rut someone here will come to my rescue which is very reassuring.
Good luck with whatever you choose Microphone Johnson and keep us posted on your progress.

Best Wishes

Chris

[jbhiller]

If you're going to learn at home, I'd suggest the following:

1. Get some practice routine down for the first year that just helps you move from chord to chord, quickly and smoothly. I did this by playing the circle of fifths in each key every day for a couple of minutes. My sister, who played violin and piano, told me to do it. It has been invaluable ever since. You can transpose songs faster and you train your ear (something that you indicate might be necessary unless you always want to play right from tab or notation).

Here's what I used (circle of fifths):
Key of C: C, Am, Dm, G7
Key of G: G, Em, Am, D7
Key of D: D, Bm, Em, A7
Key of A: A, F#m, Bm, E7
Key of E: E, C#m, F#m, B7

This progression is the I, vi, ii, V.

2. Play a ton of songs. Whether you buy a tab book, download tab, or figure them out yourself, play a bunch of songs.

While I don't think you have to over-analyze anything, I do think it's necessary to start "seeing" (really hearing) typically changes in music. The best place to start might be the blues. It's rooted in I, IV, V progressions--that is the root or key, the fourth chord, and the fifth chord. In C, it's C, F, G. You can figure it out for any key by simply counting the out the 1, 4, 5.

3. Homespun (and Vestapool) have a lot of good video lessons. You can buy a lesson on DVD for $30. They typically have enough material to keep you busy for a month or two, and that's far cheaper than live lessons.

4. Like Allthumbs, I'm not a fan of Fretboard Logic. However, I know how it works and what it's goal is to teach you. It's a super-comprehensive disection of the fretboard through patterns and scales (and even some modes). Honestly, maybe I'm just a slower learner but I don't think anyone playing guitar would be ready for Fretboard Logic until they've played for a few years. It's a daunting program, which could turn you off to the instrument altogether. That's not to say that it isn't accurate or beneficial. I actually know a few guitarists (one with a degree in music) who learned through its type of method. I, like Allthumbs, prefer Kirk's PlaneTalk method anyhow.

5. I have an antique metronome, which is probably out of time, so I can't make any good recommendations. One thing I would recommend is using the absolute "metronome" of playing along with the record. You normally can say you mastered the lesson if you can do that.

6. I'm not familiar with Jamorama. I know some folks swear by Band in a Box for playing along and backing tracks to practice with. It's about $100.

7. As far as those Eagles songs go, I think those are a great place to start. I remember sitting on my bed years ago trying to play a few basic chords and strum to a song and thinking: these chord diagrams must be wrong because it's impossible that these guys are moving from chord to chord so fast. Wow! Was I wrong. I had to play basic open chords and bar chords for 3-4 years before I could really say that I had that down. You'll probably be faster than me. However, I'd say get some tabulature on those Eagles songs and tackle them one by one. Make the chord and practice changing between it and the next chord, over, and over and over and over....

8. Use Kirk's website. It's free and fantastic. He is a brialliant teacher and guitarist. I can't say enough about the fundamentals he teaches. I'm soooooo impressed.

Nevertheless, I will say, Kirk should retitle the website as Guitar for Intermediates. There's some challenging stuff on here that I think would be hard for the beginner, but again I'm a persistent learner and most people are probably better than I was at the beginner level.

9. Once you get basic open chords and the basic bar chord shapes down (E, A, Am), I'd start right up with PlaneTalk.

[rwjones3]

I have recently started checking out guitar books from the local library. Some have had helpful material, while others haven't. The main point being that I didn't have to spend anything on them. Will probably re-check out some of the books that were more advanced than my level once I improve.

Robert

[garth653]

I have Learn and Master Guitar, but I honestly get more out of this forum than I do from the DVD's. If I was a music student, and wanted a comprehensive at home tutorial, L&M is good, but I don't have the patience to plod through them. I like learning at my own pace, and choosing what to learn. L&M guitar is very structured. If you don't truly master one lesson, you won't be able to do the next, so there is a lot of repetitive practice and I always wander on my own. I've learned to do some things that are way ahead of where I'm at on the dvd's just because I wanted to play a song. Right now I'm learning Barre chords, and they don't come up in the dvd's for another four lessons. That's like three months in my time. If I had it to do over, I'd put the money towards a new guitar and read through these forums. The lessons here are cool, but seeing that other people are going through the same things you are, and reading the experienced players' answers helps me out a lot.

[LongT]

I have Hal Leonard - The 3 volumes in a single book with CD. It works for me. I think it's around $25. But I also use lessons on this and other forums. Sometimes a different explanation/viewpoint gets it across. So I use several sources.

Bill

[Lcjones]

Hey Mic,

Other folks have answered the priorities but I'd like to address these, if you don't mind.

Originally Posted by microphone johnson

.....I don't get much from listening to someone.

Listening to others play is as important to your playing guitar as daily practice is. Do not create a vacuum for yourself by not listening to others play. Listening to others play takes a bit of practice. Concentration is the key. Learning to block out, for example a brass section or keyboards to concentrate on the guitar player takes time and effort. By training your ear to listen intently you will be rewarded equally, if not more, as you would in your practice schedule. Listen and learn from the masters and professionals of your CD collection. Those are lessons you cannot purchase for love nor money. But they are ..... free for the taking!

I need a real basic one that clicks rather than beeps.


Microphone Johnson

Download a copy of Audacity as it is free and has a built in click (as in tick-tock not beep-beep) track you can adjust speed and volume to suit your needs. I highly recommend doing so.

Best to you!

**
LC