South by Southwest Time Again!

With an ever expanding roster of talent, South by Southwest makes its way to Austin for another year. This time I am even closer to the action, as local coffee house Cafe Caffeine host five days of music! Now I really wish I had skipped work to get that wristband. The good news is that with a two block walk, I can sit on the curb outside and listen for free - which is what a lot of live music costs apart from SXSW!

Andy

Remove Adware Components

Remove Adware Components

How to remove adware components and spyware.

How to Play Slide Guitar

How to Play Slide Guitar

This weekend I came across this promising site, teaching you how to play Slide Guitar in Standard and Dropped-D Tunings, and I thought I would share it with you. I am a long-time slide or "bottleneck" guitar player, and love the variety of sounds you can get from glass, metal, and ceramic slides. Let me know what you think if you get a chance to check this out!

Fromthe BottleNeck Guitar site:

Finally! I've finished the 'How to play Slide Guitar in Standard and Dropped-D Tunings' DVD. It's a 70 minute demo and explanation of the art, one that allows you to combine both normal and slide into one very spicy hybrid style.

I make good use of the overlay feature of the video editing software (picture on the right) to make it very clear how to find all the bits and pieces that allow you to play slide in standard tuning. You'll find out how standard tuning is in fact a bunch of mini open-tunings, all living side by side on the fretboard, and how all flavors of chords--major, minor, major 7th, minor 7th, sus4, 9th, 7th, 11th, augmented, diminished--can be played in full or at least strongly alluded to. Of course, if you can see chords, you can also see melody and harmony.

I have set up a private forum here at BottleNeckGuitar.com for those who have bought the DVD where I can answer any questions you may still have and where you can download the tab and backing tracks I use in the video.

Andy

Guitar Tablature Blues

There is a new post in Online Guitar Lesson about the crackdown on the online tablature community.

Andy

Beginner's Guide to Guitar

The Beginner's Guitar To Unlocking The Guitar

Have you tried learning the guitar or improving your skills without little or no success?

Are you spending a lot of time on free tablature sites that do nothing but frustrate you?

Then The Beginner's Guide To Unlocking The Guitar may be for you. I own a copy of this course, and I must say the 248 page manual and extra instructional material makes for an excellent value.

Imagine yourself playing the guitar, strumming the chords to one of your favorite songs, and really connecting with the music. Finally breaking through and experiencing success on the guitar is very rewarding. The creator of this course, Jared Crebs, also went through his own struggles in learning how to play the guitar.

Students find The Beginner's Guide To Unlocking The Guitar especially effective because you:

• Learn by playing your favorite songs

This keeps motivation high and learning fun! After teaching private guitar lessons for many years, the author has seen countless people succeed this way. Staying inspired with a song you know and love is key!

• Follow a clear, easy-to-understand plan with over 150 quality pictures that will get you started and playing in as little as 2-3 days

Any method which overwhelmes you with hundreds of lessons and takes more than a few days to learn is not geared on the basics. This course will keep you focused on learning ONLY the things you need to play your songs fast. No FAT, 100% lean, and 150% Fun!

• Debunk the myth of "talent"

Overcome past criticisms or beliefs that may have kept you from playing in the past or have slowed down your learning. By using the new and revolutionary Muscle Memory Techniques in this course, you will be able to get started playing or improving your current skills in no time!

• Learn the correct posture for hours of effortless guitar playing

Make your guitar time the most relaxing and fun part of your day

• Learn the secrets that will allow you to sing your favorite songs, even if you are tone deaf, feel stage fright, or have never sung before.
  
  This information is included in the "Singing Techniques" section of the course, so you can actually sing the songs you love while playing the guitar!

• Increase your self-esteem and confidence tenfold

Imagine what learning how to play the guitar will do for you...YOU Will Be a Totally Different Person! For the rest of your life, YOU will be the center of attention. YOU will be "the guitarist" at parties or even in a band! YOU will be sexier - as everyone loves someone who can play the guitar! YOU will be jamming out on your favorite songs and surprising everybody, including yourself!

If any of this sounds good to you, I recommend you take a look today.

Andy

Finding Free Guitar Lessons

Free Online Guitar Lessons

Since the early 80’s I have been searching for better guitar lessons. I was not one of those who could listen to a record once and repeat the licks note-for-note. I took a few guitar lessons locally, but couldn’t find a guitar teacher that clicked.

This frustration led me to order cassette-tape guitar lessons by mail. Since this was well before online guitar lessons, I often waited weeks for delivery. Little did I know that online guitar lessons were coming our way - and most of them would be free.

Today, many types of free guitar lessons are available online. These include beginner’s lessons in mp3 format, guitar instruction videos, and tab transcriptions of your favorite guitar licks. Tablature, or “tab”, is a transcription method that tells you exactly when and where to fret and pick. You don’t have to read music to read tablature.

Online guitar lessons are very convenient, and learning the guitar this way can also be cheaper and more effective. If you travel like I do, you can learn new songs on the road rather than watching TV!

Here is a roundup of some sites that I have used to find free guitar lessons:

Video Guitar Lessons

Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks features a library of guitar lessons that you can access anytime and anywhere to improve your guitar ability. They currently charge $5/month subscription fee, but offer free guitar lessons (150) to start. Their roster includes 48 guitar instructors from all over the world.

Mp3 Guitar Lessons

Fender Players Club

This excellent site is devoted to helping you get started on the guitar. Yes, barre chords are easier on an electric guitar! Sample beginner’s guitar lessons include:

Chords in the open position - Learn the most basic chords and practice switching between them; practice tips, how to read the diagrams, and more.

Chords - Once you're used to playing the basic chords, it's time to start learning some other ones. Included is a chart with a whole bunch of chords.

Barre chords - When you have some strength in your fretting hand, tackle the barre chords. They’re tough, but don't give up.

Guitar Tablature

If you like doing things the “old-fashioned” way, two news groups are sources for guitar tablature:

rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature

alt.guitar.tab

Guitar Tab Web Sites

Guitar Notes

This site claims to be the largest collection of guitar music on the net. You can browse through their artist index or use their search engine to look through over 150,000 songs

In closing, whether you’re just getting started or are looking to advance your guitar ability, online guitar lessons can be a fun and effective way to take learn guitar.

Free Guitar Lessons

Finding Online Guitar Lessons

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