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PHIL KEAGGY - Grammy nominated and seven-time Dove Award winner, is one of the world’s great guitar players and a pioneer in contemporary Christian music.
- August 21, 2016
- Guitar Lessons
Back in the day, if you wanted to learn how to play guitar, you had to walk twelve miles to the local music store in the snow with no shoes-- uphill both ways. Then the Internet happened. So what is the best way to learn guitar online?
Now, you have access to more information than any guitarist in the history of the world. How do you harness that information and turn it into pure skill? Pretty much the same way you would at the twelve mile hike to the guitar store. You find a teacher who plays how you want to play and learn everything you can from him or her.
Learning guitar isn't necessarily any easier or harder than learning in person, but there are a few crucial differences. If you are looking for the best way to learn guitar online, here are four pitfalls to avoid in the process. If you like this article make sure you read this one next.
Eating the Frosting
Let's say you want to learn how to play lead guitar. You search and search until you find the chosen one. Someone who plays scorching, face melting, mind numbing blues riffs that transport you to another space and time. You can dive right in at his/her most amazing riff and begin the quest of taking your blues shred to the next level, but I would also encourage you to take a look around and find some technique videos. This is the best way to learn guitar online. Otherwise, it will be the equivalent of eating all the frosting off of the cupcakes.
I'll put it like this. There's a reason they're so good. Long before you or anyone else ever heard of them, they were just a kid sitting in their room working on their scales. They probably had a great guitar teacher showing them the fundamentals; someone they wanted to play like when they got older.
Every great guitar teacher knows how to find the balance between showing you the important techniques and scales that make you a better guitarist and the fun stuff that you want to learn--which also makes you a better guitarist. Without a physical teacher in the room guiding you into a healthy balance of technique and fun, you have to take it upon yourself to find the balance.
Binging and Purging
Most physical guitar lessons happen once per week. It's usually a half hour session, and the first part of the lesson is a review of what you learned the week before. During this review, the teacher listens as you play through the previous week's material, gives critical feedback, and then moves on to new material. This review is a crucial part of the learning process. It motivates you to actually practice the material because you know that you are going to have to play it in front of a real live person who will be watching you with judgy eyes. Without those judgy eyes, you kind of have to watch yourself.
It's very important to set weekly goals that require daily practice. 30 minutes a day is a good standard. It will keep you moving forward towards your goals. Once you're meeting your 30 minute daily goal, you may find yourself slipping into hours of practice at a time. Especially when you have material that motivates you.
At the end of the week, do a self assessment. Try to play through the song or piece of music as if you were performing it onstage. String together enough of these successful weekly goals and you'll find that you're a completely different musician in a year's time. Pro Tip: practice early, that way you can approach the session with a fresh, clear mind and you can process the lesson throughout the day, which has a kind of residual effect.
Practice Mediocrity
One of the best ways to learn guitar online and a upside to online lessons is that you can take the same exact lessons several times until you really feel like you can nail it.
I heard about a man who would take 20 nickels and lay them on the desk in front of him. He would then play a riff he was trying to master. Every time he nailed the riff, he would move a nickel to the right, every time he messed up he would move all of the nickels back to the left. He wouldn't stop until he could move all of the nickels to the right without a single mistake. That's some serious dedication.
Another way to practice playing a riff to perfection is to play with a metronome. Slow it down between - 30 bpm and then speed it up one beat per minute every time you nail it. Slow it down one beat per minute every time you botch it. By the time you get the riff up to speed, you'll be playing it with great precision.
The Best Way To Learn Guitar Online Is To Be An Island
As previously mentioned, you won't have someone looking over your shoulder to make sure you're playing everything right, but you don't have to take that mantle on yourself. Find as many technique videos as you can, things like holding the pick and neck the right way. Then take a good look at your favorite musicians and watch how they hold the pick and neck. Look at where their thumbs are, for instance, and compare them to yours as you play in a mirror.
Next time you're around a great musician, see if they'll give you a friendly critique. Musicians are usually very forthcoming and will almost always help you out if you approach them the right way. After all, we're in this together and music is a lifelong journey. Chances are they're also looking to improve some area of their playing and are reaching out to people who can help them get to the next level. When you feel like you're ready, join a band or a worship team. Then take the material and practice it to death. Everyone around you will take note of the fact that you take the music seriously. As you develop a good reputation, you'll find more and more opportunities to play.
There you have it - the best way to learn guitar online. Avoid these common threats to your progress and you'll be growing by leaps and bounds. Rejoice in the breakthrough moments, but don't get too discouraged when you hit a wall. That's the ebb and flow of mastering any craft. As long as you pick it up the next day, you win. You can overcome almost any obstacle through persistence.
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