Acoustic Blues guitar lesson spice up that bluesy playing
The internet is a truly wonderful resource. Young people today, growing up with easy access to the world’s knowledge via the internet, have no idea of how lucky they are.
I’ve been playing guitar for well over thirty years having started out with the classic Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’ book, way back in the 1970’s. In those days I couldn’t afford guitar lessons so I would watch guitarists very closely at every opportunity.
Learning to play guitar today has been transformed by technology. Tuition DVDs, for example, can be played repeatedly, unlike face to face guitar lessons. And the internet is the most ideal way to distribute and deliver some fantastic guitar tutorials.
While there are many guitar tuition websites by far my favourite resource is Youtube. You can find instructional videos on everything from choosing guitars to making your own electric guitar. There are videos for every level of learner from beginner through to old guys like me who want to learn a few new tunes and techniques.
Learning some new techniques, tunes and licks has become my favourite hobby. If the weather is bad then you will generally find me learning a new tune or two from Youtube. I can safely say that I have learned more from the internet over the past five years than I learned from books and from watching other guitarists in the preceding twenty years.
What’s more, its interactive. When I find a video that I like I will always make it one of my favourites and maybe drop the performer a comment to say thanks. Also, I like to ask the odd question and invariably the person who created the video will respond with an answer. It’s a bit like having every online guitarist in the world available as a personal guitar playing consultant.
These days I can’t help but feel a little jealous of the young people who are just starting to play guitar. I like to think that if I’d been born later, at a time when all of these great learning resources were available, I’d have been playing better than Eric Clapton by now.