Computer-based Guitar Training?

rfischer asks: "I am hoping that Santa brings me a guitar for Christmas this year. I know there are a lot of computer- and web-based tools for teaching yourself guitar, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what's best, and if any of these computer-based methods have any advantage over the classic training courses. Anyone been down this road before?"

Comments

Don't. Not as the only source.

[JabberWokky]

I would highly recommend using anything non-real world strictly as a supplement to real world teaching. You have to learn how to hold your body, how to express notes...

It's a bit like learning acting over the net. Not useless, but insufficent to teach what is necessary.

Unless you just want to "fake" some songs - then you can likely just buy a couple fakebooks (check your local music store for fakebooks), some of which come with DVDs. Learning a song or two is very different than learning to play the guitar.

--
Evan

As a bassist...

[Pugflop]

...and musician, please get thee to a true real-life human teacher. There are so many asshat guitarists who don't jack, yet think they are top shit because they are "self taught".

Me: "Hey, can you play that Asus7 again, I think I got something here."

Guitarist: "Dude, I just sounded like Ozzie! OMFG I AM TEH R0X0RZ D00D1!!!"

I'm self-taught

[Prien715]

I happen to think I'm not that great, but hey, I never played guitar to be good. I learned to play becuase I wanted to be able to play certain songs.

This site has some stuff I found really good including mp3s to play along with to get trickier rythyms or strumming techniques.

If you want to play in a band type setting, I suggest you find like-minded people with similar skills or lack thereof.

Needing a professional tutor or some crap seems a popular thing in this thread, which I don't quite understand. I played clarinet for 10 years (including 4 in university ensembles) before I started guitar and I don't understand what the point of lessons is. What I learned from both instruments is that practice is the most important. Not legnth, but frequency. I think I've progressed more on my second instrument faster because I'd just pick it up and do a few chord shapes for a few seconds.

Professional teachers are only a recent phenomenon and I don't see why they're being embraced with such enthusiasm by practioners of an instrument that has has become a popular symbol of rebellion and freedom.

How many of you people would argue that you need professional classes to use a computer? How many of you are mostly self-taught?

Re:I'm self-taught

[damiam]

I played clarinet for 10 years (including 4 in university ensembles) before I started guitar and I don't understand what the point of lessons is.

I've played violin for 13 years, and I think you're either a dumbass, a crappy clarinetist, or you had a crappy teacher. Extensive practice alone is next to useless if you're not focusing on the right aspects of your playing, or if you're just playing the same thing over and over and reinforcing mistakes. A good teacher will draw your attention to things that you'd never have noticed, and they'll show you techniques for practicing effectively.

For whatever reason, teachers don't seem to be as common or necessary in guitar playing as in most symphonic instruments; many guitar masters were/are self-taught. However, it's almost impossible to become skilled with most wind/brass/string instruments without a good teachers. As evidence, go to your local symphony and ask everyone who has gotten there without a teacher to raise their hand. I guarentee you no one will. I don't know if a professional teacher is the best approach for a beginning guitar player, but lessons definitely do have a lot of value.

How many of you people would argue that you need professional classes to use a computer?

Last time I checked, many computer professionals spend at least four years learning pretty much full-time how to "use" a computer.

Re:I'm self-taught

[Anonymous Coward]

As a loooong time clarinet player and professional guitar player, I can say you are totally full of it. Lessons prevent the age old syndrome of reinventing the wheel. Its not the big things that are relevant. Its the little tips, somebody watching you close up and providing hints on finger placement, rearrangement of notes to flow easier in complex songs, etc. that a teacher offers.

Its like taking basic art classes or acting classes. You simply don't know what you don't know.

A trainer challenges you, they do not simply instruct the way to play properly. They help fixate your mind on the things you need to fixate on in your own playing. You ARE taking on some of the teachers nuances, which is a good reason to find the right teacher who closely resembles where you wish to be later on.

It is invaluable.

Re:Work for a bit, get a teacher, and consider thi

[Anonymous Coward]

As a teenaged jazz guitar player for my high school years ago, I can say there is nothing harder for a learning guitar player than to site read some notation and play the lead guitar role on a song you first saw 20 minutes before in a national competition. Without solid music theory, no matter how much of a guitar hero you are, you are f*cked (in that situation). Without theory, you are just mimicking what you have heard before without really understanding it. You are a highly talented parrot with no conscious understanding of what you are saying.

Thats not to say you cannot be a great guitar player.

Most impressive musical feat I ever took part in was playing the queen mary jazz festival and Paul Schaffer sat in on piano (you know, david lettermans guy) and improved an entire 30 minute set with us. Since we knew he was the man, we played some highly complex shit with serious key and tempo changes and he took it like we were deaf dumb and blind. At a certain level, I'm not sure how important hardcore music theory is, because you can simply see and think what you are hearing and react to it. However I'm not sure how easy it is to reach that point without the basic understanding.

Re:Don't. Not as the only source.

[Eideewt]

That's just right. Nothing can replace a teacher who is there with you and able to correct posture and technique and give you a little experience playing with others. You can learn theory from the web well enough, and you can get a lot of great information on all aspects of the instrument, but you need a teacher to at least get you off on the right foot. It's true that many great guitarists are self taught, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can just pick up and figure it out all on our own.

You should visit Guitarnoise.com (See the post above if you really need a clickable link); it's a great community.