Top Ten Resources for Learning the Guitar

Learning to play the guitar with ADHD is difficult. But learning today on the internet couldn't be better. I wanted to do a quick run through of some of my favorite sites to checkout when I want to learn something.

Paid sites

1) Paul Gilbert If you don't know who Paul Gilbert is then look him up. He is one of the ultimate shredders, and has a great sense of humor about the whole guitar god thing. I've met Paul and can say he was a great, down to earth guy. Together with  the site ArtistWorks Paul is now offering class via the internet. He gives personal feedback. And while it isn't free it's a lot cheaper than some of the other internet lessons I've seen with players that are not as well known.

2) Steviesnacks If you want to play Texas blues in the style of the great Stevie Ray Vaughn this is it! Anthony Stauffer has created an incredible amount of material with over 200 FREE lessons on YouTube. He also has premium lessons for those looking to go more in depth that start at just $6 and go up.  Anthony has put a lot of thought and work into his lessons, and though he doesn't teach strict scales or crazy jazz chords. He teaches what you need to play Texas blues and classic rock.

Free on YouTube

3) papastache From modern radio hits to classic rock Papastache has it down. From Hendrix to John Mayer, and Iron Maiden to uhm...Lady Gaga? Yep! The guy can wail and doesn't get caught up in specifics. Learn the song and then make it your own.

4)Justin Sandercoe  While Justin has a website that is totally free, his YouTube channel is where it's at. He has a lot of great material and is very good at showing you how to play stuff.

5) Pete Thorn Pete is an incredible guitarist who's How to play Eruption series on YouTube has gotten rave reviews across the internet. He also does gear reviews for many of the hottest companies, all while touring with people like Chris Cornell, and Melissa Etheridge.

Gear

6) Speaking of gear I can't go on without mentioning http://www.gilmourish.com/  More than just a tribute site to David Gilmour, Bjorn Riis's passion project breaks down David Gilmour's gear by albums and tours giving you ideas for settings and tips for getting the sound right. I've learned more about how pedals interplay with amps and pickups by reading this site than any of the nonsense you read on most forums.

7) Chord and Tab sites

chordie is a cool site that has quickly become one of my favorites. This site pulls from other sites but has a cool chord transposer tool that is very helpful when learning songs or trying to find a different way to play it.

8) Books

With YouTube and tab sites most people just don't need to learn more. But if you want to get into understanding the guitar more, Fretboard Logic I & II is one book I always keep handy. You can look up the CAGED method and find a basic breakdown just about anywhere on the internet but Bill Edwards straightforward approach will give you a much deeper understanding of the fretboard. Your can check it out here.
Fretboard Logic SE - Special Edition The Reasoning Behind the Guitar's Unique Tuning + Chords Scales and Arpeggios Complete (Volumes I and II Combined) (Fretboard Logic Guitar Method Ser)


9) Metronome

If you want to get faster buy or download a metronome. Practice patterns, scales, picking exercises, whatever. Start the metronome slow and work your way up. When you get fast enough do two notes per click (or beep) then four and so on. You'll be amazed at how fast it works.


10) Play Songs


I can't stress this enough. If your not playing with others create a song list and run through those songs on YouTube or your Mp3 player or something. At night, after the kids go to bed I often run through the headphone jack on my Pod and pull up YouTube and play along with my heroes. Paul Gilbert told me if your not playing songs what's the point. That's why we all got into this right?

What has the internet done to us?

When I started playing guitar, all the way back in 1990, people would talk about guitar players styles. Was it blues or neoclassical, did it remind them of zeppelin or Van Halen, maybe it was punk, alternative or main stream. Whatever equipment you were playing through was fine as long you were doing your thing well. Yeah he plays through a peavey stack but it's cool, he can shred. The focus was on how well that player did what he did. Now people on the internet are arguing over which version of the tube screamer circuit is the best sounding. And no one is talking about the guitarist themselves. You can spend a small fortune on cables. Or a pedal board. And it's so easy to get sucked in. I like gear, but I'm starting to wonder if this train of thought isn't part of a bigger problem. Although I'll admit some gear makes you want to play more than others, the music isn't IN the guitar. Many of my favorite guitarist, have simple set ups with a basic crybaby and a couple of Boss (I know) pedals running into a pretty straight forward amp. I was reading an article on the "Brooklynization" of the music scene. Bands everywhere aren't taking the time to find their own voice, Everyone is trying to sell you that they are the next big thing while sounding like everyone else. Even if they are slightly unique they aren't that different from everyone else. And bands who set out ONLY to be different are just awful. Is this part of a bigger problem? I think so, but what that problem is exactly I don't know. Everyone logs on the internet to share their opinion on everything, but what I've noticed is that most people don't have a clue as to what they are talking about. They have formed an opinion based on reading other peoples opinions. Not based on critical thinking and examination. These people are sheep. Even the ones that do know something may not know what your looking for. Many of these people share their opinions in an effort to help others, and that's a good thing. But mixed into these opinions are people who work for or closely to a manufacturer of a product or worse are trying to prove something. Music as a whole goes through cycles. It seems to get more complex and then simpler. Simpler relates to more people, complex is for the musician's and people who understand music can be more than a simple 3 chords and the truth. I love listening Tosin Abasi play the guitar. He is both melodic and technical, his music has groove and he has an awe inspiring understanding of music theory. On the same token, the Foo Fighters write great songs that grab people who would never understand just how incredible Tosin is. Is one better than the other? NO both are great at what they do. And if you were to ask advice from either one you could see how their advice applies to you. So why are we spending so much time asking people we don't know for advice on what pedal to buy? Most of your large retailers will let you send it back within a month. Order it and send it back if it doesn't work for you. If you have a store where you can try it out, do it. If you have a store where you can't try it out, don't buy from them, the're assholes. But the main thing is that we need to get back to playing, figure out how to make your equipment work for you and play, play, play.