There are several different methods to learning how to play the guitar. Some of these methods can be useful and some can be more of a hassle and waste of time than anything. Luckily, with the internet making its way into so many homes these days, online music lessons have become increasingly popular. And for good reason!

Online guitar lessons allow for students, such as yourself, to learn guitar from the comfort of their own home. Also, online lessons, at least with membership sites, allow for an easy and portable way to take lessons anytime and any place. I have used several different online guitar lesson websites and have found some of them very helpful. I can use my computer at home or learn at school or a friend’s house. Online lessons also allow to easily work at your own pace and on your own time.

However, not all the sites I tried were helpful so here’s a good quick way to see if an online guitar lesson website is right for you. First, and most importantly, make sure that the website has online video lessons! If you can’t hear and see how to play what the teacher is telling you then it will really get frustrating. Video lessons are the best and most cutting edge way to learn how to play guitar quickly and easily.

Second, make sure that you can login to the website using your own login name and password. These type of websites allow you to access your guitar lessons from any computer whenever you want…all you need is an internet connection which almost all computers have these days!

Third, make sure that the instructor who designed the course has experience in playing and teaching the guitar. You would be surprised to find out how many of these websites are run by amateur guitarists that won’t be able to teach you much of anything.

Fourth, remember that you get what you pay for! One of the best things about online guitar lessons is that they are relatively inexpensive compared to traditional learning methods. The reason for this is the fact that the teacher can literally teach hundreds if not thousands of people at the same time thanks to the beauty of the internet. The cheap sites that look too good to be true usually suck big time! Spend a little more up front and you won-t need to keep buying different products till you find a good one. From my experience, you are looking at spending between $45-$117 for a quality guitar course.

Of course, we are partial to the Ultimate Music Lessons Guitar Course

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Michael Angelo Batio is my guitar teacher’s teacher. He is simply one of the best metal guitarists in the world. And if you think I’m exaggerating here are just a few accolades he’s accumulated over the past few years:

2005’s Fastest Guitarist in the World.

He has performed over 500 shows since 2003.

January 2005 issue of Japan’s Younge Guitar Magazine listed Michael as one of the greatest guitarists of ALL TIME!

He invented and was the world’s first player of the twin-necked, left and right-handed Double Guitar.

So those are just to name a few. Simply put, this man is a magician of music. Michael Angelo started playing piano and composing music at age 5 and began playing guitar at age 10. Ever since then he’s had the knack to play and an relentless quench for setting the standards at an entirely different level.

This is from his Metal Method “No Boundaries aka Speed Kills” video series for beyond advanced guitarists. Enjoy and hopefully this will give you an insight into how great people are at guitar as well as give you some inspiration to keep playing so that you can achieve success as well.

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Buying a guitar can be a daunting and overwhelming task. I have bought many guitars in my years of playing and have learned a lot of lessons in doing so. If you are looking to buy your first guitar I think this can be especially helpful to you. However, you may have bought a guitar and realized it was not right for you. And I think I can help you as well. Don’t worry everyone has been there and made mistakes when buying a guitar. Buying a guitar is probably the most important decision you can next to finding a guitar program when learning how to play guitar (my suggestion in today’s day and age is online video lessons). There are many factors to consider when buying a guitar and here are just a few to help you in this task.

The first factor when choosing a guitar is that you need to buy quality. If you are serious about learning and playing guitar then don’t buy the cheapest guitar out there. When it comes to guitars you usually get what you pay for. This doesn’t mean you need to start out with a really expensive guitar. It’s probably a good idea to start with a more affordable guitar until your get better and more serious anyway. But don’t buy a cheapo guitar if you can help it. If you can get a decent name brand guitar it will be easier to play, will last longer, and will sound better.

Next, check the neck (also known as the fingerboard) for warping. You don’t want to buy a guitar with a bent neck because this will surely cause problems. Most likely the guitar wasn’t made very well or if it is a used guitar, a bent or warped neck could be signs of improper care for the guitar. You can check for this by holding the guitar headstock up to your nose and pointing the guitar away from you. Position it so you can look straight down the neck towards the body of the guitar. The neck should be straight without any bends or warping. This will insure that your guitar has proper intonation and is made with good wood.

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“The Air Guitar World Championships have been organized in Oulu, Finland annually since 1996. The once so absurd an idea has bloomed into an international media event that attracts a wide international league of contestants, audience and media representatives to Oulu, Finland. Here is a brief overview of the past championships, contests, the contestants and the special ones among them who are selected to spread the Air Guitar ideology. Dive deep into the breath-taking history of the Air Guitar World Championships, and select a year below.” - AirGuitarWorldChampsionship.com

I thought to myself this was a harebrained idea myself until I actually attended a contest in my hometown of Orlando, Florida. People went nuts over the idea, which baffled me, but as I kept watching I entertained the idea more and came to think it was hilariously genius. This is an entirely new form of expression with rules, schools of thought, theory, and major competitions.

This video is of defending world champion Ochi “Dainoji” Yosuke of Japan who in 2007 gave this immaculate performance of punk band Offspring’s “Keep em Separated.” I had to show you this for sheer amusement but I thought the guy did an outstanding job of emulating many guitarists I know. 

So enjoy this video and you can check out the new defending United States Champion.

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