C-chord: Place your ring finger on the third fret of the fifth string. Place your middle finger on the second fret of the fourth string, and your index finger on the first fret of the second string. Strum all but the sixth string. Then, go back and play each string individually, while still playing the chord. Make sure each string rings out clearly.

String$:  When you're done playing, wipe your strings with a cotton cloth or old T-shirt that's been treated with a small amount of light household oil such as WD-40. This cleans the strings and displaces moisture that can shorten string life. This simple process will extend string life 3 to 4 times compared to untreated strings, saving you money, and giving you more time to spend playing your guitar instead of changing strings.
Acoustic: I recommend a Yamaha solid top acoustic guitar. This guitar plays just as good as some that are many hundreds of dollars more expensive. It can be difficult to manufacture quality acoustics at low prices due to the importance of a solid top finish. When I was in college I scratched together the cash to buy a handmade acoustic guitar that was over $1,000 (I won’t mention the brand) but that guitar was nowhere near as good as this Yamaha.
My teaching approach: I tailor my lessons to fit the students goals. Beginner students want to learn songs, not theory. So I get the student playing /singing before I focus on scales and theory. I want to teach the student what they want to learn as well as giving them the skills to be a good musician/vocalist. I also determine what your learning style is, so that I can effectively teach you. I have over 14 years teaching experience in guitar and voice, and I teach songwriting and ukulele as well.  I've been performing locally and internationally for over 7 years. My influences are: The Beatles, the Killers, Patty Griffin, Ray LaMontagne ... View Profile

Try listening to different styles of music for inspiration as you learn to play. If you're trying to learn to play by ear, listen to the blues and try to mimic that sound. Blues progressions are especially great for learning to play guitar because it's built on the basics of music theory. Once you learn those progressions, you can start practicing them in different keys, as well.


Play the song with the audio recording. Once you've mastered the individual portions of the song, you're ready to play the song in its entirety. Play the song and strum your guitar along with the song. Try to keep up with the tempo of the song you're covering. Follow the tabs as you play. If you mess up, follow the music on the tabs and come back into the song when you're ready. Once you've become proficient at playing the riff, continue practicing until you don't need the tabs anymore.
2.22.12 These are the new fantastic updates for the website. They consist of three guitars being electric, distorted, and acoustic. Just click on the one you wish to play and it will bring you to that page with that guitar on it. This is a new and exciting feature to the website that has been months in the making. The next thing for the site will be adding more songs to play with the keyboard. The user is also able to compose their own songs and record them for playback and play the music in their library. You can access the power chords by clicking the control button and play more heavy metal songs. The virtual guitar allows you to play songs with your keyboard, record the keystrokes and play them back. Once the sequence of notes is played, the recorder shuts off and you can click play to hear what you have just played. The challenge is to have the song sound the same as the real version. Some of the artists include Metallica, The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and System of a Down to name a few. There many different types of guitars but my personal favorite is the fender Stratocaster and that is what I have been playing for fifteen years. The distorted version of the guitar was done using a Boss Distortion pedal that provides the essence of most rock n roll music. I usually like to connect this pedal and the crybaby pedal to be able to play a variety of classic rock and alternative songs. Jimi Hendrix is a good example of a guitarist who used the crybaby pedals I would like to put "Purple Haze" on the site among other Hendrix classics. Ultimately I am going to provide pedal icons which by clicking on them will enable the user to switch between classic sound to distortion and vice-versa. This will allow the user to play songs that use both sounds such as the beginning of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which changes from classic guitar to a more distorted, crunchy sound. Boss effect pedals are some of the best in my opinion because they really give the guitar a defined sound. They seem to provide the best sound for the money and are very common among guitar hobbyists and professional guitarists. The tones that the pedals give to the guitar are vast and it has always been my hobby to explore the different sounds I could make using distortion pedals, flange pedals, reverb, and wah-wah pedals I plan on posting new songs on the application from a wide variety of music Please comment below.
Justin is an instructor with that rare combination that encompasses great playing in conjunction with a thoughtful, likable personality. Justin's instruction is extremely intelligent because he's smart enough to know the 'basics' don't have to be served 'raw' - Justin keenly serves the information covered in chocolate. Justin's site is like a free pass in a candy store!
Dallas Guitar Academy offers class lessons, private guitar and bass instruction, master classes, and artist clinics in North Dallas, Texas. All DGA instructors are experienced music teachers with confirmed references and degrees and/or certification in their chosen fields of expertise. Written letters of recommendation for all DGA instructors are available upon request. The DGA accreditation process means that you can be confident your DGA experience will be positive, with the highest standards of professionalism and customer courtesy.
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