Learning a new skill can be a challenging, frustrating, humbling, exhilarating and ultimately rewarding experience.
Our guitar students are finding that out.
In cooperation with the folks from GuitarInstructor.com and Hal Leonard Corp., OnMilwaukee.com is offering a series of free online guitar lessons in an effort to get people jamming.
We know a lot of people out there have guitars sitting at home, the cases caked in dust -- perhaps a string or two is missing and was never replaced -- because they bought them on a whim or received them as a gift and became frustrated trying to learn the basics.
In order to make this endeavor more fun and interactive, we asked for some beginning-level players to join the effort and provide us with weekly updates on their progress to help keep everyone motivated.
We've got a father-son team. We've got a 9-year-old. We've got a couple of busy husbands.
Our first couple lessons were basic, but they've been getting more difficult. Before Doug Boduch begins Lesson Five, here is what our panelists thought of the fourth lesson in our series:
MARCUS
This lesson was a bit of a confidence-builder for me. It was all about single notes or "lead guitar." Everything seemed to just work for me this week. I think the lesson went at a good pace and was pretty easy to follow, especially when you watch it a few times in a row. Doug went through his lesson and at the end we learned a little bit of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and a basic blues riff. My fingers still aren't always doing what I want them to do, but they are far less sore after this week's lesson. It felt good to follow this week's lesson and also feel like I was doing things right.
MIKE and son MICKEY
We both found Lesson Four on single-note leads to be on the easy side, although it got a little tougher toward the end. While it was good to get a refresher on the notes for the three bottom strings, one suggestion might be to call out the actual notes while playing, rather than numbers, to make the tunes -- "Ode to Joy" and the blues riff -- easier to follow. We continue to enjoy the lessons and look forward to them each week, so bring on Lesson Five.
SETH
Well, I thought this lesson was much easier than the last. It was easy because it was kind of what I learned on the first lesson. I kind of had trouble with the last song, because it was hard to see what notes he was playing and it went really fast. The second song ("Ode to Joy") was not bad because I think I learned a song like it from a DVD that I got when I bought (or my parents bought) my guitar. Also, the first song was basic because it was like the first lesson of this series. It was nice to have an easier lesson after having hard time with last weeks lesson. I enjoyed it and am ready for the next lesson.
P.S. I think it would be better if Lesson Three and Lesson Four were presented in reverse order, but others may think differently.
KRIS
What do you mean I have to care about what BOTH of my hands are doing? Yes, picking individual strings as opposed to simply strumming chords adds quite a bit more complexity to this whole "being a rockstar" business. Things went pretty smoothly, however, when Doug played through the little blues "song" near the end of the lesson, I had to back it up and do it many times before I could get it right. I think I have it now ... at least until I try to play it in front of somebody, then I find myself stumbling over myself. I suppose I could look at it in Milwaukee terms: How do you get to Shank Hall? Practice, man, practice.
JOE
OK, I'm way behind. I didn't get to practice the chords from Lesson Three as much I had intended and I'm not feeling very confident about the chords. But, I'll always charge ahead; I'll get back on track. The hardest part about Lesson Four is that I can't follow along with what Doug is doing with the two songs at the end. I really couldn't tell what notes he was playing on the strings. I'll just have to keep rewinding and watch it over and over.
Last night, my wife decided to start with the lessons, as well. After we put the kid to bed, I handed her one of my two guitars and she asked why it was backward. "Because I'm left handed," was my reply. "But I'm not," was hers. I told her she wouldn't know the difference as it wasn't like I put her steering wheel on the other side of her car. She had never done this before so it really shouldn't matter too much. Well, I've got a loaner right handed guitar in the truck that I'll be bringing home for her to use for a while. No good deed goes unpunished.
