After mastering several basic chord shapes and some single-string runs, our intrepid guitar students are ready for a new challenge.

It's time to learn a song.

When we started our series of online guitar lessons, with help from the folks at GuitarInstructor.com and Hal Leonard Corp., we wanted to help our group of beginners get over the starts and stops and generally frustrating feelings that come with learning a new instrument.

We wanted to make it fun and interactive and, most of all, low-key. We took last week off due to a snowstorm and other outside obligations, but we're back at it today and our pupils are ready to learn "Against the Wind," by Detroit rock legend Bob Seger.

Before Doug Boduch starts the song lesson, we'll look back at what our panelists -- a father-son team, some house-husbands and a 9-year-old shredder in training -- thought of Lesson Five:

KRIS
Just when I thought I'd got everything down, they threw another string at me. That's OK, as the lesson pace is just right. I feel things getting much easier now, which my relative success with Lesson Five's "Rock Baselines" demonstrates. Also, I've started to play around with numerous guitar tabs that I found on the internet, and, unlike a few months ago, I find them much easier to play. "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison is fun, as is various power-chord rock tunes. I'm working on the opening riff from Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" for a challenge, and everything seems to be falling into place.

JOE
I really enjoyed Lesson Five. Throwing in some music theory gets the mind to pay attention to each note and relate that to where your fingers are and compare the sound of each note. I seem to have the the finger dexterity thing down. At least to the point that I don't sound like a total beginner. One thing that I have learned about the way they are teaching us is that by not writing down the notes for the exercises/song, I am forced to learn them by ear because I can't see what Doug's fingers are doing for some reason. Anyway, I'm getting it all figured out and enjoying every minute of it.

MIKE AND (teenage son) MICKEY
Lesson Five was pretty similar to Lesson Four, but with the notes on the top three strings instead of the bottom. However, it completed the whole scale, so it was definitely helpful and necessary. Our only suggestion would be to name the notes when playing them instead of counting beats. With more practice and work, we might be able to figure out additional songs or riffs for some serious jams. Nothing wrong with "Amazing Grace," but maybe a something like "Pretty Woman" or "Blister in the Sun" would be good? Thanks again for the great lessons.

SETH (9 years old)
It was a good lesson but it was a little struggle for me. I discovered taking these lessons that I for sure like chords/power chords better than notes. I had a hard time on "Amazing Grace" at first but eventually figured out the notes that were being played after rewinding it several times and with my Dad's help. The Rock Baseline part was pretty easy for me because he repeated each note four times, making much easier to see what he was playing without watching it a gazillion times. The C Major scale part was the hardest for me and the fret board diagram didn't help because I didn't understand how to read it (my Dad didn't, either).

Overall, this has been a good learning experience and I'm really happy that I did it. My Dad and I argued on some of the lessons but most of them were really fun and I learned a lot from them that I know will help me to be a better guitarist. Playing guitar is something I really like doing that I think I will do for the rest of my life. Maybe someday, I will even get to meet my Guitar Hero, Slash and rock out with him.

Thanks for the lessons.

P.S. My other New Year's Resolution that my parents made me have is to be nicer to my little sister. I can say that playing the guitar is more fun and easier than that resolution.