Guitar Noise

If you have read Nick Minnion’s article “Could You Teach Guitar?” and finished with a resounding “Yes!” then the next question is “How?” This article hopes to answer that question with a detailed look at how to teach the all-important first lesson.

All of us at Guitar Noise want to congratulate Alan as he starts off teaching guitar and music pretty close to full time! Get to know one of our Guitar Noise Moderators a little better – you might see him on television one day!

Let’s offer a warm “welcome back” to Nick, who brings us a look at the interlocking relationship of three important creative aspects of musicianship – improvising, composing and transcribing – and how you can use them to move up from being someone who just dabbles with the guitar to a serious musician.

Guitar Noise welcomes Simone Perandini to our pages. Simone is a guitar teacher in Italy and he shares with us some ideas of creating and maintaining a songbook – the essential item for any successful jam!

It sounds like the headline from a tabloid, but more and more people are learning that they can learn how to play guitar. And while the Internet certainly can be of help, all the choices can also seem pretty overwhelming! First time contributor Alan Abbott has been kind enough to write of his experiences, in a well thought-out, step-by-step manner, and includes many websites that can help you start to realize your guitar dreams.

Listening to music is one of the easiest ways to learn about your guitar – and one of the easiest things to forget about! Guitar Noise is pleased to introduce the first of a series of articles from David Wagle, which are here to help you expand your listening library in the hopes of becoming better guitarists and musicians. We start out with a list of Top Ten Great Guitarists Who Never Make Top Ten Lists But Should!

It was a rough draft of a different article that Steve sent me that led to my coming up with this month’s discussion of why musicians tend to look at things with such an eye toward competition. And he came up with this great piece in order to take part in the discussion!

Here’s another wonderfully personal and thoughtful take on the concept of competition among guitarists. My thanks go to John for taking the time out to share his ideas with all of us.

Sometimes learning what you don’t know can teach you an incredible wealth of things. Please welcome Guitar Noise reader Steve Schmeiding to our pages as he tells us of a point in his learning that I think many of us, if not all of us, can relate to.

John Tucker returns with some very sound advice about putting your band together and getting things off the ground. There’s nothing like playing with other people, so take the time to make sure you get the right people for you.

Most people learn from their mistakes. Chris Juergensen, Guitar Noise’s man in Tokyo, is kind enough to let you learn from his! Here are some really great tips on numerous topics, complete with a few life’s lessons.

Let yourself become part of the guitar by learning about where it came from. We’ll explain why it’s important to understand the history of the guitar.

Have you ever thought about teaching but then thought that you might not be qualified? Let’s dispel a lot of the myths about what it takes to teach guitar.

Making mistakes is a part of your growth as a musician. Don’t let them put you off playing, they can help you along the way.

Nearly anyone can learn to play the guitar. As well as having the will to learn, it is essential that the student finds a competent teacher to guide them.

What is the most important skill a musician needs? Fortunately it is something that everyone can do.

Where do you even begin? The guitar is a wonderful instrument, but getting started can be a daunting task. Here are some pointers for those who want to start.

It is possible to be a great guitar player but a lousy guitar teacher. Let’s take a closer look at a few things that make a good guitar teacher.

There are as many reasons for not taking lessons as there are for finding a great instructor. Let’s take a look at arguments for and against guitar lessons.