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Hands-On Guitar: The Beginner's Guide

The ultimate learning system for absolute beginners

Marty FriedmanTommy EmmanuelSteve VaiEric GalesEric Johnson

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Hands-On Guitar: The Beginner's Guide
Susan Mazer

Susan Mazer

Educator

multi genre, rock

Genres

About this course

Keep one hand on the mouse and place the palm of the other directly on your monitor screen. TrueFire's new palmistry technology will reveal your inner-most feelings and reveal your future...

You have always wanted to play guitar. There is song inside of you. Yet, everything you've tried in the past has failed miserably and left you frustrated, angry and despondent. Your fingers hurt. Your hands cramped. You couldn't even learn to tune the guitar properly. They laughed at you. You must not be musically inclined. Your hands must be too small. You must be too uncoordinated. But wait... a vision is forming. It's YOU strumming your heart out. It's YOU playing your favorite songs. They aren't laughing any more. They're singing with you...

Every year, millions of people try to learn how to play acoustic or electric guitar only to fail with a lingering false belief that somehow it was an inadequacy of their own at fault. They did not fail -- their chosen course of study failed them.

Susan has taught hundreds of thousands of people to play acoustic and electric guitar with her modern approach and you can bet your bottom dollar that she will not fail you here with this interactive video version of her highly acclaimed learning system.

Whether you wish to learn acoustic or electric guitar, Susan's engaging curriculum coupled with TrueFire's interactive video format accelerates the learning process and making your practice sessions so addictive that you'll have trouble putting your guitar down to go to sleep at night.

There are hundreds of beginner guitar courses, the vast majority of which follow the same conventions that piano teachers have historically, and very unsuccessfully, employed to teach children. Before you even come close to playing the music that you love, you're forced to learn how to read music, practice scales and boring exercises, study tedious theory and learn nursery rhymes. No wonder kids find these lessons so painful and ultimately quit. And no wonder adults will ditch that approach in a heartbeat.

Susan Mazer's Hands On Guitar: The Beginner's Guide breaks all of those conventional rules and that's precisely why her teaching method works as well as it does. Susan has taught hundreds of thousands of people to play guitar with her modern approach and you can bet your bottom dollar that she will not fail you here with this interactive video version of her highly acclaimed learning system.

"Some of you may be complete beginners having never held a guitar before and some of you may have picked it up on your own but don’t feel like you’ve really mastered the basics. Either way this course is for you. The guitar is a very easy instrument to get good at very quickly and within just a few lessons you’ll be playing songs and making great music."

You will NOT be required to learn how to read music. You will NOT be required to practice scales and exercises. You will NOT have meaningless theory forced down your throat. And you will NOT learn a single nursery rhyme throughout the entire course. Promise!

You WILL learn how to tune the guitar easily and quickly, how to pick out the best acoustic or electric guitar for yourself, how to understand musical terms and how to properly hold the guitar and position your hands and fingers. You WILL learn how to work with both single-note and chord tab. You WILL learn enough chords and strums to play your favorite songs in any popular style of music.

Going way beyond the conventional beginner guitar course, you WILL also learn a little finger-style technique, power chords for rock and pop, how to play a 12-bar blues, and even how to improvise single-note lead guitar lines.

Dozens of play-alongs apply the lesson material in a fun, musical and real-life context as you play with Susan using practice rhythm tracks featuring drums and bass. You also get the practice rhythm tracks to work with by yourself -- everything you need to simulate playing with a real band! Plus, dozens of charts and chord grids are included to reference during learning and practice sessions.

Susan's engaging curriculum coupled with TrueFire's interactive video format accelerates the learning process and making your practice sessions so addictive that you'll have trouble putting your guitar down to go to sleep at night.

Yes, that really is YOU strumming your heart out and playing your favorite songs. Take your palm off the monitor now. Your future is a click away...

What you'll learn

  • Play double stops using two notes from the scale simultaneously
  • Execute a consistent fingerpicking pattern while playing a melody line
  • Create memorable phrases through repetition
  • Use rhythmic variation and space effectively in solos
  • Transform scale knowledge into actual musical solos
Release date: 09/18/2013 • 3h 45m runtime
late beginnerbeginneracoustic guitarguitarelectric guitarchord progressions
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Sample lessons
Playing Single Notes
Playing Single Notes
Demonstration & Playalong
Reading a Chord Diagram
Reading a Chord Diagram
Guidance
Changing Chords C - G - D7
Changing Chords C - G - D7
Demonstration & Playalong
Tab Example #3
Tab Example #3
Demonstration & Playalong

What's included

72 lessons • 49 charts • 12 Jam Tracks

Hands-On Guitar: The Beginner's Guide
Welcome to your first guitar lesson! Some of you may be complete beginners never having held a guitar before, and some may have picked it up on your own but don’t feel like you’ve really mastered the basics. Either way, this course is for you. The guitar is an easy instrument to get good at quickly and within a few lessons you’ll be playing songs. Playing the guitar is a skill that you’ll have for the rest of your life. It’s a perfect relaxation tool, great socially, and both fun and easy. I find that most beginning lessons either focus only on reading notes (which would bore me to death), or only on basic folk strumming and chords (and I like all styles of music). These lessons will give you an introduction to several different styles and all the lessons apply to either acoustic or electric guitar players. We’ll begin with shopping for a guitar and basic technique. By the time you finish the lessons you’ll be playing chords, well known riffs, tablature, fingerstyle,power chords, a twelve-bar blues, and a pentatonic scale. In the end, you’ll have a taste of all the basics and you can continue your lessons concentrating on the style that you like best. So lets get going and get our “Hands-On Guitar!”
SECTION 1: Getting Started
Beginning lessons are the most important lessons you can take because it’s easy to start off on the right foot but it’s really hard to break those bad habits once you have them. In these lessons I’ll get you started buy introducing the parts of the guitar, how to hold the guitar, proper right and left hand technique, and how to tune up. I’ll even tell you what to look for when buying your first guitar. You’ll have everything you need to get started. Print out all the charts as we go along and you’ll have a workbook to accompany the lessons.
Shopping for Your First Guitar
The first thing we need to do to get you ready to play is make sure that you have a good basic instrument to start learning on. I’m going to help you through the process and tell you what to look for when buying your first guitar. We’ll talk about the types of guitars, choosing between acoustic and electric, the different models, and the extras that make one guitar better than another. I’ll also talk about the benefits of buy a new vs. used instrument and renting vs. buying. Stick with me and we’ll find you the perfect guitar!
Steel, Nylon or Electric?
There are three main types of guitars – steel string acoustic, classical, and electric. No one type is better to start on than the others. I’ll talk you through the pros and cons of each. Choose a guitar based on the style of music you like. Listen to your favorite players and watch videos to see what kind of guitar they’re playing.
Parts of the Acoustic Guitar
Now that you have a guitar, you need to know about all the parts and pieces. In this lesson I’ll teach you the parts of the acoustic guitar. There’s also a file that you can view or print to follow along. Lets take a look!
Parts of the Electric Guitar
The parts of the electric guitar are extremely similar to the parts of the acoustic guitar. Don’t forget that you’ll need a small practice amp to go along with your electric guitar. You don’t need all the “bells and whistles” at first. A small 20 watt (or smaller) amp will provide all the volume you need. Try to buy one with a headphone jack so you can jam until all hours of the night and not wake the neighbors!
Holding the Guitar
You would think that holding the guitar wouldn’t need its own lesson. Although the techniques are very quick and simple, it’s also one of the most important lessons to help you to get started on track. It doesn’t matter whether you sit, stand, use a strap or a footstool, there are some clear “dos and don’ts.” One of the first things I tell my students is if it doesn’t feel natural, it probably isn’t right. The guitar should feel like an extension of your body. Keeping that in mind, lets get started with guitar in hand!

+ 65 more lessons

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Reviews

12 results

Royplay1

Verified buyer

12/13/24

Good Start

Introduction to the guitar and basics of playing is where a guitar class should begin. My only negative criticism is the lack of notes on the printable pages. I suggest students should receive basic instructions on reading music. Thus far, the course moves at a reasonable pace.

Micros1

Verified buyer

10/10/24

Outstanding Beginner Guitar Course! I recently completed a beginner guitar course, and I couldn't be more impressed. The lessons were clear, engaging, and perfectly paced for someone with little to no experience. The instructor was incredibly patient and knowledgeable, making even the most challenging concepts easy to understand. What really stood out was the step-by-step approach, which allowed me to build confidence and technique gradually. From basic chords to strumming patterns, every lesson felt like a small victory. The course also included excellent practice materials and tips, ensuring I stayed motivated throughout. If you're looking to start your guitar journey, this course is an absolute must. I now feel confident playing simple songs and am excited to continue learning!

Fitz557

Verified buyer

03/14/21

Very nice

I really enjoyed this course ; it was very useful, there is a lot of informations, it's perfect to start. And it doesn't loose time either. When I learned, I looked often at the previous lessons to work them a bit more and make sure I mastered them.

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