The Summer 2006 issue of Play Guitar! Magazine hits the newstands any day now. Inside you’ll find a terrific article by Tom Serb (“Noteboat,” as we know him here on the Guitar Noise Forum pages) called, “Play Today,” which is full of great information on getting started playing from square one. It’s especially good for those who are teaching younger children.
There’s also a “30 Minute Lesson” on bending for beginners written by yours truly.
You can find Play Guitar! at your local music store or bookstore or you can also view the articles online at:
http://www.playguitarmagazine.com
As always, thanks for reading and I looking forward to chatting with you again soon.
Peace
April 15th, 2006 @ 8:45 am
David,
I appreciate all the lessons you’ve taken the time to put online. Unfortunately I won’t be reading your piece in Play Guitar! magazine since I refuse to do business with a company that uses predatory subscription practices.
Play Guitar! offered me a free issue and the option to continue at the charter rate thereafter. After reviewing my free issue, I opted to cancel. I wrote cancel on every piece of paper they sent me until I received two letters threatening to send me to their collections department. After finding their telephone number online (it was not included in their threatening correspondence) and calling them it became obvious that I was not alone. It appears that they are counting on people paying for the subscription to “restore their good account status” instead of calling them during their inconvenient business hours and telling them where they can put their magazine.
As a result of their behavior, I’ve made certain that everyone I know who is learning to play guitar knows what kind of company they are.
April 15th, 2006 @ 11:56 am
Hi Jim
I’m sorry to hear of your experience. It’s the first I’ve ever heard from anyone dealing with String Letter Publishing. I am a subscriber to both Play Guitar and Acoustic Guitar magazine (and was before my lessons were published) and have never had any problems with them. In addition to finding their service people very polite and helpful, I’ve also found no problems communicating with them over the phone (even though California and Massachusetts can be problematic as far as time zones go) and they also respond well via the Internet.
But everyone has different experiences. I can’t make apologies on their behalf, but I’m sorry that your experience was so vastly different than my own.
Peace
David
July 5th, 2006 @ 4:49 am
There is another source for learning how to play guitar, called Jamorama. A highly respected guitar teacher and former lead guitarist created this site to help people become experienced guitar players. Hope this helps!
July 5th, 2006 @ 7:01 am
There are, literally, hundreds (if not thousands) of guitar tutorial sites on the Internet. It’s definitely worth it to look around to see which one is the best fit for you. As one grows as a guitarist and musician, it’s good to have as many different sources of education and inspiration as possible.
July 14th, 2006 @ 10:44 pm
I certainly concur with the original writer’s complaint. I had just received my complimentary issue a few days earlier when I received a very nasty correspondence threatening legal action if I do not pay up within 10-14 days. I did subscribe for the first year because I was interested in receiving the magazine, but now that my subscription is up for renewal, I am filing it in the circular file.
I too do not wish to continue doing business with a company that does not have a clue as to how to treat their new subscribers.
September 12th, 2006 @ 8:36 am
Hi David
I write you from Italy. First of all thanks for your excellent, extremly weel explained Guitar Noise lessons: i’ve learnt a few songs, not with all the nuances you suggested since the informations included are overwhelming and probably each lesson needs weeks to be completely digested!!! I guess that if someone is able to play really well all your beginners and intermediate songs surely it is a better guitarist than 95% of people who embrace a guitar (of course i’m not talking about professionals)!
Anyway I see that you’ve just published your first tutorial book (336 pages! that’s real value for money!!!) and I wish to know if you have already planned a similar book for guitar, maybe the “infamous” strumming patterns cd that were announced several months ago on Guitar noise board
Keep on the excellent job and cheers
Matteo
September 27th, 2006 @ 3:00 pm
Hi David!
I’ve enjoyed quite a few of your online lessons and would like to know the name of your book. I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Also, as a ‘cautiously intermediate’ player, can you recommend any other audio, video or written aids to help develop my ‘skills’ and help me to get away from my ‘strum’ style of playing. Thanks for the informative lesosns.
R. Ross
October 12th, 2006 @ 7:11 am
Hi, David.
I have been living and working in Cambodia for the past six years, and was sorry to give up guitar lessons when moving here. But, of course, I brought my guitar, and have tried to keep learning (to whatever extent I could teach myself).
I recently discovered your lessons on guitarnoise.com and am very happy! I have already started on the intermediate level, which is great! Your explanations are good and clear. Thank you so very much for making these available online. Much appreciated!
Gina
October 28th, 2006 @ 4:12 pm
Love the lessons on guitarnoise (I’m 52 yrs old). Any chance of a songbook coming out?
P.S. The acoustic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Anthology 3) would be awesome.
Best wishes
Norm Neihaus
Skokie, Il
November 1st, 2006 @ 4:52 pm
Hi Norm
Thanks for writing. I’m still working on getting publishers interested in putting together a songbook. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.
Peace
David
November 8th, 2006 @ 8:28 am
David,
A big thank you for your lessons on Guitar Noise. I was stuck at beginner for many years – all my songs sounded the same! With your help on strumming techniques, strumming patterns and bass runs, each song is now unique. I am now confident to tackle intermediate songs and beyond.
Thank you for freely sharing your time and skill with the rest of us
November 18th, 2006 @ 10:18 pm
David, My wife and I both enjoy your lessons on Guitar Noise. I know you have a
new bass book out. Do you have a guitar book out or plans to put one out. A collection of your lessons would be great.
December 21st, 2006 @ 4:33 pm
David,
I stumbled upon your work on guitarnoise.com.
I have a big pile of guitar books / CD’s.
Some are OK; most are not.
I have found your lessons to be exceptionally helpful – all of ’em!
I pay for online lessons (Sam Ash) and that’s pretty good. I’d sign-up for yours also if you had such a site.
Thanks for sharing your talent and wisdom,
john
January 22nd, 2007 @ 9:20 am
David, Have been playing now for about six weeks and have scoured the internet for instruction and would like to thank you for such in depth teaching through guitar noise. My search is over. The info is broken down very well. I am currently self teaching through learn and master guitar but you get stuck with the same routine of song practice until you master sessions. This has provided me with an entire new range of music to start and practice that I had no idea I could play.
April 9th, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
David, I have been teaching myself guitar for rougly two years, and in this last year, learning from my son’s guitar teacher during my sons lesson (funny how I can afford it for my son and not myself). Anyhow, I have browsed alot looking for other than the hour a week m son and I share in lessons to try and improve as a player. I can’t say enough about your tutorials on guitar noise!!! My playing has improved drasticaly in a very short time, amazingly having as much if not more impact than the personal lesson I am able to attend with my son. I just wanted to sincrely thank you, and ask if you have considered a book on fingerpicking/solo performance or playing for the unaccompanied guitarist? I would definetly be in line to purchase it, if it was anywhere near as concise and clear as your online lesson are. Thanks again for helping me be able to pull out the guitar around the campfire and not send the in-laws running with bleeding ears.
Midi Park
July 26th, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
Hello mr.Hodge,
I am Jürgen and I live in Belgium. I’m 35 years old and I have only recently picked up the guitar. Recently meaning about 5 months ago. I’ve been a music enthousiast for about all my life, I guess and have played in a couple of bands in my twenties as a singer. I have allways admired guitarplayers but thought it was something that I could never learn.
In february however the urge to play the guitar became too much and I bought myself a beautiful Blueridge BR40 accoustic. I took lessons from a semi-private teacher and got started. She taught me a lot and just the fact that I learn something under some sort of supervision, is quite motivating.
In april I stumbled upon your website in my search for songs for beginners. I thought I had found a pirates treasure worth of information. I have downloaded loads of your lessons (please forgive me but books and magazines that are useful for a beginning guitarplayer are very hard to come by over here). Your lessons have tought me so much in such short time that friends and relatives are in awe. After the summer break (wich lasts untill the end of september here) I hope to impress my teacher aswell.
Even though not in my own language (which is dutch), your lessons are very easy to understand. You explain things in a way that makes it all seem so simple, which apparently it is.
What I really want to say is: thank you very much for your effort of putting your lessons out there on the web because I have had so much pleasure in studying them. I ‘ve never thought I would be able to play the guitar ( or at least start to sound like I actually know what I’m doing) being allready 35 and all. At this pace , five years from now, maybe I’ll kick ass on stage : )
Thank you so much for bringing this instrument into my life. It makes me happy.
As you say: Peace!
Jürgen Palmkoek
Stekene,
Flanders, Belgium
PS: please excuse me for my poor english.
December 4th, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Thank you Mr. Hodge for the gift of your music and sharing with others such as me who cannot carry a tune in a five gallon bucket. Your video lessoons are wonderful. I have been able to make my Washburn sound good. I have been playing for almost a year, bought books etc. As John wrote some are useful most are not.
Thanks again
Ian