Learn Guitar your way with a TakeLessons expert

  Electric guitar tone is all about finding the right balance of sounds and effects to create the perfect sound for your style.  While there are many techniques and effects that you can use, these 10 tips will help you get started in finding the right tone for you. From amps to pedals to guitars themselves, these tips will help you find the perfect setup to achieve the electric guitar tone of your dreams.  So get ready to rock out with some serious tones! How Do I Get the Best To

What makes a great guitar song? Between the soaring electric guitar classics and the mellow acoustic numbers, practically anything is possible with the instrument. The power of the guitar spans across genres and musical eras and has played a key role in countless popular tunes.  Whether you’re looking for a famous song to learn on guitar or want to discover some of the best players of all time, this list will point you in the right direction. Our top 50 acoustic and electric guitar songs r

The modern guitar that we know and love today has existed for over 150 years. The great luthier, Antonio de Torres Jurado invented the first classical guitar in 1852, and it is his legendary creation that would go on to influence every single guitar on the market today. One of the smallest, but perhaps most important, evolutions in guitar building has been the shape of the guitar’s neck. The guitar’s neck is the carved piece of wood that protrudes from the body. And it is where we place o

What kind of preparation, thought, and practice goes into creating the best guitar solos? Take these six tips from Austin guitar teacher Samuel B. and you'll be well on your way to guitar glory... In reality, there's probably no way to effectively teach someone to improvise. At this point in the curriculum, the student is ready to begin exploring that mysterious terrain known as expression. Though the parameters (an understanding of guitar scales and corresponding keys) are necessities, y

Learning how to play guitar is a wonderful journey, and you're at a crucial stage: finding a great guitar teacher. How do you know if the guitar teacher you're looking at will be a good match for you? Take these tips from guitar teacher Melissa K. to find the perfect guitar teacher for you! Your fingers do strange, elegant dances in the air. Melodies and chord progressions haunt your dreams. Your friends are in an a capella group and will erupt into songs at a moment’s notice, but you’re

So, you decided to step into the world of music…great! You are picking up the guitar…even better! However, as a brand-new guitarist, you might be feeling overwhelmed with the material you are trying to learn. You may be asking yourself “What should I be practicing?”, “How should I practice and for how long?”, or “How do I stay organized in my practice?”. In this article, we will be diving into these questions and I will give my advice for guitarists of all levels and all genre

When you start learning guitar, you're introduced to a slew of new guitar terms and expressions. Remember, being a good guitarist isn't just about learning chords and strumming techniques; if you want to be successful, you have to learn to talk the talk and walk the walk. Guitar instructor Matt K. is here to help. Here is a complete list of guitar terms you should know... Keep this guitar terms infographic where you can see it: put it on your fridge or hang it in your bedroom or practice spac

Do you dream of expressing yourself by playing your own, original song on the guitar? The good news is, just about anyone can write a song, and these tips from Jacksonville guitar teacher James W. will have you on the "write" track... If you have a story to tell, then you have something to say with your songwriting, and guitar is your backup instrument. In other words, use your guitar to support your singing. Write your story down and keep your lyric ideas in a folder or binder just for songs

With so many electric guitars on the market, it's easy to feel overwhelmed if you're a beginner picking out your first ax. We recommend trying out lots of guitars in the shop and asking your electric guitar teacher for tips as you shop around. To help you get started in your quest, take a look at five of our favorite picks to learn guitar with! Some of the main features you'll want to pay attention to as you play each guitar include the style and shape of the body, the pickups, and the way th

Be the next great jazz guitarist with these tips from guitar teacher Zachary A.... To quote the late Frank Zappa, “Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny”. Jazz may not be as big and popular as it once was but if you learn how to play jazz you will be set up to successfully play any genre of music. The great jazz musicians all have numerous things in common, things that set them apart from the crowd and make them legendary. In this article, I will be going over ten of those most i