Beginners Guitar Lesson - Guitar Heroes Take the Longest Route

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The most important lesson we learn from history is that we don't learn from the lessons of history.

Guitar playing can either be (a) a wonderfully satisfying pass time or (b) a frustrating, confusing, expensive waste of time.

If you have just started playing the guitar it's highly unlikely that you will be aware of the real issues behind the current problems facing new players, problems that will ultimately stop their musical progress.

The latest short cut for the masses is the Guitar Hero game.

Here's some background history for those who would prefer to learn the lessons of history.

Music instrument companies in their constant search to find new ways to sell their products have always been faced with the problem "how do we keep lowering the entrance requirements for
people wanting to get involved in music"?

Translated that means instead of people having to develop skills to raise themselves "up" to the art of playing music, let's keep bringing music "down" so everyone can be "in on the game".

Short term, of course this means more sales for the corporations. But how does this effect everyone long term?

Let's take a look at the bigger picture and how it impacts the serious guitarist.

Originally the recording industry employed professional musicians to back up their new 'star' performers. Around 1957, as more singer songwriters exploded on the scene, the obvious choice for the record company was to dispense with the services of the professional musician and let the new breed of singer/songwriter/guitarists do the whole production.

The first problem was this new age "musician" could not (a) tune their instrument or (b) play in 'time', (erratic rhythm issues). In fact, these two issues where the very things that had previously kept amateur players off the bandstand and out of the way of the professional musician.

Shortcut 1: With the advent of the electronic guitar tuner and the drum machine these two issues of not being able to tune their own instrument or play in time where overcome.

Long term issues: (a) today, only 5% of guitarists can tune their instrument 'by ear', i.e., without an electronic tuner.

(b) Most guitarist's never develop the most basic ingredient of music 'their groove', they learn lot's of 'stuff'... scales, chords, sweep picking etc., but miss the most basic ingredient.

With those problems solved the big companies moved on to the next issue ... "how do we overcome the problem of having to read music?"

Shortcut 2: Guitar TAB to the rescue! Now, everyone can play immediately ... the music corporation's sales graphs soared skyward, another success for big business and another blow for music.

Long term issue: a world full of musically illiterate players, on the surface players appear to be making rapid progress, however dig a little deeper and it a serious case of "monkey see, monkey do"!

Guitar TAB show the pitch of notes but fails to give you the rhythm dimension. Since players learning via Guitar TAB do not know even the names of the notes they are playing they miss the opportunity of trying alternative ways of playing songs (the guitar offers many choices for the literate guitarist).

Onwards and upwards to solve the next problem, learning scales.

Shortcut 3: the pentatonic scale ... one scale fits all.

Long term issue: boring music, one dimensional music where we can't tell player "A" from player "B".

The pentatonic scale is a very useful scale but like everything else it should be used in moderation.

Next problem ... how do we make chords so simple absolutely anyone could play ... ah, the "power chord" will fix it!

Shortcut 4: The power chord - a chord that only uses two fingers so anyone can play.

Long term issue: guitarists can't tell the difference in chord qualities i.e., the difference between major and minor chords etc.

By now the guys in the board room had developed a formula for record breaking instrument sales.

Here it is ...

Instant instrument sales success formula:

Guitar TAB + pentatonic scale + power chord = sales

But, they even wanted more!!!

Enter ... Guitar Hero

Shortcut 5: The ultimate shortcut "Guitar Hero" ... totally replace the physical instrument!

Brilliant, what a concept ... replace the instrument so people who wants to be 'cool' canappear to be able to play a guitar without ever having to learn anything about music... and they certainly won't get sore fingers.

Ultimately, if you want to play guitar, simply start playing guitar, it's that simple.

These isn't any short cuts to playing music ... that's the whole point it's a journey not a destination. The only short cuts are at the butcher shop.

The bottom line is ... big business have created many products for people looking for external, quick-fix solutions whereas the guitarist/musician understands the whole point of learning music is to improve their quality of life by developing special skills, skills that will last a lifetime ...and no one can't take that away from you.