There are many different ways to get lessons to help you learn to play the guitar on your own. There are guitar magazines, dvd’s, cd’s, books, tablature, online membership sites, teachers, and probably a dozen other methods that I haven’t even thought of. One of the oldest and most popular ways is the use of guitar magazines. You can find many of these magazines at your local bookstore, grocery store, or corner / convenience store. Most of them will contain lessons, equipment reviews, album reviews, interviews with guitarists, and some will even include a CD or DVD with video lessons and equipment demonstrations. If you really like a particular guitar magazine, subscriptions are available at annual discounts or more.
So which one is the best? Well that depends on a few things:
1. Where are you playing the guitar? Beginner, intermediate or advanced?
2. What style of music do you like? Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues, Country, etc.?
3. What do you want more in your guitar magazine? Tabs, lessons, team reviews?
Before you rush to your local magazine stand to find a magazine that’s right for you, check out the following list I’ve put together for you of 3 of the best guitar magazines available today. Keep in mind, these are my top 3 picks and based on your taste, you may think another post is better. But at least this list will give you a head start and you won’t have to flip through all the magazines on the shelf.
Guitar world:
Guitar World is one of the most popular monthly magazines on the market and contains guitar and bass tablature of around five songs per issue. The lessons are geared towards beginning and intermediate players and most of the lessons, tabs, and interviews are from the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal genres. Subscriptions are available at a considerable discount and you can also upgrade your subscription and get an additional CD-ROM with each magazine. These CD-ROMs will play video lessons, equipment demos, and music from some amazing guitarists. For more information, visit http://www.guitarworld.com.
Total guitar:
Total guitar is a UK monthly magazine and is the most popular guitar magazine in Europe. In my opinion, this is the best magazine for beginning guitarists. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of lessons for guitarists of all skill levels, but Total Guitar is primarily focused on beginners. The magazine has a good variety of tabs for Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues, Punk, Country, and Folk, so there is something for everyone. Another great thing about Total Guitar is that, unlike most guitar magazines, they don’t focus on expensive items and equipment, but on teaching beginning guitarists how to play properly.
Each magazine also comes with a free CD containing audio examples of the lessons and, best of all, backing tracks for all tabs. These backing tracks are great because they are missing the guitar parts so you can play along with the song as if you were performing with the band.
The only downside to this post is that if you live outside of the UK you expect to pay a lot for a subscription. Visit http://www.totalguitar.co.uk/ for more information.
Guitar techniques:
Made by the same company that makes Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques is also a top-notch magazine. Guitar Techniques also has a host of lessons that are spread across many genres, including Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues, Jazz, and County. This magazine specializes in guitar instruction and it shows. You also get a cd with the backing tracks for the lesson tabs and sample lessons.
You’ll get everything from beginner tips to some more advanced solo lessons. They also dive right into the different styles or techniques of their favorite guitarists. They explain exactly what scales and techniques they use and how the artist gets their sound. They then give you tabbed examples so you can learn exactly how to play it. For more information, visit http://www.guitar-techniques.com/.
There you have my list of the 3 best guitar magazines that will help you learn to play the guitar. Hopefully, it has made your choice a bit easier. Now go get it and start shredding!