When you first think about learning to play blues guitar solos you will be faced with wanting to play the blues like the guitar players of the past, but at the same time you don’t want to just play their material note for note. The sooner you get rid of the idea that you have to be original right off the bat, the sooner you will be really original. By learning the riffs and licks of B.B. King, Eric Clapton or Duane Allman you are giving yourself something to play. And as you play this music that other guitar players have recorded, you are developing your own style. You don’t have your own voice to start with, you need to play other people’s stuff to develop yourself.
So put aside your ideas that guitar players start off with their own material, and start learning the solos of whatever guitar players you admire from their records. Learn simple licks at first. The first thing you might discover that surprises you is that the solos of the great blues guitarists is not rocket science. Great music does not have to be hard to play.
So you don’t need an amazing guitar technique to start learning blues but you do need to work on how you play. For this you need to record yourself playing. Do it often and listen to it closely. The way you sit or stand as you play, the way you hold the pick, the amount of force you put into your strokes and whether you use up or down strokes. All of these things are important to whether your playing sounds right.
If you think you need improvement, get some advice. Ask other guitar players what they think. Do some busking, get some reactions from your audience. Record a video of your playing, post it on YouTube and get some comments. Go on guitar forums, post the link to your video and ask for feedback.
But before you do any of that, you need to have some basic guitar chops. I said before you don’t need an advanced technique, but you need to be good enough to play with a little authority. You need to pass your enthusiasm for the music onto your listeners. If you are hesitant and worrying about making a mistake, you need some more hours of practice till you get past that stage.
One thing blues guitar solos are not is the guitar player’s effects and equipment. If you want to use a certain sound for your playing, that’s fine but when you are learning solos, concentrate on learning the music, do not worry about the sound at this stage of your learning. After all, when Eric Clapton stopped playing through Marshall amps or using the wah-wah pedal, it didn’t mean he had stopped playing the blues. So a certain guitar sound does not make the blues.
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

Are you having trouble deciding whether you should start making beats with beat making programs or with studio equipment? Read on and I will tell you which method is the best to do. Imagine making beats within hours or even minutes from the comfort of your home. Let me show you why using beat making programs is the best way to go.
The first and obvious reason is that beat making programs is much cheaper than buying the equipment. Most of my producer friends have spent over $10,000 and more on music equipment. With some items alone, they have spent over $5,000. It costs me less than 30 bucks to buy my software that is now making me thousands of dollars. Guess who is jealous now? I first started learning how to make beats with the actual equipment the producers
used, and I had a hard time. There were so many components they used that I got lost. With the software, you can add equipment to your laptop or computer if you want and it may enhance the software, but that is up to you. I make beats with only the software I have purchased. It already has drum beats and sounds I love that was part of my style.
One minor disadvantage is that literally anyone can use this software. My 12 year old nephew has managed to make some great beats. But there are so many components that you can easily be unique and create great sounds.
What I would suggest before you purchase any beat making software, is to research what others say about it. I love the fact that the software I use included video tutorials because I’m more of a hands on type of person. If you would rather read a manual, then make sure the beat making programs includes it.
Receive a FREE e-book containing top music industry tips that every artist and producer should know. Check out www.learntomakebeats.info to start making beats now using beat making programs and visit to learn how to get your hands on this e-book for free. I learned how to make my own beats with this software . Check it out for yourself and thank me later.

I have been teaching the music lessons at the Sir John Colbourne senior’s rec centre in Oakville, Ontario, for a little over 3 years now and I would like to share my first experience at the centre with you.
Let me start by mentioning that the students are not very old at all(between 60 and 70 years) and are quite active in many other areas of their lives. A few of the students have a little experienc on the guitar, violin, or piano.
At the very first class I met group of people with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. They were nervous but exited. These were people that had always wanted to learn to play but for one reason or another didn’t make it happen. During the first 10 week course we worked on basic note recognition, open position chords, a few simple rhythms, and couple of fun folk tunes.
I was quite surprised at how much time and energy they put into practing at home. By the 5th week they were playing “Jingle Bells” and changing chords fast enough to play (and sing) “Leaving on a jet plane”. WOW! They were playing the guitar and singing at the same time! I decided right then and there to include them in my own studio’s Christmas recital program. This was to be the first time any of them will have played for an audience. I was not even sure if they had played for their families yet.
10 fun filled weeks came and went. They could now play the first position notes on 3 strings as well as 5 chords (A,D,E,G, and Em) quite well. It was time for the concert. As I was introducing them to a few hundred students and parents I could see, and feel their fear. I made sure that I mentioned that they had only been playing for 10 weeks and that they had worked very hard to get there today. After a quick tuning check and a deep, deep breath they were off. The first few notes were a little shakey but it didn’t take long for them to get over the fear and into the zone. A small orchestra of guitars playing Jingle Bells in perfect time. When the last note rank out the audience roared to life paying the performers back for all of their hard work.
Now, two years later they are the main guitar section for the Oakville Celtic Fiddle Club and have organized a drop in guitar club for seniors to get together and play music just for the love of playing music.
I taught them how to play the guitar, they taught me about courage, determination, and the importance of giving your all in everything you do. Thanks guys, I appreciate it more than you will ever know.
James Franczek is the school director at the the Academy of Music in Oakville and Burlington as well as the music director for the Oakville Celtic Fiddle Club. He has been teaching and performing in th Southern Ontario region for over 20 years.Whether you’re in a class or taking private lessons from James you will find his love of music and upbeat teaching style just right learning, and loving traditional and contemperary music.
For more on the fine programs at the Academy of music visit www.academymusic.org