Online guitar course

Hey all, was hoping to get a bit of advice about which guitar course to start next.

I was a member of jamplay for a few months. It improved my playing a tremendous amount by doing the eric madis blues lessons. However, the way their site is structured is quite annoying - all the series pretty much start at beginner, and end at intermediate, and often cover the same things. So now i've finished a series, instead of being able to continue getting better, i just have to start another series that pretty much teaches me the same things all over again. Maybe over 50 lessons there's a few different bits, but it ends up all the same licks and scales.

I want to start another course that can really enable me to get to expert level. I'm thinking their may be more stuff on guitar tricks that's worth investigating.. but i don't know. In my private time, i play in some indie, alt. country style bands.. whilst learning guitar, i tend to learn blues or jazz.. i'm thinking of learning more indepth jazz, as it's more likely to help me play more complex chords patterns, leads etc. than blues....

Anyway, can anyone suggest what i should do? i want to start something really excellent and work through it without just doing yet another begginner to intermediate course where they tell me what a pentatonic is, and a bar chord and a 7th etc...

Thoughts appreciated! thankyou!

Hey all, was hoping to get a bit of advice about which guitar course to start next.

I was a member of jamplay for a few months. It improved my playing a tremendous amount by doing the eric madis blues lessons. However, the way their site is structured is quite annoying - all the series pretty much start at beginner, and end at intermediate, and often cover the same things. So now i've finished a series, instead of being able to continue getting better, i just have to start another series that pretty much teaches me the same things all over again. Maybe over 50 lessons there's a few different bits, but it ends up all the same licks and scales.

I want to start another course that can really enable me to get to expert level. I'm thinking their may be more stuff on guitar tricks that's worth investigating.. but i don't know. In my private time, i play in some indie, alt. country style bands.. whilst learning guitar, i tend to learn blues or jazz.. i'm thinking of learning more indepth jazz, as it's more likely to help me play more complex chords patterns, leads etc. than blues....

Anyway, can anyone suggest what i should do? i want to start something really excellent and work through it without just doing yet another begginner to intermediate course where they tell me what a pentatonic is, and a bar chord and a 7th etc...

Thoughts appreciated! thankyou!

I have never tried Jamplay. I consider myself an advanced beginner so I don't know if I can help. I spent a year at "Totally Guitars - Target Program" ($297 for fourteen months) (http://www.totallyguitars.com/index.html) and felt that it was very worthwhile. Seemed more advanced to me at that time. I have considered going back, but compared to other options can be comparatively pricey. Totally Guitars does offer some interesting "packages" that focus on a given artist. I have gone through most of the beginner program at Justin Guitar. (http://www.justinguitar.com/index.php) So far I like his personality and teaching style the best. To get to the meat of the intermediate and more advanced stuff you should consider the DVD purchase route. I am very seriously considering buying his whole program, (about $325) but the free stuff is definitely very useful...to me anyway. Current I am working through the Guitar Tricks program. (http://www.guitartricks.com/freeguitarlessons.php) I got a one year total access for $99. I like their organization and variety of instructors. If you haven't already discovered these online resources you should definitely check them out...I think it was last year that Acoustic Guitar Magazine rated Guitar Tricks #1, Justin Guitar #2, and Totally Guitars #3.

Truefire is great! Real names on there too!

Its hard knowing which course to start though as much as anything..

Does anyone have specific recommendations on individual courses or tutors on these sites? Its important to me to be learning the theory as i go along to, because that's the part that really enables me to apply these tricks in the right places. Several years growing up of learning hendrix songs with my high school guitar teacher was essentially useless for me.. i learned my way around the fretboard, but had no idea how to use a single thing i'd learnt.

I think there's lots of good stuff like this available for free online

Look at the table of contents for this one. Frank Vignola Modern Method (http://truefire.com/techniques-guitar-lessons/modern-method/) It is early to late intermediate. Doesn't cover jazz specifically but there is a lot of stuff there that would interest a player considering jazz (According to Frank).

+1 on TrueFire.com - on a recommendation here saw and bought a Steve Trovato course. Then after the free trial and browsing so many options, signed up for a year. Great format - closeups on the neck and enthusiastic teachers.

I like TrueFire too-- lots of great stuff there for everybody. 15$/month beats the heck out of a private teacher, and you can design your own course of instruction.

Check out Fareed Haque's Comping class on TrueFire. That will get your chord thing going, and he's a great teacher as well.

I did the transcription work for his Jazz/Rock class. Man that's some intense stuff, but if you're into spicing up your rock playing there are some really great ideas and concepts there to work out.

Oh yea, if you're looking for books check out mattwarnockguitar.com.

I'm also working on a jazz email course-it will be MUCH cheaper than the $325 courses! I'll let you know when it's ready if you're interested.

I feel like you guys are going to spend more money to learn less than you would in real lessons with a face to face teacher. There are many great private lesson teachers that will design a course of study that helps you reach your goals while catching any physical problems you may be ingraining without being aware of them. Do people take karate classes or skiing classes from the Internet? Guitar might look like pressing buttons to some, but someone who can help tailor your progress individually is much more beneficial than a video lesson including Skype style.

Tendonitis and carpal tunnel issues can be avoided with a good instructor, and they can also save you time by focusing your studies in a way no program from the web can. The web is just a sophisticated book store, you don't physically interact in three dimensions with it like you do with real people. Sorry if this sounds Luddite to some, but real artists have always learned through apprenticeship with mentors and role models, not correspondence courses.