My thoughts after a couple of months
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:57 am
Well I've been a member of Target for a couple of months now and used the site before. I don't like to be too quick to comment, because it takes a while to really see the strengths and weaknesses. Looking at all of the stuff that's here it would still take quite a bit of time to assess everything as there's lots of it, but in terms of teaching I have to say it is really top class
Let me just define that though, I've been strumming a guitar for a number of years off and on, I've had some lessons on the way, I've had a few courses. I'm not of a mindset to sit down and practice scales day after day, I like to play for my own enjoyment and to sing along to tunes I love. I get bored practicing things like scales, I want to have fun.
Anyone who has tried to play guitar knows the pitfalls, there's no easy way to learn, you are never sure how much theory you need to know to make learning easier, how much simply practicing techniques, they need to be done, there are no shortcuts, but the route you take can be more pleasurable
I think this is the key to what Neil has done here, he has promvided the pleasurable "scenic" route to learning to play. Each target song is broken down, there's some theory, some mention of keys, scales, related chords, it's there but it's not force fed. There's rhythym, strumming, arpeggios, picking, pinching, sliding, hammering it's all there but embodied in the breakdown of the songs
It makes learning a pleasure which makes you play more, it also gives you a result and so a sense of achievement
One of the hardest things I found is trying to play like it sounds on a recording, understandable when there's normally a couple of guitars and a bass in there and that's another key thing, Neil provides you with songs playable on a single guitar that come as close to the tunes you hear as you can get
Lot's of other good stuff too, tips on techniques, staged learning with graded tunes and lessons, a forum where there seem to be lots of helpful people-and believe me you can learn things from everyone, so all in all an exceptionally good site.
Let me just define that though, I've been strumming a guitar for a number of years off and on, I've had some lessons on the way, I've had a few courses. I'm not of a mindset to sit down and practice scales day after day, I like to play for my own enjoyment and to sing along to tunes I love. I get bored practicing things like scales, I want to have fun.
Anyone who has tried to play guitar knows the pitfalls, there's no easy way to learn, you are never sure how much theory you need to know to make learning easier, how much simply practicing techniques, they need to be done, there are no shortcuts, but the route you take can be more pleasurable
I think this is the key to what Neil has done here, he has promvided the pleasurable "scenic" route to learning to play. Each target song is broken down, there's some theory, some mention of keys, scales, related chords, it's there but it's not force fed. There's rhythym, strumming, arpeggios, picking, pinching, sliding, hammering it's all there but embodied in the breakdown of the songs
It makes learning a pleasure which makes you play more, it also gives you a result and so a sense of achievement
One of the hardest things I found is trying to play like it sounds on a recording, understandable when there's normally a couple of guitars and a bass in there and that's another key thing, Neil provides you with songs playable on a single guitar that come as close to the tunes you hear as you can get
Lot's of other good stuff too, tips on techniques, staged learning with graded tunes and lessons, a forum where there seem to be lots of helpful people-and believe me you can learn things from everyone, so all in all an exceptionally good site.