Search - Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar -- A Guide for Beginners on DVD

Excellent resource for the new guitar player

SeekingTraveler | 05/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This review is for "Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar -- A Guide for Beginners." I also bought the Fender "Getting Started on Electric Guitar" DVD. Do not bother buying both DVD courses; they are essentially the same. In fact, one half of the content is exactly the same.

This course is excellent. Obviously a great deal of thought went into the production of this DVD at-home guitar course. If you just got your guitar and do not even know how to tune it, this DVD is a great place to start. In fact, it will probably be best for you to start with this DVD (for about three months) before you start taking guitar lessons from a live instructor. This course probably works best with teenagers and adults. Children will probably need help from a parent (it should not matter whether or not the parent plays guitar).

This course will teach you how to tune your guitar and how to play basic open-string chords. With this knowledge, you will be able to play rhythm guitar for simple songs fairly quickly. Song chords may be found in numerous places online, as well as in guitar fake books sold here on Amazon. Being able to quickly have fun playing one's guitar helps motive one to continue learning how to play. The Fender course also teaches barre chords, notes on the sixth and fifth strings (to enable you to locate the root notes and placement of barre chords), three-string power chords (for easy rock 'n' roll), and the A minor pentatonic scale (so you can play simple leads).

In short, the Fender course is an excellent resource for the new guitar player. It will not teach you how to read music, and it will not teach you any music theory, but it will teach you everything most new guitar players need to learn to play chord progressions. For example, with this course alone (and songs you get from the internet), you will be able to play rhythm guitar while you sing.

"Learn and Master Guitar" by Steve Krenz is (by far) a better and more comprehensive course. If you are serious about learning guitar (it is a 20 DVD course, so you better be serious), then try that course in addition to the Fender course. That course is equivalent to two years of guitar instruction (there is even a home-school version.). Another great DVD set for the new guitar player is the Rock House "Learn Electric Guitar" course. A good book on music theory is Hal Leonard's "Music Theory for Guitarists" (by Tom Kolb). If you wish to learn how to sight-read music, a good course is the Berklee "A Modern Method for Guitar - Volume 1: Book/DVD-ROM Pack." Most are available here on Amazon."

Decent Amateur Instructional DVD

J. Trujillo | 04/13/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe some folks recieved a different version than I but it was already STRIKE1 when the instructor is proving playing ACOUSTICALLY on an ELECTRIC(!!!) guitar. The moment I saw that I was disappointed. Musically speaking there is little difference in the basics be that on Acoustic or Electric, but there are defintely differences. And having the instructor teach me on an electric left a sour taste in my mouth.

Once I got over that though, it was a decent DVD and most assuredly better than some of the other ones out there. Wyatt does a good job at breaking the lessons down and the background beats alone make it worth checking out, but beyond that, I was most assuredly looking for other forms of instruction. Of course part of that is attributed to the fact that I'm a Lefty but that in no way influenced my view of the lessons. Again, Wyatt is a good teacher and has some good offerings but if you are marketing for Acoustic, at the very least USE AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR!!!

In summary, it is worth the price tag (I think I paid $15ish for it) and adding to your collection as a beginner guitarist. But ask me how many times I have used it since getting over the basics...but that's not what this DVD is for, hence the title 'Getting Started...'"