The Very Best of the Season to You

I wanted to wish everyone

Happy Holidays!

I hope the season is going well for you.

This year I wanted to give you some thing

that I thought would fit with the times.

More Free Lessons

I have added several more items

to the Free Lessons tab on

Music Ala Carte.

It starts with the introduction lesson followed

by lesson 1 notes on the 1st string

and then lesson 2 notes on the second string.

Then comes our NEW Video 2 Minute Song lessons.

With these you can get the chords, basic strum pattern

and a practice session all in 2 minutes.

You will also get the printable chord and lyric sheet

and the mp3 to play along with me.

Right after that are the Christmas songs for the season.

You can play and sing these favorites along with your friends

and help raise the holiday spirit.

And to finish up we have 4 more songs to learn. As alwys you get the

chord and lyric sheet and the mp3 to play along with.

I hope you take advatage of my holiday gift and stop by

Music Ala Carte and take a look at the Free Lessons.

Remember, Video Online Guitar Lessons at

Music Ala Carte

make a great holiday gift.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!!

Bob Swinton

Six String Music is Good for the Soul

Improve your chord and strumming performance

I've worked for many years helping students learn to play the guitar.Each student is different and learns at their own pace. It seems one the most challenging methods to master is the ability to play and change chords and strum along to a song. Learning to play a single chord can be difficult, the student must place multiple fingers on the fret board and press down firmly so all the the notes will ring when they strum the chord. This takes practice not only to perfect the chord but also to strengthen your hand. Then the student will learn several chords and begin to master the art of changing one chord to another. The final accomplishment in playing rhythm guitar is to strum and change the chords to the beat of the song you are playing along to.

All of this can seem a mighty task not only if your just learning chords or have already learned a few chord and have tried your hand at rhythm guitar. I have developed a method to help you with your chord and strumming performance.  At http://www.gtrteacher.com/ I have put into action a method I also use in my private studio to help the student improve their rhythm guitar playing.

In the Learn Songs section of Music Ala Carte each song has a video to help you with; chords, strum pattern, practice session and then an uptempo video for the finish. Once the student has learned the song there is an mp3 and a song library so they can play the whole song along with me. Also there are down loadable chord and lyric sheets along with strum patterns you can print out for each song.

Chords
This video will show you the chord formation and how to finger the chord properly. Be sure to go over this video until you are fully familiar with chords and how to play them.
Strum Pattern
This video will show the student the right hand strum pattern and help them keep the rhythm as they play along to the song. Be sure to go back, use the practice tabs in the table of contents, until you are comfortable with the strum and chord patterns.
Practice Session
In this video I play sections of the song at a slower pace so the student can practice what they have learned at a tempo that will be easier to achieve. In my private I have used this method of playing along  with my students to help them learn the rhythm parts to a song. This has proven to help the student accomplish the chord and strum patterns. Using the Practice Session of the video as another guitar player the student is able to play along and master the chord and strum patterns of the song.
Up-Tempo
In this video we use the same procedure as the Practice Session only at a faster tempo. The idea of using the video as another guitar player is still the same. Just as before, go back over this section until you are very comfortable with the chord and strumming patterns of the song and feel ready to play it on your own.
As with all new musical information mastering the song depends on your practice time.
MP3
When the student feels they have accomplished the song there is an mp3 to play the entire song right along with me. You will find the mp3 for each song right under the videos and in the Song Library under Lesson Resources.

I would like to invite you to give this song learning method a try. Just go to http://www.gtrteacher.com/ and under the Free Lessons tab you find several songs to try. The Song Library under the Lesson Resources is also free so what have you got to lose.

Six String Music is Good for the Soul

Robert Swinton

Free Online Video Guitar Lessons

When you start to look for guitar lessons on the web the first thing you realize is that you have a lot of choices. There are DVDs for sale, there are web sites with video lessons at first and then they want you to buy DVDs, you will find web sites and DVDs dedicated to electric guitar and the same for acoustic. Some lessons start from the beginning and other teach nothing but songs, the later would be more for the student that has some experience. Some of the web sites will tell "you can play your favorite songs tonight", some say "you be playing in a couple of days" and my favorite " Play Now, Learn Later". Most people when beginning to look for guitar lessons are looking for a bargain if they can find it and I certainly don't blame them. Many web sites offer free lessons which show you how to hold the guitar and give you the name of the strings but don't really show you how to play the guitar until you begin to pay for the lessons. However one of the best places to find free instruction on the guitar is http://www.youtube.com/ here you will find all kinds of different ideas, songs and styles to choose from and they are all free.

I would like to introduce you to Music Ala Carte, video online guitar lessons. The first information I want to give is that learning guitar is not an over night process, it takes time to strenghten your hands, learn techique, develop your rhythm with the guitar and just get comfortable playing your guitar. I teach on the acoustic guitar but the beginner lessons will work for acoustic or electric.

The Guitar Lessons start right from the beginning; the introduction lesson shows you how to hold the guitar, talks about the music staff and the names of the lines and spaces, shows what time signatures mean and how to count them, introduces the parts of the guitar and much more.

The first lesson is on the notes of the 1st string in the first position and includes 3 exercises to work on and the second lesson is the notes on the 2nd string and 3 exercises to go with it. All the lessons have easy to follow videos and printable resources to read as you go through the lesson. As you go through the lessons if you find that you need more work on a certain part of the lesson you can go back to any part of the video and go over it again until you feel comfortable with the information.

All three of the first three lessons are offered in the Free Lessons at Music Ala Carte, you can go there, start you guitar lessons and take your time as you go. You can go the the web site and the free lessons any time 24/7 when it's good for you. These three lessons could take a month to accomplish but you will get a good idea of what it will take for you to learn the guitar. Also on the Free Lessons are examples of the Song Lessons and the NEW 2 Minute Songs for you to take a look at and see the other fun you can have with your guitar.

I hope you stop by Music Ala Carte for a look around,

Bob Swinton

Guitar Lesson Studio on the Web

Hi,
      I designed Music Ala Carte, video online guitar lessons, to simulate the experience of being in a private studio for guitar lessons. I crafted the "Guitar Lessons" videos exactly as I teach in my private studio, in fact, I use the web site videos at my studio. I find the web site Guitar Lessons an excellent course and the perfect practice tool at home. The videos help the student practice properly and allows the parent the opportunity to share in the experience of learning to play the guitar.
In the "Learn Songs" section I crafted the lessons to be learned by players from beginner to intermediate and beyond. I tried to target the player who wants to play along for their own enjoyment or relax with friends and share some new songs with each other. I use most of these songs in my own performances so I recommend these song videos for those at the performance levels also.
Once you Log In to Music Ala Carte you can use the "USER MENU" which has many functions. I want to point out the Ask a Teacher" button, when you click here you are able to send me an email with any and all questions or comments you may have. I will answer as quickly as possible creating an on going dialog between student and teacher. I feel this is critical when teaching an instrument.
I hope you will stop by Music Ala Carte at http://www.gtrteacher.com/ and take a look around, give the Free Lessons a try and see if video online guitar lessons are right for you.

Thank you,

Bob Swinton

Learning Songs

One of my students recently asked for advice on learning songs. Her question was if learning one song at a time would be best or should she work on several all at once.
I thought this was a very good question so I wanted to share my response;
We all search for our own best way to practice. We want to find the best way to use what we know to learn what we want. However it is also a good idea to create avenues to further learning which can lead to the opening of more opportunities for new music. I suggested to start with a couple of songs with possibly the same or similar chord patterns but with different strum patterns. For example if you go to www.gtrteacher.com 
and click on the
Free Lessons tab
then scroll down and pick out the songs "Under the Board Walk" and "When the Sun Goes Down",
download the song information and listen to the videos you will be learning 2 different styles of songs but with similar chord patterns.
As you learn more songs you will become comfortable with the chord and strum patterns you have learned so when you choose a new song with similar patterns the learning will come much easier. At this point it's time to choose some thing new to begin to work on,  possibly a new chord pattern.
You will also find "Let It Be" at http://www.gtrteacher.com/ under the Free Lessons and here there is a new strum pattern along with the new chord pattern. Again, download the song information and start to work with the videos. Some times the new songs takes a little more work but this is how we learn and expand our playing and our song list.
Don't be afraid to try some thing new and if you have questions or just want to comment please let me know.

                 Six String Music is Good for the Soul
                                  Bob Swinton

Two Minute Song-Brown Eyed Girl

I had fun with the last 2 minute song and had many people comment that they enjoyed it. So I thought why not try another one. This time I chose Brown Eyed Girl and old Van Morrison favorite. I included the strum pattern, the intro musical phrase and a short practice session to work on the information I gave you. Not only is this a good way to learn the basics of the song but I believe this is a great way to share a new song with a friend or you can work on it together. Music is always more fun when you can share it with friends.
I will give you a link for the video and for the complete chords and lyrics;

http://www.screencast.com/users/guitarzan6/folders/Jing/media/bfc4b2b7-7662-48fe-adb7-87be966b150f
                                                                        Chord & Lyric Sheet
I hope you have a good time with this 2 minute song lesson and if you have a chance let me know what you think.

Bob

Two Minute Song

I have heard from some of my students, other guitar players and read on the Internet that some of you would like to learn to play guitar a little faster. I guess we would all like some things to go a little faster but learning guitar is not an over night project. However this gave me an idea to try and make some learning a little faster. I wanted to try and give you some songs that I could show in 2 minutes. I decided to use "When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney as the first selection. Let me know what you think of this idea.

download complete chord and lyric sheet

http://www.music-ala-carte.com/images/stories/songs/sungoesdownchordlyric0001.pdf

If you have some ideas for 2 minute songs please let me know and I will give them a try.

Hope you enjoy my 2 minute songs.

Bob

Get Started Learing the Guitar for Free

Some times the best intentions create their own stumbling blocks. Many of you have said to yourselves, "I really want to learn to play the guitar" or "this summer I will start to learn to play the guitar". May be not exactly these words but some thing along those lines. And I believe you meant every word but things can get in the way; not enough time, I don't have a guitar, where do I find a guitar, where do I go for lessons or it's a little to expensive. All of these points are quite valid and I understand any or all of them can get in the way of what you would like to do. So, at http://www.gtrteacher.com/ I have tried to help out with some of these obstacles.
At Music Ala Carte I have online video guitar lessons, 24 hour access, you can learn and practice your guitar at any time. All videos are easy to follow and all exercises can be printed out any time. I also have a bargain box on the home page of  http://www.gtrteacher.com/ where you can find good deals on solid beginner guitars along with sites for other guitar accessories. The expense of musical instrument lessons has always been intimidating, the the guitar is no exception but at http://www.gtrteacher.com/ if you look under the FREE Lesson tab you will find beginning lessons and songs you can learn if you already know some chords or just want to try them on for size. I stronglyy recommend a visit to http://www.gtrteacher.com/ to take a look at learning the guitar online.
Please stop by and register so I can keep you updated on the news at Music Ala Carte.

Bob Swinton

First Performance

I woke up this morning remembering my first performance some 50 years ago. It was a state wide contest for strings; piano, violin and guitar. I was 10 with one year of classical guitar lesson under my belt and the ages of the contestants ranged up to 18 years old. My teacher told me that just learning a piece was just the start of the preparations for this performance, practice and repetition were the keys to a good showing at the contest. Well I learned the piece, Tempest, and I still play it today, I practiced over and over but I still remember feeling it was just not good enough for the contest. One day while practicing in my living room I began to imagine I was performing in front of a large group of people in a concert hall and a feeling came over me that I never felt before. All of a sudden I felt it very important the the song was played just right; the notes were correct, the phrasing was as I wanted, the intonations were all there and my technique was as it should be. I knew my concentration and effort needed to be at their peak and I had to be in control of the performance of the song. I have never forgotten that feeling and constantly strive for it in my performances today. My performance went well at the contest and I took 2nd place, I remember that performance as one of the best experiences of my childhood.
I hope you will get a chance to have a First Performance for yourself someday.

Six String Music is Good for the Soul

learn to read music

I got a call the other day from a guitar player that had decided that he wanted to attend a Music School for college. When he went for his first interview they informed him that he would be sight reading music for part of his audition for entry into the school. Well this particular guitar player had taken lessons for 5 years and had never learned how to read music. Oh he could figure it out given enough time but that is not what the college was looking for. He said he had 6 months before his audition and could I help him to learn to read music.
The process of learning to read music usually comes about through the years as you lean to play the guitar. All though many instructors on the internet try to tell you learning to play the guitar can happen in a short time I can tell you that learning music is not a quick process. It takes time and practice.
I designed a plan for him and set him up on http://www.gtrteacher.com/ to learn from the very beginning. A plan I recomend to all beginning guitar students. I advised him to move through the lessons quickly so as not to memorize the exercises and to be sure he was reading the notes and not going by just the patterns. I will then give him new sheet music at each lesson to check his progress as we go along. Along with lots of practice and reading of new music I believe we can accomplish our task in time.
For the beginning guitarist learning the notes string by string not only teaches the student how to read music but also helps to understand music and rhythm. It also gives the new student a chance to strenghten their hands and create agility with their fingers at a steady pace. This is not a process that happens all at once either.
Remember practice and repetition are the keys to learing to play the guitar.

Six String Music is Good for the Soul

Learn Guitar

I'd like to talk about learning and playing the guitar. Learnig music , and in this case, the guitar is an experience you can take with you through out your life. It brings comfort, confidence and a consistant companion where ever you go. I have used my acoustic guitar as entertainment for myself and my friends, ( they said they were entertained) as a way of making a very enjoyable living and as a peacefull get away for my self.
I have spent countless hours with my guitar just playing and listening to the beautiful sounds we can make. It can bring me back to reality and let me float off to a place where it is peaceful and scerene.
Online guitar lessons are a great way to get yourself started learning how to play the guitar. You can go to www.gtrteacher.com and you will find all the tools you need to begin your online guitar lessons.
You will find free lessons to help you begin your musical journey, useful videos for tuning and tablature along with easy to follow lesson videos and printable resources. There is even a bargin box to help you with purchasing your first guitar or locate a good source to buy strings
If you have been thinking about learning guitar, give it a try I know you will enjoy it.

Finishing up March.

I am working on finishing up level 2 of the guitar lessons at Music ALa Carte and look forward to some new songs and Level 3. I have been looking at many teaching sites on the web and noticed most of them tell you that you can play the guitar quickly and easily. These are nice thoughts but I still believe that to accompish playing the guiatr takes time, dedication and practice. Don't get me wrong, the learning is fun but it won't happen over night. Pleae stop by and take a look at Music ALa Carte at www.gtrteacher.com and send me any comments or suggestion you amy have.
Also don't miss my performace at Lattitudes tiki bar on Friday March 26th. Go to the events schedule at www.robertswinton.com for more information.

Back to work in March

After a short in house vacation and a good visit with my best friends it's time to get back to work at the resort. The sun is shinning in Florida and there are good times to be had at Lattitudes tiki bar. I will be playing on Saturday March 6th from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. I hope you will stop by and say hi and I hope you have a great weekend!
For more information and a drink coupon go to www.gtrteacher.com and look in the event schedule.

Six String Music is Good for the Soul

The weekend is here

I will be performing at Lattitudes Tiki Bar at the Hutchinson Island Beach Resort (IRP) on Friday Night February 19th fro 6:00 to 10:00 PM. This is a weekly event so please keep an eye out for notices as they come out. It is a beautiful spot for Florida living and entertainment.
I always look forward to seeing friends when I play music so I hope to see you there at the tiki bar.
Go to www.gtrteacher.com and click on the Events Schedule on the bottom right hand side of the home page. Print out that page for free drink coupon.
Have a Great weekend everyone.

Bob Swinton

Guitar Lessons

I would like to speak on the attributes of learning about music when taking guitar lessons. The advantages of finding out about the music that you play and how it works will make the difference between understanding your instrument and just playing along.

The first perception you must understand is that learning music is just like learning a new language. The notes are like the words of your new language and the songs are the stories you will tell. As with any new language the best way to master it is to use it and play with it every day, just as you do your own language. You may not remember every piece of information all the time but by using that information all the time you will eventually never forget it. You must realize from the beginning that in music you will use every thing you learn, there is no waisted information in music. So, if there is any thing about your musical instruction you don't understand you need to make the effort to find some one who can help you understand. Learning about music and how it works is also the best way to start to develop you sense of rhythm. This knowledge along with practicing with a video or CD you will start your internal clock. I will talk about rhythm in another blog.
To review, you should remember that learning music is just like learning a new language and the best way to feel comfortable with it is to use it every day. Ask questions if you find yourself confused about any new information and never forget to have fun with music.

Guitar Lessons

I would like to start a series of blogs that can help with your guitar lessons. Whether you are taking private guitar lessons or using and online guitar lesson course like www.gtrteacher.com . I have come accross some insights in my 20 plus years of teaching guitar that I believe will help to enhance your learning experience. I also hope these posting will begin some discussions on learning how to play guitar and some sharing of experiences, observations and triumphs.

Practicing;
I always tell my students that practicing is the most important element in learning the guitar. The reason for this has to do with many different aspects of your guitar lessons. The first reason brings to mind that old statement "practice makes perfect" and that is very true but there are many other purposes for constant practice. You must realize that you are training your hands to do some thing they have never done. You must develop musle memory in your hands so when you think about a movement to a note or a chord your hands will understand and make the move you are intending. The problem with your muscles in your hands is they are small and their memory is short. You must go over and over your guitar lessons constanly so your hands will remember what you want them to do. Remember if you practice on Monday and can't get back to practicing until Thursday your hands will not remember what they did on Monday and you will basically start over again. Now that can be a very long process of learning.
You must find a way to practice every day! If your time is short then pick a smaller part of your lesson and practice that in the time you have but be sure to practice.

Lattitudes on Friday Night

Here comes the weekend and I will be at Lattitudes Tiki bar on Hutchinson Island on Friday February 5th. We had a great time last Friday and it looks like another good one this week, stop by and see us.
Check out www.gtrteacher.com and take a look at the events schedule for a coupon. Or click on the music phrase below.
See you there

Six String Music is good for the Soul

Back at Lattitudes Tiki Bar

The New Year brings new and exciting things to do.
I will performing at Lattitudes Tiki Bar at The Hutchinson Island Marriott again this year. I am lookig forward to seeing all my friends and making new ones. It's a great place to relax, kick back and enjoy the tropical breezes. the palm trees and the music at the tiki bar. Everyone at Lattitudes is friendly, helpfull and always happy to see you, I know you will enjoy yourself so why not give it a try.
Hope to see you there.
Call 225-3700 for directions to The Hutchinson Island Marriott.

go to www.gtrteacher.com and look in the Event Schedule for a free drink coupon.