They have been around for the last 10 years, Guitar Tricks is one of the largest online video guitar learning sites on the web. They have 45 different guitar instructors covering many different styles and techniques and are fast-approaching 4,000 video guitar lessons. If you want a taste of some of the lessons they have available for their members you can take a look at 24 free lessons. For more, you'll have to upgrade your membership.
Almost 100 lessons are added to the site's database each month, and the site's membership is huge as well. They recently welcomed their 10,000th member. If you're new to guitar or advanced the multitude of styles, genres and skill levels will keep you learning for a long time.
Features
The best feature of Guitar Tricks is that they allow you download the video lesson in the standard .FLV video format. Note that you will need to download their Guitar Tricks FLV player to view them on your computer. Most online video guitar sites don't allow you to do this. This is a huge plus because it allows you to watch the lessons even if you are offline.
Another powerful feature of Guitar Tricks is that almost every video guitar lesson includes supplemental material. Each lesson is accompanied by an "info bar" that shows you the Key, Style, Difficulty Level and Focus of the lesson. The tabs you will need for the lessons are displayed as flash text or plain text, and a graphic overlay illustrates each note as it is played. You also have an option of printing the notes and tabs out to follow along if you want.
Guitar Tricks has an active community forum that many of their members regularly contribute to. They have a member-chat room as well.
Because most of the lessons added are by independent guitar teachers, the audio and video quality will vary. However, Guitar Tricks does have a quality-control process in place to keep low quality videos from being added to the database.
You can view the site's diverse course material by category. They have all major guitar genres represented including, acoustic, alternative, jazz, funk, metal, bluegrass and more. Other categories include chords, exercises, techniques, theory, reference, and beginners. You can also search the site by keyword.
Another unique feature to GuitarTricks is the search feature that allows you to find lessons in the styles of some of your favorite guitarists. This section is called "By Inspiration," and it lets you find music similar to that played by many guitar heroes ranging from Carlos Santana to Chet Atkins, and from Eddie Van Halen to Jack Johnson. It's a pretty sure bet that you will find something that appeals to you with such a wide selection.
They recently put together a beginner lesson plan or guide to learning the guitar. They have selected specific guitar lessons to accompany those that are totally new to guitar.
Ease of Use
Guitar Tricks is not the easiest video site to navigate because its size is huge, but it does have a ton of handy features. For example, it keeps a history of the lessons you've visited so it's easy to navigate to lessons you recently viewed. You can also bookmark particular lessons you especially like.
Even though you have two resolution options available when viewing video lessons, those on dial-up internet connections will most likely have problems accessing the course material. The trick here is to download the chosen lesson so that you can watch it anytime you want even if you’re offline. Like I said this one is their best features.
Setup/Compatibility
Flash player is required to view the site's videos on their online site. They have an independent FLV player for Windows PCs so that you can view downloaded videos from the site. An independent FLV player is currently in the works for the Mac.
Support
Guitar Tricks has the usual support options plus a toll free phone support number that you can take advantage of if you get stuck. Their best support feature in our opinion is that you can email your guitar instructors with your comments or questions. There is no guarantee as to when they'll get back to you, but the 1 on 1 support is a nice option.
Money Back Guarantee
Their warranty includes an excellent 60-day 100% money back guarantee, which is more than enough time to evaluate their site.
Bonuses
They are quite generous in the extras they give to their members. They currently offer the following tools for download:
1. Guitar Tricks FLV video player (for viewing downloaded videos)
2. Guitar Tricks Digital Tuner
3. Ultimate Metronome
Note: Guitar Tricks is not a downloadable course, but an affordable subscriber-based website that contains thousands of video guitar lessons. One plus of this learning approach is that you have access to your course from anywhere, can start right away, and don't have to wait for the entire guitar course to download before use.
Price
At $14.95/mo. Guitar Tricks has the lowest price for online video guitar lessons that we've seen.
Guitar tricks have a wide range of payment options. They accept all major credit cards, paypal payments, and check or money orders.
Conclusion
Pros: It is incredibly affordable online video guitar lessons site if you are on a tight budget. They have a huge variety of lessons available so you will be certain to find whatever you're looking for. For the most part, you can find a lot of good information at GuitarTricks.
Cons: It might be tempting to skip all around in your lessons, because of very huge variety of lessons. However, it can keep you interested, but you could miss some necessary skills without a more systematic approach. Be careful that you spend time on all the basic guitar skills.
GuitarTricks is the best course you will find for online learning. In my opinion, it is well worth the money. I highly recommend them!
This is Also The Best Buy Guitar Lesson Online. Check out Guitar Tricks Now!
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