GuitarMasterClass
Contents |
About GuitarMasterClass
GuitarMasterClass is a place where you improve your musical skills and meet people with the same interests. The main focus is on having fun while learning because we believe that your learning curve is most effective if you have fun at the same time. GuitarMasterClass also strives to inspire students to find your own unique style. To help you become a great guitarist, we have collected a crew of skilled guitar instructors from all around the world, and they are around the site 24 - 7 to answer questions and give you feedback and support while practicing.
GuitarMasterClass, often called GMC, was founded March 12th 2006 by Kristofer Dahl - a professional guitarist and instructor resident in Stockholm, Sweden. GMC is run by the Swedish company Rock My Web AB, owned by Kristofer Dahl and Maria Gasch. From the beginning, the GuitarMasterClass website has been developed in close cooperation with Henrik Skotth Konsult AB.
One of the first lessons ever was Curious Coincidence which became very popular. GMC grew steadily in a short period of time, and today thousands of daily visitors and members take part of video lessons and the friendly GMC community.
Check GMC's Organization Chart to check which people run the different parts of our community & site.
How it started?
Here is the tale of how one of the coolest guitar sites came about! Best is - you are now officially part of guitar history.
But we better let GMC's Founder & Rocker Kristofer Dahl tell this tale!:
"Dear fellow Masterclasser,
Kristofer Dahl here, I started the GuitarMasterClass (GMC). I am about to tell you how I learned to play like Slash, Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Santana, Mark Knopfler, Joe Satriani, Kirk Hammett, SRV, Steve Vai, Dave Gilmour, Jimmy Page, BB King etc.
Do you also dream about playing like the pros? I dedicate my work to make you a real guitarist."
Who am I – why should you listen to me?
Time to be a REAL guitarist? Dear fellow Masterclasser,
Kristofer Dahl here, I started the GuitarMasterClass (GMC). I am about to tell you how I learned to play like Slash, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Santana, Mark Knopfler, Joe Satriani, Kirk Hammett, SRV, Steve Vai, Dave Gilmour, Jimmy Page, B.B. King etc.
Do you also dream about playing like the pros? I dedicate my work to make you a real guitarist.
Who am I – why should you listen to me? I am a professional guitarist with fourteen years of experience. My latest release was with the progressive rock band Artifex. I live in Stockholm, Sweden.
I have been teaching live and online for seven years, teaching many hundreds of students how to become worthy guitarists. Some of my most popular lessons have appeared on the Internet’s largest guitar site: ultimate-guitar.com
I am not a big fan of writing long texts to convince people about the quality of my work (that’s why I give you a new free lesson of the GuitarMasterClass everyday instead – click here if you missed the free section). There are already too many pay sites who only know how to write long catchy commercial texts. I prefer preparing the upcoming GuitarMasterClass lessons, instead of making up stories.
However, I am writing this for you because I want to explain exactly how GuitarMasterClass works and how it will improve your playing.
In GuitarMasterClass you get access to a huge archive of high-quality video lessons, heck, you even get completely free updates every day – GuitarMasterClass is educating the world!
Reasons to join GMC
So why are GuitarMasterClass lessons so effective? Surely attending a live guitar lesson must be better...
...a live guitar lesson would allow you to see exactly what the teacher is doing with his hands...?
The GuitarMasterClass’ large archive of quality videos lets you see a zoomed shot of exactly what the teacher is doing with his hands - at different speeds. You can also loop it as many times as you want. Next time you see your guitar teacher ask him/her if he/she is willing to repeat the same lick 150 times, don’t be surprised if you get NO for an answer. ;)
...attending live guitar lessons would allow for live questions...?
GuitarMasterClass allows you to ask live questions to both the instructors and the students. This way you can get pro help, and maybe even more importantly, help from other guitarists who are in the same learning phase as you. They will be able to explain how they just got past the difficult techniques you are currently struggling with.
...a live guitar teacher will help you understand complicated theory...?
If you have been introduced to "complicated" theory - you simply weren't ready for it. In GuitarMasterClass there is no such thing as "complicated" theory. If you feel theory is getting over your head - you can rest assured than no theoretical knowledge is required to learn the riffs and licks of GuitarMasterClass.
Once you feel your practical playing ability has reached to a point where you sincerely want to learn theory - the GuitarMasterClass is there for you with the appropriate scale- and chord-diagrams + explanations that are easy to follow.
Theoretical knowledge is a powerful musical tool, which can more than double your musical ability once you get a hang of it.
There is even more to it:
Every GuitarMasterClass video is accompanied with a tab, right beside the video. You will be able to watch the tab and the video simultaneously + the teacher appearing in the video is the same person who made the tab. In other words, you are guaranteed a 100 % correct tab.
The layout of the GuitarMasterClass lessons allows a beginner to understand exactly what is happening. The reason why so many people acknowledge my method of teaching is because anyone, regardless of their level, can learn the cool techniques I am teaching in the GuitarMasterClass! I have been teaching hundreds of beginner students how to play advanced guitar during the last years.
GuitarMasterClass is only for "masters", right?
-Wrong!
The reason we start playing guitar is usually because, at some point, we have been blown away by an experienced guitar player. An extremely common mistake, is for the beginner to seek a "beginner's teacher". In 90 % of the cases, this will only lead to a gradual loss of motivation. Eventually you will be so bored with your "beginner guitar lessons" - you will put the guitar down.
This is exactly what happened to me, until, at the age of 18, I started taking lessons with an extremely advanced and experienced guitar player: Kristian Niemann form the international success-band Therion. As you can imagine, I was in for a treat. Was I motivated to practice? - Like never before!
That is what made me a great guitarist - the beginner lessons I had been taking didn't teach me much more than "Hang down your head Tom Dooley". With my new master lessons - I could all of a sudden play fluid scale passages, arpeggios, sweeping, tapping...
You must understand that GuitarMasterClass does not give you a tiny/short/blurry video clip, a couple of tabs and call it a guitar lesson. No, a GuitarMasterClass lesson usually contains 10 - 30 high quality videos, high quality backing tracks at different speeds, several scale diagrams – and most importantly: inside information from pro guitarists. There is no way you can avoid improving if you spend time with the GuitarMasterClass.
OK - there sure is some great content here, but what's in it for me?
Let me answer this with an example from my personal experience...
During my first years of guitar playing, I hardly made any progress at all. Still, I did practice regularly - so what did I do wrong?
My guitar tutor did his job and taught me some songs, I practiced and I learned them, still nothing really happened, I just couldn't reach a level where I would blow people away.
Also, I had this guitarist friend - who seemed to have a god-given talent and left hand synchronisation. He could play fluidly and I was nowhere near his ability - and I wanted to beat him! Still, for every new riff that I learned, he seemed to to nail five new solos.
Tough luck - I am simply not as talented... That's what I thought to myself, I even put the guitar down for long periods of time.
Still, I couldn't let go of my dream to one day become a pro guitarist, a guitarist who would make people's jaws drop, a guitarist capable of extremely fast, fluid and effortless playing.
Today, I can tell you I am happy I picked up the guitar again - because I think you would agree with me when I say I have reached my goals.
Here is the thing: I want you to experience the same thing as I did. I want you to get motivated. I want you to start noticing progress. I want you to start having fun with the guitar. I want you to sit up all night and play licks. I want you to be a pro!
I sincerely do not think there is any magic or natural talent involved - in that case I wouldn't have reached the professional level where I am today. It's just a matter of correct learning - and I have taught many students how to play like me. Provided that you have a guitar and a computer - I cannot think of one single reason why you wouldn't be able to go through the same learning process as I did.
How long will it take me?
Hmm, dare I tell you..? Well let me put it like this, at the age of eighteen I had been playing for eight years and could barely hold a steady beat. At the age of nineteen, the whole local guitar shop were staring paralysed at me when I was trying out different guitars (and they weren't looking at my haircut!).
Yes that's right - it went that quickly. Actually it went even quicker: as soon as I quit playing "Hang down your head Tom Dooley" and realised that if I ever were to be a pro guitarist - I had to start playing advanced stuff.
Only a few weeks after I made that decision, I started to amaze myself with my newly acquired ability.
After a few months I amazed my friends.
After a year I amazed the whole local guitar store.
All my knowledge is right here on this site - www.guitarmasterclass.net - if you realise that, you have quite some fun ahead of you...
Final Words
...in GuitarMasterClass you will not get fake promises – you will get real lessons from real teachers.
...you will not take a risk when buying – there are free sample lessons for you to view right now + the whole archive is open for you to see.
...you will not be left broke with a useless product – you will actually improve and get the tools to become a pro guitarist. Only you can determine the speed of your progress by practicing.
If you practice seriously you will be able to pick licks and tricks from your guitar heroes. In the “Steve Vai Style” lesson for instance, I show you the techniques, building blocks and thought process behind Steve Vai’s playing. You will get every little detail demonstarted at different speeds - you even get appropriate backing tracks at different speeds!
You see, as I have already mentioned - the aim of the GuitarMasterClass lessons is to get you playing like a pro. That is why I have spent months and months of researching to bring you, note-for-note and step-by-step, video lessons to show you exactly what tricks the pros use. Most importantly, I will explain how you can use them. This way you can work yourself towards playing like your guitar hero.
But why be satisfied with playing like just one of your guitar heroes? Wouldn't it be cooler to take bits from different guitarists and combine them to form your own style? Let's say... take Clapton's tone and feel and combine it with Yngwie Malmsteen's speed - how cool wouldn't that be?
The knowledge to create such a mix is right here in GuitarMasterClass - and I am active in the Guitar Forum - to answer questions and help you on your way, as you create your own style.
And by the way, did I mention that your chances of becoming unique and original are actually greater if you aren't a very experienced guitarist? Yes you heard me - if you are reading this and have only been playing for a couple of months, consider yourself lucky!
Many guitarists (including myself) take years and years to realise they have to come up with an original combination of styles. Man, if I had realised this earlier, where would I be now? Anyway, I am glad I finally did reach the insight - because I am happy about my playing today. Still I think many guitarists would benefit from understanding this at an earlier age.
So all the tools you need are in GuitarMasterClass – the only thing that's required from you is a guitar and determination.
If you decide to go for the GuitarMasterClass, I promise that not only will you take your playing to new heights - your life will get a whole new meaning. The day I decided to go for the guitar, my life changed - it's without a doubt the most important decision I have ever made.
Do yourself a favor and sign-up to the only learning you will be needing!
