I want to tell you about one of my competitor's guitar courses. I'm going to give you a no-holds barred critique and tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly...(LOL)

Why am I doing this? Well, to be honest, its good for everyone. You can certainly benefit from learning from more than one teacher. Frankly, I have no ego about who you learn from. I just want you to get better.

I'm often contacted by "experts" who want me to promote their stuff. Most of it isn't worth it and i"m not going to ruin my trust with you for a few quick bucks.

However, I received a very different email from a guy who's interviewed Satriani and played with legends like BB King. He had a pretty intense package and I told him I would check it out. Read on to find out how you can get your FREE copy of Guitar Pro 5... (www.guitar-pro.com)

So, without further ado, the course i'm talking about is called...

Logical Lead Guitar
by Adam St. James

Adam has had a 30 year career in the music industry, authoring dozens of books for Hal Leonard and other major publishers, writing for major magazines and guitar websites, as well as extensive experience performing and teaching.

His latest course is called "Logical Lead Guitar" and its different from anything he's ever created before. Because he produced this course by himself, he wasn't limited to the formats the publishers wanted him to follow, like trying to squeeze everything into 100 pages... Logical Lead Guitar is geared toward the beginner to intermediate player. It comes with 2 DVDs (about 3 1/2 hours of material) ,plus an audio CD with jamtracks, and a 600-page 3-ring binder of printed material.

The idea behind this course is to get you up to speed on the lead guitar as fast as possible by 1) discussing the key concepts needed and 2) showing a ton of example licks across the entire neck.

So what's my overall opinion?

I think Adam did a very nice job with this course. While it is hard to find anything these days that 'blows my mind', there were several aspects of this course that did impress me (which is hard to do).

I was most impressed with how thorough the course is - especially the printed material. There are few stones unturned and there is a TON of examples. But despite the sheer amount of material, I doubt many students would feel bogged down in 'information overload'. The course is well thought out and organized, and provides a very nice, clear path for the aspiring lead guitarist to follow.

For example, Adam breaks down the neck into 3 distinct pattern types: Pentatonic, diatonic, and arpeggios. That's the way to do it!

My Complaints

There are only a few minor gripes that I have about this course. First of all, there is no cool intro here. I was expecting some hot licks and a wild intro for inspiration, but the video starts with the lessons right away. Oh, and the DVD menu is a little plain too (big deal right?)

There also may be a few moments of confusion because the book is not layed out exactly like the DVD. The first examples on the DVD are in the middle of the book, and some of the later sections on the DVD are talked about earlier in the book. However, all the sections are clearly marked and this shouldn't really be a big deal either.

It would have also been nice to see the examples actually tabbed out on the screen, but not all of my courses do this either.

Lastly, the price is a tad on the high side (although its still an excellent value) More on this in a moment.

How Does it Compare to Other Courses?

So, maybe you are wondering how does this course differ from other courses we recommend like "Jamorama", and "Unlock Your Guitar"

Jamorama's focus is more rudimentary, while Adam's course is more comprehensive. They are both great courses, they are both excellent choices for the beginner, but Logical Lead Guitar is a beefier course and takes you farther into intermediate level playing. The biggest difference is that Adam's course takes you through ALL the patterns, not just the most common ones.

What Does This Course Cover?

Well, a lot...

You open the guide, and the first thing you see is some good information on practicing - what to learn first, what to learn next, what to do , and what not to do, and how to prevent yourself from getting frustrated.

Then, there is a section on "tips, tricks, and techniques", which provides about 80 exercises to really help your fretboard agility, and discusses all the important lead guitar techniques such as bending, vibrato, hammer ons, pull offs, trills, slides, etc...

Then, he gives a "skills checklist", which is a specific practice regimen you can follow. This is great if you don't want any guesswork as to how long to practice each exercise.

The next section of the book shows the 7 diatonic scale patterns and provides 140+ examples. By the way, all the examples are shown in musical notation as well as tablature. Thumbs up...

Next, there is a section on arpeggios with over 75 tabbed eamples.

Then, there are several bonus sections including more pick-hand exercises, more arpeggio exercises, essential riffs, and bending.

Finally, there is a section with some complete sample solos. Whew! It's a lot of stuff. If you're starting out, I imagine that it will keep you busy for some time.

Other Stuff I Liked...

I liked the overall vibe of the video. You are inside Adam's studio and you can see some beautiful guitars hanging on the wall here. I also like Adam's relaxed teaching style, and his honesty when he explains you actually have to do some practicing to get this stuff under your belt.

I also like how Adam takes a lot time to explain different fingering possibilities, especially on the arpeggios. In general, I like the way Adam explains the neck and especially the "transparent layer" concept.

Also, there are sections on finding the roots and following the chords which I think are very helpful. Plus, Adam spends a lot of time on connecting the various patterns and what he calls "puzzle locking exercises".

Find Out More Here

This Course is NOT for people who...

It's not for very advanced players. If you already feel that you have solid lead guitar skills, then you might not learn too many new things here. Also its not for people who are unable or unwilling to invest in their muscial education. This is a serious course for those that are serious about learning.

But This Course Would Be Perfect For...

This course is perfect for anyone who wants to play lead guitar and wants a comprehensive course with a ton of examples.

If you already own "Killer Lead Guitar, Made Simple", and want more examples across the entire neck, this would also be an excellent investment. Or, if you own "Killer Guitar Control Secrets" but still can't play solid leads, you should probably check out this course to go back and really master the fundamentals.

So How Much Is It?

Adam's course is $129. I know, its not exactly cheap. But, when you consider that you are getting over 3 hours of video instruction, a MASSIVE binder with 500 examples, plus a CD with jam tracks, you really are getting your money's worth.

When you really think about how much it costs to print up a 600 page binder, Adam is barely covering his costs.

I'd also like to point out that grabbing a course like this makes a lot more sense, moneywise, than taking private lessons.

I definitely recommend "Logical Lead Guitar" if you have a serious desire to learn to play lead guitar and want a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to getting there as fast as possible. In fact, Adam and I are so sure you're going to love this course, that we've put together a special deal for you.

Find Out More Here

Although I couldn't get him to knock down the price, he did agree to throw in a copy of "101 Guitar Tips", (a $17.95 value) if you grab this course now.

Rating: 9.5/10

P.S : If you order the course from this link below, I will get you a copy of Guitar Pro 5 (a $57 value, see it for yourself at http://www.guitar-pro.com. This is an offer too generous to pass up, and Adam backs his course with a money-back guarantee as well.

Just click on the link below...This will take you to Adam's website. Then simply click on the "Order Now" Link to place your order.

CLICK HERE NOW TO LEARN MORE AND GRAB YOUR COPY OF LOGICAL LEAD GUITAR

Join us as we take a look into a popular guitar myth on the subject of natural talent. We will be discussing how natural talent is not a replacement for hard work and for learning the proper skills. You will learn the benefits to perfecting your skills by practicing along with guitar backing tracks. 

A pretty common phrase that’s thrown around a lot in the guitar community and just about every other style of music is the term natural talent. Some people never excel in mastering their particular instrument because of the myth that in order to be good you have to have natural talent.

That’s not to say that some people aren’t naturally gifted as a musician or guitarist, because there are quite a few who guitar players who take to the instrument quickly. Many musicians do have a natural talent for their instrument or style, but that doesn’t mean that only these individuals can learn and master the guitar. Anyone who picks up a guitar and has the drive, determination, passion, and dedication can learn and become an excellent guitarist.

Mastering the guitar simply requires an individual to apply themselves to learning the necessary tools and skills to effectively create music that expresses who they are and what they are about. If you want to master the guitar you have to put in the time to learn all the tools, techniques, and skills that a guitar player needs to play effectively.

This myth makes accomplished professional guitarists seem as if they just magically knew how to play, and neglects the fact that they sacrificed many hours of practice to learn and perfect their skills. There are no guitar virtuosos who haven’t put in hours of practice and study to cultivate their talents and skills.

The truth is that even the most “talent” guitarists had to study, learn, and practice. There are a lot of different ways to practice and cultivate your skills. One of the most beneficial ways to practice your talents and skills is to practice along with guitar backing tracks. Playing with guitar backing tracks can help you perfect your skills and apply your newly learned knowledge. Guitar backing tracks can also help you develop better tone by strengthening your accuracy.

Using backing tracks are also beneficial for making practice sessions more enjoyable. Instead of running endless drills, you can play along with a whole band and perfect your improvisation techniques as well. Backing tracks for guitarists can also be used to play live shows and other types of gigs as well.

1) Draw neck diagrams and label the note names on the strings. This will improve your knowledge of the instrument, and solidify your ability to quickly jump to any note (like when a fellow musician tells you it's an A chord). Start with just one string, such as the low E string, and label every note: E, F, F#, G, G#, etc. Do this a few times for each string and you'll soon know your way around the guitar sooo much better than you do now!

2) Draw more neck diagrams and fill in scale patterns. You know that old joke about the school teacher making you write something stupid (I will not chew gum in class.) 100 times on the chalkboard? That teaching method may not have successfully kept you from chewing gum, but it will successfully help you memorize scale patterns.

3) Give your fingers a workout with a stress ball. A tennis ball, or any other squishy ball will work too. A big part of playing guitar satisfactorily lies in the development of the muscles in your fret hand and wrist. You'll recognize this fact real quick if you pick up an acoustic guitar and try to play lead guitar. You can do this at work, at school, or anytime actual playing is not an option – and it will improve your playing abilities!

4) Analyze the tablature in your favorite artists' songbook. Learning to read the most advanced tablature notation is not much easier than learning to read the actual sheet music – and it takes practice. Don't forget that there is usually a key to all the weird symbols – all those arrows and squiggly lines – in the back of many, if not most, song or method books. Study that key until you know what is meant by all those symbols, and then actually read through a few songs – all the way through. Your tab reading will become a whole lot easier after you've done this a few times.

5) Better yet, work on reading sheet music instead. It's not really as hard as it seems, but it absolutely takes practice. And sheet music has one huge advantage over tablature – it can tell you the actual rhythm of the music, which most tab does not. Start with easy stuff, such as a Guitar Method 1 type book where all you're expected to read is quarter notes and half notes, and only the notes as they fall on the low end of the neck in the key of C major (no sharps or flats to worry about!). Then work your way up from there.

Learning to read sheet music is a skill that can be built one step at a time, one new concept at a time. And you can practice reading without a guitar in hand, by simply picking up any piece of sheet music and literally reading it as if the notes were printed alphabet letters put into phrases and sentences, just like the ones you're reading right now! Understand that becoming really adept at sight-reading may actually take months or years, so be patient with yourself. But you're planning on playing your guitar for decades, right? The extra effort will pay off a thousand-fold!

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