One of the fastest expanding areas of guitar and music education is of course the online variety, taking advantage of video, PDFs, backing tracks, apps and all that good technical stuff to provide learning tools that weren’t available when yours truly first picked up a guitar. As with all new ideas, the market soon gets flooded with its fair share of crap, which is why we’ve put together this selection of really useful online courses aimed at guitarists which you can take advantage of to learn some very valuable skills.
1. Jazz Guitar Tips, Tricks and Licks by Tyler Larson
Tyler Larson of Music is Win and Guitar Super System fame has put together this course to get you started in the scary world of jazz guitar. The syllabus includes harmony and chords, extended chords, a look at reading lead sheets, jazz guitar styles and techniques, jazz fusion and even hip-hop jazz. It makes for a great introduction into what is often an overwhelming style of guitar playing that has most guitarists running for the hills. If you’re looking for a ‘way into’ jazz guitar, then this course is more than worth its weight in gold.
You might also like: Guitar Super System Level 1 | Level 2
2. How to Create Backing Tracks Using Ableton Live
You may or may not know that almost all the great bands use backing tracks in their live shows, either to fill out the sound or reproduce important parts of the song that would be difficult to play otherwise. If you’re looking to take your live show to the next level, this could be just the course for you. In it you’ll learn how to:
- Operate Ableton Live, the program that will run your tracks
- Set up click tracks, and cues to direct the band
- Sync logos and videos along to your tracks
- Sync a lighting show to your tracks
- Loop song sections on the fly
- Set up your backing tracks system on stage
You might also like: Garage Band Masterclass
3. Singing from Scratch – Learn How to Sing
One of the most valuable skills for guitarists, or any musician for that matter, is the ability to sing. You don’t have to be the world’s greatest singer either, in fact, just being able to sing backing vocals will get you the gig over the guitarist with more chops that can’t sing. This course is aimed at beginners, even those who think they’re tone deaf, or those like me that get obliged to sing and want to be able to do it with some kind of finesse. The focus of this course is to get you singing in tune, which is a great skill to have.
You might also like: Sound Amazing Singing from the Diaphragm
4. Steps to Take to Effectively Sell Music Online
The internet and the digital age turned the music industry on its head and made it possible for everyone to get their music out there and heard. Only now with a leveled playing field, it’s a whole other ballgame, so how do you get your music onto the right platforms and heard by the right people? This course gives you an in-depth guide on exactly how to get your music out there and actually making money. Learn all the secrets in this incredibly valuable course.
You might also like: 14 Essential Revenue Streams for Music Artists | 7 Secrets to HIT Songwriting
5. Practical Steps to Overcoming Performance Anxiety
Possibly the most useful course on this list, and one that can set you free if you suffer from any kind of performance anxiety or stage fright. “Practical Steps to Overcoming Performance Anxiety” is a focused, effective, course for any performer who wants to be more confident on stage. Professional dancers, musicians, actors, conductors, and aspiring performers are all welcome. This course will help you get rid of that unnecessary pain and suffering, and let you stay focused and positive before and during your upcoming show. By the end of the course you will have developed your own personalized pre-performance routine, with techniques that work for you.
Whatever skill you want to learn in the world of music, there’s probably a course for it on Udemy, so have a browse and become a better all-round musician.
