I will be the first to admit that I’m a music freak.

When I was a small kid my parents would quiz me.  They’d ask me to name the band when a song played on the radio such as Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and AC/DC. Then, when I moved to Colorado I had a phase where I liked Britney Spears, N’SYNC, and the Backstreet boys. Okay, that part I don’t like to admit, but it happened.

Then my taste in music evolved.  I started to like bands like Staind, 3 Doors Down, Papa Roach, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, and much more.

With my love of rock music I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I had already been playing the trumpet for a year (6th grade band … hot cross buns).   I chose bass because I thought it looked easy.

My awesome band teacher, Mr. Sanford, let me borrow the school bass over the summer. I’ve never been a fan of formal lessons, so I taught myself how to play. With a few instructional videos and the help of online tabs (at http://www.ultimate-guitar.com) I was able to learn how to play the bass.

I decided to learn how to play the electric guitar. My dad used to work for the Washburn Custom Guitar Shop in Chicago and had a few amazing guitars that I could use. I learned to play the guitar completely on my own without the help of any instructional videos.

By now you’re probably wondering what the point of this rant is. Well, a few of my friends are music freaks just like me and wanted to learn how to play the guitar. They went to lessons and ended up hating the guitar. They would constantly complain about how mean their teachers were and how pointless the lessons were.

The moral of the story is that you can learn how to play the guitar for free. Teach yourself and have fun. Music is all about  individual interpretation. When someone tells you what to like or what to think you end up hating it. Learn how to play yourself. It will be hard at first, but what isn’t? Teaching yourself  is a fun, easy, and free way to learn how to play the guitar.