Guitar Lessons - Music Instruction Blog by Scotty West

Music For The Troops - Support Operation Happy Note

      I wanted to tell you all about an opportunity that the music community has to give something back to our brave troops overseas.  It's called Operation Happy Note created by Steve and Barb Baker from Fergus Falls, MN.  Kathy and I saw this on the network news a few years back and we're happy to report they're still going strong. 

    

      OHN and it's crew of volunteers supplies musical instruments free of charge to service persons overseas, providing them with some fun and creative ways to spend their down time.  They've sent off thousands of guitars, keyboards, banjos, mandolins violins etc.  They also have thousands more requests coming in all the time.

    OHN is totally funded by contributions.  You can donate cash, instruments, packaging materials or volunteer time.  Check them out by clicking on their link: .

     

      If you or a loved one have ever been stationed overseas, you know what services like Operation Happy Note mean to our troops so far from home ... a way to connect with their inner peace ... relieve the stress ... eleviate the boredom.  Steve and Barb are doing a great thing here and deserve all our support.  You can contact them directly at info@operationhappynote.com .

All the best,

Scotty West

PS: Oh yeah - read more about them in the Washington Post

 

Check Out These Video Guitar Lesson Reviews

     Folks have been asking lately where they can go to see reviews of our guitar instruction videos.  I must confess that we haven't spent a lot of time investigating this, but I do know that there are a few reviews at the well know GuitarNotes site.  You can check them out here >> guitar lesson reviews.

     One thing we're very proud of is this.  As far as we know, there is not one single NEGATIVE review of our course anywhere on the web!  That's pretty amazing if you think about it ... but it's right in line with our 100% satisfaction rate after almost 9 years of international internet sales.  We have an excellent program, the best student support in the industry and an airtight reputation for integrity.  Those of you who have taken the course know what I mean.  The rest of you ... what are you waiting for?  Not convinced, check out what some of our happy customers say at our customer testimonials page.

    We're going to encourage our students to post more reviews in the coming year.  I think they're not doing it more now because they're too busy having fun playing their guitars! ;-) 

All the best,

Scotty West

PS: GO SOX!

Scotty's Guitar Lessons Now On YouTube!

     Just wanted to let you all know that we've produced our first 3 video guitar lessons for YouTube!  It's the beginning of a whole new era for us.  Those of you who already know about our awesome guitar instruction home study program will recognize our familiar themes of MUSIC AS LANGUAGE and how we stress THEORY and EAR TRAINING.  Newcomers will appreciate how easy it is to understand guitar if you get these fundamental concepts loaded into your mind right from the start.

    I am finding it challenging to stay within the 10 minute limit imposed for YouTube videos.  In the end, I'm not sure that music education really lends itself to the "sound bite" type of presentation.  That's one thing wrong with a lot of the other guitar lesson videos on the web.  They're too short to convey any real concepts.  The 32 DVD quality video guitar lessons in our home study program are each an hour long and present tons of relevant, integrated information that you won't find anywhere else.  The quality of our videos is also far better than what you see on YouTube.  Each of our lessons was professionally written, filmed and edited in full screen, high resolution video.  You can watch them on your big screen TV in the living room!

    We will continue to produce more YouTube video guitar lessons so keep checkin' back.  Any suggestions you have for future posts will be gladly accepted.

     For more information, check us out at www.absolutelyunderstandguitar.com - or surf on over to our Guitar Lessons YouTube Channel.

All the best,

Scotty West

PS: Oh yeah, we've got a new page featuring the YouTube Video about our guitar lessons.