Just like there are different types of guitars, there are also different styles of play. While you may think that you've got an idea of a style you'd like to focus on before you even start learning, it is best to learn as many as possible and then use them all to draw on when you decide on a style you like best. When you learn to play guitar with the Learn and Master Guitar series, you'll learn a myriad of styles to help you decide which one you like best. You'll learn: -Acoustic guitar -Electric & rock guitar -Classical and fingerstyle guitar -Blues guitar -Jazz guitar -Country guitar and chicken picken' -R&B and funk guitar

A quick look into proper finger exercises for beginning guitar players.

There are plenty of resources available that give TABs to everyone's favorite song and they generally work fine if all you want to do is learn your favorite guitar riff. But my goal is to go beyond just copying somebody else's riff to the place of really understanding what music and guitar playing are really made up of. And in order to do that, I have to introduce basic music reading. Not that you are going to end up playing classical guitar concertos, but so that we could learn the "why" of music. I understand that it can be truly frustrating to go back and try to read the music to play these simple songs when you can already play somewhat better by reading the TABS. I have found that in my experience in teaching many adults in your situation just say "Forget it, it's too much work and I don't even sound that good when I read the music. I can play better just reading the TAB. Besides, who wants to learn how to play Yankee Doodle anyway?" So they quit trying to learn the music and just tell themselves that "Some people can read music and some can't and I am just one of those that can't."

Let me first say this TAB vs. Music Reading debate is about as fundamental as it gets in guitar discussions. Often times the debate gets polarized - us vs. them, TAB readers vs. Music Readers - which I have always found a bit perplexing. It would be the equivalent of someone shouting across the shop floor saying "I am a hammer man and all of you wrench guys are dumb". They are both just tools - each with unique advantages and limitations.

Here's the deal. Barre chords take some time to bloom. At first you can try your hardest and you just don't have the muscles in place to get them to sound. It's a physical thing. It takes time to develop the muscles needed.