Being able to play an instrument is part of our society, and the guitar is particularly popular. Guitars are cool and have been for as long as I can remember. I have many fond memories of parties, holidays and other get-togethers where one or more of us brought a guitar and people gathered and listened to the music. More recently, "Guitar Hero" has become the best-selling video game of all times, with sales of over $1 billion in the US alone. The popularity of "Guitar Hero" and video games like it is undoubtedly responsible for getting millions of kids interested in learning how to play the guitar. As a result, there is a renewed interest in guitar lessons and guitar training.

When it comes to learning things, everyone goes about it in a different way. Some learn by listening, some by reading, some by doing and some by a combination of all three. Some people require detailed, step-by-step instructions whereas others simply need to understand concepts and the big picture. Some need guidance and stimulation whereas others are self-motivated. The same holds true when it comes to practicing new skills. Everyone is different. This applies to just about any type of learning, from school to hobbies to professional skills. And it applies to learning how to play the guitar.

In the past, music lessons meant to go see a music teacher, and that is probably still the best way of learning how to play an instrument. Today, however, there are many alternatives, ranging from books to videos, online resources, multimedia courses on DVD, and more. There's an awful lot of training material out there, with prices ranging from free to a few dollars to some serious money. Most of those resources have some merit and can be valuable in teaching the guitar, but which one is for you? A learn how to play guitar DVD? A video? An audio book? It's frustrating to invest time and money in a course that doesn't work for you. So what do you do?

Fortunately, there are sites that review just about everything and do rankings, including the top guitar training lessons. I don't buy anything anymore before I look up customer feedback and ratings, and it's great that there are places that do independent and unbiased ratings. With guitar lessons, it's incredibly helpful to be able to read about some of the courses out there. There are some caveats, of course. Some "reviews" are nothing more than infomercials. And when you peruse the customer rating and feedback sections of department or electronic stores, you'll always find opinions all over the board, including those of people who either love everything or don't seem to like anything.

However, there are serious review sites. If you're interested in guitar lessons, specifically, I've found some really excellent sites that describe both broad-based and focused training in detail. The best sites will not shy away from honest ratings, even if they have to point out weaknesses or tell site visitors to stay away from a particular course. I also like sites that are done by experts. They usually have more than just ratings and rankings, such as How To guides, quick references, and links to useful resources.

So if good old-fashioned guitar lessons by a local music teacher aren't for you, go online and see what's out there. There's a lot of good advice and many resources for beginning (and advanced) guitarists.