No Pressure, Just Fun: Meatball Is Learning Guitar at His Pace with Fret Zealot

I've owned guitars in the past. As a kid, I bought a few from garage sales, thinking "Yeah, one day... I'll pick this up, learn to play it, and join a band."

Well, that's been 30 years, and those guitars have since been sold in yet ANOTHER garage sale. I've tried to learn before, but nothing ever really stuck, and it was intimidating to learn in rooms full of people at different skill levels, from a teacher that was practically Slash from Guns N' Roses.

If I was going to learn, I needed a tool that was no pressure, but also kind of fun, because let's face it ... my attention span is all of about 30 seconds some days.

I got turned on to Fret Zealot, an online vault of world-class video lessons and song tutorials. You can pair this with an LED system for your fretboard that shows you exactly where to press. I put the LED strips on a guitar and started noodling through the lessons. Turns out, this is actually fun, and I can learn in a VERY low-pressure environment — like my own living room.

I'm a beginner who barely knew how to hold a guitar, let alone play it. And after one week, I'm already playing chords, my fingers are becoming stronger, and I'm having a blast learning with this truly innovative system. (It's more affordable than most in-person music teachers, too.)

Once I have a basic knowledge of how to play the basics, there's already a library of my favorite music — AC/DC, Metallica, Judas Priest — to choose from, and learn how to play. They have plenty of lessons and songs for intermediate and advanced players, so this is a great option for people who want to advance their skills, too.

I'll be sharing my progress with you in the coming months, but if you're ready to learn guitar with light, check out fretzealot.com, too.