When I was learning to play guitar, we didn’t have tab or platforms like Fender Play – now 50% off for Black Friday. No sir. Back in the mid-80s, you had go to a human for a guitar lesson (if you knew one and had the money), or you worked it out by ear (I, uh, didn’t have the talent ears).
Or you did the same as hundreds of thousands of guitarists across the world did: You bought an instructional cassette by Arlen Roth.
Arlen Roth was “the master of the Telecaster”. A columnist for this very magazine, no less. When they needed someone to teach actor Ralph Macchio how to play guitar for the movie Crossroads, they knew there was only man to turn to: Roth.
Arlen was probably the no.1 guitar teacher in the world back then, thanks to Hot Licks, his cassette series of guitar lessons. Eventually, he’d move into video but that was yet to come – I don’t think we even had a VCR. So I bought Rock Guitar, on tape, and I sat down with my Strat copy and got to work.
From memory, Arlen started us off with a simple blues riff. I knew a handful of chords, but this was new. I was picking notes and starting to get a nice blues shuffle going when, suddenly – and I’m talking 10 minutes into the tape – Arlen said something I just didn’t understand. I dunno what it was: his Bronx accent in my Scottish ears, or the use of a musical term I just didn’t get, I dunno.
But I couldn’t follow him.
I rewound that tape a million times to try and understand what he was saying. But… nothing. Bear in mind, this is the 80s: I couldn’t Google it. I was lost. I couldn’t move on to the next part, because I’d missed a bit. It didn't make sense. The chain was broken. I was stuck with C, F and G until the VCR revolution.
I think the same thing must’ve happened to Noel Gallagher.
All I’m saying is: YOU OWE ME ROTH!* I coulda been somebody. Instead, [Ray Liotta voice] I had to live the rest of my life like a schnook.
And you, reader: you don’t know how lucky you are in this world of tab and YouTube videos and platforms like Fender Play. 50% off for a year! It’s so much of a bargain that I would consider suing Fender for discrimination against old blokes. Except I’m gonna get it myself. Time to brush up on those blues shuffles.
*If you’re reading this, Mr Roth, sir, I’m only joking, clearly. You’re still the boss.
What is Fender Play?
It's coming to that time of year when someone in your family might be getting their first guitar – or setting themselves some New Year's Resolutions: "This is the year, I'm going to learn to play properly!"
Well, if that applies to you or someone in your family, Fender's Black Friday means that new users of teaching platform Fender Play get 50% off an annual plan.
Aimed at the beginner and intermediate levels, Fender Play is great for newbie guitar players who want to learn guitar, bass and ukelele or anyone with a few blind spots in their playing.
With Fender Play you get everything from step-by-step lessons for total beginners and bespoke lesson plans, to song lessons covering tracks by contemporary artists like Ed Sheeran and Billie Eilish, to heavy hitters like Pantera and Nirvana through to classic rock numbers from The Beatles and The Stones, back to Elvis Presley. There’s thousands more to work through. Put it this way, you’re not going to be short of inspiring material to keep you playing, especially at this price.
Fender Play also includes fun features such as the Chord Challenge, which will make sure you develop key skills like quick, tidy chord changes without getting bored. You also get access to the Fender Play community, which is full of players on a similar journey, and a great place to get – and give – advice and tips!
Whether you have 5 minutes or two hours, the range and volume of content aimed at every level of player means you'll be able to learn something new every single day.
For more great guitar deals, visit our Black Friday round-up
