In the early ’90s, E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren participated in a “rock and roll fantasy camp’’ sponsored by VH1 and discovered he really enjoyed teaching. Since he often finds himself on the road, Lofgren decided he would start offering lessons the new-fashioned way, via the Internet. For $20 a pop, wannabe ax masters can download Lofgren’s lessons, which come in varying skill levels and languages. We sat down recently for a lesson and a chat with the journeyman guitarist - who has played with everyone from the Boss to Neil Young to Branford Marsalis - about his desire to share what he knows.
Q. You’ve been doing this for about a year, right? What was the inspiration?
A. For decades people have come up and said, “I’d love to play rock guitar for fun, but I’m not allowed to because I have no talent, I have no rhythm.’’ And I was like, who told you that? A lot of teachers make it very complicated. It is gymnastics for the hands, so it’s going to be frustrating. And 10 years of studying classical accordion and about 43 years playing guitar and 41 years on the road, I feel like I have a lot of shortcuts and tips to make it enjoyable.
Q. How would you describe your teaching method?
A. In the name of having fun and making music right away, I’m jumping all over the place. Usually there’ll be some theory I include, and I warn people you don’t have to memorize it. It’s about playing right away and enjoying the gift of music. All the other stuff is secondary to that. It was like a magical kingdom to me when I learned the blues scale. There’s almost no combination of bad notes if you’re playing a blues progression. There are keys to the kingdom, so to speak, that a lot of teachers just make you wait [for]. I’m like, no, no here’s the keys, let’s start having fun.
Q. What’s the most common rookie mistake?
A. Whatever you’re trying to learn you won’t be able to do it initially, and the rookie mistake is just failing at that for hours, days, and weeks on end instead of giving yourself permission to find something you can do.
Q. For the person who doesn’t have a lot of time, how much practice is ideal?
A. My advice is if you’re starting off and I show you a chord or two that you’re not going to be able to play for weeks or months, practice it for five or 10 minutes and when you start getting cramped and frustrated stop. And then go to the fun one-finger stuff; play along with me on the video. The theme is balance the hard work and the frustration with the enjoyment. With sick parents, kids, crazy bosses, pets, everyone is so stressed for time that this is not a race. You have to balance the two issues, fun and frustration, and err on the side of fun.
