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Welcome to Guitar System123 - “The Fastest Way to Master the Guitar”
The official site dedicated to the Guitar System method books and training program.
About the Author - Dana Starkell:
Although best known for the world record canoe trip I made with my father from Canada to Brazil,
I recently became one of the top performing guitarists in the United States according to the GigMasters rating charts. I’ve released six solo guitar albums and have been teaching the guitar for over 30 years.
About the Guitar System books:
A three-volume guitar method for the 21st Century; here’s a brief history:
At age ten I took guitar lessons for about 2 years at a private music school not far from where I grew up in Winnipeg, Canada. My teacher was cool and I enjoyed taking guitar lessons. Overall, he left me with a lasting positive musical experience. I loved music, and by the time I was 18, I was playing in local bar bands and acquiring an interest in progressive jazz and classical guitar. It was at this time that I first became aware that I had some serious limitations to my playing due to poor technique.
Over the years that followed, I slowly pieced together the fundamentals of good technique through a combination of masterclasses (Christopher Parkening), master guitarists (including my good friend Michael Daher who is one of the top classical guitarists in Canada), books, guitar festivals, etc.. With this knowledge, I immediately began to create a system that formalized the teaching of these rudiments. My primary mission was to develop a system that teachers could use to help their students get it right at the beginning, regardless of the style of music they played. An optimized system that would save time by focusing on correct principles from the start.
After forty years, it amazes me to see the same popular guitar methods being used today. Few of these books teach anything significant regarding the fundamentals of proven technique. In fact, the few diagrams and pictures they do include are often contrary to the principles adhered to by most master guitarists. This may lead to learning bad habits in the early formative years and make acquiring a solid foundation on the guitar very difficult.
The Guitar System was developed as a solution to the current lack of a first class guitar method and to take learning the guitar in a new direction. Fretboard proficiency, sight-reading, and technical skill are integrated into a structured program designed to inspire both new and experienced guitarists alike. A system that leads students from beginner to advanced levels of playing while learning the foundational skills essential for mastering the guitar.
The Guitar System method books were released for the first time in the fall of 2008 to a limited number of teachers. Since that time, I’ve received excellent feedback from both teachers and students. This feedback has helped me further refine my system for the newly released 2010 editions.
Dana Starkell