Learn music from the legends of rock during Coronavirus lockdown

By tsell on April 8, 2020

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Brian May of Queen performs onstage during the 2019 Global Citizen Festival: Power The Movement in Central Park on September 28, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Global Citizen)

Learn to make music from the legends of rock during Coronavirus lockdown

by Trent Sell

A number of us have found more time on our hands than we know what to do with, during the Coronavirus lockdown. With music being the creative outlet for so many, now is the perfect time to pick up a new musical skill or hone your craft. What better way to learn than from the legends of rock themselves.

A number of musicians and music organizations have been offering up free or discounted lessons to the public. Notable rock legends like Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Charlie Benante have released tutorials and lessons on youtube and their social media. Tutorials range from specific riffs of their own songs to covers of their favorites tracks. Instrument manufacturers like Fender and Gibson are offering free three month memberships to their online lesson content. Check out a few of them below!

Brian May

Brian May, guitarist of Queen, has been posting mini performances and close up videos of specific riffs on his Instagram. Like this one…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This is what some people would call noodling. Allowing the fingers to do the walking. I find it therapeutic. Self-isolation has given me an opportunity to do more of this. As the days go by, and the feelings of frustration and confinement become mollified by acceptance, Anita and I have done a lot of talking. We are both feeling that when this CoronaVirus cataclysm is all over, we don’t want everything to go back to how it was in the Old World. Yes, we want health and freedom for everyone – but we have now glimpsed a world free of so many of the abuses that mankind has imposed upon it. Do we really still believe that the destruction, noise, pollution, and encroachment on Nature are all justified ? Might we all have learned how to live more harmoniously with the planet ? As someone once said (approximately) … You might say I’m a dreamer, but I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on Apr 5, 2020 at 10:01pm PDT

Charlie Benante

The drummer of Anthrax has even created a whole series on his youtube channel, where he plays along with some of his favorite tracks. The series called, “Yo, Watch the Beat,” features him playing to songs like Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” and U2’s “A Sort of Homecoming.”

Learn to make music from these other legends of rock

• Roger Taylor (Queen)
• Paul Stanley (Kiss, guitarist)
• David Ellefson (Megadeth, bassist)
• Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses, guitarist)
• Gibson: They are offering a free, three-month premium membership through Amped Guitar, an app-based guitar class.
• Fender: They are giving away three months of free lessons to 500,000 people, when you sign up for their Fender Play program.
• Marc Ford (Black Crowes, guitarist): He is offering 30 to 60 minute lessons over Skype. More Info
• Carlos Santana: Discounted Masterclass
• Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, drummer): Discounted Masterclass