Online music education -- and guitar sites in particular-- are booming behind broadband, the popularity of guitar games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and more than $1 billion in annual guitar sales driven by aging rock fans purchasing the guitars they couldn't afford when they were younger. With such a vibrant market, musicians, entrepreneurs, educators, and publishers are making it easier than ever to learn the guitar online.

Our online guide to rock stardom starts here, as we look at a wide range of pay sites, distance learning programs, and free resources that should get you in fine form with your trusty axe.

Turning Guitar Zeroes Into Guitar Heroes

In 1998, Jon Broderick was an IBM sales rep working on large accounts in California's Bay Area who also played guitar in a band in the evenings. "I wanted to get more technical, and so I just set myself up with a project to make a Web site," says Broderick. "I thought I'd make it about guitar, since I knew about that."

GuitarTricks provides video lessons in streaming and downloadable Flash.
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Broderick started with guitar tablature (simple guitar notation, or "tab"), making sure that every page also had an accompanying sound file. Ten years later, he's the full-time Web master of GuitarTricks ($14.95 per month), with over 3,800 lessons and an average of 63 new ones added monthly.

You can sort through lessons by style or inspiration (from Chet Atkins to Zakk Wylde), or for specific topics related to scales, chords, techniques, exercises, and theory. The scale of the site can be overwhelming, but starting with a comprehensive Beginner's Guide it's easy to find something fun and challenging at any level.

Some videos have a conversational tone, but most get right down to business with a close-up riff played once in real time and again in slow motion. Image quality varies based on how much lighting the instructor has in his or her living room, but sound quality definitely isn't a problem.

In line with the original vision of the site, just about every lesson includes audio (with Flash and MP3 options) or video (in streaming and downloadable Flash) with A-B repeat and full-screen modes. Joining the site also gives you access to a useful metronome with a "speed drill" mode, a software guitar tuner, and an external video player for downloaded clips.

But no matter how much you practice, it's hard to improve without feedback from others. That's one reason Broderick also started MusicianWar ($5 per month), an online arena for player vs. player performance. Contests are held across several instruments, techniques, and styles.

Each player uploads an MP3 that meets pre-arranged criteria and other site members vote for their favorite on the technical and melodic merits. "If you're a good musician who has a job and who's been playing at night in your bedroom, it's a good motivator to continue to improve and enjoy playing your instrument," says Broderick.