Cyber Riffs: Guitar Coalition: Free, big fun and you might learn a cool, new lick

The Guitar Coalition is a "portal" for guitarists, music fans and more. While it features copious links to music, musician. and artist resources on the Web, it also creates educational and interactive content that stands alone. What's more, it's free.

Their mission: "In June, 1998, a group of experts in guitar music and technology joined forces to form the Internet Guitar Coalition . . . A guitarists oasis on the world wide web with screened and approved links, unique original multi-media content, and cutting-edge technology. Further, the Internet Guitar Coalition presents the finest guitar instruction available enhanced with the innovative Riff Interactive technologies."

And it is the free, exclusive "Roots of the Electric Guitar" series that is most compelling. Now featured is "The Gibson Story". This chapter is a multimedia tour featuring the instruments, the artists who made them famous, the sounds they created and interactive guitar lessons using Riff Interactive tab software.

The presentation is organized into three categories: Instruments, Guitarists and Guitar Lessons. Beginning in 1932, the chapter focuses on the guitarists and their guitars including Charlie Christian and the ES-150, T-Bone Walker and the ES-250, Howard Roberts and the ES-175, and Joe Pass and the ES-175D.

Current links will take you to a history of the ES-150, and a biography of Charlie Christian including a visual "NetShow" on a player you can download. There's Real Audio of his sound and style on the classics "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Benny's Bugle" with accompanying lessons of his favorite melodic figures for study.

Most exciting is the Riff Interactive technology which the "student" can download and control with the plugin provided. You'll see and hear how Christian applied those signature, melodic figures in different contexts. That's right, see on a tab/guitar neck and hear through Real Audio you can control.

To check out The Guitar Coalition first grab your guitar and click here now.