HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES VIA THE WEB

The net changed music - buyers switched from CDs to MP3s. Artists followed, sidestepping record companies to sell directly to fans. But the web also changed the way music is created. You can now learn, jam and record online.

Even as recently as a decade ago, if you wanted to buy and learn an instrument, your musical journey usually began at the local second-hand shop. Guitars, amps and a few other battered instruments would be piled in dusty confusion and it was up to you to pick a bargain from a lemon. Of course, if you had the money, you could buy new. But that was a big investment for a beginner, especially if you then had to pay for music lessons as well.

How times have changed; new instruments are much cheaper and the internet has made buying them a breeze. Locally, we have Trade Me if you still want to find that used gem. Otherwise you can visit online retailers such as Music Mania (www.musicmania.co.nz/index.php) or the Rock Shop (www.rockshop.co.nz) to buy new - they even deliver.

TRICKS FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

With instrument in hand, the next step is getting lessons. You can't really replace face-to-face lessons, but you can use the net to cut a few corners such as learning to tune (www.get-tuned.com) or maintain (search for ‘music education' on www.about.com) your instrument.

About.com is also a good place to start for beginner lessons. It has free video tutorials for electric or acoustic guitar, covering basic chords, the blues scale, power chords and much more.

But the real teaching goldmine is YouTube. Simply search for "lessons guitar" (or insert the instrument of your choice). There are literally thousands of videos on notation, chords, playing techniques and pretty much anything else you might need to know for guitar (acoustic and electric), drums, keyboards and dozens of other instruments, such as harmonica, trumpet, saxophone, ukulele and so on. (Check out UK teen ukulele maestro Matt Haaaaa at www.youtube.com/user/MattHaaaaa playing MGMT's Kids).

The downside of YouTube is that video quality can sometimes be a bit patchy. The more professional music teachers generally use quality sound and camera equipment - and it shows. The do-it-yourself experts, such as Matt Haaaaa, are more inclined to rely on built-in laptop cameras and microphones to get their message out.

But what these backroom tutors lack in high-tech recording gear is made up in energy, humour and being ahead of the latest music trends. Not for them endless chord progressions or percussion note subdivisions. These evangelists want to help you unravel the music you want to play.

MASTER  CLASS

Of course, nailing the basics is vital, and if you're serious about mastering your instrument, the web can help you. Again, YouTube has thousands of free step-by-step guides covering a multitude of instruments and playing styles.

But companies such as Gibson (best known for its guitars) also provide dozens of free beginner, intermediate and advanced video lessons for guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, dobro and drums (www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Lessons).

Okay, so you've used the net to help you buy your instrument, and you've mastered the basics of your instrument using free web-based music lessons. Now it's time to master that song you've always loved. Once again, the web has the answers at your fingertips. Chances are thousands of other music lovers feel the same way about that favourite track and will have uploaded the chords, tabs (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablature) and lyrics for free.

Googling the song, artist or album name will bring up links for lyrics or tabs, or you can go straight to dedicated sites. Some of these, such as Lyrics.com (www.lyrics.com), LyricsFreak (www.lyricsfreak.com), Ultimateguitar.com (www.ultimate-guitar.com), or PJ's Guitar Chords and Lyrics (www.iol.ie/~murphypj) boast hundreds of thousands of entries. Other sites, such as MXTabs (www.mxtabs.net), specialise in music tabs for several instruments.

A word of warning though: lyrics and tabs published on these sites are usually what other fans have worked out for themselves. They may not be exactly what the original artist recorded.

MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE

So you've practised hard, you know your way around your instrument and can belt out some of your old favourites. It's probably time you started jamming with other musicians.

You could take the tried-and-true path of forming a college band and belting out tunes in someone's garage. Or you could turn to your trusty computer for some alternatives.

Following the success of social networking sites, there are now dozens of music collaboration sites offering to hook up musicians wanting to jam, record and produce music together. Taking advantage of high-speed broadband and the availability of cheap recording hardware and software, sites like Indaba Music (www.indabamusic.com), eJamming (www.ejamming.com), Kompose (www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/home.music) and Minimum Noise (www.minimumnoise.com) offer collaboration options for musicians around the world.

Different sites have different requirements: eJamming is software that promises "near zero latency" (in plain English, it almost works in real time - for which the rhythm section will sincerely thank them) for up to three collaborating musicians and can be downloaded for a 30-day free trial.

Kompoz is more like a social networking site. It's free to join and members can record tracks using GarageBand, Pro-Tools or similar software. You then upload tracks and invite the Kompoz community to add drums, bass, vocals or anything else.

Minimum Noise takes collaboration a step further by enabling payments for musicians. To be paid, Minimum Noise musicians must participate in projects. You upload a recording that either illustrates your talents or completes a composition already uploaded by another member. If that other member chooses your work for their project, you receive an agreed payment. The system is open to audio producers, as well.

DOWNLOAD FANS

Now there's one final step: getting your music out to potential fans.

As you all know, there's no better tool than the internet for mass marketing on a budget. If you play your cards right, you'll be picked up by a pay-per-track distributor like iTunes or New Zealand's own Amplifier (www.amplifier.co.nz), or by a subscription site like eMusic (www.emusic.com).

But, if you just want to keep fans informed of gigs, new releases or even what you did on the weekend, MySpace seems the web vehicle of choice. There are multitudes of examples, but Auckland group The Naked and Famous seem to have the formula right (www.myspace.com/thenakedandfamous) with a selection of streamed recordings and links to their own and other musicians' websites.