Houston, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/25/2014 -- According to information released in a study by the American Psychological Association, playing any instrument from a guitar to a saxophone as a child keeps the mind sharper as a person ages. Because studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it apparently creates connections within the brain to help compensate for declining cognitive abilities as individuals age. Experts go on to say there are a number of added benefits to learning an instrument in later years, too. According to Suzanne Hanser of Berklee College of Music in Boston, making music has been linked to lowered blood pressure, decreased heart rates, reduced stressed and lessened anxiety and depression. Additionally, evidence shows it enhances the immunological response enabling musicians to fight viruses.

With these benefits in mind, Paul Perry owner of Guitar in a Nutshell has created an online, affordable option for those unable to participate in traditional private lessons. Says Perry, "Playing the guitar can bring so much pleasure to old and young alike. But quite honestly, not everyone can afford to pay for personal one-on-one lessons. While I was working as a professional guitar teacher, I gained thousands of hours of experience teaching men and women, old and young alike, how to play the guitar. I quickly learned that most beginners are very much alike in terms of the problems and difficulties they face when learning to play guitar."

Channeling the difficulties his students had, Perry was able to develop a syllabus and create an easy to use teaching system for online guitar lessons. The system utilizes videos and software to help his students get started and then move beyond the dreaded beginner stage. Perry explains, "I call it the improver level. Many people get stuck as beginners and just never make it any further. They just never seem to be able to put it all together. This level of my course is designed as the perfect transition out of beginner guitar and into what playing guitar should really be about."

Perry says learning to play an instrument shouldn't have to be hard. "We offer the easy way to learn to play. Everyone should be able to reap the benefits of the guitar and that's just what we offer. I teach guitar chords very differently to what most people probably are used to and therefore, students are going to get some very different results. Online, I spill my guts on every tip, trick, essential strum and shortcut I know, so my students are in for a lot of what I call 'a-ha' moments. What I’ll show students will set them up with the absolute best foundation on the guitar possible, and from there the sky’s the limit."

About Guitar in a Nutshell
Guitar in a Nutshell is a website dedicated to making learning acoustic guitar as easy as possible for beginners using a combination of video lessons and custom software. The company offers a specialized method for learning guitar, with perfect methods for beginners or those having trouble getting started. Online since 2007, the site has grown into hundreds of lessons and is well-known for being one of the best methods for beginners wishing to learn acoustic guitar online.