REVIEW: Bass Guitar Secrets by Alex Sampson

I happen to believe that learning to play bass guitar can improve your total understanding and feel for music. As a result, songwriters, rhythm guitar players and even lead guitarists can benefit from learning bass.

Also, bass players are often in short supply, so learning these skills can be a golden ticket into a great band.

Of course playing bass is great fun and makes anyone playing one automatically cool. (Come on, you know I’m right).

If any of the above appeals to you, then you might want to take a serious look at this review of Bass Guitar Secrets instructional program by Alex Sampson.

The Goal of Bass Guitar Secrets:
As written by Alex Sampson: The Goal of Bass Guitar Secrets is… follow this link for the rest of the Bass Guitar Secrets Review OR follow this link to go to the company site for more information, samples, a free newsletter or to purchase Bass Guitar Secrets.

Guitar Chord Formulas: Learn Simple Formulas To Build Any Chord

Have you ever needed to know how to play a particular chord on your guitar but didn’t have a chord chart handy? Solving this common problem can be as simple as learning the formulas for building the different chord types. Follow this link for some basic tips for getting started:

Guitar Chord Formulas

Guitar Chords: Learn Simple Formulas To Build Any Chord

Have you ever needed to know how to play a particular chord on your guitar but didn’t have a chord chart handy? Solving this common problem can be as simple as learning the formulas for building the different chord types. Follow this link for some basic tips for getting started:



Guitar Chord Formulas

How To Learn Guitar Faster With Less Practice

If you really want to learn to play guitar well you must do one simple thing before anything else. You must learn how learning takes place between your muscles and brain. If you understand the process that your brain must go through to train your muscles your practice sessions will produce predictably effective results.

You have probably heard the term muscle memory. This is the process of your brain learning and storing a set of precise instructions for each group of muscles needed for every small task you want your fingers to perform on the guitar. When muscle memory is solidly established it becomes a naturally effortless and an almost unconscious act to play the guitar well.

These tasks need to be practiced at speeds that are slow enough so that you can consistently perform them perfectly. If you practice the guitar at a tempo that produces lots of mistakes you end up teaching your muscles how to play the exercise with the mistakes included. Unfortunately muscles cannot distinguish between playing with mistakes and playing without them.

Here are 12 tips for having practice sessions that will support the development of good muscle memory:

1. Prepare your whole body for the practice session. Practice while relaxed. Just like an airplane pilot checks over the plane prior to take off you should check your body for any tension, stiffness, tightness, pain or any discomfort. Tight muscles can become tighter during practice which can seriously limit the full range of motion needed to master the guitar. Even tension in the shoulders can travel to the arms and then eventually to the fingers. Stretch and warm your entire body before playing in order to stay loose. Begin practicing with slow, easy exercises to prepare your hands for more demanding new material.


2. Practice in a quiet, comfortable place where you are unlikely to be disturbed.

3. Commit to a specific time each day for practice. Begin each day with a firm commitment to a practice plan that includes the specific details of when, where and what to play.

4. Keep your practice sessions short, frequent and very specific. It is more effective to practice 20 minutes everyday than to practice two or three hours once a week.

5. Always practice with a metronome. Let me repeat that. Always practice with a metronome. It is surprising how often even good guitarists break this rule. Training yourself to play at a consistent tempo will make your music sound professional. This is valuable whether you plan to play just for friends at a party or in a stadium full of screaming fans.

6. Tune the guitar before each practice.

7. Determine your optimum practice speeds. For each part of a scale, exercise or song find the fastest metronome speed that you can play without making mistakes. Practice it for a day at 25% to 30% of that maximum tempo. Follow this with a day at 50% of maximum then another day at 75%. On day four practice at your old maximum speed. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that you have a new, faster maximum speed. Be forewarned, however, that this routine might seem ridiculously slow but, hang in there because it really will pay off.

8. Do not try to learn too many different things at each practice session. Practice only small sections of an exercise or song at a time. Working on an entire new song, all in one setting, makes it more difficult for your brain to cement solid muscle memories. Just like a newborn baby can’t handle an entire meal of solid food we need to practice only a few, small musical spoonfuls at a time.

9. Work on the problem parts not just what you already know. This may sound extremely obvious but there is a tendency for new guitarists to play the easy parts over and over while continuing to stumble over the problem spots.

10. Spend the first ten minutes warming up, then split the remaining time equally between new exercises and new songs.

11. Set aside some time to just goof around with the guitar. Make sure to inject a healthy dose of fun in each practice session. If you have been working on blues scales then why not put on some jam tracks or even your favorite blues CD and try to improvise a solo. Select a favorite song to work on at the end of each practice session.

12. If you plan to perform in front of people ... Perfect your songs in private then practice playing in front of sympathetic friends and family members. Create a practice environment that is as close to the conditions of your upcoming performance as possible. If you will perform standing up then practice that way. Tell your friendly practice audiences to feel free to talk and laugh it up during your practice. This will help you learn to become comfortable in a distracting concert environment. Consider recording your practice sessions with a simple home video camera on a tripod.

Opening night jitters can throw off your game no matter how well you know the material. If you have repeatedly practiced playing in simulated concert environments then the real deal can be a breeze.

The bottom line: in order to play well you must acknowledge how your body is programmed to learn then design practice sessions that are complimentary.

Recommended Guitar Lesson Program:

Learn & Master Guitar has earned CompareGuitarLessons.com's highest possible rating for beginner through intermediate players: Rated 10 out of 10.

This is a complete 15 DVD guitar lessons course for beginners through advanced intermediate players. The skills and styles covered go way beyond what we can cover in our free lessons; Acoustic Guitar, Rock Guitar, Classic Finger Style, Blues Guitar, Jazz Guitar and Country. This well produced program is authored by Steve Krenz, a 20+ year veteran guitar instructor, former player for "The Fifth Dimension" and current recording artist in Nashville, Tennessee, USA...

Click Here For My Detailed Video Review of Learn & Master Guitar.

OR Go To The Learn and Master Guitar Company Site For More Information or to Buy.

REVIEW: Blues Guitar Secrets

Question: What do Muddy Waters, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and John Mayer share in common?

Answer: besides having the distinction of being just a few of the many notable guitarists from the last 60 plus years, they also came from a Blues background or at least had a strong appreciation for the beauty of this mode of music.

Question: what do the musical styles of modern country, rock, metal and pop music share in common?

Answer: they represent some of the many musical genres that are often influenced by the Blues.
Blues Guitar Secrets

Besides the sheer fun of learning to play Blues Guitar it is also a highly recommended way to increase the musical tools that a student can use to write, accompany or solo with many types of music. Learning Blues Guitar can be a smart, educational progression for any guitar student with at least some proficiency with a few basic scales and barre chords.

The Purpose of the Blues Guitar Secrets DVD guitar lesson program is to quickly teach the student:

• 12-bar blues in multiple variations


• blues chords and progressions


• blues scales in all positions and keys


• improvising Blues Guitar Solos

What makes a great guitar lesson program?

1. A great instruction program will go beyond the limitations of just reading a book by offering clear audio and video demonstrations of each lesson.

2. The program’s author should ideally possess the following credentials:
- play well themselves
- have played in a band
- toured with a band
- recorded
- must be a gifted and preferably experienced, formally educated guitar teacher.

About The Author Dan Denley:

Dan Denley fits the above definition of the ideal guitar instructor well. He has been a member of 10 bands and has played in some large venue performances. Dan is a competitive music scholar, has a college degree in music and is a guitar instructor. He is also the author of the highly rated and successful beginner through intermediate guitar lesson program called “Amazing Guitar Secrets”, a Lead Guitar Soloing Program called "Lead Guitar Secrets" and a program called "Acoustic Guitar Secrets".

Dan has an easy to listen to voice coupled with a relaxed style of communicating. He wisely leaves in some playing mistakes while demonstrating the lessons. This is one of the reasons that makes Dan easy-to-relate-to and therefore effective in his teaching.

Who Will Benefit Most From This Guitar Lesson Program?:

Although learning to play basic blues guitar does not require advanced playing ability it does help if you are comfortable with at least one of the movable major or minor scale patterns and some barre chords. However, the Blues Guitar Secrets course will walk you through the Pentatonic and Blues Scales that are the fundamental building blocks of Blues music.

Is Blues Guitar Secrets For Acoustic Or Electric Guitar Players?

Both. Even though the author begins the course explaining the interesting details of his electric guitar set up, he demonstrates the lessons using a mix of both electric and acoustic guitars. One of the lesson sections is entitled “Acoustic Guitar Blues Riffs”.

The Contents of Blues Guitar Secrets:

(2) Blues Guitar lesson DVDs

(1) Jam Tracks* CD ( included in the Gold Edition only )

(1) Book - DVD Companion: Here’s All The Notation, Tab and Chord Symbols That’ll Have You Playing Like A Blues Master In No Time!”

(1) Book - “Mastering The Pentatonic and Blues Scales: Discover the Secrets To Creating Your Own Solos and Killer Blues Riffs”

(1) Book - Complete Step By Step Guide To The Jam Tracks* CD! - Includes tabs, chord symbols, fretboard diagrams and a complete theoretical analysis of each Jam Track* ( included in the Gold Edition only ).

(1) Progress Tracker

(1) Intro Letter

(1) Step by Step Guide: “How To Use Your Blues Guitar Secrets Course”

* Jam Tracks are comprised of short blues songs that create an opportunity to practice rhythm parts or improvising solos while playing with a recorded back up band.

A Partial List of The Lessons:

Intro To Blues Guitar

The Pentatonic Minor Movable Scale Patterns in 5 Positions

The Blues Pentatonic Movable Scale patterns

Blues Chord Progressions

Using Minor 7th, Dominant 7th, VI Major 7th, Dominant 9th and Minor 9th chords and scales as well as combination forms.

12-Bar Blues: Open Position Chords

Acoustical Guitar Blues Riffs

Classic Blues Solo Licks

Blues Runs

Solo Practicing Techniques

Adding Bends

Strumming Techniques

Using Syncopation

Bonus Videos

The Negatives:

Dan sometimes refers to a musical term before he defines it. A few of the author’s explanations of these terms are not crystal clear. This might occasionally frustrate the most inexperienced player but overall I didn’t find this to be a huge problem.

It would be nice if this course came with a protective case or organizer to keep all of the materials together. None of these issues are significant but rather are just minor annoyances.

The Positives:

• The author: Dan Denley is experienced at putting together effective guitar instruction courses like “Amazing Guitar Secrets”.


• The author: Dan Denley is an expert, experienced guitarist and a trained educator.


• The author: has a relaxed, organized and easy-to-relate-to style of communicating.


• This course takes the mystery out of how to improvise solos on the guitar.


• This course is easy to follow and understand


• Excellent use of close ups to clarify fingering chords and scales.


• Includes a Jam Track CD for developing essential skills for playing with a band.


• This course uses video, audio and the illustrated written word to appeal to all of the important senses when learning to play guitar. This is especially important if the student’s learning style requires more than reading a book alone can provide.


• This course is primarily a video course with written support materials and not the other way around. I have found that it is less effective and more difficult if you must first read an instruction manual then find a video snippet on your computer that supports the book lesson. I like the much richer experience of watching, listening then emulating a live instructor demonstrating an entire lesson. It is much more effective to use the instruction book only as a means to clarify the video lesson. Blues Guitar Secrets got this part exactly right.

The Price Analysis:

1. The Standard Edition is $127 USD, (as of this writing ), and includes all of the items mentioned above in the “Contents” section without the Jam Track CD or Book.
   
2. The Gold Edition is $159 USD (as of this writing ), and includes all of the items mentioned above in the “Contents” section including the Jam Track CD and Book.

Blues Guitar Secrets by Dan Denley contains the equivalent of 6 months to one years worth of guitar lessons if you were to space them out as if you were taking lessons from a local guitar instructor. A local instructor typically will charge anywhere from $20 to $50 per weekly lesson. Your minimum cost, ( not including materials ), at only $20 per lesson for 6 months would be at least $520.

The choice comes down to:
- the Blues Guitar Secrets DVD Program at $127 to $159 or
- a local instructor at $520 to $1040.

Guarantee:
Blues Guitar Secrets comes with a 90 day, unconditional, money-back guarantee.

The Bottom Line:
I can, without hesitation, recommend Blues Guitar Secrets for anyone that has basic guitar skills and a desire to learn the essential Blues Guitar basics including how to improvise solos. The course is organized, logical and priced right.

For More Information Or To Purchase Blues Guitar Secrets Click Here



About The Reviewer: John Mackinnon started taking guitar lessons over 40 years ago and still enjoys the learning process. His website, http://www.CompareGuitarLessons.com is dedicated to reviewing dvd based and online guitar lesson programs, offers guitar related articles, guitar resource links and a free newsletter.

Review: Learn And Master Guitar by Steve Krenz

"Learn & Master Guitar is serious guitar training. It is by far the world's most complete video instruction course for the guitar... it is the only instructional package you'll ever need for total mastery of the guitar. All you provide is the practice! "

About The Author: Steve Krenz, according to the Learn & Master Guitar web site, has a degree in music and has played professionally with a broad range of bands from symphony orchestras to the well known “Fifth Dimension”. Steve is currently an active guitarist playing and recording in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides having taught thousands of lessons to students of all ages and skill levels he has held guitar playing and music workshops all over the world.

I found Steve to be soft spoken and down to earth with out being boring. His matter-of-fact style of teaching made me feel like I could really succeed. His teaching was logical and thorough while moving along at a good pace. He cleverly offers short , fun and impressively inspiring performances as transitions between many lessons.

The Package: Includes 10 well produced DVDs that include 20 learning sessions, a 108 page companion book that follows the contents of each DVD and five Jam Along audio CDs that contain a full band playing all of the songs offered in the lessons. You can play along with the Guitar part or turn down the guitar by reducing the left stereo channel. The Jam along CDs were definitely the most fun of the entire course… a nice payoff to all the hard work. The package includes a well organized, convenient plastic case that completely encloses the DVDs, the audio CDs, and the work book.

The Lessons: Each Lesson is divided into three main parts; a play along video lesson demonstrated by Steve Krenz followed a video tips section that offers helpful information on useful auxiliary equipment, guitar maintenance and protection as well as how to pick out a guitar. The final section of each lesson is called the Workshop. This is a guided, play along practice session. I found the Workshops to be an ingenious way to learn exactly how to practice. This built in structure prevents wasting time. It’s almost like having your teacher helping you at every practice session without the additional cost. As far as I am aware, this is the only guitar lesson system with "guided practice sessions".


The Lesson Topics:

Starting Off Right
Reading Music
Notes on the 1st and 2nd Strings
Notes on the 3rd and 4th Strings
Notes on the 5th and 6th Strings
Basic Open Chords and Roll
Minor 7th Suspended Chords
Barre Chords on the 6th String
Barre Chords on the 5th String
The Secret to Great Strumming
Fingerstyle Guitar
Pentatonic Scales
Advanced Chords
Playing the Blues
Giving Your Playing Some Style
Electric Guitars - The Heart of Rock
Advanced Strumming
Going Beyond the 1st Position
Jazz
Soloing
All the Chords You Need to Know


Support: A members only website includes a discussion board for posting questions. Other resources, such as additional exercises are also available.

Children: The Learn & Master Guitar course is definitely appropriate for most children to learn independently from about 8 years old and over. Children under 8 years old may need some initial supervision at first in order to establish good habits and a good practice routine. They need lots of encouragement in the beginning which is often a time of hard work and the least fun. Once they get over the hump of learning to play a few notes and chords, the fun will follow. The author, Steve Krenz, states that it is possible to learn a few simple songs in just a few weeks. I found this to be a reasonable claim.

Beginners: This course is nearly perfect. It begins with the assumption that the student knows almost nothing about the guitar. First the parts of the guitar are named followed by a quick but smooth transition to the first two guitar strings and two chords. Simple songs are soon introduced to break up the tedious work of playing notes and chords smoothly. I found that I actually progressed much faster with the video lessons than when I had a conventional live teacher. The play along Workshop practice sessions are nicely designed to teach efficient and effective practice habits.

Intermediate Players: As an intermediate player I found new ( to me), material in about the 5th CD. I found that although I knew most of the beginner lessons I was glad they were there as a refresher. The early lessons are a good reference.

Advanced Players: Someone that has played many styles of music over a long period may have to travel quite a ways into this course before finding something new. Probably the biggest advantage to an advanced player is to pick up knowledge about guitar styles that you may not have tried yet. This course is also a good resource for review. However the $200-$250 price tag is not likely to bring nearly as much value to a seasoned pro as a beginner or intermediate player. A less expensive and more targeted “internet only” course would save a lot of money and might offer more in-depth coverage of an individual guitar style, ( Jazz, Funk, Blues etc. ).

Guitar Teachers: I believe Learn & Master Guitar would give a student a distinct advantage maximizing practice time between your live sessions. The video workshop sections of each lesson would teach efficient practice skills because each practice session is performed in unison with the video teacher. I can see this cutting off bad habits before they have a chance to become ingrained. This could should move students along much faster than if they are left to their own devices between Live lessons. Better practice time should help the student progress faster.

Minor Negatives: …and I do mean minor. The book doesn’t lay flat. A wire binding would solve this problem. The special style sections for Jazz, Blues, Funk and Country Chicken Picken were well done but too short. I really enjoyed these style sections and was able to pick up a few fun beginning skills. I was left feeling hungry for much more. Because this is a general guitar course that covers a very broad spectrum it is not reasonable to expect every thing under the sun to be covered in exhaustive detail.

Money Back Guarantee: If you are not satisfied with it for any reason, simply return it within sixty days for a full refund of the purchase price.

Payment Options: 1, 2 or 4 payment options

The Bottom Line:

Learn & Master Guitar easily earns my highest rating of 10 out of 10 points. It is one of the best general guitar courses I have ever seen. It has been designed to suit many different learning styles and is the only Guitar Lesson Program with "Guided Practice Sessions". It involves no set up. Just grab your guitar, pop in the first DVD and everything is on autopilot. It's simple, fun and jammed with tons of lessons, songs and tips..... but, best of all it really works.

For more information or to purchase Learn and Master Guitar click here.