Comments from readers of Blues Grooves for Beginners and Beyond.
"A lot of great ground was covered in 'Blues Grooves.'
comprehensively written and very clear.
"I've greatly enjoyed the material presented and have
learned many new things that I hadn't experienced or thought of before. A
valuable addition to my educational resources.
"Paves the way for progressing in a logical and
easy-to-learn manner of playing rhythm patterns/progressions over the
complete fretboard."
- Frank "Silk" Smith, guitarist for Travis "Moonchild"
Haddix, notable blues recording artist. Playing for over 45 years.
"There is quite a bit to learn here. Absolutely
recommended. A no-nonsense, easy-to-understand introduction to the blues for
beginners, and a wonderful resource. The fundamentals have to be learned by
everybody and this is a great way to do it.
"I've been trying to understand moveable chords for a
while now and Blues Grooves has cleared up some of the theory involving
them.
"Shuffles are an essential part of blues rhythm guitar.
I recommend the shuffles section of Blues Grooves to all blues guitar
novices and experienced players alike.
"The explanations of the blues progressions were
exactly what I was looking for. The strumming patterns were extremely useful
to me, as I need plenty of improvement in this area.
"Other useful sections include those showing strumming
patterns; dominant 7 chords; and staccato techniques. I think all of these
are necessary if you want to be a good blues guitar player.
"Also useful: how to use the cycle of fourths to
identify notes on the fretboard and how to play bar chords. These are two of
my weaknesses, especially bar and movable chords.
"The Apogee Slide blues sounds so cool. And the blues
riff section was most interesting because it illustrates a great use for
hammer-ons and pull-offs. Loved the blues shuffle patterns."
– Andy Plarinos
"Definitely recommended. This shuffle section alone
will probably keep me busy for months.
It is all good stuff. I've known about shuffles for a
while, but I've not seen them covered in this much detail."
- David Renderer
"The explanation of the inter-relationships of the
chords within the keys was very useful and informative."
– Stephen McNally, Ireland
"Best way for a guitarist to learn theory. Covered
theory as seen from the guitar. Gives background required of every picker
and provides review material. Good approach and good diagrams, too. I liked
the progression from the easy to the hard."
– Doug Heard, Florida, playing for 40 years
"I'd especially recommend the chord changing exercises.
Those movable forms can be tricky but they pay off with great flexibility
once you have them down. That Apogee Slide thing seems like an interesting
idea for spicing up one's sound.
"One section of Blues Grooves covers three basic
elements of blues guitar: 7th chords, triplets, and staccato techniques.
I've never heard of anyone playing the blues without somehow using at least
two of these. I'd recommend Blues Grooves because it covers these topics.
The explanations are precise but still clear enough for a beginner to
understand.
"I'd recommend the section on the minor blues, which I
think is often neglected by beginning blues players. And the sections on
movable chords and rhythm blanks are valuable to guitarists of all styles,
so I'd even suggest non-blues players have a look at them."
– Michael Voelske, Germany
"I have been playing for about a year and wish I had
come across Blues Grooves earlier. It would have made playing the blues much
easier. The first few chapters get you started fast and are fun to follow.
"Blues Grooves taught me that not all notes in a 7th
chord are needed for a bluesey sound. You need only two notes. I did not
realize that, and find it very useful. I also learned about seventh chords
not being in the scale. I did not know this, and think others would find it
interesting.
"I also learned about playing triplet rhythms and
staccato playing from Blues Grooves. These are important skills. And Blues
Grooves taught me how to make my own strumming patterns.
"The material on moveable chords gave me quite a
workout. I really enjoy playing these chords. The Apogee Slide blues is fun
to play (and fun to say).
"I love how you put the melody to the playalong tunes
in Power Tab. That was a surprising and nice touch. Thank you."
– Robert Bidwell, Michigan
"All very clear and informative."
– Tom Littrell, Alabama. Playing for 25 years
"The beginning sections went at a good, slow pace,
which was helpful to me; I have only been playing guitar for a little over
one year. Thoughtful and well written."
– Jim Challenger, Illinois
"Playing along with MIDI files was fun. It almost felt
like you are playing with a band. And the explanation of chords and rhythm
was very clear and easy to understand."
– Richard Means, California
"A great job. Blues Grooves starts out for beginners
and progresses fast enough to keep everyone interested.
"So many other lessons lack playalongs, which can leave
beginners feeling lost and overwhelmed. But Blues Grooves has playalong
files, and Power Tab files. And the playalongs have melodies, too."
– Ronald Emery, Ohio
"Gives a good, simple explanation of the basics. Clear
diagrams. Very informative and clear even for a beginner.
"Using Blues Grooves, I'm now building up a selection
of useful chords and rhythms, and also a better understanding of scales and
notes involved with different types of chords.
"I found the section on movable chords particularly
useful. Another useful section was the one showing you how to learn the
notes of the fretboard from the cycle of fourths."
– Dave Staff, Midlands, United Kingdom
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