Cheap House of Blues Presents: Blues Guitar Course Discount Review Shop
This is a review of "House Of Blues Presents: Blues Guitar Course." This product contains the DVDs from "Learn to Play Blues Guitar Level 1" and "Learn to Play Blues Guitar Level 2." Beware: The Level 1 and Level 2 DVDs are sold separately, yet each one (by itself) costs more than this combined course. In other words, if you buy Level 1 and Level 2 separately, you will be paying more than twice as much as the combined course.
The "Blues Guitar Course" comes with a full-size booklet, the Level 1 DVD, the Level 2 DVD, and two backing track CDs (so you can learn by playing along with drums and bass). Backing tracks can also be downloaded from the website.
I have many Rock House guitar instruction products (such as Rock House Learn Rock Guitar - beginner, intermediate, advanced). As with all of their DVDs, the production values are very high. As with all courses I have seen with instructor John McCarthy, the instruction is very well designed (building from simple to more complex knowledge and skill) and instruction is very effective.
Level 1 DVD: Tuning; chords for blues progression in the key of A (both open chord and barre chord versions); fingering patterns for pentatonic scale in the key of A minor (teaches the 5 basic patterns which can be moved up and down the fretboard for any key); picking; techniques such as bending, hammer on, pull off, slides, and vibrato; blues lead; 12 bar blues progression; example blues riff.
Level 2 DVD: Blues in the keys of E and C, pentatonic scales in the keys of E and C, advanced bending techniques, jazz chords, jazz-blues fusion, lead techniques, advanced blues rifts, combining major and minor scales, sixteenth note lead patterns, circle of fourths.
I only have one criticism of this course: John does not spend enough time teaching vibrato. He basically just demonstrates a vibrato, and then tells you to practice until you can do it. A popular free video website has much better instruction on vibrato. I think this professionally-produced DVD should have provided instruction at least as good as those amateur videos.
This is a great course. Highly recommended. Also consider supplementing this course with the booklet "Blues You Can Use" by John Ganapes. For considerably more money, try "Learn & Master Blues Guitar" (by the same folks who make the great "Learn & Master Guitar" course).
While this DVD is a stand-alone course, it is probably best to have finished another beginner course before taking this blues course (such as the Rock House DVD or Fender's "Getting Started on Electric Guitar").
Cheap "House of Blues Presents: Blues Guitar Course" Discount Review Shop
