If you’ve read many of my emails or lessons, you’ve probably heard me talk about “looking at the road and not the wall” when you practice.

What I mean by that is like race car drivers looking at the wall and thinking “oh I hope I don’t hit the wall,” you’ll end up sounding like what you play along with.

If you always practice alone, and only hear what you are playing, and you are playing it wrong, it’s going to take a lot longer to play it right than if you play along with someone else who is playing it right. That someone else doesn’t have to actually be there, it could be the recording of the song.

To that end, I made a video of how I like to play along with things using the loop and tempo functions of the Riffmaster Pro program. You don’t have to use that program, it’s just what I use and it is the best thing I’ve found for this purpose. I sure wish I had it when I was learning, that’s for sure.

Also, if you have Riffmaster Pro, but haven’t figured out how to get the tracks from the CDs into the program, I show that as well.

Learn more about Riffmaster Pro


    187 replies to "Using Riffmaster Pro To Look At The Road"

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    • Jim Heaton

      Thanks griff for another great lesson

    • Sean

      Thanks Griff. ASD (Amazing Slow Downer) is also available for the PC. FYI.

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    • Michael Chappell

      Great Griff,

      Sometime I buy equipment when I am not ready for. This seems like a very good tool Riffmaster Pro. I will check it out once I am at a confident stage.
      Thks for this info.
      Michael-Sydney -Australia

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    • Phil

      I propose that we BGU members and any other Blues brothers and sisters who wish FORM a COMPANY, hire a programming guru or several, and pay them to MAKE us a program that does it all: separate the guitar solo part so we can manipulate it, also manipulate the rest as a backing track, SEE the VIRTUAL TAB as it SHOWS what we need to see (Standard Notation as well), slow it down, pause it, loop it, whatever. Make it USER friendly, USER programmable to do whatever we want, show us the lyrics, the chords, the notes; the sky is the limit (actually the only thing that limits us is whatever protection is on the CD or the download, and as long as we don’t infringe on copyrights).
      ANYONE else out there want to collaborate?

      • Russ carre

        Slowly getting the hang òf this technology thing. I use a Tax cam gb 10 phrase trainer. Best wishes Russ.

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      Thanks griff, great idea, something seriously worth looking into thanks for the tip.

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    • Slow Down Music Girl

      Hello, I am a singer/songwriter who has experimented with many slow-downers over the years, and the best one I have found to date is Song Surgeon software. Although Riffmaster Pro offers good quality, Song Surgeon is much more sophisticated in what it can do and offers a variety of extra features. See my website to compare slow-down software. Thanks!

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      …or, you could put the record on, slow it down from 45 rpms to 33, and continually lift and reset the needle a bunch of times till you get it! Oh, wait, that was 50 years ago!

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    • Ian

      Thanks for the info Griff. Riffmaster looks really good but would like your opinion on Riffstation ( http://www.riffstation.com/?gclid=CICWuOv50cECFZQZtAodqhQAlQ ) a similar app but with a few more functions. Would like your feedback on this one.

      • Vadim

        Ian, (Not Griff here) Riffstation is the same but different. If you already have it, it will work as well with, as you stated, more functions.

      • Zap

        Ian, I have Riffstation and use it all the time. It is an excellent tool for doing exactly what Griff is talking about in this blog. I love Riffstation and use it all the time to help me learn rhythm parts as well as learning solos from BGU courses. I highly recommend it. I use it on my iMac and have no problems at all using it.

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    • Allan Schrattenholz

      Hi Griff.
      Riffmaster Pro is a great program. During time, things develop, and i would definitely recommend Capo, which i just have bought. You can have your iTunes songs analyzed and get all the chords used in the song. You can slow down or speed up, your songs as well as change the pitch (like the capo used on your guitar). You can loop part of the song while learning difficult areas, and much more like vocal reduction (graphic equalizer), chord recognition, tabs. Of course this program is no the definite solution. But for a affordable prize you can can get lot of help learning songs, transcribing songs and much more. Capo 3 sells for 29.99 $ at

      http://supermegaultragroovy.com/products/Capo/

      Even though it is only a small trial version, you can try it for free.

      Best regards
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    • Matt O.

      Griff,
      Very interesting video. Looks like Riff Master would be a very useful tool to have. I know what a looper is, I have one, but I didn’t know about all the other things that you can do with this one. Thanks for the info. Matt.

    • Jeffrey Goblirsch

      Thanks for this bit of information! I’ll give the Riff Master a try. Thanks again for continuing to share useful stuff! You are helping us all grow as a Guitar player!

      Jeffrey Goblirsch

    • Robert

      Hi Griff
      Thanks for the interesting emails.
      Cheers

    • Bob Moss

      Very useful tool,will help a lot.thank you..

    • Kalani

      Griff I’ve posted a forum question regarding Riffmaster and the audio CDs from the BluesGuitarUnleashed course. Riffmaster sees the disc but doesn’t display any tracks and Audacity shows the format as audio cd (.CDA) and wouldn’t load them either. I’ve used Riff on many of your courses and was surprised that I couldn’t use it for your BGU course, which by the way I would recommend to anyone as an excellent investment. My gut feeling is that I’m doing something wrong or missing something cause I can’t believe I’m the first to bring up this issue.

    • Paul

      Hi Griff, hope all is ok on your side of the pond? Weather is scorching here in London, but thankfully we do not have the fires you do in California!!! I was very interested in your clip regarding Riffmaster Pro, unfortunately it ended prematurely, the program stopped just as you were slowing the sample down so much of the relevant info was missing. How much does this gizzmo cost, and from whom does one obtain it?

      Regards Paul

    • gypsy gerling

      thanks griff. sounds like a great tool.once again i’ll have to decide if i want to eat or buy the program.(same decision i had to make when i finally decided to buy your bgu course)i love guitar..and the blues….and i could stand to lose a few pounds……………

    • Terry Dobie

      I have been getting e-mails for months promoting Song Surgeon (which is up to version 4 now) from James Todd. Does anyone know if Is this does the same thing or if it better?

    • Dave Mackinder

      I’m a newbie to BGU. Based on some stuff I found in your forum, I purchased a Line 6 UX1 system to record my practice sessions and check my progress, and (often unfortunately) hear what I really sound like. I usually use it with wireless headphones, which keeps peace in the house. They just recently (I think, since it differed even from what their ads said) started bundling Reason Limited with the UX1 system. I can’t compare this with other computer-based studio systems, but it seems pretty awesome to me. Included in the extensive functionality are the abilities you used above with RiffMaster Pro: looping, isolating and stretching segments of .WAV files. I’m currently listening to Freddie King’s “I’d Rather Be Blind”, just a 3-note lick, slowed down to about a third normal speed while maintaining pitch. Way cool. And the bundle was a great price at Guitar Center.

      And in general I’m having great fun both with the BGU course I bought and with the freebies you email frequently. Please keep it up; your enthusiasm and patient approach are great for an old wannabe like me.

    • Rattlesnake

      I just downloaded the ipad app of riffmaster pro for $6.99. Can’t beat that. The PC version runs $49 or something like that.

    • David

      There is also some software call “Slowblast” which is worth a look too. Very similar functionality – and works on Macs.

    • Jim Kubitza

      Griff –
      The software that I got doesn’t look anything like the software in your video! It works pretty much the same, does the same stuff, but it works differently than what’s in your video. It just doesn’t look as “fancy” as what’s in your video. But IT DOES THE SAME STUFF and THAT’S WHAT IS IMPORTANT! I will be using it a lot, and thanks so much for the great tip!

    • Jim Kubitza

      Wow! What a present! Thank you!!! I will be using Riffmaster Pro a LOT! The ability to slow the riff down without changing it’s pitch will be absolutely INVALUABLE! Not so much for stuff like B.B. King, but especially for really fast stuff like Roy Buchannan squirts out of his guitar (and squirts is an apt name for it), or finding some of those jazz-influenced double-stops that SRV uses … things like that. This little tool is just awesome and so simple to use!

      I just now downloaded it and purchased it. The process was a little confusing, it could be much better done, but I got it done … I think. It will be the best $50.00 I have ever spent!!

    • Jim Kubitza

      Hi Griff –
      I have been working on that little blues solo you sent in the email http://www.bluesguitarunleashed.com/solo-example-1 and have it down pretty good. The only problem is that full-step bend on the high E string with your pinky. My pinky simply is not strong enough to push that string all the way up a full step from the 8th fret … I have to start the bend from the 9th fret … or use my 3rd finger. Yet in your video you make it look so easy and effortless. So I am wondering what guage strings you use?

    • Paul

      Wow!! this has got to be more complicated that that! I gotta get one of these programs. I just can’t find any help in learning Tommy Bolin songs. This just might be the tool to help “me” figure them out!

    • Cesar

      I don’t have a Riffmaster, but what I did buy was the Lopper and I still don’t know how to use it. Taking it back today and it’s the dooble lopper two padles.

    • craigmmiller35

      For the MAC users Garageband can do this for you as well. At least I’ve used it to isolate measures and loop. Griff highlighted a feature I want to look for in GB which is the ability to slow down a song or section without losing pitch. I need to dig into Garageband and see if it can do it – would be super helpful.

    • paul korchuk

      Where do I download riffmaster pro: and I do not have member sign in instructions or a membership: windows xp version

    • Tom Jeffrey

      I don’t do windows, Linux only in my house.

      I’ve been using Audacity to do the same thing.
      Works fine and is FREE.
      To slow down the selection use the “Effect”, “Change Tempo” menu selection, not the “Change Speed ” control on the tool bar.

      I also use it to insert 10 seconds of silence in your play along tracks to give me a little break when I play them repeatedly. I like to copy the tracks to my computer so I have finer control than a cd player.

    • Tony

      Hay I have just gone to look at this software. In the add to cart section it has a choice of windows XP or windows 7 does this mean it wont work on my windows Vista. Do you have to download a version for each PC or can it be shared with your desktop and laptop.

    • Hal

      This is the older version-3, the new version-4 has an entirely different interfaced. I will not comment on how it works, since I need to get it working first.

    • Steve Rathbun

      This tip brought back some memories, now I am going to date myself. Back in the 60’s when I was looking a various guitar training material I purchased a couple of LPs called “Play the guitar with the Ventures”. In it was the LP plus tab pages for various rock and roll songs. They went through each song note at a time and played it slow for you and then regular speed for each instrument lead, bass, and rhythm. At the end they would play each song leaving out one of the sections and you could fill in with which ever you played. Example, if you played lead they left the lead out and you played the lead part and the ventures played the rest.

      We have come a long way.

    • Steve Rathbun

      Thanks. I didn’t know about this or anything like it.

    • Skip

      Thanks Griff. I will check this out as it looks like a great program. (And i can use all the help I can get 🙂 )

    • Karol

      Thanks for this video! I went to the website and was ready to plunk down $49, but discovered they have an iPad / iPhone version for $4.99! That would be more convenient and I can run it through my amp speaker as I play along. And thanks, Robert F. I didn’t realize my Garage Band app had that feature as well.

    • Robert Ferguson

      Think Garage Band does this too

    • Robert Ferguson

      Great system

    • LARRY BATES

      I purchased this item hope it works on the computer without a hard copy.

    • Mike

      Great program Griff, thanks. Thank you for the emailed lessons as well. I’m learning a lot faster than I was surfing guitar and tab sites.

    • Bill

      Got the Riffmaster Pro. Thanks, I can tell it is a keeper and will help in all aspects of learning a song.

    • LLTom

      Who sells Riffmaster pro? I like it!

    • Richard Bowers

      Will check it out & report later

    • Jim

      Hi Griff,

      I use Mac. Two things: Riffmaster Pro will work on a Mac that can run Mac OS X 10.5.x and above. Also there is the Amazing slow downer for Macs as you said which will work on Macs that are not quite as recent as 10.5

      Jim

    • Eric

      Hi Griff
      Great software!! Thank you for the heads up!
      FYI… Riffmaster Pro is available for the Mac……http://riffmasterpro.com
      …and thank you for rekindling my interest in playing again after 30+ years!!
      Next on the list is your CD series..
      Many thanks.

    • Ron Gann

      Hi Griff; I use riffmaster on your cd’s also the 4 note solo . it’s great ,sure helps to hear the song and be able to slow it down so I can keep up with you. also I have an App for my Ipad that allows me to use other amps and pedals , I plug my Guitar into my Ipad with a unit called ampkit link. it’s really awsome.

    • Andrew

      Hi Griff,

      I have a programme called JamVox which allows you to model numerous Vox amps and effects pedals and includes converting your humbuckers to single coils and the other way about. You can also loop tracks and slow them down or speed them up and they don’t lose pitch – very clever. You get a monitor with speakers that you can use on its own or you can take a line out to your amplifier and play really loud if you wish to. My playing buddy and I put two JamVox’s through my Fender two channel amp using one lap top and a PC and we can play our different modelled guitar sounds at the same time. You just import tracks from your PC or Mac and line them up. I agree with you that the looping is amazing otherwise when you are learning a part you either have to keep stopping and playing back or wait for the track to play and get on board the next time your part goes by. Just think, when Clapton was learning he only had vinyl and a turntable and had to keep dropping the needle in on the various tracks. How the world has changed.

    • Denis Moore

      A couple of weeks ago, January 9, I bought your package for Blues training ($171.oo). I’ve “played” guitar for 50 years. No lessons or instructions. I thought your package would be a good fit. But I’m not as good as I thought. I need something more elementry. Something to get me to the starting place in your Blues package.

      I have two questions

      1) Is there a website or a beginner package available? I’m having a surgery scheduled and I’ll be laid up for two or three months. A great opportunity to practice.

      2) I would like a suggestion for a guitar purchase. I have two folk guitars, a Yamaha I bought 1n 1966 and a Lucero electric acoustic I bought a couple of years ago. My other guitar is a Takamine 12 srting I bought in 1982. Pretty hard to bend on the 12 string.

      I’m 73, 6′-2″, 290lbs. and have very big hands.

      I’ve been looking online at guitars with a nut width of 1.75 inches. The Epiphone Masterbuilt EF500M is the lowest priced one with that nut with that I’ve been able to find so far.
      Am I on the right track? Or is there something else that you would suggest?

      Thanks for the help.

      Denis

    • Wilson Pierce

      What place do you purchase the “Riffmaster Pro” ? Music store, software store?—

    • Curt

      Works great for me after a little futzing to get music downloaded from CD (easy once figured out). There is also the “amazing slowdowner” that works OK and I believe it’s free.
      .

    • Dave

      Typical of the online guitar teaching sites where the video consistently stops right in the middle of the free lesson or whatever.This is very disappointing because I do not support BS. This will prevent me from ordering Griffs educational series.

    • robert bruno

      can you use mac garage player

    • MARK

      thats cool man i like it but the cake walk program is very similar which can be installed on any computer .it is also part of digitechs gnx 3000 guitar workstation . records edits plays back loops plays different tracks , all by working your foot pedal while playing . like you said no matter how you do it , just do it it really helps your playing plus its fun . thanks griff . rock on

    • Enid

      I’but will save this and when still on lesson 1 but I will save this for when and if I get that far.

      Thanks

    • tony

      hey man i use a digatec rp 7 got it back a few years ago its an antique compared to this riffmaster it is almost the same thing .you can slow it down the loop is about 7 sec at a time also it tells you what the notes are as you play along with the recording thru headphones . really what im doing is attempting to learn the basics and build my own riffs isnt that what we really want .compose our own riffs . a long time ago i took lessons .my teacher took a phone call i sat there an was playing the opening to stairway to heaven using extending courds to make up the riff. any way he heard it a begged me to show it to him .need i say that i didnt go back for more lessons student teaching teacher . not . cant tell you how to teach you students griff you do it well cause im learning always learn something every day.dont stop. even if you dont pick up the guitar, study an listen to music. i hope you actually read these.

    • Steve

      Is there a direct way of getting songs from my ITunes library or playlists directly into Riffmaster library?. I am tired of burning songs onto discs and uploading therefrom.

    • tracyanne

      quote – Simon Koumparos :: However, for anyone still unconvinced let me suggest a program called AUDACITY.
      It’s great and it’s FREE and does everything in your video EXCEPT slow down the track.
      It’s a good way to start using loops as you suggest…and if anyone then want to move up to Riff-Master… way to go! ::quote

      Audacity does everything Riffmaster Pro does, including slow doewn the track without changing pitch, at no cost. Riffmaster pro is not a step up but a step down. Audacity can do everything Riffmaster Pro does and a lot more. Including enabling you to record your effort as you play along, so you can play your effort back and see where you went wrong.

    • Bill

      This kind of reminds me of “Tefview”, have you heard of that Griff ? I’ll Google “Riffmaster”. There’s a lot of these tech things out there now and it’s really great. Thanks Griff for sharing all this cool stuff.

    • Simon Koumparos

      Hi Griff
      Thanks for yet another great insight into how you approach learning. I have to say I bought this last year on your recommendation…it does everything you say and it’s great value software.
      However, for anyone still unconvinced let me suggest a program called AUDACITY.
      It’s great and it’s FREE and does everything in your video EXCEPT slow down the track.
      It’s a good way to start using loops as you suggest…and if anyone then want to move up to Riff-Master… way to go!

      p.s. Many thanks for the video on your pedals Griff….I had to rush out and get a DS-1 and the Tube-Screamer.

    • Gene Rastignac

      How come everyone who posts here sounds like those lame middle-aged men who play with toy trains in their basements or wherever – I mean, a lot of cool blues guitarists here or what?

    • brig1113

      Hate to sound stupid but what is riffmaster pro? Is it a download program or something you buy?

    • Louey Hesterman

      Looks great Griff, a great practice tool- I will try and find it on the net- many thanks and
      Slainte, Louey

    • Dennis

      Griff,
      I use a couple of programs that are similar in function, although I think they are not quite as easy to use. The programs are Song Surgeon 3, and Video Surgeon. I like them a lot, but I have had the opportunity to get used to them. The bottom line is that you are correct when you say these types of programs make a huge difference when learning licks.
      Dennis

    • Brian

      I have just purchased RiffMaster Pro for my IPAD. Tested it out on several songs in my library including the solo examples from the Blues Guitar Unleashed course. It works great and easy to use. $4.99
      Brian

    • Richard(Mike)Michael

      I am using the RiffMaster Pro. It is absolutly great. I am learning the Solo #1 and it has helped me no end. I still can’t play it faster then 80%, but I am working on it. I learn a phrase at 60% then move up to 80%. Great way to learn. The program comes with a cool way to study the frets on the guitar, called fretpro. So thanks again for the suggestion. Mike

    • jon

      where do you get the cd with all those tracks?

    • J.M.

      I was reluctant to buy Riffmaster Pro but I decided to give it a try since it was at such a decent price. Being able to replay a certain lick and really hear the note changes really helps you visualize your fingerboard sequence. Thanks for your help Griff, Mike

    • Gerry Miles

      Hi Griff,

      I downloaded Riffmaster Pro and it really is a useful tool. The ability to isolate and slow down individual riffs or music passages is really helping me to improve.

      Thanks for the advise and recommendation.

      Gerry.

    • roy

      won’t download

    • Brad Danielson

      Does the software show the tabs anywhere or is it just for playing by ear?

    • Dennis Kelsey

      thanks for the great tool!!!

    • sarcextreme

      If you haven’t checked the new version of Song Surgeon, you should. Their PRO version is tremendous, definitely better than any other slow down music software depending upon how you use it. What I like about it is that you can set up multiple loop point and give each different loops settings… something that others cannot do. Also, there is NO distortion even at very slow tempos well below 50%. The sniffer module also allows you to download from the music site because it automatically detects the link and you can save the audio. They have a free working demo somewhere on there website: http://www.songsurgeon.com. Song Surgeon is sold with a 90 day, 100% money-back guarantee I was also convinced on the guarantee period reason I purchased one. But I’m sure you won’t need this because of its great features. You can get to register it up to 3 computers.
      Now I started learning guitar at a slow pace then slowly improving until I got to speed up. Thanks to technology it really make things easier.

    • Rob

      Hi Griff
      I have had an Akai CD player for many years which has a function called A-B repeat which allows you to isolate and repeat any section of a song. Just put in a CD and away you go. I guess it did cost a few hundred bucks though. Thanks again Griff for your immense generosity.
      Rob

    • peter busier

      got your email thanks
      after you start the cd that ends all sound.no more program.
      dial keeps spinning.can you help.thanks peter

    • Don McWilliam

      Hi Griff,
      After checking out a fair number of guitar training web sites I took the plunge and bought the BGU set, that was because the quality of your videos combined with tabs stood out, then I took a look at Riffmaster Pro. I bought the program and can say it is the icing on the cake. The functionality of the software is excellent for a beginner to get to grips with, and it definetly pays divideds with helping you to learn.

      All the best.
      Don

    • RodgerMeighan

      Hi
      I have just bought Riffmaster Pro and it is liscenced for two computers. on installing it on the second computer in my case my laptop , download it and click on the install on a second computer button, and thats it.
      Cheers
      Rodger
      Saltdean
      England

    • Gundula Stevens

      Hi Griff
      Thanks for the Riffmaster Pro demo, which seems to be great.
      Please let me know how to get hold of it and how much does it cost.

      Many thanks

      Gundula

    • Uncle Pete

      This is scary! I began my professional career in the 60’s….so this stuff is Sci-Fi to us old rockers! We used to alter the power to a turntable to change the speed, but of course the key was affected. This is SO coool !

    • RichS

      ANY BGU STUDENTS IN NEW JERSEY?

    • RichS

      ATTN: TMICHAEL: In the FAQ section of the RM website it says that the purchase of the program includes 2 licenses and outlines the steps to get it on a laptop.

    • Blair M

      I have both the Mac and the PC versions of Riffmaster Pro. Heath’s customer service is the greatest…..
      I use it for guitar, drum loops, vocal loops etc. This program works better than any I have tried for the uses that I use it for.
      I also use it to learn guitar parts as well.

      Blair

    • Jeff

      Hi Griff,

      I always enjoy your lessons. Riffmaster looks like a very usefull program for learning songs. I have some suggestions for alternatives that have not yet been mentioned.

      VLC Media Player will play pretty much anything you throw at it. In the advanced controls there is an A-B playback that will allow you to loop whatever part you are trying to learn. Under playback pull down menu, there is an option to speed up or slow down playback. It does hold pitch integrity while changing the tempo. VLC media player will do this with video as well, and even has a zoom in function. Best of all this program is totally free.

      For those of you who require the tabs to songs, I love the Guitar Pro software. With it you can loop any portion of the song, set the tempo to whatever speed you need, it even has a speed trainer that increases the tempo every time it loops. There are tabs for this software for nearly every song you can think of, most of which are free. Unfortunently, Guitar Pro is not free, but worth every penny of your investment.

      I hope this helps,
      Jeff

    • RichS

      At $34, what the heck. I can deal with it being on my main desk PC. Its in the room where I play anyway. I would like the control of moving to different computers since I would have paid for and own the program. I’ll probably get it and if I do, I’ll post what I come up with.

    • RichS

      TMichael, I was wondering the same. I haven’t downloaded (bought) it so I don’t know if it comes as a type of zipped file or “packet”. We would have to “save” it first and not “open” it which would install it. Then we would have to open it to run the file to install it but could move the zipped file to another computer by saving it to a CD. Are there any BGUers out there who could help?

    • joe

      slomo is agreat progamand video surgenon. is great to i like them. thanks for the in fo joetheshakerRBLEG

    • TMichael

      Great tool Griff;
      Can I buy it and download it to my main computer then move it to my lap-top where I do all my music??

    • joe

      Aloha Griff!
      I’m like Edward, 64 years young and still playing. I tried to use Amazing Slow Downer (trial program) but it is limited. I cannot read music however I don’t do bad on Tabs (once I know the tune and heard it) but that too will take awhile unless one is familiar with the tune.
      Mostly I learned by ear and once I got the root chord, then it’s not too bad. But the problem is playing along and I can see that if one can slooow down the tune it’s possible to get it and play along is more so positive in the learning. I’m a sucker for buying a lot of programs and finding them beyond my capabilities, then feeling defeated and give up until I’m inspired again by something new or someone.

    • Jack

      This software is for people who play by ear. No tabs so how do you know what notes to play. Beginners like me would have no use for this software.

    • Rick

      Hi Griff!
      I’ve been using Riffmaster for a couple of years (at your recommendation) and love it. Yes, there’s other programs like it, but not for the price, or they don’t have enough of it’s capabilities. One feature I really like is being able to save to a CD a slower version (or just a small part) so I can take it with me to practice away from my computer. It has helped me learn a lot of my favorite licks.

    • Johnny

      Hi Griff,
      I have been using Amazing Slow Downer for a while. It actually has lots of features that most people don’t know are there. A fav is to select a part to loop, then you can save it within ASD as “preset”. Then within a song you can have a into, verse, chorus, outro presets. It also will export your “song” as an mp3 in slowed down mode. Nice for sharing with others who have an iPod or something similar.

    • Scott

      For Don’s concern, if you only have 15 seconds of a solo to figure out, and if you’ve paid attention to the music theory discussions, once you hit even by accident just one of the notes you ought to be able to stumble into the rest of them. Then, it’s just an endless loop until every nuance is darn close to perfect. But, if your ear really is so bad you can’t even do this, you might want to think about taking up astronomy…

    • Ken Muller

      Hey Griff, I messed up my right hand changing a tire so it’ll be about a month before i can strum again, so far i’m watching the dvds and drilling the 6th and 5th string notes into my mind, your beginner course and playing through the blues corse is great for any guitar player, thanks, Ken

    • Tim Holder

      I got started about a month ago on Blues Guitar Unleashed and I am up to lesson 4 small chords and am really enjoying it. I jumped over to playing on the porch and go into the first lesson and had a great time with it and I use it for my warm up before I go back to the lessons each time. I have played guitar for about 30 years, and have always loved the blues but never had anyone to teach me how to play them right until I found your course! I thought I had tough finger tips until I started slides, pulloffs, bends, hammer on, etc. But it’s a good pain, thanks!
      Tim

    • Don Manson

      Hi Griff,
      The Riffmaster program looks very usable. However, what if you need tab in order to play along? I am not experienced enough to pick out the notes by ear. Thanks.

    • FUBAR

      GRIFF-WHATS UP!!
      I cant seem to get Riffmaster to bring up that page on my computer,is there a Riffmaster site i can go to and download from!
      Keep on Keeping on!
      Thanks David

    • John King

      Hi Griff. I have Riffmaster and it’s excellent. You can also slow down music with Windows M
      edia Player. Right Click top bar/Enhancements/Play Speed Settings (Win 7) Older versions have the settings in the options menu I think. Speed is 50% on older versions.

      Video Surgeon is quite good but very expensive. Another at almost half the price, but includes several free playalong lessons is Slow-Mo Director: http://www.slomodirector.com/

    • Jerry T

      Griff, Check out Video Surgeon (Videosurgeon.com I believe). This allows you to download videos (!) and then loop them,etc. but more importantly yo can slow them down just as Riff Master does, but you can see exactly how to finger, etc. at a very slow speed, so you can easily see the “flying” fingers at a very slow speed and also hear the song !

    • greg karlson

      Hi Griff\’, Cool program, thanks for sharing. I found another program on the net while I was researching some Mickey Baker licks. The site I found was using a (free version) of \"tabl edit\", this program gives you playback and looping functions, but instead of showing wave lines it scrubs through tabs, music notation, fretboard graphics, and also shows fingerings on the keyboard. The program also has a slowdown feature. I was very impressed at the way this program worked. I also hear alot of buzz about band in a box although I\’ve never used it.

    • greg karlson

      Hi Griff’, Cool program, thanks for sharing. I found another program on the net while I was researching some Mickey Baker licks. The site I found was using a (free version) of "tabl edit", this program gives you playback and looping functions, but instead of showing wave lines it scrubs through tabs, music notation, fretboard graphics, and also shows fingerings on the keyboard. The program also has a slowdown feature. I was very impressed at the way this program worked. I also hear alot of buzz about band in a box although I’ve never used it.

    • greg karlson

      Hi Griff’, Cool program, thanks for sharing. I found another program on the net while I was researching some Mickey Baker licks. The site I found was using a (free version) of “tabl edit”, this program gives you playback and looping functions, but instead of showing wave lines it scrubs through tabs, music notation, fretboard graphics, and also shows fingerings on the keyboard. The program also has a slowdown feature. I was very impressed at the way this program worked. I also hear alot of buzz about band in a box although I’ve never used it.

    • Don

      Thanks, Griff,
      I don’t have Riff Master, but, I do have the demo version of Amazing Slow-Downer and the Audacity program, as well as another one I can’t remember the name of lol. It’d be nice if I could get an explanation of how to use the Audacity one, since I could also record riffs with it.
      Your techno-idjiot Christian musician friend,
      Don

    • Don

      Thanks, Griff,
      I don’t have Riff Master, but, I do have the demo version of Amazing Slow-Downer and the Audacity program, as well as another one I can’t remember the name of lol. It’d be nice if I could get an explanation of how to use the Audacity one, since I could also record riffs with it.
      Your techno-idjiot Christian musician friend,
      Don

    • Edward

      Griff.
      I us Riffmaster and its great.
      But I found a better tool which really only cost a little more. Its called Jam Vox. The software is great as you can select different sound amps and effects. (Really Cool). I loaded your CD and thats how I pratice. Your are right, Playing along is the fastest way to learn. I also load a few instumentals songs from CD’s and have learned a few songs (By ear). You get a Small Monitor that can set on your desktop and plug your guitar in. I don’t have to use my big amp and with the headphones the wife doesnt keep yelling (LOL). But the Best part is its also an audio interface so I can Record all my Pratice sessions and monitor my progress.
      All so I bought BBG and BGU and I tell you I have learned a great deal with the BBG coarse and can’t wait till I can start the BGU coarse. I am 64 years old, retired and have lots of time to learn.
      Thanks your a great teacher!!!!

    • jon

      Audacity (Free) can do the same thing, though not as intuitively.
      I loves my Audacity. Great for recording streaming audio.

    • Shari

      Mac users can give Amazing Slow Downer a try. Not as fully featured, but gets the job done.

    • Wayne

      Griff, Acid Music Studio does have the same functions as RiffMaster and works the same with CD’s. Supports all file types that I have encountered. Current version is v. 7.0.

    • Wayne

      Griff, I believe Acid Pro software does the same functions as RiffMaster. I have it and I’ll let you know. The software is downloadable from the Sony website for a price of course.

    • Dedonarrival

      Try Winamp free version with the two free plug-ins Loop Master and Slow me down. I also use Total Recorder which enables recording of any sound on your pc which means you can record and save concise sound bites from tracks. It has a slow down facility also.

    • Leigh Newton

      Thanks Griff. That’s the sort of incidental information that can make the difference between breaking through and giving up.

      Thanks Hank for the reminder on Audacity. Just went back to it and figured out the equivalent moves.

    • Leigh Newton

      Thanks Griff. That’s the sort of incidental information that can make the difference between breaking through and giving up.

      Thanks Hank for the reminder on Audacity. Just went back to it and figured out the equivalent moves.

    • Hank

      In no way am I raining on Griff’s parade here, but there’s an open source (free) application called Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) that does most of what RiffMasterPro can do. It’s also available for Mac and Linux users as well.

      Keep up the great stuff Griff!!
      Hank

    • Ken Custer

      Thanks, I just got The Amazing Slowdowner for my Mac. It’s just what I was looking for. I’ve been using a metronome to help build up my speed from your slow speed to the normal (usually 110 bpm). But, this is going to be much better as I can play along and get it right as I build up my speed. Thanks for the tip–your timing was perfect.

    • Chris

      Hi…Riffmaster looks nice. I’ve used a couple others that do the same type of thing. To answer a couple general question in the posts. Amazing Slow downer does run on a PC as well. Audacity is free and will do this if your tight on funds however you need up the pitch when you slow it down. Again…if your tight on funds give it shot.

      One person mentioned they could not tell what notes to use. You’ll want a tab to help you out with that. Also check out programs like Guitar Pro or the similar but free program call TuxGuitar. These will play the tab and you can slow it down loop it etc..

    • Lutzy

      The one I use is WavePad Sound editor. It’s FREE, and does the same thing that RiffMaster does. It may not be as pretty but it works very nicely.
      It’s here: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

    • Cadmaster

      Theres a program I use put out by Sony called Sounforge.com that will do the same thing.

    • Duane

      Griff,

      I am a beginning guitarist. I am familiar with the basic major, minor and 7th Chords. However, I am unable to play by ear and unable to tell which key a song is being played. Would Riffmaster Pro benefit some one at my playing level? Also are there any programs that automatically transcribes songs I may trying to learn?

      Duane

    • Jimmy Swan

      Thanks for the help, I have enjoy it.Sorry I can’t afford the tapes.Maybe someday I will and I will get them. So i hope you keep senting me the free lessons . Your friend Jimmy

    • Sam Hill

      If you have a Soundblaster sound card, the media player software that comes with it, will do exactly the same thing, and it’s much simpler and doesn’t require reformatting the tune. You can slow the tune to a crawl (or speed it up) without changing pitch, and you can save a looped section as a separate recording while leaving the original recording intact. I think the Creative Media Player is one of the best kept secrets around for practicing.

    • Gator

      Wow Griff, Thanks for the hook up on the RMP, this is really gonna help with my harmonica practice time also, Support Live Music,HarpinGator.

    • curnc39

      Hi Griff,
      Just want to let you and others know that I’ve had the Amazing Slow Downer for several years now and it works very well on the Windows platform.

    • TonyD

      Hi Griff: I took a look at Riffmaster Pro and compared it to what I had been using and there is so much more in RMP that I purchased it right away and I have to say that I am very pleased with the features that it has. I would not be without it.
      Cheers,
      Tony

    • Milton Humphus

      thanks Griff , appperachite all the help.

    • Jess

      Griff: I purchased RMP after your last review, and I cannot tell you what a benefit it has been. I have a couple hundred tunes loaded on my computer, previously for listening pleasure, now for playing education. You have been very helpful to this old guy, and I’m grateful for your input. Thanks, my man!

    • mike neves

      Hey griff, did I see you doing a television commercial? I can’t remember what commercial but if it’s not you then you’ve got a doppleganger. Anyways, I’ve been playing in open G since I was 12 years old when my oldest brother went off to College and left an old piece of crap acoustic that was in Open G with strings that were a half an inch from the fretboard. I was working on standard tuning stuff like House of the rising Sun and Rock stuff from 1962. I went to Berkley College of Music in Boston for Piano and Guitar as a second instrument. I was on the fast track to success when I had everything boosted at a free gig, ( go figure) including a 1954 Gibson with a serial # ES-125. ( I’m 58 now). That guitar was a double width hollow body with f- holes. If I had that guitar today I could buy a house with it. Also, the theft put me out of business. I was playing in three bands. A rock cover band, a reggae band, and a high energy all improv jazz band. I hope you don’t mind hearing my sad story of woe. I have always played by ear. I think you are a great teacher and bluesman who is very generous with his free tips and stuff. Keep up the good work . Oh yeah, you’re the 1st player I have seen working the pedals barefooted. I’d be afraid of getting shocked!

    • Pablito

      Griff,
      Thanks for giving us ongoing advice on learning. I am making some progress with the and want to maximize my efforts.
      I have a Mac and Garageband. I have never used Garageband and don’t know it’s capabilities. Any advice on using this to loop and breakdown parts of a song?
      Griff, you mentioned "the Amazing Slowdowner" for Mac. Any Mac users with experience with this?

    • bishop

      hi griff again it me your friend wow that great u keep getting better and better
      that good thanks
      bishop

    • joe

      very good lesson how much ?

    • Tim

      Griff,

      Thanks ! Sometimes I think I have a wood brain and this is exaclty what I need to sloww training sessions down so I dont have to manually replay portions of tracks. This is definatley going to help me!

      Tim

    • peter

      I totally agree with that
      I recently found out that this is a must!! to do it
      the speed controller looks pretty handy.
      there’s always so many people replying on this page
      so it didn’t felt like that I needed to leave a comment here but
      I must agree on this one

    • squirrelette (eve)

      never heard of that one.
      looks great so will have to try that one next

    • John

      I also tried the Riffmaster website to buy . There is a message saying work is being done to the server. I got an email saying I would hear something within 12 hours but that was 2 days ago. Has anyone info. if the site is down and if so can the program still be bought.

    • Kevin

      This looks like it would be great, how do I get one and how much?

    • Hoss

      I have a computer loaded with guitar stuff,and that includes RiffMaster Pro 3.It’s a great peace of software.Hay thanks Griff.

    • Ken

      I bought Slow Gold last year and only used it to slow down riffs so i could figure them out. It has the same looping application but never thought of using it like that. Don’t need to buy another tool. Thanks for the idea.

    • Bluestonetom

      Hey …. Looked at the website, studied the program, decided to buy but appears that there are some problems with the buy options, and have been for at least a couple of weeks. Their site will not allow you to buy… Anybody know what’s going on??? Where/how do you buy this program?

    • Rick Carroll

      guitar pro 5 is the way to go it has the loop fast and slow to even gives you the tab.

    • Whooki

      Never used riffmaster, but NHC wavepad looks very similar.

    • peter (australia)

      brilliant griff, keep up the good work, im learning heaps from you ,,, i use cool edit pro to do very much the same thing.pete from oz

    • David

      Hi Griff,

      Just tried viewing the video on Riffmaster but it stops after a few seconds (just when you select track 23). Will try again later in case it is just a blip.
      David

    • hectr

      Hello, I use riffmaster it’s great, also I would like to tell you about songsterr.com excellant Tab site. Thanks griff

    • Helmut

      Hi, very interesting. Thanks for lesson.

    • Roland

      I looked at the Riffmaster site and viewed the video. It looked good. The only problem is that it is Windows only. Too bad! It would have been useful, but I only have Macs.

    • christopher

      I’ve been trying for some time tio play the guiter and i must admit i’m a lot better then when i first pick this guiter up but i’m not all there yet is there anyway easier of learning to play the guiter.

    • Rob

      Hey Griff,
      Love your stuff. Going to buy your course soon as i can afford it. Just thought i would drop you a line to see if you had heard of “Garage Band” for Mac? This programme you get for free, included on every new Mac(i have two). Its a lot more detailed, probably a little harder to learn, but AWESOME. You can drag tracks in from i-Tunes or cds or mp3s etc….play along…..record your own tracks….just practice without anyone hearing (you just plug your guitar straight into the computer). has built in tuner, change keys, tempo, metronome, the whole package

      I have a friend here in Australia who uses “Pro Tools” for Mac (the professional version of garage band) in his recording studio called “The White Room”

      If you dont have a mac and you play guitar, you really should look at getting one. They are the “artists” computer!!

    • Malcolm Smith

      Hy,I tried a copy of Riffmaster and yes it does everything you say, when to play, how to play etc but as a novice what it doesn’t do is tell you WHAT to play. By slowing down the segment that you want to learn you can eventually strike lucky and hit the right NOTE. but if you hit a segment with two, even three notes played at the same time its impossible. Example the track Baby What You Want Me To Do by Elvis Presley on the ’68 Come Back Special. a basic 12 bar blues but try as I might I could not seperate the bass runs from the other notes being played simultaneously. Yes a good programme for the accomplished player but as a tool to get you there it doesn’t go far enough. Can you suggest a similair prog that teaches the novice where he wants to go. Regards

    • Mike

      Just saw your demo! What a completely awesome tool! This hands-down beats the “Back-in-the-day”, “Looping” method of picking up the needle and setting it down one rev back on the LP, or pushing the play/rewind on the cassette over and over and over… And neither had the soooo critical slow-down ability. How lucky we are to have this technology!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

    • Ben

      Griff; Do you perhaps have any thing by way of “thrill is gone” in your play book that i could learn. Or BB king. Thanks a bunch, Ben. Keep up the good work…

    • Randy

      Hey Griff, I have had the Riffmaster Pro before I got the Blues Guitar Unleashed. It works very well; can’t say enough good about it. It’s easy to manipulate as well. Just wanted to share. Okay, now I gotta get back to my Riffmaster! Thanks, Randy.

    • Robert

      I agree with peter having a software such a Riffmaster pro has been a major element for me to get my playing where it is now I has given me a ton of new confidence knowing i can play anything I want. I’ve tried all of the suggestions from audacity (to fiddly) song surgon (not as good as riffmaster) and transcribe (you need a engineering degree to get it to work lol !) Riffmaster pro is the best 50 bucks i’ve ever spent

    • Peter

      Being able to slow down the riffs you want to learn is definitely a major help! For the low budget players like myself there are free options. Riff Master also offers a Riffster Lite Free version, which is great for getting a taste of just how helpful the technology can be. Audacity also has the capability to do this, although not as smoothly. For those with extra cash in hand, Song Surgeon has been marketing itself as the way to go. It also has a limited feature free trial version that can be used to good effect.
      No matter which you use, the technique is a real help. Like having a friend who is willing to play it slow so you can follow along and learn.

    • Mia

      *seen

    • Mia

      Hey,

      It looks like it’s really efficient. I’ve never since (or heard of) a program like that. I’d really need something like that, to improve my playing.

      Later…
      Mia

    • Roger

      Looks like a great learning aid, just as a point of interest you can do all you showed us on QuickTime player (at least on a Mac, don’t own a PC), that is to loop a selection and to slow it down without changing the pitch. All power to your elbow… err fingers etc

    • Bill from Liverpool

      Hi Griff, really great learning aid, I’ve never heard of it before, thats the great thing about BGU you pick up on all these great little ideas. Keep it going Griff. Bill

    • Thomas

      You are perfectly right.
      I am doing this with YOUR notes and videos on
      TRANSCRIBE. Now it is getting much better with
      playing. Biggest advantage for me is speed control and loop.

    • Jason

      hi Griff thanks for the quick lesson very cool tool for practicing what you are working on.thanks again mate your awesome keep up the great work.

    • Robert Sullivan

      Thanks for showing the Riffmaster Pro. It looks like it would work well for me. I will consider it. I really like the looping of hard to play sections, since I am a newbee.

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