Course Evaluation

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
This course is very cool. Griff really does break it down into learnable and usable chunks. I already knew about the clefs and notes, rests etc. from playing sax in a senior beginner concert band. I knew almost nothing about theory as it applies to guitar. Lesson 1 one on half and whole steps is pretty basic so no problems there.
Lesson 2 on reading notes on a staff was not for me a problem. Someone else may take a little (but not much longer as it is again straight forward).
Lesson 3 is where it gets your feet wet s it is about constructing scales (you use the knowledge from the first 2 lessons to understand this. Again very easy to grasp the concepts and use them.
Lesson 4 is about the circle of 5ths...which I now understand. Thanks Griff. BTW, I have a copy of the circle that I keep by my book as it is invaluable in doing some of the exercises. It is like a cheat sheet. I just glance at it if I need to know how many sharps or flats in a key. The lesson very simply taught me the order of the sharps and flats so I could see some of this stuff coming around.
Lesson 5 is on intervals. I had to review this lesson a couple of times to get it but after a review or 2 it became clear. The exercises really helped.
Lesson 6 is basic chords or triads. This again Griff makes something I thought would be complicated very simple. Just 3 or 4 easy formulas to remember.
Lesson 7 is about tall chords. This builds on the earlier lesson. I loved this lesson because I now know what some of these theory gurus are talking about when they talk about a chord with an added 9 or a diminished chord, or a minor with a sharp 13 etc. How cool is that?
Lesson 8 is about slash chords and is a fast lesson. Not much to it but there are a few new chords to learn.
Lesson 9 is chord progressions and the Standard Harmony Rule. This lesson I think is the meat of all the beginning lessons. This is where I am presently and expect to be here for a couple of days. This lesson puts it all together and gets you practicing what you have learned to this point on your guitar. Now that is Way Cool. The bottom line is I was very leery of taking a theory course but now I realize it can be a lot of fun. One piece of advice I have is to copy all the lesson exercises and write on the copy not in the book. If you are like me you will need to review a lot so it is better to review with no answers in front of you so you can re-do the exercises for practice if you want..and your theory book isn't written all over if you make a mistake and have to change an answer.
The nice thing about this course is you can just fit it in when you want..over coffee, on vacation,...waiting for the better half to finish whatever women do in the bathroom when they say, "I will just be a minute". This normally means you have time to review at least one lesson. LOL
 

Thatman

Playin' for the fun of it.
That's a good synopsis Larry, pretty much agree with how you describe it, never thought theory could be so interesting.  :)
 

stringbreaker

Blues Newbie
Larry, great review and agree with all of it.  I take mine on the bus for my commute and listen to it. 

I have to repeat some of the lessons but finally get it...I am slow... :-?

Great job and kudos to Griff never thought I would even begin to learn theory but now it is possible.
 

kgarkie

Been living the blues.
Yes, I agree also.  My eyes haven't glazed over nor has my mind wandered.  I am enjoying this course.  Thanks Griff.
 

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
You're all very welcome, and thank you so much for the feedback.

You're so right about the Standard Harmony Rule lesson. For me, when I learned that it was like the whole musical world opened up. I still think it's just about the coolest part of theory as a whole and is responsible for my ability to hear chord progressions by ear.

I hope you'll keep us posted on your progress as things continue.
Griff
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Well it has been awhile since my last post and that is because I have been working on the course at a pace that lets me understand what I am doing. When I left off I was at lesson 9. I took Griff's advice and did lesson 10 in no hurry. First I went back 3 lessons and watched the videos so I felt that I was ready to move on. In lesson 10 (a long lesson) I learned how to find what key I am in given the chords. I loved this lesson because it brought together all the earlier lessons. Surprisingly this was for me an easy lesson. It may not be for everyone. It is just that I know how to take things and look for correlations. I was picking out short cuts before Griff got to them in the next lesson. Again I have to admit that all I needed to do was use the circle of 5ths and the lesson 3 on scales. I did view the video twice to be sure I understood what Griff wanted. Well as a newby I walked around the house feeling pretty good because I understood the lesson and got all the review questions right. For those like me that are a little apprehensive about theory....this is fun. In lesson 11 Griff gives the shortcuts that I had seen by myself in lesson 10. Very useful for sure.
The next lesson (12) deals with tonal centers, modes etc. This gets into some not too difficult theory but theory that needs to be grounded. I am taking my time and making sure I understand the concept (I think I do but I will review a couple of more time to be sure). To be honest I am heading into deep waters for me. I will let you know later how I make out. In the meantime I want to let other newby's like me that up to here it is informative, easy to learn and understand and I can't believe it but it is fun.  :)
 

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
Thanks Larry, glad to hear it's going well. Sounds like you're really doing it just right and getting a lot out of it.

Griff
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
It is time for an update. I was in Jamaica on holidays for a few days. I took no guitar or music books. Before I left I was about to learn about modes. I have been curious as to what all the fuss (discussion on the forum) about modes is all about. I was also afraid of how difficult this would be to learn. First let me tell you that I had to watch the video lessons 12 and 13 a few times. I watched them before I left and I still didn't get it. I put the DVD in and watched them last night and suddenly it was very clear. I made the mistake of thinking it would be very difficult and of course it was because that was my expectation. Well last night I watched not to learn but to remember where I left off. I had no pre-conceived ideas and it became very clear. Once I got hold of the notion of the tonal center everything fell in place from there. I did the exercises this morning (I always do them the next day to be sure I understood the lesson) and had no difficulty. Writing the scales is very easy now and I just had to add the new rules regarding how modes are formed. Keeping the idea of tonal centers in mind I know I understand how modes work.
I watched Griffs demonstration of the fingering for the modes and I finally can start to see how these will add to my playing of the guitar. I don't have all the parts yet but I can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I watched lesson 14 which is expanding the Standard Harmony Rule and how modes fit in. There is a table with Chord functions, mode name, formula and common chords that I will have to learn/memorize as I go along. Tomorrow I will do the exercise and see how I do. I suspect that it will be quite easy as all I need to do is look up the possible function of each chord in the chart. I don't have to make this difficult on myself. LOL
I am surprised that I have completed 3 of the 4 discs already, really learned a lot. I admit that I can't just rattle everything off the top of my head but on the other hand I can figure most things out now. I realize that this theory could easily be forgotten if not used daily so that will be the challenge in the future. One area I know I can put this to use will be to take a lick or riff and transpose it to another key.
The next lesson is using modes to find the key. If it is anything like using chords to find the key it will be pretty straight forward. I will let you know.
If you are following this message and want my advice regarding this course and how to approach it... this course is really worthwhile and is really easy and fun. Griff has set it out so that there is a nice flow. I know I will not be a theory expert like Griff, Ramblin James, LP, or Wayne but I will know all I need to know to improve my understanding of guitar music. My best advice is don't think there is anything difficult or mystical in guitar music theory. Like learning to play the guitar just take your time, have fun and enjoy the process.  :)
 

wgabree

Blues Newbie
Excellent Larry!

Here's a type to put the theory to practical use.  Every time
you learn a new song, analyze the chord progression.  Pretty soon you'll start seeing how the same dozen or so progressions are used over and over and you'll start learning and remembering songs more quickly.

And of course, if you ever get stuck with something, give a shout out!

:cool:
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
OK Wayne, this is a shout out. I just did the exercises for lessons 14 and 15. I will check my answers for lesson 15 later. I have 2 questions regarding lesson 14 exercises. They come from the same question.
Question 3 and 4. Griff says they have a b7. I can't figure out how he came to this. This is the only thing I don't understand from this lesson.

Thanks.
 

wgabree

Blues Newbie
OK Wayne, this is a shout out. I just did the exercises for lessons 14 and 15. I will check my answers for lesson 15 later. I have 2 questions regarding lesson 14 exercises. They come from the same question.
Question 3 and 4. Griff says they have a b7. I can't figure out how he came to this. This is the only thing I don't understand from this lesson.

Thanks.

OK - Any chord that has just a letter name and a number 7 or greater is a dominant chord and the b7 is implied.  On page 70, there is a chart.  If you look at the row for the V (dominant) chord, you'll see it contains the b7.  This occurs naturally in the Major scale.  All V chords that are extended to the 7 have a b7 (unless it is altered, but then you would see that alteration in the chord symbol, not just a letter and a number).

Let me know if you need further clarification!  I'll also try to find the place where Griff covers this in the course.  He may not go that deep.  His course is focused on the most important things to know to get you up to speed for guitar, so some things are not touched on.  After you finish the course and review it again, I can recommend a "next" step book if you're interested.  But you'll need to grasp Griff's material solidly first!

:cool:
 

Justatele

Blues Newbie
I can clarify it a bit
we have 3 types of 7ths
maj 7ths
min 7ths
dom 7ths

maj 7th is a 7th with a major 3rd
minor 7th is a b7 with b3
dom 7th is a b7 with major 3rd

any other 7th is an altered chord

so we use Maj7 to denote a major 7th
we use min7 to denote a minor 7th
and just 7 to denote a Dominant 7th
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Wayne thanks. I guess what I didn't see was the F11 and C9 were 7th chords. It is probably in the video some where and I missed it. No big deal. So now I know if it is any chord with just a letter and number 7 or more (9, 11, 13) I flatten the 7. Cool.
After I finish the course I plan to let it lie for awhile then I will do it at least 2 to 3 more times. I want to get that foundation.
After that if I feel the need to learn more (and I probably will) I will ask for recommendations for future study.
RJ your input is really appreciated. I do understand the 3 types of 7th's. My problem was I didn't know the rule with chords that just had letters and the number 7 or higher. Let me assure you my friend that I do have questions coming your way regarding modes, boxes and how to connect everything so while I letting you off easy this time be prepared. LOL
Thanks again guys I really appreciate the help. :)
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Time for an update. When I left off I had just finished Lesson 15. I haven't looked at the course for awhile as my surgery was coming up and I wanted to save this for me rehab. period. Well the time has come. I decided to start right from the beginning as a refresher and to pick up anything I missed. I know I will breeze through the first few lessons but I will do them anyway. I printed out all the exercises so I can write down the answers as I go.
One last thing, the question is always "will this help my playing?" I can now say with certainty it will definitely help your playing. I use a lot of the theory I have learned to this point. I find it fun to be able to look at notes, boxes, licks, etc. and figure out the chords, the key etc.
Anyway that's it for now, I will report back as soon as I get back to Lesson 15. 
 

Justatele

Blues Newbie
Larry it is good you see the bigger picture about theory
most guys think it is just something boring they have to plow through
but recognizing that it does help the playing is a big point
what it allows is for you to understand and anticipate
And for you to be looking ahead.
I noticed it first when I was able to say, "oh this is just a such and such therefore these things apply."
as you said about boxes and stuff, you notice this is just a such and I can also do this in that box or I can also apply this chord here.
God luck and going back through the lessons is a must, a lot of theory only makes sense once you study deeper theory, so going back is a way to get AHAs that pop out now you have studied further.
Good Luck
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Thanks RJ. As for going deeper than Griffs course I am not sure I will at this time. I am getting a better understanding of what I need to know in order to understand guitar theory and how to apply it. That is all I want right now. What will happen in the future is hard to say.  :)
 

Justatele

Blues Newbie
It kinda intertwines
So it comea on in lumps not fluid

Lile a jig saw puzzle
You suddenly get the picture and ut keeps faaling in place
So keep in keeping on
 

anthonyp

Blues Newbie
Hey Larry your review of the course is almost like you took the words right outta my mouth! I really enjoy this course, i take my sweet ass time with it and go over things a few  times till i got it down, its all very easy to work thru, i'm currently stuck on the modes, but like i said i'll just keep studying it till i got  it, and of course if i'm really stuck there is always the great people in this forum to help out!
:)
 

luckylarry

Student Of The Blues
Well as of today I am back to where I left off in this course. Dealing with Modes. First let me tell you how things have been going. I am pleased with how much I remembered and that watching the videos again I picked up some things I missed the first time or forgot about. Doing the questions again I did worse than the first time. This is because I went too fast. Made the same mistake when I did BGU. Hopefully this might start to sink in...Larry....slow down, relax, it is not a race.
Another positive is that this time I understood the how and why of Modes. I stopped here the last time because I just didn't understand what modes were all about. This is where taking a break helped. This time it makes sense.
The first time through, I watched the video then did the exercises the next day. This time I watched the videos and did the exercises right after. You would think I would do better but it is apparent I rushed as I understand the concepts etc. Where I screwed up would be in not putting enough sharps in a key (even though I know how to figure out how many sharps because I understand the circle of 5ths)and other not paying attention errors.
Starting tomorrow I will proceed doing the chapters I never got to the last time.
You may recall that I print out the exercise pages so I don't have answers in my book. When I do this course again (I will leave it for a couple of months after I complete it) I will do the exercises first, then watch the video and answers. Should be more difficult and should slow me down.
Well that is it for now but I will let you know how I am doing with the chapters I am just starting.  :)
 

Justatele

Blues Newbie
Larry
the how and why
first lets go back to the Greeks and their instruments and forget what we know about modern instruments
we had a lot of flutes, drums and stuff that played one note at a time
so we wanted to stay in key but change the harmonic center of a song we could not change chords, so we changed the mode. Or in the key of C, we are singing and using the C as a root but we want to go up a bit to the F and stay in key so we go to the F Lydian (ah lets understand the Greeks used a different order to the name of the modes, I use Lydian so we recognize it) and all is good.
Now let us switch to modern days when we have many polyphonic instruments, we can now just go to the F chord, but to stay in Key we need a F chord with the F Lydian notes in it of a Fmaj7th.
So as you can see, the modes are just chords diatonic to the key you are in.
(brings up questions about all the Dominant 7ths in the blues doesn't it? Well Blues is a more modern form of music, we study theory so we can understand the changes)
 
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