Today I’m going to attempt the almost impossible… (drum roll please!)
Over the last several weeks I’ve been working with my “graphics people” (that’s Chris, my drummer, because I can’t draw a straight line,) on a single PDF that you can download and actually see how all of the courses in the Blues Guitar Unleashed Course Catalog go together and relate to one another.
Believe it or not, there is a method to the madness, but it’s not always obvious, and I’ll be the first to admit that.
But now, you can actually see the paths and the ideas behind each of the courses I’ve made over the last 11 years… and the problem they are intended to solve.
And while I was at it, I did my best to put a “level” system with it… it’s far from an exact science, but it should give you an idea of where you are at, and whether or not a course would be good for you based on your current skill level and what you’re looking to improve upon.
So please download it and take a look, and I hope it helps you.
Your experience may, of course, be slightly different and this document is for you, not for me… so if you find something you think is in error, please let me know in the comments below and, if it makes sense, I’ll do my best to get it corrected.
Again you can download it here – PDF. It is NOT printer friendly, but should scale depending on your screen and device.
36 replies to "How Do They All Go Together? [Infographic]"
Hi Griff,
Excellent idea and it shows the intention really well and clarifies things a bit.
I am level 5 and working through BGU2 with a few others to distract me.
One question – the Blues Solo Construction Kit and the How to Improvise Blues Solos seem to address the same point. Could you clarify the difference between these?
That’s very useful, thanks.
You’ve so many courses it can get confusing. At least I now know the two I own are the right ones and how they relate.
Have a good new year.
New year’s resolution – double down on BGU and stop getting distracted by YouTube!
Good overview Griff, thank you.
I’m in the 6 to 7 range and need work on Rhythm guitar playing.
Speaking of which… how do your Jam Track courses fit in? In particular I’m thinking of 29 Blues Jams?
Thanks…
Very nicely done Griff – a win-win. A super useful tool and a positive validation of progress for us, as well as a way for you to help current and potential students make informed choices. Customer service in its purest form.
Hi Griff,
Great PDF List..and very timely. I have purchased quite a lot of the BGU Courses some in advance due to the discounts on offer at the time. Based upon this chart I can see I am between Levels 5-7 and I have most of the BGU courses for that range plus a few too advanced for me at present. BGIAB & BGIAB V 2 are ahead etc.
This List now helps me to work out where I need to learn and practice..very good.
Happy New Year 2017 Griff & Family and all the BGUers.
Michael -Sydney-Australia 28th Dec 2016.
Great chart Griff…You nailed it. I believe almost anyone could figure out where they are and what they need by useing your chart. I am looking at a couple of new courses hopeing to fill in the gaps. Thanks for all your help.
Hey Griff, great flow chart. I thought I would be in an upper level but I think I need to check out some more of your courses. All the ones that I have are great. Thanks for all the time you devote to them and to us!
Excellent schematic Griff.
Only problem. It showed me exactly how far I’ve still got to go!!!
What a challenge, but enjoying every minute of it.
Cheers
That’s great work! (…especially for a guitar player and a drummer!). I think one constant that remains on our minds is “where am I at and what do I need to do to get to the next level?” The only error I saw was a typo on “Level 8” (don not).
I thought that you could do a great video, demonstrating each level! I also thought about it becoming a “challenge” roadmap. One thing I would really like, is to have my playing evaluated by a teacher…I think that’s the only thing missing with our on-line education. But you do sort of cover it with “peer” review in the Forum! (…and “challenges?!”)
About the only area of guitar playing that I thought you left out was a “reading” skill (standard notation, tab, chord charts, etc.).
Oh, and pedals, amps, SS vs. tube, etc., etc., etc.
Couse catalog with levels suggested most helpful. I currently have three courses and will add to it as the pocket book allows. Been at this daily for ten months now, Regardless of the learning curve each course has a golden nugget.
This is valuable to all your students, and will allow them to choose his/her own path. It is nice to know how to get to your desired destination! When enough people review it and it is in its final state, it must be included on your web site catalog page. This is something extremely useful, as many students have asked questions related to this information. Well done Griff!
Tom
Great way of judging where you’re at with “your courses” but also with the musical ability that it develops. I’m primarily a singer and would be considered a rhythm player but have a few of your courses. Now looking at this chart I think I better get those courses back out and get working. Thanks for this and a Very Happy New Year to you and your family.
Thank you Griff! I really like the graphic describing matching the skill level to the courses. Very helpful.
Very helpful chart. It’s especially helpful to be able to quantify where I am at skilled. I have determined I am 4.73!
Great map/tool. Shows which course I should buy next!! 😊
playing off and on for forty years and with a pickup band for a few years I came to the conclusion many years ago that I’m more of the intuitive/feel player rather than a technical one. Each has its own merits of course and having a blend of both is probably ideal. When you consider that none of the Beatles could read or chart music it gives guys like me some, just a wee bit, of hope. Oddly, while I claim to be a feel player I also want logic to come into play when seeking to understand music as with the guitar fretboard. Unfortunately, for me, I see the fretboard as an exercise in rote memorization rather than structured math, for example. This is where Griff comes in. He is as good as it gets to provide both the technical and feel sides of the equation. I’ve learned a LOT with his guidance over several years, but I’m still that feel guy, but with a much better understanding of how things fit together. So, if you’re like me then my message is that there is hope for advancing your play. Where am I on the scale of 1-10? Maybe a 7.0 Frankly, I’ll probably never know music theory very well or the circle of fifths nor do I want to. But I do want to play better and Griff has helped tremendously with that. Great teacher and great person. Enjoy.
@Mack: That’s me, exactly too! Playing by ear since the age of 12, now 64. I find it difficult to play other people’s stuff exactly per original, but can improvise over pretty much anything. Griff’s courses have added a whole new dimension and laid out the fretboard in an entirely new way for a reasonable price. Thanks Griff!
Mac and Midnight, 64 here as well, in the late and early 70’s I was in a successful “feel type” garage band and the music kept evolving, boy what a great time it was back in the old “battle of the band” days, We played our one and only battle in 1971 and took the cake with first place. There were other “cover” type technical bands competing but were writing and composing all of our own music with a nice local following. I remember watching Big Brother and the Holding Co and said to myself, I can do that, as a matter of fact I’m going to do that! What an inspiring time… I did have a band and orchestra background, could write in a pinch. The inspiration for the band, the lead couldn’t read at all but he certainly taught me all I needed to know about 1-4-5 and 12 bar blues. When Yes showed up on the scene, and Steve Howe not reading music either, I was blown away. Sorry for rambling
I do have a suggestion for the “Blues Gig In A Box” for example. (I haven’t completed it yet). For me I would have liked it to be arranged so that the difficulty level could be easiest in the first tune and increase in each successive tune. The people that have been with you a long time recognize there are simple and complex strumming patterns, easy bar chords and more difficult ones. Solos can be easy quarter note on the beat, increasing in difficulty to, syncopated ones with bends where the pinky stays firm while another finger bends. Two finger bends.
If the first song had mostly all the easier techniques, I feel it would be a great sense of accomplishment to be able to get through the whole song. Any song played cleanly,on time including new learned riffs is cool. It give the student incentive to go on to the next.
Each song can have in introduction of the new things that will be learned and why. For example slides, partial bends, solos starting a different time that might continue through a chord change. Asking us to compare the solos of the first song to the second show how starting on the 3rd or 5th of the chord(s) adds interest.
The next song could include higher level stuff. Major/minor solos, indicating where they occur and why its appropriate.
Next show us solos that you develop that that are derived from the chords at each chord change and how that sounds different. Plus anything else I’m leaving out that you include.
The old teaching technique -Tell them what you are going to teach them- Teach them- And tell them what you taught them, sounds redundant but is actually a sound (no pun intended) technique.
Nice, and by this time, necessary graphic. I was surprised to see how many of your courses I have purchased. Many of these courses are waiting for me to finish another course before I devote sufficient attention to it. My only quibbles are that I think the Major/Minor Blues Shapes course is rated too high. I was able to grasp the subject matter and learn all of the solos in my usual slow pace while solos 3 & 4 in BGU2 still seem beyond me from a technical perspective. Plus I think the Guitar Theory course deserves a mention higher up in the listing. For theory inclined people, the course material is useful almost right from the start. I frequently review the lessons to refresh my memory. Thanks for all you do. I have found no better instructor than you for the way I learn.
Oops, I meant Pentatonic Scales and Rhythm Mastery! My bad!!!
Griff What a great concept. Several people on the forum were discussing the “where are you on the scale” recently and this seems as good a way to categorize your level as any. The only exception I would suggest is that the Pentatonic Scale and Blues Mastery course could be for lower levels as it really focuses on the basics of picking, timing, scales, etc. I know that many might find it tedious or of little value when starting out – not much fun to work at, no good tunes to follow and while the beat might be good, “the lyrics are poor and I would give it a 65” (reference to the old Dick Clark “rate that tune” reference – I am getting OLD!!!). However, for someone committed to getting better and playing well, it really is a basic course.
Thanks for the opportunity to respond.
That is a great visual and a quick snapshot of where one can move throughput the BGU system. I was right where I thought I would be and I see where and how I can achieve the next progressive level.
Great tool. Thank you.
Happy New Year Griff,
I have been a long time follower of BGU. You have always provided many great blogs and easy to follow lessons. You have reached the BLACK BELT level in your musical teaching journey. When you achieve the Black Belt it is just the beginning of the pathway to a higher level in martial arts. You have created a guitar roadmap for guitarists to follow to guide them on their way. We can now effectively monitor our progress with your ” follow the yellow brick road”…Cheers.
Thanks, I will save the pdf as I progress.
What an excellent tool, Griff! Easy to tell a lot of thought went into producing it. Thank you!
Thanks Griff, this is terrific! Since discovering BGU several months ago, I have been investing in your courses without knowing how they might relate to form a structured curriculum, this infographic answers that question perfectly. Want to also say, as veteran college professor, having researched mentoring and teaching, your instruction methodology is “top shelf”. Thanks for the passion you devote to the BGU couses.
Griff…. this is great. I can tell a lot of work went into it but it will be worth it. Students will easily be able to find the correct course for their level.Thank you for all the work you put into your courses.
Happy New Year Griff. This is nice chart to understand and choose . . As I am only interested in acoustic so I kno wwhich course to choose . Thanks for guiding .
Love it! The explanations of the levels are great and it’s really logically laid out.
I really like it Griff. That is very helpful in picking out which courses to buy. It should help people avoid buying something that is way over their head.
I am able to see the download, but when I attempt to print it, only 1 page of the graphics display (from about the middle of the document) shows up in the print preview and the screen says “page 1 of 1”. I cannot print the entire document.
Any thoughts?
As I mentioned,it’s not printer friendly. If you scaled it to be printable it would be too small to read.
Advice for Bill45:
You can create a document in Microsoft Word that displays the whole graphic if you take screen shots of portions of it and then paste them in Word within the limits of a page.
You can copy the graphic one Word size section at a time with Snipping Tool (Windows 7 and above) and paste it into a Word document. One page at a time. When you’re done you can save and print it.
I hope this helps.
Great map. Just started so came at the right time. Many thanks, brillant course. Happy New Year to you, your family and all players.
I ordered the shuffle lesson online and it did not take the promo code bgumembers16 off the price of the material ordered