BBG or BGU?

JayJay

Blues Newbie
I currently have How to Jam the Blues Alone. I'm working my way through it, but I'm having trouble with some of it, mainly fingerings.

I figured I should go back to a more complete course. I'm just not sure which one to get. I've been playing guitar for years and I have a music background and some theory under my belt. I also had an instructor for about a year. But I have been strictly a chord strummer and mostly major and minor chords at that, nothing fancy. That said I've never played the blues before. Only rock and some country. I want to get real blues playing down because it seems like the root of so much great music and I really dig the sound of call and response.

Any suggestions as to how I can judge my abilities and make the right course choice?

Thanks

Jay Langan
 

Jay Dee

Blues addicted
I was about the same as you. I started with BBU after seeing Griffs video asking if you could easily play a song he posted in an email. I went through the course in about six months and learned everything I needed to move on. I still go back to some of the lessons when I need to work on the basics. Oh, and welcome to the forum it is a great place to learn!
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
I was about the same as you. I started with BBU after seeing Griffs video asking if you could easily play a song he posted in an email. I went through the course in about six months and learned everything I needed to move on. I still go back to some of the lessons when I need to work on the basics. Oh, and welcome to the forum it is a great place to learn!
Think you need an edit is that BBG or BGU
 

jammoore99

Blues Newbie
BBG sets up a good foundation for blues guitar and BGU. I would take a look at BBG first and if so inclined, follow it up with BGU.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
If you've been playing for a long time you will get some things from BBG, but if you are cost conscious, I'd go to BGU.
When I started with Griff, BGU was his only course. Some time during my first year he came out with BBG. Now, I had been play (strumming) for decades. I knew open & barre chords (E & A shapes) like the back of my hand, but I decided to buy BBG just in case I didn't know what I didn't know. I didn't get a lot, but id DID get SOME things from it.

If as most of us you decide to stick with Griff, you will buy more courses. Given the expense involved, you may want to consider an All Access Pass. For an annual (or monthly if you prefer) fee, you can have access to EVERYTHING that Griff has in his catalogue PLUS you get six live, interactive (You can send text messages with questions directly to Griff or to the general audience) group sessions every month. Each session is dedicated to a learning area (Theory, Technique & Gear). The live sessions are worth the AAP cost just by themselves.
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
To add to what Mike said: if you get the annual All Access Pass, you also get a Golden Ticket after 60 days of membership. You can use these Golden Tickets to purchase the digital versions of courses, which allows you to download the audio and video files for that course (the PDF files can be downloaded regardless of whether you purchased the course). Thereafter a Golden Ticket generates every 60 days after you used the last one. That means that for the cost of an annual AAP, you'll can get up to 6 courses.

Point I'm making here, if you already feel fairly confident in basic skills, go for the BGU course first. You can review the BBG course online for the 1st 60 days if you are feeling weak in an area. If you really feel you need a deep dive, then you can turn in your Golden Ticket for BBG.

I really feel like the AAP is the money saving move, especially if you don't feel the need for a printed and bound copy (I just print them out and put them in a notebook for stuff I'm working on late night).
 

david moon

Attempting the Blues
I also endorse the AAP. It's a minimal charge (and automatic) and gives access to everything. I just checked and the recent Sunshine of Your Love lesson is in my available lessons.

Aiso the subscription model gives Griff a reliable revenue stream, as opposed to the "gig" model of flogging every new course
 

JayJay

Blues Newbie
I also endorse the AAP. It's a minimal charge (and automatic) and gives access to everything. I just checked and the recent Sunshine of Your Love lesson is in my available lessons.

Aiso the subscription model gives Griff a reliable revenue stream, as opposed to the "gig" model of flogging every new course
I am taking another look at the AAP. All you folks have given me plenty to think about. I really appreciate your time and opinions.
 

Walt H

cloudbase - Aint got time for gravity
JayJay - I bought several courses from Griff prior to joining AAP. I am a little sad that it took me so long to discover and purchase the AAP. I highly recommend it for reasons stated earlier
 

Al Holloway

Devizes UK
As another opinion. If you buy the courses one at a time and work your way through them you will probably spend the same sort of money but won't have the distraction of many courses and lots of extra sessions. For someone at the start of the journey this would imho be a better option. How I wish I had just bought BGU and stuck it through to the finish before buying more shiney objects. I would be a better player today if I had.

cheers

Al.
 

Stephanie-NoelDodt

Blues Newbie
I just turned in my first Golden Ticket for the "Spent Money Blues" course. I love just having the CDs and DVDs and find the books indispensable. I annotate the books with pencil notations for the beat count, strumming symbols, etc, which I have found very helpful as a new player "trying to get it right". I was not disappointed about their availability. I clicked into the "Spent Money Blues" course this morning and there at the bottom of the screen were two yellow buttons to buy the CD and DVD set for $10 and the spiral bound book for $10. Of course I bought them. The postage fee was only $4.95. Next I'll get "The Travelling Blues". My calendar is already marked.
 

Walt H

cloudbase - Aint got time for gravity
I just turned in my first Golden Ticket for the "Spent Money Blues" course. I love just having the CDs and DVDs and find the books indispensable. I annotate the books with pencil notations for the beat count, strumming symbols, etc, which I have found very helpful as a new player "trying to get it right". I was not disappointed about their availability. I clicked into the "Spent Money Blues" course this morning and there at the bottom of the screen were two yellow buttons to buy the CD and DVD set for $10 and the spiral bound book for $10. Of course I bought them. The postage fee was only $4.95. Next I'll get "The Travelling Blues". My calendar is already marked.
They are 2 super fun songs that will be a great addition to your repertoire. I have had my fingers crossed that Griff will continue to add fun acoustic songs like these to his catalogue.
 

Stephanie-NoelDodt

Blues Newbie
They are 2 super fun songs that will be a great addition to your repertoire. I have had my fingers crossed that Griff will continue to add fun acoustic songs like these to his catalogue.
I hope he does too. I will try his electric guitar versions as well on my Fender Mustang 90, but I love acoustic electrics. Griff is a wonderful resource for either and unbelievably prolific as a creator of courses. I will be staying on the All Access Pass "forever" and using a lot of Golden Tickets! He and his Forum and Webinars seem to attract a very friendly user group. I have had nothing but fun since I have joined.
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
If you are enjoying the acoustic stuff, consider How to Jam the Blues Alone. You'll get several formats that you can play with, enough licks to do 5 verses, or more and... it's modular, by that I mean, the licks are broken down into pieces that you can rearrange to suit yourself. I've literally sat on my front porch and played for more than 20 minutes playing a blues in G (I like that one a lot), just playing what I've learned, then rearranging it and adding licks I've picked up elsewhere. It's a lot of fun!
 

Stephanie-NoelDodt

Blues Newbie
I've gotten it already. I'm not doing it right now because I am doing ABGU, SRM and GTMU slowly and together. My first courses were BBG and HTRMG. I bought those having seen Griff on a YouTube video and looked through his course offerings. I felt that I liked his vast offerings and that I wanted to "begin at the beginning" to ensure that I left nothing out. I played guitar when I was 15 and life "got in the way" as it does for so many of us. (I probably stopped at 16.) Ready to retire at age 67, I suddenly realized I would finally have time to return to guitar. I started with GuitarTricks and went through the two core courses, which were excellent, but did not cover single note playing. I still subscribe to it because it is a good resource for songs, but wanted a more "theory oriented" course. GT is good, but seems too oriented to "cowboy chords" for what I wanted to do. I tried the GT blues course and went through most of the first course. Suddenly in February, I saw a promotional offer for Griff's BGU, and participated. I saw courses I really wanted to take and said "Gee, I'll get those!". Soon after in mid March the pandemic hit, the gym I was going to four days a week shut down. I decided to put all that quietness and isolation to good use. I got on the BGU website and ordered BBG and HTRMG. Much of it was review for me, but I gave them plenty of time and finished. August 1st, I started studying ABGU, SRM and GTMU. Several weeks after that I joined the All Access Pass and here I am, ready to celebrate my 70th birthday on December 20th (hence the "Noel" in my name). I like these courses because you can create a curriculum for yourself. The strumming course helps reinforce timing, the theory course gives an understanding of many mysteries and both support the large Acoustic Blues course. It will probably take me into 2022 to finish the ABGU course and I may finish the smaller courses earlier and add the Pentatonic Scales and Technique Mastery and possibly that How to Jam course. There are so many great courses offered here I will be entertained for the rest of my life! I'm sorry this post is so long, but I wanted to share my reasoning for what I'm taking. I spent a great deal of time reading the "course catalog" to try to try to properly "stage" courses.
 
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