How did you get here?

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Obviously new here and new to playing guitar. Searching and watching a ton of videos I learned what kind of music i wanted to pursue and teaching styles. Griff won out by a huge margin. I am retired and currently living in RV but should have a new house soon with plenty of room to practice. We will see if this old man can do it:)
Welcome!
I always tell new players that: LITERALLY the only people that DON'T learn to play are the ones that quit.
Hang in there with Griff and you WILL learn to play.
 

matonanjin

Chubby, old guy trying to play some blues.
I have been watching this thread for a while. And during this time tying to recall how I got here. I have absolutely no clue.

When I first started to try and learn guitar I looked at several different courses or on-line offerings. And I'm so anal I even put them in a spreadsheet to compare. But that was for beginning lessons. I don't think I would have been looking at BGU that early on.

Did I later see one of Griff's videos? Did I see the now famous 4 note solo lesson? Did someone on another forum clue me in? @Jalapeno ? ;)

Other than a curiosity it is now unimportant. Just glad I found it. Now I have to get back to Strumming and Rhythm.
 

Jalapeno

Student Of The Blues
Did I later see one of Griff's videos? Did I see the now famous 4 note solo lesson? Did someone on another forum clue me in? @Jalapeno ? ;)
Yeah, it was me. At the L&M forum Dusty and JohnV were discussing Griff's Playing through the Blues (I think that was what it was called, the predecessor to BGU) and Bob Murnahan's Pentatonic Power and since I was in the pentatonic lesson and not the blues lesson yet I went with Bob. Then about 6 months into his lessons Bob told us about Griff's Ultimate Jam Tracks and we should buy and use them for the lessons and that's how I discovered Griff (oddly enough I didn't even know about the 4 note solo until much later :) ). Of course Griff's blues course is better than Steve's so I was adding that to the discussion about BGU on the other forum. That's how I remember it, anyway :)

Eric
 

Larry H.

Mojo Enabled
I was brought on board from an internet search about learning blues guitar. I started with another online instructor across the pond. And he's great. I still watch his stuff for another perspective and non-blues songs. I discovered BGU 2.0 and own almost all the programs; I wish my playing was commensurate. Lol. Griff'a availability and encouragement will keep me until his retirement. AAP member here despite having so many lessons which increase with the Golden Ticket Passes.
 

Larry H.

Mojo Enabled
Hi! I got into Griff's courses many years ago and only today found the forum and access via PDF's to the courses I originally got through the mail. Great and fair resource! I barely know how to use this forum. Tried to register by area for jams (I'm in Ashland, Oregon) but couldn't work it.

I've been a music lover all my life. (Dad liked piano despite having three fingers squished off; uncle played jazz guitar.) Always messing with some instrument (mainly electric guitar and piano, but also dunbecks, sax, flutes, voice), favoring solid blues, funk, and simplified classics. (Enjoying Shostakovich child's piece in A-, piano > guitar.) (Also dearly favor Chopin, Lidst, Satie, Beethoven, but really like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Talking Heads, Ray Charles, etc.) Sometimes a classical piece will intrigue me, only to analyze it slowly and find it is in a simple classic blues-like structure!

Fortunately, I live in a music-rich town. My favorite local guitar player is Jeff Pevar, who once played with Ray Charles and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Bonnie Rait, etc., but now lives here. He's somewhere between Jimi Hendrix and Chopin, only via improvisation!

I want to move from being An Appreciator to A Contributor. I have funky jams and riffs to contribute. Would love a drummer. Would love to create danceable jams and telling lyrics. At 75, I better get going before I'm gone!

But where? How? Is there an on-line way to offer jams or ways to add to others' jams? Are any of you working with a looper, multi-tracking (like Audacity) or know the where and how of hooking up with other jammers?

I've found only some sorts of jammers I can jam with. I like simple, rhythmic, and room for slop. (I was in a vocal jam group for years; no leader, no rules, no expectation, all improv by ear and voice. Sometimes it was an annoying cacophony, sometimes an exquisite surprise of theme emerging, variation, and resolution - all on the spot.) I find expertise on an instrument isn't as important as the ability to listen and jam in, a knack for going along and making it better. Any similar jammers out there?


Cacophony - there's a word I havent heard in a minute. Thanks for sharing.
 

AlanCargile

Blues Newbie
You nailed it! I came across the 4 note solo and started to receive emails with lessons from Griff. It took me a little while to commit but I just purchased the BGU package and I wish that I hadn’t waited so long. I love Griff’s way of teaching. He just makes you want more and makes me feel like yes, I can do this.
 

Grateful_Ed

Student Of The Blues
Welcome to the Clan Alan, I'm glad you found us.
A lot of us were hooked by the 4 note solo. It is definitely a gateway course to BBG or BGU.


-ed :Beer:
 

JerryNickodemski215

Blues Newbie
Griff did a live album from a show in Poland — man!, feels like a hundred years ago now. I’ve been a fan since I heard the first note from the first song on that disc! Fast forward like 20th years and I finally decided it was time for me to learn blues guitar. Didn’t have to search too deep to find Griff’s awesome lesson clips on YouTube. I’ve become a devoted follower!
 
I was watching a uTube video (Griff) and the ad came up...decided that although I had given up on ever playing any lead, I would give it one more go....looks good so far...now to find some time.
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I was watching a uTube video (Griff) and the ad came up...decided that although I had given up on ever playing any lead, I would give it one more go....looks good so far...now to find some time.

Short stints work better than hour long practice.
Just about anyone can find a few 10 minute slices of tine in a day.
 
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