I’ve just finished looking at Griff Hamlin's latest
package, Playing Through The Blues - A Guide For The
Lead Guitar Player. Obviously I see a lot of products
either because I'm looking for something specific, or
because someone wants me to promote their product.
Most of the time I'm less than impressed, but this
product has me quite excited because it is so different
from anything I have seen in a long time. That is why
I have taken the time to sit and type a letter to all
the people I know and tell you all about it.
Learning the blues can be a frustrating task. It seems
so simple, but only a handful of people seem to know
the trick to really making it sound great. Griff and
his team have put together what I believe is a really
thorough, step-by-step method that has actually been
tested and proven on his own guitar students over the
past several years.
The main book provides all of the scales, techniques,
theory, and tricks that you'll need. It follows a
simple and logical progression. Each chapter builds on
the one before it. At the end of each chapter, you'll
be told exactly what you need to be able to do before
moving on to the next chapter. You can't fail with this.
The best part, however, is the audio examples and jam
tracks. Every audio example comes with a full speed
and slow speed version, so you can play along easily
at first, and pick up the pace as you get better.
There's also 4 complete solos that really sound like
they are from your favorite blues songs. You could
memorize them and totally use them at your next blues
jam or gig. They demonstrate all of the techniques
throughout the book, and give a very good "real world"
example of the techniques and approach.
Also, there are 6 jam tracks that come with the
package, so once you get going you can just play
along with the band. And the tracks are really good
quality, just like you're jamming with a real band.
It's a lot of fun.
As a bonus Griff has included an excellent book full
of turnaround and ending licks. Some of them are
pretty straight forward blues, but a couple of them
are real head-turners.
As you can tell, I'm really impressed with this
package as a whole. The testimonials on the website
prove that I'm not alone. This is a very well thought
out, tested, and put together system.
Don’t just take my word for it though, take a look
for yourself
Testimonial
"Thanks for writing Playing Through the Blues. Your book contains very useful information related to playing the blues. During the last eighteen years I have worked as a music educator (including guitar classes) in public and private schools. My interest in blues guitar has peaked over the last few years. During this time I have purchased a variety of books and tapes on this subject. Your book is certainly a welcome addition to my collection. I appreciate your thoughtful and practical organization of blues scales and applications; it is easy to read and understand. I have benefited from your examples of connecting scales positions together. It has also been helpful to listen to the mp3 examples and analyze your solo transcriptions. You really have provided the essential information aspiring guitarists need to know." -- Steve (USA)
