Your Journey Into Blues Guitar
Starts Here
“I will always love the guitar as long as I’m alive… the Blues is my heart.”
~ Eddie Kirkland
Why is it that Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, BB King, and literally hundreds of other artists – too many to list here – talk with so much love and passion about the blues? I believe it is because the blues allows you to be who you are – to express who you are – in a way that you just don’t quite find to the same degree in other genres. So here’s the question then – how to play blues guitar creatively, in a way that truly expresses what you have inside?
Hi, my name is Colin Daniel, and over the last forty-plus years I’ve helped literally thousands of guitar players finally understand their guitars, using a range of rarely-taught concepts that most guitar teachers avoid like the plague. The thing is, in order to play the blues well – both as a rhythm or lead player, you first need to build a strong foundation of understanding the chords the song is based on. Many teachers will simply give you the chord shapes, then let you go and practice for a while… but to be great, you need to go deeper!
Don't Follow The Crowd
Most people who decide to learn how to play the blues do so without ever really knowing what they’re doing. They’ll learn how to play some cool songs, perhaps even learn how to solo to some degree… but at the end of the day, deep down in their hearts, they know there’s still an element of shooting in the dark in their playing. They know what sounds good, but they don’t know why, and as a result, they have a hard time applying the lessons learned from one song to their overall playing ability.
If you’ve taken any of my other guitar courses, you’ll know that I make a point of going deep… where most other guitar teachers fear to tread. My specialty is digging into the subject from as many angles as possible through the lens of 40 years of experience, so that you truly get a detailed and comprehensive picture of how to move forward on your guitar.
Tricks That Will Help You Learn Songs
Quicker Than Ever
It might surprise you, but most popular songs actually work off a basic framework. Learn how to spot what’s happening ‘behind the scenes’ in the chord progression of the song, and all of a sudden you’ll have a tool at your disposal that will help you learn new songs quicker than ever, and even better…. remember them!
In this course I’ve included 20+ different examples showing you exactly how to do this, using popular songs you’re likely familiar with. You might be surprised at how much this approach all of a sudden simplifies things that used to seem complicated!
Learning new songs will become a much easier task, as will remembering their chord progressions.
Learning Chords - Made SIMPLE!
In this course, we’re going to cover over 400 chords! But before your eyes cross and you start to pass out, thinking you have 400 new chord shapes to memorize, let me put your heart at ease… Yes, you’ll learn 400+ chords, however the actual number of chord shapes you’ll learn is just a fraction of the 400! In this course, we’ll be thoroughly covering many different types of bar chords, which are chord shapes that we can move all over the fretboard, getting a new chord each time we change position. By learning how to play with bar chords, you just have to remember a few chord shapes (in fact, you might not realize you probably know them already) and what to do with them, and you’ll be well-equipped to play in absolutely any key thrown at you.
Make Your Playing Stand Out From The Crowd
Pull up a seat my friend, because you’re about to learn my tricks for chord substitution that will help make your guitar playing sound unique and interesting, and give it that extra “something” that so many people are looking for. Sure, you can play plain-Jane normal chords for a lot of blues songs, but what if I showed you a single finger position that you could add to nearly all the chords in your song, that adds a great sounding blues character? And that’s just one of my chord substitution tricks – I’ll even teach you how you can go about finding and creating your own substitutions that sound great.
Can't I Just Play The Chords?
My teaching contains a lot of theory, and a lot of practical application, rounded off with a lot of real-world examples. Some folks just don’t want to hear about the theory part – they just want to play! Hey, that’s fine, I get it, guitar is for enjoying, right? The only problem with this approach is you’ll never progress very far as a musician.
People who take this approach are inevitably left with the old monkey-see, monkey-do approach to guitar. They can copy what others do, but they can’t be creative on their own…
And let’s face it. Playing the blues is ALL about being creative!
And that, my friend, is why you must learn the theory behind the chords, as well as the practical application of them. But don’t worry – we’re not talking about super-boring highly technical theory here; we’re talking about practical, nuts-and-bolts concepts that directly impact your playing ability. I’ve watched the faces of thousands of students suddenly change, as they “got it” like never before. All of a sudden their faces would light up, and they’d go from a hard-faced look of “I don’t need this” to “WHOA! NOW I get it!” and they’re off to the races…
Having a better understanding not only of how to play the chords, but how they fit together and how to modify them, will definitely make a big impact on your ability to play better.
How Well Do You Know Your Guitar?
I’ve met countless guitar players who truly do consider music to be one of their best friends in life. Perhaps that’s you. If it is, think about that analogy for a moment – best friends share life’s ups and downs, and get to know each other on a deeper level than other friends. If you have a best friend, chances are, you know what makes them tick, and to a degree, how they think. If you only knew a teensy little bit about that person, they wouldn’t really be in that category, right?
Likewise, a lot of people like ‘hanging out’ with their guitar, but not too many people really try to dig deep to understand it, and to understand how music works in relationship to the guitar. Getting to this deeper level adds a ton of meaning and depth to your own relationship with your instrument, and it should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), that will make you a better player and musician.
And That's When The Real Fun Starts...
The best guitar solos are intimately related to the chords. To be a great lead player, you absolutely MUST understand the chords first. That’s why this particular course is Stage 1 of the overall series. You see, great blues solos most often work off notes or harmonies found within the chords from the progression. Some guys are able to “wing it” to a degree, and find a few of these sweet spots by accident, as it were, but with my approach they’ll all be laid out for you like a red carpet for a big shot celebrity.
Why Is This The ULTIMATE Blues Course?
Simply put, because in my ever-so-humble-opinion, it is. 
Seriously, if you’re the type of person who expects to learn everything there is to learn about playing blues guitar in a half-hour McDonald’s Happy-Meal-lesson, then you’re in the WRONG place. That’s not my teaching style, and you’d be better off to go find someone else to teach you blues guitar, because you won’t be happy with this course.
If however, you’re the type of person who wants to really, truly LEARN how to play blues guitar, then this is the place to be. Sure, at times it might feel like we’re moving along a bit slowly, but I can assure you, out of my 40+ year experience in training over 5000 guitar players one-on-one, everything in this course has been purposefully placed there to build a rock-solid musical foundation for you.
By the time you’re through this course, you will not be left with any holes in your knowledge about blues chords, the only place to go from there is up and branching out… getting more and more advanced in your playing. You will not find yourself puzzled by the foundational stuff.
Stage 1: Chords
This particular course is NOT the complete Ultimate Blues Course. The complete course is four stages, and this particular stage we’re talking about today is all about chords.
There are many courses available on how to play blues guitar, but few (if any) take the time to really truly establish an unshakeable foundation in your guitar playing that will give you the confidence you need to tackle any challenge. The Ultimate Blues Course does that. The part we’re discussing today is Stage 1: Chords.
Chords are the foundation, the starting point, of everything else that happens in the blues. Understanding how to play them, how they’re related to each other, how they join together to form keys and how you can adapt them for the blues lays the foundation for going further, with rhythms. Scales are super important, because your scale IS your solo… so that's Stage 2. The next one, Stage 3, is all about Rhythms, and taken all together, Chords, Scales, and Rhythms form the foundation you need to get where most people really want to go – soloing. Stage 4 is all about soloing.
If you jump straight to soloing without these key ingredients in place, you will be limited in your ability to play and understand what you’re playing.
I'm A Better Player Now...
There's no doubt that I'm a better player since getting the lesson. There's a wealth of information there you just can't get anywhere. I was stuck before & now I have a renewed interest, not to mention this stuff is very, very interesting. I have other lessons from you guys & I love them all. Thanks very much & I truly hope you keep up the good work.
Don Tittle
Louisiana, USA
Is This Course At My Level?
This is NOT a straight-up beginner course. If you’re just starting to play the guitar, then you’d be much better off starting with my beginner course instead, then come back here when you’ve completed it.
However, with that said, this course is designed for players to jump in at a low-intermediate level. You need to be fairly familiar with your basic open chords, and perhaps know a few bar chords, or at least have attempted bar chords before. Other than that, the most important qualification is to come with patience, and an open mind that is ready to learn.
If you apply yourself, you WILL learn from this course, and your playing will progress greatly.
But I Just Want To Rip Out A Sweet Solo!
Patience, young grasshopper! To be truly great at just about anything in life requires first understanding the basics of what makes it work. Just like the karate kid had to practice “wax on, wax off” a million times, there are things you need to master before you get to the fun stuff too. A friend of mine brews beer as a hobby – he tells me you can’t make a decent batch until you first understand how yeast, malts, water, and hops all work together. Trying to skip past all that will leave you completely in the dark as to what you’re doing, and furthermore, if you ever doget a good batch, it will only be by pure blind luck, and hard to repeat.
The exact same thing is true for the guitar. Sometimes learning guitar feels like climbing a mountain. The path is steep, tiring, and feels like it will never end. But every now and then you get to a nice lookout point, and realize that while you’ve been sweating away, you’ve actually managed to climb a good distance. And then you’re back into the trees again for a while… Along the way, there are some that encourage you, some that discourage you, some that give bad directions that end up wasting your time and effort, and occasionally, someone that gives you quality directions and can even lead you to where you’re trying to go.
That’s my role – to give you all the tools you need to get to the top of your guitar mountain. But, just like a mountain climber with a sherpa, you’ll have to trust me that I know the way, and even if at times if feels like we should be going quicker or in a different direction, I promise you, there’s a well-thought out reason for each step along the journey.
If you don’t have your chords down cold (both in theory and practice), your soloing is going nowhere. The dynamics of how notes relate to each other are incredibly foundational to making those solos that people actually remember, solos that sound great. Learning about chords and theory is a crucial first step in your blues journey, and the better you understand the topics in Stage 1, the better you’ll be able to really succeed with the later stages.
How Do You Learn Best?
I’ve taught more than 5000 guitar players one-on-one over the last 40+ years, plus thousands more online, and during that time I’ve come across every kind of learning style imaginable. No student is exactly like another, and I’ve discovered that the best approach is to actually use multiple approaches. In one-on-one lessons, I always write out notes for my students, in addition to explaining and demonstrating. It is this combination of techniques that really helps people learn quickly and deeply.
I’ve applied that same approach to teaching in a course, as I would to my one-on-one students. In The Ultimate Blues Guitar Course: Stage 1 – Chords you’ll get a complete 93 page course book along with nearly 8 hours of video instruction.
This book isn’t simply a collection of tabs to help with the video (like what most other video courses provide), but instead you’ll actually find the theory and concepts we talk about explained and even diagrammed in detail. Sure, I’ve included tabs and diagrams for everything, but there’s so much more than that as well. Plus, there are additional examples in the book of the things we cover in the course, that are not included on the video. If you follow along in the book as you go through the course, you’ll find it really complements and helps confirm the things you’re learning!
By being able to both read and hear what I’m teaching, I guarantee you will be able to learn the guitar much quicker than otherwise.
Here's What You'll Find Inside
The Ultimate Blues Guitar Course: Stage 1 – Chords is nearly 8 hours of hard-hitting content. Plus, don’t forget the 93 page book (available on PDF) that comes with it! Below you’ll find a breakdown of the main points in each of the major sections of the course.
100% Risk-Free Satisfaction Guarantee
If you’re hesitant about purchasing online, that’s okay – I understand. In fact, that’s why I stand behind all my guitar lessons with a 100% Risk-Free “No Weasel Clauses” Satisfaction Guarantee.
My guarantee states that if for any reason you’re not completely satisfied with the guitar lesson, I’ll give you a complete refund within 60 days of purchase, with no hassles.
This completely eliminates the risk on your part – you’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain by trying The Ultimate Blues Guitar Course: Stage 1 – Chords!
45+ Years of Guitar Teaching Experience,
At Your Service
So who is this Colin Daniel guy? Well, without tooting my own horn, I wanted to assure you that you’re in capable hands. I’ve been a professional musician and teacher for over 40 years… I’ve played hundreds of gigs, led dozens of bands, written and recorded dozens of original songs, and taught over 5000 guitar players in person, many of whom have gone on to become professionals in their own right. Recently I’ve been able to reach even more students via the internet, and I’d love to help you learn guitar too!
Ready To Skyrocket Your Blues Playing?
The Ultimate Blues Guitar Course: Stage 1 – Chords is laser-focused on developing your understanding of guitar chords in general, but specifically, blues chords. You will learn the reasons why different chords work together, along with the secrets of chords, keys, scales and how notes fit together to form chords.
Let's Get Started!
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$120
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Are you ready to become a Riff Ninja like me, and take your blues guitar playing to levels that you never before dreamed possible?
Keep on Rockin’
a.k.a. the Riff Ninja
PS: The Ultimate Blues Guitar Course: Stage 1 – Chords will give you an excellent foundation in all of the chords you need in order to play the blues, the practical theory you need to put chords together into great sounding progressions, build your own chord modifications, and add color to your playing with cool chord substitutions. This course is ideal for players who already have a decent grasp of their open chords and strumming, and want to move further into the blues.
PS. If for any reason you’re not satisfied, you’re protected by my 100% Risk-Free Satisfaction Guarantee for a full 60 days.
My theory is really starting to crystallize now
I am 55 years old, and started playing guitars 5 years ago. My first instructor told me he was going to give me some theory, and I balked: Don't give me theory! Show me how to play this thing!
Looking back, I realize how naive I was. I am so far ahead of the guy who first showed me how to play my first chord five years ago, because I have taken the time to learn some theory. Colin Daniel is my fourth internet instructor, and I would have to say the best. Plus, he's Canadian like me! Go BC!
I have to take a bow to ______ and _____, I've learned tons from them, but Colin knows how to drill right down to what's important, with by far the best video production quality I've seen, and an absolutely superb course book, Colin is a total perfectionist with this course. My theory knowledge is really starting to crystallize now; if only my clumsy fingers could keep up with my understanding! Great work.
Tim Allix
Vancouver Island, BC