"Street Smart"
Guitar Improvising Secrets
Of a 45+ Year Veteran Musician Who Lives And Dies By His Guitar
From the Riff Ninja's Secret Lair in Guitar Land:
My name is Colin Daniel, and for 45+ years I’ve been teaching and playing guitar professionally, and my ability to put bread on the table has depended entirely on my ability on the guitar.
Improvising gripping, soulful guitar solos is the Holy Grail of the guitar world. Blues, rock, country, pop, metal, jazz – it doesn’t matter what musical genre you find yourself in, improvising is one of the most sought after skills by guitarists, from professional musicians to living room rockers alike.
Some guitarists have been taught classically, learning to read musical notation to find out what they’re supposed to be playing in any particular song, and as such, find themselves reliant on sheet music and lots of structure. Such musicians can sometimes freeze, at a complete loss for notes when told to “just do something” in the heat of the moment. Improvising doesn’t just come naturally!
Others have never had the benefit of guitar lessons, and learned to play on their own by ear, and yet still find themselves at a loss to play fast and accurate solos, because the fretboard has never been properly explained to them.
Just like the Holy Grail, many guitarists have sought the Art of Improvising, but few ever truly master it… and choose to share their secrets! Most guitar teachers stop short at teaching their students signature riffs and solos learned note for note from tablature... without giving them the tools they need to truly go out on their own and improvise on the guitar.
It was with this in mind that the Guitar Improvising Secrets lesson was developed – to give you exactly what you need to get started creating your own solos on the guitar.
The 3 Biggest Mistakes In Improvising
Although the list of mistakes people make while improvising is nearly endless, three stand out above the rest:
Improvising Mistake #1 : Not Realizing the Scale IS the Solo
If you think you’re going to improvise amazing guitar solos without first learning your scales, you’re in for one heck of a blistering Riff Ninja Lecture! If you take nothing else away from this – remember (and understand!) that the scale IS the solo – and you’ll be a better guitar player for it.
Improvising Mistake #2 : Not Using The Right Scale
We can’t even get to this point without first understanding Improvising Mistake #1. Knowing which scale to play where is fundamental to your solo, otherwise it won’t fit, plain and simple. In Guitar Improvising Secrets we will dig specifically into the one scale that is the most universally useful on the guitar.
Improvising Mistake #3 : Not Paying Attention To The Song
Many newbie improvisers get quickly caught up in their own world and lose track of the band, the song, and reality. When a Ninja loses track of reality, he dies! I’ll teach you my trick to keep your mind laser-targeted on the groove while at the same time using it to create that melodious solo you’re craving.
It's really helping my soloing!
Tom harper
Pittsburgh, pennsylvania
I started Guitar Improvising Secrets a month or so ago, and it is really helping my soloing and fret board knowledge.
And it is a lot of fun!
Colin is very thorough and the video angles and included charts are very helpful. The pdf file is great to have, too, and I find the ability to add notes beneath the video to be helpful. The humor is welcome as well; Colin is a hoot as well as a wealth of practical insights. The riffs are very well demonstrated both alone and with accompaniment. I highly recommend this course.
"Just Play Something!"
Have you ever been in a jam situation, and told to “just play something?”
Have you ever felt that knot in the pit of your stomach, wondering what in God’s green earth you were going to play for the next twelve bars?
Perhaps you’ve been more fortunate, and only attempted to improvise in front of your dog – let’s call him Rover. Did you sit there in front of Rover for a long while, trying to figure out what to start with?
Maybe you had a CD playing, and Rover was howling away, but you couldn’t find where on the fretboard you could play along with that song? Feel like you’re completely stuck for inspiration?
The great news is, just like there are solutions for the infamous “writer’s block”, there are techniques you can learn that will get you past “improvising block” as well – and have you riffing away in no time!
It's opened up a whole new world for me!
sam hamilton
nova scotia, canada
Hi Colin: I am really having a lot of enjoyment with your courses: Ultimate Blues, Beginner Blues Riffs, Guitar Improvising Secrets.
At 75 I am slower, as you mentioned but oh man! the scales, the climbs and passing notes have opened up a whole new world for me.
I am working hard around two hours minimum per day and really enjoying it. Thank you so much for all you do. Please say hi to Riley!
Learning From Patterns
Speaking of riffing away, one of the fastest ways to rip it up on your guitar is to learn scale patterns.
Rather than learning solos note for note, the power of learning a pattern is that it gives you a framework within which you can work. Patterns are very powerful because they can be transposed to any key, and when you know how to apply them, can be used in nearly any situation.
Many guitarists have learned scale patterns in the past, but really still have no idea what they represent, or how to relate them to a song… let alone use them to construct a completely improvised solo!
In Guitar Improvising Secrets, you’ll learn the most powerful and universally applicable scale pattern in depth, and see how it can be applied in many different ways.
Isn't Improvising Just Knowing Which Riffs To Play?
Many guitarists spend a lot of time chasing after new riffs. Knowing riffs is great, but it is far from the whole picture. If you don’t have a deeper understanding of what’s going on, you’ll find that your riffs:
Riffs are important, but we need to dig deeper in order to truly understand how to make the kind of solos that people WANT to listen to. Stringing riffs together randomly with no understanding is like putting words together randomly to form a sentence… there’s no guarantee it is going to make any sense!
That’s why Guitar Improvising Secrets will teach you how to use guitar riffs most effectively.
You’ll learn that understanding the timing, rhythm, and chords must precede the solo – most guitar instructors don’t take the time to explain why and how this is so – but you can rest assured I won’t cheat you by taking these kind of shortcuts!
And speaking of riffs…
The Riff Ninja Will Teach You Riffs
If you don’t know any riffs, do not fear, the Riff Ninja is here!
You’ll learn specific riffs in this lesson, as several have been dissected in great detail. Slowed down and zoomed up, you’ll be playing these riffs in no time. It just wouldn’t be right to be called the Riff Ninja and not have any riffs to give out!
Okay, but what if you know some riffs of your own already?
So much the better. You’ll not only learn some new riffs, but you’ll also learn how to integrate the ones you know into the song. Having your own set of favorite riffs is essential to developing your own unique style and sound on the guitar, and the more riffs you are thoroughly familiar with, the better. Think of it like your vocabulary… the more words you know, the easier it is to communicate effectively, right?
I've learned more than I can believe!
rick bennelack
western australia
I have learned more than I can believe doing your courses.
I played along with the jam tracks on the improvising lesson for the first time this week and I was surprised at my ability to play along. This has only being achievable by watching your lessons and practice. The hardest part is doing it and trying to stick it out. I am improving every day and love the ultimate blues course. Thanks guys.
Some Of The Topics We'll Cover In Detail:
Video Angles That Make Learning Easy
In Guitar Improvising Secrets, we’ve made every effort to ensure that the video angles we used were chosen to make learning as easy as possible. We’ve got closeups of the fretboard and even the picking hand, embedded diagrams and charts, and even unique two-instructor sessions where Ryley Halvorson helps out by providing a rhythm section to help provide musical context to the riffs and solos we’re working on.
Here are some screen shots from the actual course, to give you a feel for what it’s like:
Bonus Jam Tracks
In my opinion, THE best way to learn how to improvise is in a live jam situation where you can take your cues off the other players and really learn to pay attention to the band dynamics. If you have some friends that can play with you, this is an ideal learning environment.
However, seeing as it is logistically impossible for me to function as your personal backup band, instead I’ve put together three high quality guitar-driven jam tracks that use popular chord progressions. These jam tracks are integral to the lesson, and you’ll hear them used frequently throughout the course.
I’m adding in the MP3 versions of these jam tracks so that you’ll be able to use them on your own computer, on your MP3 player, or even just listen to it in the car because they’re so cool.
45+ Years Of Guitar Teaching Experience
So who is this 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 45 years… I’ve played hundreds of gigs, led dozens of bands, written dozens of songs, and taught over 5000 guitar players, many of whom have gone on to become professionals in their own right.
100% Risk Free Guarantee
If you’re hesitant about purchasing online, that’s ok – I understand. In fact, that’s why I stand behind 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 Guitar Improvising Secrets!
Guitar Improvising Secrets
Are You Ready To Start Improvising Solos?
The goal of Guitar Improvising Secrets is to get you playing improvised solos, even if you don't currently know how to solo. Step by step, you'll learn all the pieces you need, from scales to riffs to stringing them together into solos. Get ready to start jamming!
Instant Access
Get Started Immediately!
$50
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Are you ready to become a Riff Ninja like me, and take your improvised guitar solos to levels that you never before dreamed possible? Let's do it together!
Keep on Rockin’
PS: The Guitar Improvising Secrets course will greatly improve your confidence on the guitar and your ability to improvise a guitar solo.
PS. If for any reason you’re not satisfied, you’re protected by my 100% Risk-Free Satisfaction Guarantee for a full 60 days.
Absolutely fantastic!
russell hevey
tasmania, australia
I'm about half way thru the first lesson and finding it absolutely fantastic.
The way you present is very good, and since I've been using your instructional material the light bulbs have started to illuminate. I now tackle songs that I used to just look at and say "nah, too hard" and move on to something easier... like easy chords.
I have two other courses of yours and I would like to take this opportunity to Thank You very much for your help in getting me to play some real guitar and real songs not just pussyfoot crap.