Your lessons are great and have helped me improve to the point that my wife no longer boots me out to the garage when I grab my guitar. I am really gaining some confidence on this musical journey. Thank you for opening the door with your easy to follow and enjoyable teaching method. Cheers. Bill

Finding your Riff Ninja site gave me the confidence to start playing at age 57 - nearly nine years ago. And I’m still having a ball.

So glad I picked up the guitar and found your site when I did.

Arthur Dent

Colin, I have learned so much between you and Jonathan, I can't even begin to say. I haven't played since I was a kid and I am 59 now. I am having so much fun!

Fantastic lesson and insight on the theory behind it. Very helpful! Killer guitar, by the way 🙂
[referring to Artist Spotlight: Jimi Hendrix (Thirds Applied To A Progression)]

Your guidance through all this stuff is incredibly helpful. I can’t begin to tell you how much your insight and instruction has benefited my understanding, and therefore my playing.

Thank you for hosting this incredible resource and for sharing your knowledge.

I've been playing guitar, on and off, for 30+ years. I hit a rut after a few years and never really advanced in my ability - that is until I became a Riff Ninja member. Although I'm pretty good with strumming patterns, the video has helped me a lot with my timing. The online lessons have really filled in the gaps in my theory knowledge.

I've improved more in the past couple months than I have in over 20 years.

Thanks Colin, you're an outstanding instructor!

Great Job!!! I am really enjoying your knowledge of the guitar. I have played all my life but no formal training. Except a few times friends might have passed a little knowledge or learned my chords out of a book. Your classes are sometimes a little different not the repetitive standard format. I didn't know what level to start so I started with the beginners class. I am glad I started in the beginners class because I leaned a lot of things I forgot and didn't know. I really see a big difference in my knowledge and understanding of my guitar. So I am really pleased with myself that I invested in your lifetime membership.
Thank you, Ron

Thanks Colin. I really learned a lot from this and the previous lesson. I've never concentrated on strumming patterns before, so I am excited to get started practicing these patterns. Thanks again for the great lesson.

Counting and explaining the rhythms is super helpful. I really like how you lay out several examples of how various chord progressions are used in various styles of music.

Riff (you don't mind if I call you Riff do you?). Have 3 of your courses. All great. I am a 72 y.o. Understand theory well. Head to hands is the problem. Thinking your Essentials of Strumming & Rhythm may help. Love your teaching & wish you & yours a very Happy Christmas. Gordon

Thank you so much for that! I have been playing at the guitar for some years now and with looking at this lesson it will help me to be more disciplined with the time I spend on the my instrument. Thank you again, this helps a lot!

Colin teaches major and minor thirds theory very effectively, and to simply apply it in a chord progression, he also has good theory in the area of chord construction, which is a necessity, which is printable and explained with his courses. Yes he can be a little old fashioned / traditional with his method he sets out, but sometimes you need this if you are struggling in understanding what you need to know, so you can build upon your theory knowledge in the music area you like / prefer. If you like the demo solo he shows you here, you may like other theory / courses he has available.

I think that you should call it the "Magic Harmony Box" as it has magically opened up the fretboard to me. I am finally starting to learn and understand what I am really doing and I am evolving towards becoming a real musician like Colin.

Colin. What a mellow, comfortable style you have, while all along displaying a professional tone to your instruction. Your years of teaching shine through in a really positive way. Thanks.

Good stuff. Love the break down of "Born with a broken heart". Something fun to practice. Colin, your teaching ability is awesome. The academy has been so much more helpful to me than the local lessons I'd been paying for - lots of cash for a whole lot less information.

Colin, What can I say! I have purchased everything from Marty and numerous others to long to name - but this 46 min lesson hit the nail on the head. I did know the extension on route 6 and 5 - But there is a no drag BS in your teaching which helped drive the whole formula into my head, finally!!

Cheers - The diatonic natural minor I did not know but the pieces of the jigsaw are certainly coming together. On the strength of this lesson I will purchase your DVD.

I am happy with the lessons. I find them really good because you point out the really important thing to focus on when learning how to play Guitar and Bass.

Keep up the good lessons.

Thanks Colin I have been playing for years and just signed up for your guitar school. Wish I had this information when I was younger, am 69 now. But never too old to learn! Just watched this course and learned some thing new, awesome!! Keep on picking!

Just started to discipline myself after a lifetime of being a musical hack.
And a variance the I, IV, V method was what I was using with the bass guitar to help myself navigate through the fretboard. The thing is, I didn’t know the “I, IV, V” from a “one-two” upside my head. I used to be the singer for a couple of thrash-metal-punk kinda bands who on occasion would hop on a bass to come up with licks and rhythms to go along with what ever lyrics happened to be bouncing around inside my head. Years later, now.

I finally picked up a guitar and decided to try and crack the code on how to play the thing. I SUCKED!!! But, desperate to learn I plugged away. Then I stumbled onto Riff Ninja and things have been falling into place ever since.

Just wanted everyone involved with this awesome learning tool to know that the “Aha!!!” moments are coming more frequently and I can actually play this thing without making my ears crawl back into my skull and hide from the abomination that was once my guitar playing. And I am sure that goes double for all within ear shot of my journey toward heavy metal greatness! And maybe the JCM800 half stack was a bit too much during this learning curve, and for that I apologize…… >: ) kinda.

Anyhoo, thanks again for the go at your own pace approach! It has worked wonders for me!

Will keep you updated!

Jeff (45 going on 20 again)

I thought this was a really great lesson. Yes the pace is fast, but the beauty of this medium is that everything can be replayed. That is what make this course so effective and such great value. My thanks to both of you - I am learning loads.

This was rather enlightening. Can't wait to practice and learn more. 🙂

Thank you!

Hi Colin, excellent lesson as always. I've learned more in the last week-and-a-half than in years of intermittent lessons.

Your teaching style is fantastic and I hope to be jamming along with you relatively soon in the more advanced stuff. However, first I'll learn to walk.

I never appreciated just how important scales were before now. Still fighting the lazy left hand, but with your help I'll win all the battles and eventually win the war.

Cheers mate.

Yee Haw! I am strumming all the patterns you gave us in this lesson and doing fairly smooth chord changes. This is the first time in my crummy "I wanna play guitar" career I actually feel like I'm playing. This is so cool. Thank you thank you thank you.

The music diagrams were very helpful to practice by. I am even using a metronome and holding on at 100bpm. Since I am rhythm challenged, all these things working together are helping me. Did I say thank you? Thank you!

Colin, I'm totally enjoying the things you're teaching, I've played (*self-taught) for 2 years and didn't get a LOT of things that are starting to make sense.

Colin this is a very good lesson. Take it from somebody who has struggled with chords for the last 3 years. I'm also a 60 year old man for those of you who think you might be too old to pick up guitar, learn and have fun with it. I was told by a couple of people when I first started venturing into chords that it is something that you just have to work out for yourself. I was stunned because I had no idea of where to even begin trying to learn to chords and transition into playing chord progressions. I have gotten better at chord playing because of my tenacity and desire to learn to play, but this lesson has added to my knowledge and I am confident that I can move on from here. Thanks for this Colin, you're a good teacher.

You opened my eyes a bit more to the "big picture" when it comes to fitting all I have watched and tried together to make more sense. Thanks!

I wanted to say how much I have been enjoying the lessons. Thanks so much. I do have a lot to practice. I am a trial member and will join, as I have learned so much in such a small amount of time, due to the presentation of the information. Colin is fantastic. I am very impressed, and have renewed excitement for my guitar, so much, that I sat down all day, and watched the lessons and played along yesterday. I am not total beginner, but, have learned bits and pieces over about 10 years, and now I feel like I have direction.

Man I can't believe I wasted so much time roaming around those stupid free videos on u-tube trying to learn something for free and not looking you up and paying such a cheap price to learn such valuable information.

It's really priceless...

My mind was completely blown with this lesson. Wow! Talk about unlocking a fundamental understanding and applying that knowledge here. Thank you guys for this incredible resource.

While going through these lessons I feel like I get to hang out with guitar masters all day.

Great job! My understanding, skill and abilities have increased an incredible amount is a very short time. I’m so glad to be here but wish I would made it here 20 yrs ago. Better late than never!

[referring to I IV V: Relative Major and Minor]

This was a very good lesson Colin. I've struggled with chords and chord changes ever since I first started. It's been 3 years and that's very unfortunate because if I had a lesson like this from the get go I'd be much further along. The other side of the coin is I've appreciated this lesson much more because of my challenges. I struggled because my teacher and one or two other people told me that it was just something I had to work out for myself. So, I learned by going out on you tube and reading various other materials, but this lesson pulled it all together for me. So I can tell you folks that by me having to take a long road around learning to play chords and chord changes that this lesson is a good one.

I have been a member since 2013. I admire the way Mr. Colin teaches. Awesome and very intuitive. I feel like a personal lessons with great knowledge and easy display for a student.
One of my students teacher asked me, how is your strumming so perfect? The secret is I have learned it from Colin's Strumming lessons. Thank you Sir.

This really opened my eyes to the power of triads.

Thanks so much for this lesson. I really like the way you teach, and the feedback from other students are helpful as well. Thanks to students as well. I love how scales are played and sound. Love this lesson.

Really excellent lesson, so helpful. I wish I'd learned this stuff 50 years ago!

Hey Colin, I'm 65 and have been trying to learn to play the guitar since the late 60's and stopped progressing after a few years. I just bought an Epiphone electric and watched a brief lesson on the Gibson website, by Arlen Roth, on scales.

Watching your lesson today during my free trial, has convinced me that you'll be able to do more for me, and the brief look already has, in terms of getting where I've been trying to go for all these years. I'm only interested in playing for myself mainly, a bit old to be a rock star, but maybe I could impress my friends. Thanks.

2nd lesson and I'm hooked! Your approach, mannerisms, and talking style are laid back and relatable. Rock on!! "Green as a pool table and twice as square" - awesome

What can I say? AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!! Thank-you for this lesson!! Your lesson is so much easier than trying to learn it from a book.

While I have much experience with G, Em, Am, C, and D... I'm very pleased to add Bm to my cache. Thank you, I really enjoyed this. Hoping to learn more than ever from you guys. I also really enjoy your online videos' approach.

Wow - this has to be one of the best online lessons i have ever come across. Thank you.

I am a huge Stevie Ray Vaughan fan but as a relative beginner/immediate thought it was out of reach for me. I think I will need to watch this several times and find some way to slow down the playback to half speed 🙂 to get it all.

This and the whiteboard lesson are the best I have ever gotten on basic strum and rhythm. I know it is probably a yawner for many, but for me it was the perfect formulaic approach. Once I have the muscle memory I'm sure it won't be that essential, but it is what I need now to make my practice productive.

After finding your site I’ve improved more in the past 3 weeks than I have in 20+ years. Colin makes it so easy to get me to wrap my head around these theory concepts. I’ve only known bits and pieces of the puzzle for too many years but thanks to Colin he’s helping me fill in the gaps.

It’s brought back the joy to playing the guitar.

Tonight my son and I just had a fantastic free jam session for hours where I just went nuts applying everything I’ve learned in these lessons. Where are you guys located? I’d love to have some one-on-one instruction with Colin. Great stuff guys!!

Hi Colin, I'm 69 and been trying to learn guitar for years, and I came here pretty much as a last stop shop. I've had quite a few lessons, but they all seem to want to show me how to play a song, not play the guitar.

I practiced this lesson for a while, without quite knowing why. Then I had a "light bulb" moment - I suddenly understood where I was on the fretboard, and why, and where to go next.

Still can't actually play much, but that's a work in progress...... I am much encouraged. Thank you.

I am a 52 year old guitar nut that really just plucked around for years. I recently picked up a Les Paul Epiphone and got serious. Practice hours everyday and struggled a bit until I saw your videos on u tube. Man it just clicked, your methods and attitude I really like. Thanks for the inspiration and tips. God speed my friend.

Brilliant lesson Colin! I was worried about learning to finger pick or hybrid pick but I'm actually getting the hang of it!

Colin, I've worked through all of your lessons to this point, and am looking forward to everything that follows. I really appreciate your teaching style, and I have already learned a great deal. (I used to play a bit of guitar as a teenager, and have now returned after a bit of a break - about 35 years!). What I particularly value is the balance of theory and demonstration, this is working really well for me. Many thanks.

Colin, that was one of the best lessons I have watched and I have watched thousands on all the guitar sites on youtube. I am so glad I joined the Academy. The repetition and explanation of what to do and why really worked for me. Thank you so much.

I guess I need to get plugged in. I have played a long time so I notice a semitone when I here it in a solo and never thought much about it. But now I know why, I will be working on this lesson, I want to get my ears hearing everything. I spent one year just concentrating on mode patterns and man has that paid off so I will give this the focus it needs as well. Thank you

Coolest progression so far. I almost feel like I am a player - running up and down the fret board!

I can almost hear the cheering crowds of adoring fans. I won't forget you, Colin, when I am a star.

It’s been a year +1 day since I signed up for a lifetime membership. You guys are great. I’m now at the point where I browse a topic based on what I am doing – select it – and enjoy. I always learn something and appreciate how theory and practice work together. Thanks.

I started to learn guitar 7 month ago at the age of 56. I want to understand music, not just play songs. I believe that I progressed a lot and I want to thank you for that (I am using diff sources, but this is clearly the best and helps to understand the other teachers better).

Thanks Colin, I have been practicing the scales for the last 6 months. My up down picking and my speed have greatly improved.

One other thing I am learning is go through all the lessons don't skip any as there is valuable information you will miss if you skip. I am guilty of skipping and am now going through all the lessons.

A very powerful lesson for me! Now that I see how to use these in chord scale, I see how to use all the triads and their inversions. So much to practice. How exciting! Thank you!

Hi Colin. Couldn't be happier with the Riff Ninja Academy lessons. Have made it deep into Section III and learned so much... SO much more to go.

You are an amazing teacher and I drop Jonathan a line ever so often about a question I have on one of the videos. A really thorough and informative course, probably the best one I have ever undertaken. You are so smooth on guitar. It's a joy to watch you play and instruct.

Hey Colin, Sixty seven year old new member; been playing on and off for three decades; still pretty ordinary but I just love strumming or plucking out a tune. I really like the way the screen is split into three sections on your videos as it lets everyone see exactly what's going on. Best regards, Jim

Thanks for all the great lessons. I'm enjoying the course and learning lots. Very effective and encouraging teaching style, much appreciated.

Nice and relaxing to watch. I'm optimistic about the future learning.

Ok... I was in a restaurant by myself a few minutes ago . For 2 years I could not change from a G to a C.
Buddy. I have spent $100’s on lessons. I get home and try out what you taught .... OMG... it was like magic !!! Going with the 3rd finger to the C note first was what helped me... Man, Thank you so much!! Now I’m looking for a girlfriend with brown eyes . I can now play Bob Marley “Brown Eye Girl”
THANK YOU!!
Phil

I have a lot of studying to do! Thank you for the lesson.

Been playing for a lot of years, it’s about time I learn what I have been doing!!!

Colin, I purchased my membership right at a year ago and I've never continued to practice consistent at all. I have so many guitar programs where I have spent thousands, now they are all collecting dust. Still after years I'm an advanced beginner.

Well! I never really used your program because I thought you talked to much in the lessons. LOL...

But I would look and skip around with the different programs I have and realized I was always coming back to your members site to find what I needed.

It's amazing how good I would be if only I had stayed focused and followed your program for the last year.

Colin you are an amazing guitar player and watching you shows all the hard work you have sacrificed over many years. I find myself wanting to practice more everyday, because you inspire me so much.

Thank you so much, Alan