Guitar Theory Unlocked Testimonials

After a long layoff from playing in high school, I needed an efficient path for really learning the instrument. Learning the music theory and proper techniques for playing chords have moved me along.

The I-IV-V course was a revelation but I also got a lot out of Scales when it came to getting restarted. I have not started DRG yet because I am going through a Riff Ninja course, but it is next in line.

I really appreciate your videos and teaching style. I am close to retirement but not there yet, so my practice time averages around 6 hrs/week. I won't be anyone's success story but the material from playguitar.com and riffninja.com have been well worth the money. (I think you and Colin are collaborators and not competitors but not certain.) I enjoy this exploration and am close to buying an electric. So the reason I have not responded to your requests for feedback comes down to my work and home life and the resultant slow progress. This will improve within the next year or two. I may take a few lessons from a human, face-to-face, and when I do I'll already have the basics in my fingers. And I'll have more intelligent questions. I wish I had never quit playing, but I'm glad I resumed. Thanks.

Hey Jonathan, the two classes I purchased from you were awesome. I'm actually playing instead of flailing now.

This is not a question but rather an acknowledgement of developing quality materials.

I am retired and volunteer teach guitar to at-risk school kids. I select a couple each year and lend them a student guitar that they can then own after good grades and behavior at school for one year as they let me tutor them academically.

While I play adequately and teach marginally, I am terrible at lesson planning. Borrowing ideas/techniques from your courses has made all the difference.

You have helped to turn several students around to achieving academic success and personal growth.

Thank you for this assist.

Mike Lebkicher

I really enjoyed the lesson. I have gone thru the theory stuff before but it cleared a lot of stuff for me.

Thank you, Jon. Your laid back teaching style is very helpful in my learning of the guitar, and how music in general works. I look forward to the CD!

I own the I, IV, V course, and my biggest takeaway was how simple the idea was to understand and to start using. Once I learned the idea that the root note of the progression was I, counting to IV and V was easy. If "A" is I then "D" is II and "E" is III. I used this information to transpose music so that I could play it.

I – IV – V had unlocked and resolved some of the confusion I had with finding notes and chords.

You are absolutely right, I like to teach myself a few tricks but after many years of experiments you just made it simple. I had a few days of fun and it will last forever now!!!

Hi Jonathan, I have had my first run through the course and true to your assertions, after going through the graphs and doing a few exercises with them, I GET IT. For the first time after playing for 30 years I can really understand the logic of chord makeup. I have in the past made up the odd chord (usually by accident) because it seemed to sound good....now, using the chart, HEY PRESTO I can use those "bodgy" chords with confidence.

As for diminished and augmented...I just didn't have a clue. I am going to spend more time on it and I am sure there will be several more revelations hiding there as well.

So, thank you. Well done!!!

Hi Jonathan! I am a pretty new guitar player, so your video was at a good level. The theory behind how something works has always been interesting to me. I have watched Unlocking I-IV-V two times now, and it is making a lot of sense and answers many questions I have had. I like your seemingly unrehearsed way of teaching - it gives time to let what you say sink in! Thank you for your efforts; I am very glad that I ordered the video. I benefit from your weekly lessons too.

Very refreshing; I like your style of teaching. Good video!! Thanks

I have gone over the first lesson from I-IV-V again, so I haven't gotten far yet, but even that was just so much fun and opens up a whole new vista to me. I have wanted for years to understand all the basic stuff about how music fits together but have not come across anyone who has ventured into this stuff. None of the places I've come across have anything like this and those in the know always say "Don't worry about it - you don't really need to know". This may be true but I like to understand the principle of the thing! Now at last I have some insight into what's going on, even from the little I now know. Having the DVD means there's no embarrassment about repeating things I didn't get the first time.

I don't understand why we don't all get taught this stuff in school-it goes to understanding the world around us! I will certainly pass this on to my kids and think it's great stuff. Hopefully down the track I will use this understanding to improve my playing and I can see it will certainly help me be more creative altogether.

Thank you very much for putting this out there at a very affordable price. Top value for dollar!

The Unlocking I IV V lesson has taught me a lot about my guitar, after viewing the lesson once and taking notes I am already memorizing each note on the fret board, learning the major and minor scale patterns, understanding which chords work well together and which keys they go together in. I'm glad I invested in this lesson and I think throughout the years of applying this to my playing it will make me a much better player.

I don't have words adequate enough to say how great this course is. It truly is the "bed rock" you will build on the remainder of your life. It is so clearly and simply shown.

Mr. Jonathan Boettcher is a Master instructor in my view. I'm so happy I found this course. If I were rich I would buy-up the copyrights from Jonathan and distribute this course to everyone who expressed a desire to play a guitar free of charge. Seriously!

I just finished the I, IV, V DVD and definitely found it easy to understand and helpful!! I want to thank you for uncovering an essential part of learning the guitar. What you have done is cut down the time it takes to get to the eventual goal, which is having fun, making music and securing knowledge. Thanks again!!

Jonathan, I am 53 years old and took some advice from my father 1 month ago. He said, "Marcus, become something."

With what I have learned in 'Unlocking I-IV-V', I WILL become the guitarist I have always dreamed about. I may work a government job, but my passion is guitar. You are the absolute best in this business of music tutorial. I have taken other lessons and was disappointed greatly but your course is DY-NA-MITE!!!

Let me briefly comment on those who feel music theory is not needed; you're foolish. Music theory is the foundation to becoming a guitarist. Don't be like some of the big-time guitarist today playing the same chords and riffs. Become a real guitarist by taking Jonathan's course. It will change your playing and ultimately change your life.

My dream is to make music for the rest of my life

If you're taking this seriously and want to become a great guitarist, go see Jonathan. Simple and powerful instruction is what he gives.

Great job, Jonathan. I can't wait to move onto the next lesson in scales.

Peace, love and blessings to you and your family.

I wanted to let you know that Unlocking I-IV-V Revealed was like finding the Holy Grail of Music Theory! I have always played guitar but I always wanted to learn how to play the piano. Like so many, I looked at hundreds of How-to-play-piano Youtube videos. I would get bits and pieces on "how to play" piano but never the whole product to put it all together. I gave up and went back to guitar.

One day I took a chance, bought Unlocking I-IV-V Revealed and it was one of those things where the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out with the Angelic Hymn! It all came together. I learned what it means when they ask what key a certain song is in, what notes are in that key, the scales, the single notes to play, and the chords to play. I took Unlocking I-IV-V and applied it to piano.

I am now playing and learning all my favourite songs without using blasted sheet music. I can now sit down and just tickle the ivories making my own music by the theories of Unlocking I-IV-V. With your system I can now apply it to any instrument I want to play.

THANK YOU!

Jonathan, Thanks so much for doing this...

Boy am I glad I ordered the DVDs well as downloading it. I watched it and felt like I was in a college classroom studying Music Theory and how it pertains to the guitar. I know I've only listened to it once, but I will be studying it a lot. You brought it down to my level... I've been strumming guitar for over 30 years and yesterday was the first time I understood "what" I was strumming.

I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos and I want to let you know that they are helping somebody finally get the hang of it. I was listening to the radio and couldn't help but want to transcribe the songs as I listened to them. The only problem was I was driving. LOL.

For a young man and a white board you do a fine job... keep 'em coming!

You are so good at what you do... not just the instruction you provide and sell, but to review others' material and offer it through your site. I know you are successful with your business model.

I dream of being able to sit and jam... I am learning the boxes and notes and scales... I just am not ready to break out and improvise. Your I-IV-V video has helped a lot. Thanks again for providing that program (plus you got to use your new white board) LOL.

Keep this going, you are helping a lot of people just like me and I speak for them, too!

I'm not quite finished, but I've got to say I'm very impressed. I learned (or at least understood) way more theory than I ever got in 3 years of classical guitar back in the 1970s. You've really figured out how to put some really key information into a methodology that is easy to understand and retain. I kept scribbling down "ah ha" moments through-out the video. And I've been able to apply it easily to my playing (which is good as I haven't played in 20 years so I'm pretty rusty.)

Thanks so very much for putting this DVD together. I'll be watching it repeatedly to try to integrate the concepts more fully.

Before I-IV-V, I had never learned any type of guitar theory (or musical theory for that matter). I had mostly just taught myself the chords, one minor scale, and some simple songs, but did not understand why they were what they were or why certain chords/notes went together better. I-IV-V has helped me to start understanding this and has renewed my interest in the guitar. It seems so much easier now.

I found unlocking I IV V to be both enlightening and helpful. A bit deep at times, but necessarily so. The 1-3-5 rule, and the 7 letter rule were especially handy.

I have watched your DVD's and I found them very helpful. I'm almost 65 years old and have been strumming the guitar since I was about 14 years old. I'm mostly self-taught with a few instructions from family members who play, but never any formal training. Your lessons have helped me understand exactly what is going on with the fret board and where to find my notes. Although my fingers don't work as well as they did when I was young, I still enjoy trying to play my favourite tunes. Keep up the good work. Wish I would have had you around 50 years ago. Thanks again.

Before I purchased the course, I was skeptical about it. I thought it would be another regular how-to-play lesson. But I gave it a chance and I understood that I was so wrong about it. It just enlightened my understanding of the fretboard instantly. I recommend it to everyone.

I got both lessons, and the theory was very easy to understand. I can find almost any scale on the guitar now!! Now I just have to get the fingering down.

This was absolutely a wonderful course. I had been struggling with chords, and now I am glad to say this helped me with the fret board and all the chords. I appreciate getting this cheat sheet 🙂 Thank you, Diane

I received the DVD and have already reviewed it twice. Found it very useful. I learned guitar as a kid and played rhythm guitar in a country band, but never learned any theory. I now play just for my own enjoyment and some sing alongs so I need to be able to pick out chords for new songs. Your DVD is a great help and of course your folksy style is entertaining.

In trying to define the value of the lesson your basic course in fret knowledge provided, my first thought was, I don't know the full value yet. This eye opening, easily understood, basic understanding is like learning where a light switch is in a dark room. What that light has helped me find already is amazing and what's still in the dark room yet to be discovered is just a matter of time and effort away. The more I look at what I'm doing the more I see why it all works. I can't say it enough how worthwhile this simple course has been. I have never gotten so much for so little before. A value that delivers a one time benefit is all well and good, but a value that continues to deliver forever is truly hard to find.

I'm an unemployed low voltage electrician (fire alarm specialist ) living in Michigan.... if you can call this living. LOL Your lesson has given me a challenge I desperately needed. It may well prove to be a life saver of sorts... a sanity save for sure. All for under 30 bucks.... quite a bargain.

Good lesson and explanation! These really help a lot to someone, a novice, like me! Can you add the captions too? It is just a recommendation, and that is, for those, like me, that their english is their second language.

My knowledge has improved considerably thanks to you!

I have unfortunately for me started later in my life, I find some challenges in doing so but slowly I am gaining some ground, I like the way you explain things in a common sense way, thanks Jonathan.

I really enjoyed the lesson. It was well structured, covered a lot of ground and did it at the right pace with an equal mix of whiteboard and guitar. I gained a lot of insights, especially coming from a completely different music system (the raga based Indian one) and I look forward to your future lessons. I Like the emails with additional snippets such as this one as well.

Great job and I look forward to the next lesson I am going to buy.

This has helped me starting to make up my own solos.

Courses: Slow Blues solo in A, Guitar Scale Patterns, Bar Chords Made Easy, Unlocking 1,4,5

There are plenty of keys in the above courses to help someone like me, who has always experimented with different sounds on my guitar, to make riffs and solos my own. It is nice to be able to do classic solos note for note, but the real enjoyment is changing them to how you are feeling in the moment.

After all, the pros do not play them the same way every time.

Understanding the fret board makes this possible. It frees you up to be able to play all over the fret board and UNDERSTAND why certain notes sound so sweet together.

I also use songs playing on the radio as jam tracks. Since I do this at home with no one listening but my wife (she says I have become a lot better over the past several years), I am not worried about making mistakes. I start playing immediately as a song plays to try and find the key it is in. I have developed my ear so that I can hear it when I find the key. Since I have been doing this for the past few years, it only takes 2-3 seconds to find the key. This makes playing more fun and free.

Understanding how chords are made up allows me to find and play the same chords in different voicings all over the fretboard. Several years ago, I would have thought this would be impossible for me.

I would stress that progress comes from playing, and more playing. I play because it is fun and it relaxes me. Learning how the fretboard works will make it fun for others also. Also, playing in a band helps you get your timing down. I play in a band at my church, which is a safe place. (You do not have to worry about people throwing stuff if you make a mistake). I had only been playing for a couple of years when I joined the band and at first, could only keep up with every 3rd chord the band played. But when I found the correct chord I would accent it. I did this to express my joy at playing the right chord, but the band said it made things sound better. This helped my initial disappointment of not being able to keep up.

Today, I am able to fit in and add to a band's sound. To those just starting out, I would encourage them to enjoy the journey. After several years of steady playing, you will be having fun also.

Being able to play freely makes it more fun.

I really enjoyed the Unlocking I IV V video. Watched it completely twice to digest all the details.

I have been studying and playing guitar quite a number of years and while the information in your video was not new to me, I have to say it is presented in a very organized and complete package.

I particularly like how you describe the theory of chord construction and how this relates to the scale positions of any key.

Looking forward to watching the guitar scale patterns video next! Keep up your good work; it is a great gift to the guitar players' community.

Hi from an Australian that lives in New Zealand.

I've read your posts for at least a year and have enjoyed the humour. I finally bought one of your courses, Unlocking I IV V.

As an accountant, I'm glad I can now relate to guitar numerically. Have enjoyed first part of the course so thanks for that.

Thanks for the info. I have heard several of those names: tonic, subtonic, mediant, etc because I read a lot of the guitar magazines and you're right - it's usually the more formally trained and experienced that use those names. I was always thinking what the hell are they talking about hahaha, so thanks for clearing that up for me.

I have watched and studied the Unlocking One Four Five and I have to thank you for the lesson. I knew when I saw you advertise it that this is a lesson I desperately needed to purchase because I can play but I had no idea why I can play this chord with that chord or why I can't play this note and that note etc etc... and Unlocking One Four Five has answered all that and then some.

I really enjoy playing a whole lot more because now I am not thinking so much when I'm playing, I'm just playing and enjoying it. I would have bought this lesson a lot sooner but I am only working part time right now and my wife and I just had a baby girl, so times are a bit tough but the lesson was worth every dollar. Thanks again.

I just finished the entire lesson plus the extra videos and will likely revisit some of them again to be sure I caught everything. I can’t say I totally understand it all but it did make lots of things clearer. I’ve been playing for more than 35 years and taught myself and play mostly by ear and now I’m wanting to learn more. I’ve already started practicing much more each day and have seen improvement. It’s my hope that my jam sessions with friends will become more enjoyable the more I practice and learn.

I can say that you do break things down in much easier to understand terms and don’t spend time on slashing but on learning techniques and for that, I thank you very much.

I look forward to your email tips as well. Thanks for the good work and your time.

I watched the DVD, and it was like someone turned on the light! I began rhythm guitar lessons at age 59. I took lessons for about 18 months... always the same type of lesson. He would teach me the intro of a song... and we wouldn't go any further. Next week, he might start to show me the same song. He never taught me anything about theory! I finally decided that he was an excellent musician, but not a good teacher. I got so perplexed that I thought about quitting... but I'm a stubborn old man!!! LOL I quit taking lessons last April, but I still play almost every day... just because I enjoy it! Your DVD is great!!! I wish I had bought it two years ago!!

Very good info & teacher. Helps in learning to solo.

I would like to thank you for putting these courses out simplified and user friendly and good to understand without being too complicated or too expensive.

In my opinion these courses are a must for anyone wanting to learn more with music theory. I've seen a lot of courses, but yours are definitely needed to cut years off learning time.

Hi Jonathan,

I want you to know how much I appreciate all of your help and assistance in learning how to apply Music Theory and especially Guitar Theory to my understanding of the Guitar. I was a Instructor of Religion at Saint Leo University for almost 10 years and have taught in the classroom setting of community colleges for many years. I have several earned degrees and am at home in the college classroom setting. I know talent and dedication when I see it and you have both! For me it is very important to know that you personally have developed these courses out of your own struggle and challenge to master the Guitar. It is also important to know that you are personally available and dedicated to helping people master these concepts on the Guitar. I have been playing every day since my wife bought me a nice Martin Guitar last September to help me recover from a heart attack and open heart surgery. I am dedicated to it. I spend at least 90 minutes a day on my Guitar and more on the weekends.

I have purchased over 20 different books and videos. I have studied on line through the most popular guitar web site. While I have learned a little bit from all of these sources---nothing has made the guitar come alive like your videos! Your videos put all of the pieces together and result in your being able to actually visualize, conceptualize, and tactically play the guitar! Your videos are the missing link where all of the various lessons come together and find a greater meaning like the missing link to a puzzle. I hope that you will provide instruction for all levels of Guitar instruction. I am currently serving as Chaplain to the Palliative Care Team at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida. I am hoping soon to be good enough to play my Guitar in our chapel and to play some beautiful music to our dying patients to comfort them. Thank you for taking a personal interest in my learning how to play the guitar with understanding.

I have spent several hours watching and studying your videos. They are excellent. I will tell some of my colleagues at work about your Guitar Videos.

So far so good! I learned a few more things beyond the courses I have taken in the past. There are a lot of concepts in this section and you present them well.

I’m a bass player and the Unlocking 1 4 5 was awesome for me. I wish I’d had this guy around in the late 60’s early 70’s. Learning would’ve been so much more fun and less time consuming than the stop and go method (start the record, then stop the record to learn a song). I’ve now ventured into learning rhythm guitar. At 60 I’m feeling young again!

These are really good lessons.

Very well explained

The I-IV-V video was an extremely helpful tool for me. I have been playing approximately 20 years and had not really ever progressed much in my understanding. I kind of understood the 1-4-5 connection but was never able to know exactly where I was going with the minors depending upon which key I was in. Your video made it so clear to me and gave me an easy way to know quickly no matter what key I was in. Next up for me will be the soloing video.

Jonathan: I just wanted to thank you and say how happy I am with your 1-4-5 and guitar scale patterns courses. I started playing guitar when I was 12 - almost 50 years ago - yikes - learned some chords and songs - but was never able to unlock the fret board. I knew a lot of piano theory, but could not extrapolate it to guitar. Never even understood that the fretboard is a bunch of semi-tones which makes the guitar easier than piano in some ways.

Anyway, I stopped playing for decades until this past year when I began to feel a craving for it, especially playing electric lead. I hunted around the internet for instruction - lots of good courses - but couldn't find the right thing for where I am now. My brain can only absorb so much. Eventually I stumbled on the pentatonic pattern and realized this was a piece of the puzzle. Fortunately I discovered your courses and am thrilled - it helps that for 1-4-5 I already understand on some level what we are dealing with - I discovered this pattern when I began, but there is a wealth of information to absorb and apply.

I didn't think I could learn scales and patterns on guitar - it seemed incomprehensible to me. You are a wonderful teacher and I am so happy to finally be learning how to play beyond the level where I stopped so long ago. Learning to integrate some theory with improvisation and expression is my dream and I wanted to thank you for making it possible, exciting, and fun to learn. I have taught subjects in the past that could be considered complicated systems, and so I recognize how artful you have made these courses. I hope you will bring out more of them, although one could review these over and over and keep learning. Please feel free to use this as a testimonial if you want to.

Anyway - you have a wonderful teaching style and I wanted to express my appreciation to you.

A few months ago, I was surprised how quickly I understood guitar scales from your Scale Pattern DVD, which was just amazing.

I have just started watching your Unlocking Guitar I,IV,V download lesson (DVD on the way), just under 20 mins ago. I already understood how scales are put together but where you demonstrate octaves in scales and the T T ST TTT ST formula, in a linear context, another 'penny dropped', and I was immediately able to play linear scales on every string and name the corresponding notes as I went. NOT because I learned it 'parrot fashion' but because IT MADE SENSE and the natural progression of each octave was clear as day. It may not sound like much but for me it was a eureka moment.

Your teaching methods seem to provide me with these such moments fairly often, something I've never experienced with ANY OTHER TEACHER, (have tried 3 others including one costing $150).

I have no doubt the remainder of the Unlocking Guitar I,IV,V lesson will be as mind expanding as the small piece so far viewed and I am in a hurry to get back to it, but just had to email you to say a huge THANK YOU, Jonathan. Your lessons have taught me more about music & understanding how to play my guitars in 2 lessons (still have to get through Bar Chords Made Simple DVD), than I've learnt in the past 20 months of playing/learning.

These listings are, without doubt, the best investment possible in understanding music's relationship to playing guitar and thereby making me a better player.

Thanks again, JB. As we Aussies would say "Your blood's worth bottling".... (Hope it translates to Canadian OK?)

I really found your Unlocking I IV V course very helpful, especially running through it 2 or 3 times, over a couple of weeks. It is amazing how much you pick up the second or third time you watch them. Once again many thanks.
Regards, Alan

I am in my late 60's and I started with classical guitar lessons about 2 years ago. I really love it, but it isn't quite as easy as I thought it would be!! Wanting to have more fun with the guitar, I joined a jamming group which I love. That's where the 1-4-5 comes in handy. I wouldn't know what to do without it. Now I want to know how and why, that's where the theory comes in.

I found your DVD excellent. You did a great job of explaining everything clearly. I am still trying to grasp it all. It gets a little complicated at the end, but I only watched it once so far, but I took lots of notes. It seems easier to have notes in front of me. Anyway, it was money well spent. Thanks!!

Having fun with my guitar and loving every minute of it!!

Just learning the 1 4 5 relation was eye opening enough. I never knew and yet I saw the same chords in the same songs. DUH. It's a good course.

As far as theory... well I have learned a lot. APPLYING it is the challenge for me. Mostly its my own lack of practice. I have learned a great deal from you and Colin. Thank you both.

I would honestly say, that I bought BCMS just to complete my collections that you produced such as; Guitar Scale Patterns, I IV V, Bass, and Jam Tracks. But I was really happy that I discovered that I still have a 25% missing in my barre chord playing. Thank you for making my barre chord know how to its completeness.

You are a great teacher, and I am giving you an A++. Your style of teaching is universal that anyone can grasp the way you explain. You really want your students to learn and that is establishing a legacy. I spent on bundles of guitar books and it did not help me at all but one single 4 pages manual that illustrates the music theory in diagram and that is it and you are on your own. But you explained the missing link to me on your Guitar Scale Pattern. Without you I already gave up, it's been three years playing on and of with the scales and it did not do me any good. I asked myself, What is next after learning the scales? I think I am not the only one with that question. I found the answer in the Guitar Scale Pattern and Unlocking 145. Thank you for now and time for me to watch my favourite Decoding the Bass Guitar. My dream, that one day I can play a solo in a 5 or 6 string bass guitar. Thank you again and more power to you.

I am a beginner, 66 years old, purchased my first guitar (acoustic) 2 years ago, took lessons for short time, purchased Hal Leonard Beginner book. Struggled a lot. 6 months ago I was given two electric guitars. Then I purchased Guitar Theory DVD from Steve Stine, and I began to understand the theory and fretboard. More recently, I purchased 3 DVDs from you over 6 week period, starting with Bar Chords (Stine has limited info on Bar Chords). I thoroughly enjoyed the Bar Chord lesson, but then it led me to your Unlocking I, IV, V, DVD and more recently, your Guitar Scale Pattern DVD.

Your teaching method for me is superior, I had enough theory already for basic understanding, but you helped me understand in a way that has accelerated my learning and practice. I spend 3 hours per day, between replaying your DVDs and actual practice; sometimes more. I learn something new every time I replay one of your DVDs; something clicks. I can't thank you enough for the clarity and understanding your teaching provided me. No one is too old to learn!

My playing has improved greatly, and still am improving. I am very excited about learning how to understand the fret board and to play scales and bar chords. You lessons are awesome - they work if you are determined and practice, as well as go over them often!

1-4-5 and Scales.

I also purchased the bass course to help me understand the difference with bass and lead!

I bought 1-4-5 and Guitar Scale Patterns as a Christmas present to me. Both are real good and I have learned a lot from them.

I enjoy your e-mails and vids, so please keep them coming. I am 48 and been "fiddlin' " around with the guitar since I was 14 and was content with strumming a few chords before bedtime. However, after hearing a coworkers CD of his band's music recorded in his apartment, I decided to take my playing to the next level and teach myself to play better and make a recording of my own brand of music on my computer.

I trusted your 1-4-5 and GSP for my theory angle of attack. I have always knew this is what was holding me back from being a casual strummer to being center stage (well at least for the church praise band). After viewing your courses, I am amazed how simple you present music theory. I have learned a lot and know that this knowledge will put me over the hump in my quest to be a better, more skillful guitar player. Hopefully, I will "make the band" and make those home recordings with some screaming solos from the A minor pentatonic scale!!

Thanks again for making these videos.

You are a diamond in the smooth!

I have sped through the Instruction offerings and was very pleased with the eye-opener issues you have clarified (dare I say, "solved"?) for me. I liked the way you developed the "Rule of Thumb" structure, followed by sequentially adding the various items pertaining to Chord formation, I - IV - V protocols and handy-dandy graphic outlines of related positions on the fretboard, etc., etc. You are a unique and very good instructor. I found your demos on the guitar very useful and pleasant.

Thanks again for your great work(s).

At last l understand this system, thanks - I have looked at it many times.

Wonderful course!!!! I watched the I, IV, V course 3 times and each time I learned more. Thank you!!! I can see this a great continuation and an extremely helpful course.Wonderful course!!!! I watched the I, IV, V course 3 times and each time I learned more. Thank you!!! I can see this a great continuation and an extremely helpful course.

I must tell you, I was somewhat skeptical about the lessons and held off quite a long time. But, finally I decided to order the I-IV-V lesson. I am glad I did! I have some books on teaching guitar and one of them did a chapter on the I-IV-V material. Sadly, the way it was presented in that book just did not click with me. Your video lesson was a different story! The concept came across loud and clear! I will be viewing the files quite a few times and do the home work!

This lesson is true to its name. It really unlocked what I’ve been missing after playing for nearly 24 years. Now I understand keys. I’ve been trying to figure this out for years and asking people how to do it. This lesson finally gave me what I was missing. It has a lot packed it. Takes a while for it to sink in, but now I’m creating instead of memorizing!

Jonathan I watched both lessons yesterday!! They were awesome!! I have never studied theory and the Unlocking I IV V lesson was fascinating and I learned a lot!! Being over here in the Middle East I was glad I got the DVDs at home before I left again!! I really got a lot out the scale lesson also!! The fretboard makes a lot more sense!! Now it's not blank but more like a canvas I can explore and expand while improving my playing!!

My resolution for this New Year was for the first time to really understand so I could really play!! Not play but have a better understanding of my instrument and music theory as a whole!! I can't wait to re-watch them!! It's great because now I have the tools I need to be able to play like I've always wanted to!! Also the up down strumming was also informative!! I'd never realized how important it was to vary your strumming!! Thank you so much forth the lessons and all the great website info and email lessons!! You are a remarkable teacher and I thank you!!!

Thank you so much for the I IV V course.

I started studying the guitar a year ago, not only how to play but as much as I could about guitar theory. I bought a book about scales, all it really did was show me all these different scales and all the boxes for them up and down the fretboard.

I didn't know much more when done than when I started (maybe I'm just slow).

When I watched your course FINALLY someone put the pieces together in a way that made sense. I've learned so much from you that tied together all the bits and pieces together I've learned over the last year. Man what a relief to have this stuff finally make sense.

Yes I have more questions about other scales but I see now there is hope for me. Thank you sooooo much for taking the time to explain this in a step by step approach! It was money well spent, just wish I had found this before I wasted money looking in so many other places - I know they all mean well just that some people are not good at teaching. You are awesome please do more on minor, and major and minor pentatonic scales.

Thanks again Roy in KCMO

My understanding of the guitar fret board has greatly improved. I have learned scales and how to form chords. I am also learning how to solo!

The 1-4-5 course and the guitar school have been awesome.

Hi Jonathan, I think the most valuable course for me was your early courses in a basic 145 approach, and a basic 145 approach to scale theory, to get the understanding of how basic Country and Blues worked.

From here have studied in many music theory areas and approaches, to learn what I wanted to know and what worked for me. There is no 100 percent right or wrong way, but understanding how scales work and work together, and able to apply it is very valuable, and there's always different approaches.

But think the earliest courses were the most valuable to me, because it gave me the basic understanding when I was starting over again from 2006, when I needed it. Your soloing courses have your own soloing style and method, that works really well for you. All you need is the right lyrics to be added, and you would have a few songs.

Where were you when I wanted to learn to play the guitar forty years ago? I know, you weren't alive. Previous instructors made the process hard, or maybe it was my attention span. Either way, I've come farther in two months now that I understand the patterns than I did in many years of trying, getting frustrated, and quitting. You broke down the mysterious fretboard and made learning easy. At fifty five, a great regret was never learning to play the guitar. Because of you and your program I am on the way to erasing that regret from my life. This may sound overstated, but I assure you, it is not.

I got both the Unlocking 1-1V-V DVD and also the Guitar Scale Patterns DVD. I think your style of teaching is great because you take your time and don't miss out on the important details. Often I find instructors gloss over this and leave you to sort it out if you are able to. I now have a full understanding of chord construction and of how useful scale patterns are. It's really great because I didn't find either course at all boring. I was really interested throughout.

Thanks very much for your help. I now have a real basis to work from in my guitar playing.

I think your lesson was great! I'm a poor excuse of a bass player and am trying to do all I can to become a good bassist. I figured that if I learned a little about the guitar it would help.

I subscribe to Dolphin Street and your lesson was highly recommended by them. Let me say that I wasn't disappointed at all. Your lesson didn't claim to make me a Guitar God overnight (and it didn't), but it did "unlock the I - IV - V" for me. I pretty much knew what you taught in Part I, but I still came away with a better understanding or reassurance of what I already knew.

Part II is the bomb! I never quite understood that Tone, Tone, Semi Tone...thing until I watched you go through it. I caught it the first time through. However, I watch the video over and over to make sure I have it in memory. And I can't get over how easy it was to understand what you taught about chord structure and major, minor, diminished chords, etc.

I'll never leave the bass, but I'm going to try to learn the guitar now. You have a way of making your lessons understandable unlike any "help" that I've ever received.

One thing I've noticed already is that I was able to apply the number system to assist in learning a song that I needed to learn for yesterday. I saw the pattern (I-V-VI-IV) and learned the song in a matter of a few minutes. It usually takes me hours of listening... stopping the music to find the notes... slowing the tune down with Transcribe...very time consuming.

I guess you can tell that you have helped me out tremendously. Thanks man! You are making a huge difference in making this music thing fun for me. I had actually quit playing for over twenty years because it had become too much like work rather than something that I could enjoy.

Sorry to go on and on. Thanks for everything. Hope you enjoy the holiday.

Jonathan, thank you for teaching a faster way. I'm 54 years old and picked up the guitar after many years and a few kids. I wanted a way to speed things up because, well, I'm 54 and I wanted to become reasonably good and not spend too much time on semantics. So, anyway, thanks a lot!!

Hi Jonathan - thanks for the additional info on the minor of (1-4-5). I really like your lessons. I have studied some guitar theory in the past, but your efforts make it so much easier. Before getting your DVD's, the fret board seemed like years of work to learn. I had learned some positions but never felt like I would be able to master it. Your lessons are giving me hope and energy.

I enjoyed the Unlocking I-IV-V lesson so much that I vowed I would get more lessons from you. So today I purchased the Guitar Scales Lesson. I'm "Hungry to learn the scales". Over the years, I purchased many lessons from so called Guitar guru's but they always left me stranded with their inability to teach clearly. I would then become frustrated, throw their lessons in a corner and look for the next guitar tutor. It is my firm belief that YOU are the best tutor for learning the Guitar Theory.

Thanks Jonathan... Teaching the guitar is your gift, keep up the great work.

Thank you for the follow-up email to find out my progress with the 1-4-5 program. Firstly, please know I feel very lucky I bought the lesson. It cleared the confusion and vagueness I had regarding the fret board. You presented the unlocking 1-4-5 guitar concept in a manner that is effortless to understand. I feel very confident that I can write or rewrite music using this new 1-4-5 chord/major scale concept knowledge.

I found the 12 bar grid template a great tool to understand how music is made. I am glad I am no longer confused on concept of the 1-4-5, 1-3-5, 2-3-6, minor and major chords. My current level: In addition to unlocking 1-4-5 with your awesome lessons, I just completed learning all the minor and major pentatonic scales all modes.

I wanted some time with your lessons....scales and 1-4-5 before giving you some feedback. I am a 60 yr old guy who has been playing music since the age of 5. Was coerced by my mom at the age of 5 to take piano lessons... we moved and I resumed the piano with another teacher and quickly asserted my independence and took up a serious 12 yr study of the trumpet.... weekly private lessons, jazz, classical, marching band, all that stuff... auditioned for the college orchestra at the age of 15 and for the audition we had to sight read orchestral trumpet parts and transpose them on the fly...boy that was stressful!! Anyway, I made the orchestra... auditioned for a jazz band that involved a month in the woods of Maine and we played at the resorts.. Played in a soul band for years while in high school.... total trumpet immersion..,

I picked up the guitar along the way and never had any instruction... I know you mentioned you were a trumpet player in your earlier days and you know what a demanding mistress the trumpet is... I couldn't take a day off of practicing for 12 yrs or at the least I would bring my mouth piece with me on family vacations..... while in grad school in North Carolina... 1977, I picked up the guitar and have been pretty focused on that since that time... after teaching myself out of a book and jamming along with records I quickly joined a band and off I went.... even after more than 30yrs I never had any "lights come on" in terms of my theory that I learned many times over the years.... it just never made a whole lot of sense... mainly memorized positions... but again I have always conceptualized theory through the piano... it is so linear that it makes sense to me...

Recently a friend was in bad times and offered me his guitar at a great price... Epiphone Les Paul.... been playing a strat... so I primarily wanted to help out the friend but started playing the new acquisition and decided to take on a more serious study of the guitar... this is where you come in.

I started with your scales course and have spent a good bit of time working on those.... your method and written material have been excellent for me!! Your pace and explanations are great and visuals are most helpful. Last night I had a friend over and we started jamming and guess what??? THE LIGHTS WENT ON!! Your scale instruction came through like a CHAMP. I have never been shy about improvising but in just a few weeks of studying your course, I was playing at a whole different level and wasn't just faking it!!! The use of my fingers was so much more efficient and clearly the knowledge of the scales gave me so much more in terms of tools and knowledge to work with!!! By the end of one 20 min jam the adrenaline was pumping through me and I have never played so well and felt so satisfied on the guitar in my life!! Your lessons clearly helped me accomplish this wonderful experience... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I purchased your 1-4-5 and have watched the first 50 minutes and think it is a good theory for guitar but so far I haven't learned much new stuff... I do think that the remaining lesson will prove helpful.

Again, I can't thank you enough for helping me turn on the "light".

I bought the Guitar Patterns package a while ago and have only viewed the Unlocking 1,4,5 so far. But I must say that you take the somewhat scary subject of music theory and make it very easy to understand. I'm quite sure that the rest of the material (Guitar Patterns i.e.) and the good jam tracks will get me well on the way to playing good solos while understanding what I'm doing and why it works.

My playing has improved greatly since I began your lessons. I am enrolled in several courses and alternate as the mood strikes me. Most push me and require a lot of time and work, but that's good. I also do my own thing on occasion, which eats away at the clock. I'm retired so that's okay. My favorites, so far, are the Unlocking I-IV-V and the Secrets of Tasty Riffs & Solos. Both are packed with good stuff. On your recommendation, I will probably take on the Riff Ninja Guitar School too.

Just wanted to say that your I, IV, V has been fantastic for me. Now granted, I am still working through a lot of the material and mating it all together in my head, but none the less it has given me a much better knowledge of the fretboard. I recently picked up the guitar again after too many years away from it, and I have to say... your material is exactly what the doctor ordered. The tips that you have on your blog have been as much of a help as the DVD's. It's become a standard practice of mine to use the material both that you send in email and the material on your blog as practice for the day and through out the week. Your blog has become like having you as a teacher in my living room in the morning before work and again when I get in after work.

I can't thank you enough for what you are doing... you have renewed my confidence in actually being able to master my own technique and playing style. I had started with very limited exposure and instruction in playing guitar years ago... but decided to pick it up again when a recent move turned up a left behind acoustic in my attic, and then coming across your material and exposure to your blog and instruction. I now have 2 acoustics and have gained enough confidence to purchase a Fender Strat to develop my electric guitar playing as I'm more of a rock/metal fan since being a teenager back in the 80's.

That's the beauty of your instruction: I have been able to work with both the acoustic and electric and I am amazed at the progress I have made. I feel that the instruction I have received...both on your DVD and blog... has afforded me the ability to progress much faster and more efficiently than just having a weekly instructor to visit. (Plus I would be hard pressed to find an instructor who would be in my living room at 4:30am while I practice with my morning coffee before work, and then come back at 5pm when I return for more practice... you're always here.)

The thing is, I had felt that playing guitar efficiently would be something that I just would not grasp...especially fret board knowledge and theory... thank you for proving me wrong. The patterns that you define and the theory that goes with it has allowed my brain and my fingers to come together in an understanding that makes everything flow. I have to tell you, playing is one thing... understanding what you're doing... that's the key. Your patterns make what I once felt would be too complex simple to follow and it sticks in your memory. You have given me many AH-HA moments.

Again, thank you for what you're doing, and keep doing what you do, because I couldn't be doing what I'm doing if you didn't. LoL

You're awesome and I greatly appreciate all your doing.

I've been playing guitar for over 40 years, learning where to put my fingers to make chords, and learning songs one chord at a time. It's nice to finally know why these notes/chords worked. I tried a private lesson but learned more from your video in a shorter time with less frustration... Thank you.

I used to play guitar 30 years ago - got bored with what I was playing, so just stopped.

Recently bought myself a nice new 12 string, got back to relearning all the old chords and songs - and remembered why I quit way back when. I had hit a brick wall and couldn't improve.

I found you on the net when looking for lessons. I just want to be better than I was. Bought your I IV V lesson - and what a revelation.

Anyway, already understanding my way around the fret board is far better than before. Started doing scales - and my wife says I am already better than I was, after only a couple of months.

Really enjoying playing again. Your lessons and emails are a real inspiration. I'll be buying more as I improve.

Many thanks indeed for your fine work!

These lessons that you have prepared are the best that I have ever seen.

For once I am getting it! Nice going!!

Bar chords are my biggest intimidation and understanding how guitar player go all over the fretboard especially when soloing

I was gifted your unlocking I-IV-V CD course and just finished it. And I must say I learned so much valuable basic knowledge it blew me away. I can now figure out all the notes in a key without a cheat sheet and really understand why chord finger patterns are how they are. To understand the "why" and "how" of something truly unlocks limitless potential to improve. Thank you for making such a mysterious language to me into something so simple.

I plan to get other courses soon. Bar chords are next🙂

My goal is to play some great blues tunes in the near future and I now have hope that is a real possibility

Thank You

I just wanted to let you know that your video has already helped me tremendously in understanding how the notes and chords relate to one another. I've been playing guitar for 37 years and never understood the concepts that you've taught in Unlocking I-IV-V. A friend of mine tried to explain it to me several years ago but I never "got it" until now. I feel confident that the knowledge you've given me will open up an entire new world for me in playing guitar. Your lessons are excellent!!! Thanks and I'm looking forward to becoming a better guitar player through your lessons.

I have looked at many online "learn Guitar Over-night" courses and have to say that the courses offered at PlayGuitar.com are very well laid out, easy to follow, and relevant to the material at hand. I have purchase most of the coursed offered and find them worth the money and time investment. Thank you!

I am at the moment reading through JB’S Guitar Chord Secrets which is an online instruction book. This is a great book and it covers all the stuff included in your 1, 4, 5 and Guitar scale patterns courses which I purchased from you recently. Down the years I have bought guitar books galore but never quite got anywhere. Your courses opened the door for me and a big help is the visual screen help where I can see and hear what is happening as opposed to ploughing my way through instructions in a book. I am able to increase my competence because although I knew a lot from years of reading instruction books, I just could not get it until I discovered your courses. You also have a nice easy manner and this helps. In addition, of course I am semi-retired and I have more time.

Jonathan, I played guitar years ago and just recently started playing again. In the past when I played I knew what I was playing, but not why I was playing it. I have been studying the I,IV,V theory a little, the circle of fifths. I am trying to understand that along with learning the fretboard. Your videos have helped more than you can imagine. I feel like I have my own tutor.

Jonathan, Great, great job on the 145. I now look and know a lot more about my fretboard then I did. I will in the future get more of your courses. Thanks a lot. Jim

Out of all the books and videos that I have bought along the years, your method is the easiest one for me. Easy for me to understand and do it. I like the way you do things. I think I will stick with you.

The 1,4,5 method that I bought really opened my eyes and my understanding of it all. Now I am going for the scales... let us see! Very well done! My congratulations to you. A lot of work. Thank you.

Thanks for the lesson on I IV V. I have been playing guitar for 20 years and this is something that I knew I didn't know, and it has been hindering my songwriting ALOT.

I've tried to learn it from guitar books, theory books, and jamming with other more experienced guitarists. I just thought I was "theory-challenged" in this area.

Even through I knew 70% of what you said in your video - the 30% that I learnt has already made a huge difference. Especially the strings being tuned in 4ths, the I,IV,V patterns in the scales on the fret board, the minors 3 semi tones down from the I, IV, V progressions... this stuff was all pure gold to me.

I immediately tried this out on the guitar and came with a new song in about 5 minutes flat - it is just what I have been looking for.

Your down to earth style is refreshing and engaging. You are doing a very good thing here and I wish you all the best inspiring and educating many web guitarists. I have signed up for your guitar tips weekly and am already about to watch your session on how to transpose with a capo - something I have never been able to figure out even with much trying......I look forward to it.

Thanks for creating Unlocking I-IV-V. Having only watched it once since buying it yesterday I can easily say that it is the best and most clear theory lesson I have ever had. I have never seen it explained so clearly which makes me feel that I can actually learn now from some of the courses I have sitting around, courses that I could never really understand or became thoroughly bored with.

Once I have learned all I can from these courses I would like to buy more of your own courses. If the above lesson or any of the free online lessons are anything to go by, then it will be excellent.

It's great getting info from different angles, and these courses have helped me understand more about playing about my guitar.

Hi Jonathan, I found the I IV V course to be brilliant, many people never really get to understand that 80% of classic Pop and Rock songs are made from this chord sequence even though it is right in front of their eyes.

Dug into the course immediately. Great! Your approach/explanations are excellent. This is the first course that has actually given me a much better understanding of theory. The I,IV,V theory had never been brought to my attention prior to your course. Keep it up. Good work.

Thanks for the tips. It's funny how I have been playing by ear for over 40 years and never took the time to understand the mechanics of what I play. I do a lot of songwriting and this will make it much easier to know where to go in each key.

I've been playing the banjo for a couple of years. I've had books and taken long hard looks at 1-4-5 and did not understand it fully. I got a cheap guitar a few weeks ago and started to look for lessons and info on the Internet. I saw your website and saw your 1-4-5 course so I took a chance and I am so glad. Your video is fantastic - the way you explain 1-4-5 and how it works is easy to understand. I've watched it twice and feel I know 80% of it and it is so interesting - the hour went by so quickly. My grandson has been playing the guitar from school and got a high grade. I asked if he understood 1-4-5 and he said, "No, we just passed over it." But when I told him, he could not wait to see it (he's at Uni-Nottingham). So thanks!

I learned to play the pentatonic scale in A a long time ago however I couldn't relate it to anything until I purchased the Guitar Scales Pattern and Unlocking the Guitar series (jam tracks were a bonus item).

Playing over the tracks has helped me to "jam" which I could never do before. Bouncy Blues is my favorite track as it is in the A key and has a nice easy swing to it. For a relative beginner at lead guitar (I am a 40 year strummer) playing these series + tracks has made my playing much more fun.

Go ahead and purchase - you won't regret it.

I just wanted to compliment you on the excellent course I recently purchased (Unlocking I-IV-V). I have been through it 3 times now and still get something more out of it each time.

I was wondering about the minor. Knowing how a scale is built has helped a lot as far as understanding the fret board. Now I'm practicing a few scales and trying to mix them in with chord playing. Learning scale and notes is almost like starting over but it certainly has broadened my playing.

I learned more with Unlocking 1,4,5 than during my first year of lessons with a kind of canned approach teacher who taught from one of the music store books. I'm now at age 62 starting to understand the instrument I've played for 40 years.

I went thru your I-IV-V DVDs. You know, I've picked up the guitar a few years back, after a 40 year hiatus, and started taking lessons from some local guys. They've been trying to teach me the same things, but haven't been nearly as effective as your presentations. I sort of knew the concepts but was still kind of fuzzy because my local teachers were not presenting the material in a way that made sense to me.

Your presentation, though sort of "low-tech" with the markers and white board instead of Powerpoint, I believe was much more effective, probably because you took a lot of time to present the material, which allowed it to sink in better. Hooray for low tech!! I am a big fan of the KISS theory!

Anyway, I look forward to getting your weekly updates. You are clearing up a lot of questions I've always had about the guitar.

I am so pleased with your 1-4-5 lesson. I have purchased lots of guitar/fretboard theory books but only had a vague idea as to how all the concepts were related.

Then I discovered your lesson! The light actually went on and I was able to pull everything together. Now it makes sense and I would like to thank you for doing such a fantastic job.

Hi Jonathan, glad I got your course. I have looked at 1-4-5 in the past but now l understand it for the first time. Thanks, Clive.

I’ve been playing for about a year and found myself no longer progressing. Your courses have moved me to a new level and I’m having so much fun! I appreciate that you fully explain all concepts. Now I understand theory! I really appreciate your teaching style. I feel like I’m getting personal lessons. Thanks for your great courses.

I have been playing guitar since I was 16 when I bought an acoustic guitar. I had it for about 12 years when it was destroyed in a vehicular accident. I have played in bands all my life until I gave up that life at the age of 62 or last year. I am the music director at the Jack Young Centre, a drop in place for people over 50.

But you want to hear what I think about your lesson? Well, if I had know about this 1, 4 and 5, thing before, it would have saved me a lot of heartache and many a sore finger. I'm looking forward to downloading the second lesson. I think you are doing the world a favour.

I teach keyboard to older people but now I use the 1-4-5 way and my students are being told by other piano players and keyboardists that they shouldn't be that far advanced in their playing. They are also being told that they shouldn't be learning the things they are learning and understanding at that point. It is usually more advanced students who learn those things.

So thanks!

I picked up the guitar about a year ago with the intention of finally learn to play it. The guitar had been sitting there in the corner for maybe fifteen years, silently accusing me for not putting in the effort to learn to play. Anyway, after a year of going through countless YouTube lessons and luckily a few lessons with a teacher, I wanted to learn something about the music theory. Especially when it comes to playing guitar. After watching your 1-4-5 lesson several times now I really feel that it gave me a good basic understanding on which to learn more. I had read about scales and chords in the books but never really got to grasp the basics. After your thorough explanation even the books seem clearer now.

I've only gone through the patterns lesson once so far. I like your easy going way of presenting the information and am looking forward to learning more about the patterns. I do feel that the combined offering of these two lessons around the New Year's was a real bargain.

I hope that these wishes actually reach you and not just the marketing guys. I wish you a good spring season!

Honestly, Jonathan, is it really sensible for me to pay £18 for a video on music theory from you? No! I should, and would, happily pay a lot more! With a friendly teacher, and successful merging of beginners and advanced, I would recommend this to anyone! In 2 days I have totally changed as a guitar player, for the better!

Yours Sincerely, a very happy customer

I have noticed, and my friends have noticed, an improvement in my playing and in my confidence. Thanks. I love music and being able to play music really brings the experience full circle.