CHIME IN HERE - Get FREE 50 Licks You MUST Know!

[Brad]

Introduce yourself, share your opinion, and we'll give you a free download of 50 Guitar Licks You MUST Know, an interactive video compilation of 50 rock, blues, acoustic, jazz, country and funk licks with tab, notation, power tab and practice rhythm tracks.

Here's all you have to do...

1- Click "Post Reply"

2- Post your answers to the following questions:

a) How many years have you been playing?
b) Favorite styles?
c) Describe your guitar and rig.
d) What do you think about TrueFire?
e) How can we make this forum better for you?

3- Send an email to nancy@truefire.com with your TrueFire username PLUS your forum username if different.

Not a TrueFire member yet? Register now! It's quick and it's free!
Register for free here: http://truefire.com/join/

Nancy will send you instructions for downloading your free course.

Simple as that!

[beboy]

Hi Everybody,

My name is beboy, which has been a nickname of mine since I was a kid. My real name is Brian. My older brother gave me the nickname when he started calling our dad, D-Dad, and calling me B-Boy. I ended up spelling it beboy because I was just a kid and that's how I thought it should be spelled.

1. How many years have I played? I started playing guitar at age 14 and have been playing off and on for 26 years. (I should otta be way way better than I am but there was a lot of off time in there. :D )

2. What are my favorite styles? Progressive or Blues or Rock are my favorite styles to play (and a little bit of Jazz). I mostly use a pick but I also like fingerstyle.

When I first started playing guitar I mostly listened to hard rock (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rush, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden etc). Black Sabbath was my biggest influence at the time. Since then I have grown to appreciate other styles as well - Blues is a favorite (Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Gary Moore etc) but I also like Jazz (Stanley Jordan, Al De Miola, Jeff Beck, John Coltrane, Miles Davis). Right now my favorite style of music is Progressive Rock (Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Neal Morse, Porcupine Tree, The Flower Kings).

3. My Rig: I mostly play with a Squire Fat Tele (which is a Telecaster with humbucker pickups) thru a Johnson Millenium JM250 stereo head connected to two 4x12 cabinets (a Marshall Cab and a Crate cab). The Johnson amp can mimick the sounds of other amps and has built in effects (they call it "amplification and effects morphing"). Its a very versatile amp and I'm glad I bought it.

I also enjoy playing my Parker Fly, however I tend to forget to unplug it when I'm not playing and that runs down its 9-volt battery.

4. What do I think about True Fire? The True Fire lessons are amazing. I think True Fire has the best tutorials available and the price is very reasonable. There are lots of interesting lessons for me to choose from. The lessons are at a good skill level for me and they are well put together with enjoyable musical examples. I am very happy I joined TFU.

My only complaint, and its minor, is there is too much duplication in the older (non-video) CD courses (I realize I'm complaining about old stuff). For instance, a lesson might be on the Blues U course, the Jazz U course and also on the 269 Blues Licks You Must Know course. If I buy all three I feel like I've paid for the the same lesson 3 times. (Again, this is a minor complaint and I realize our student discount offsets the duplication, etc. I am still very happy that I joined TFU.)

5. How can the forum be better for me? This thread is a great start. We just need more people to participate in the forum.

To those out there who haven't yet posted in the forum - We would like to hear from you. We want to know your thoughts and ideas, what your questions are, your favorite players, or you can just say Hello and that you are new to True Fire. If enough people start posting it will snowball and before you know it we will have our own guitar community.

[lightninhopkins]

1- How many years have you been playing? About 5 years. The movie BACK TO THE FUTURE made me want to play the guitar.

2- Favorite styles? Old rock&roll style such as Chuck Berry and Georgia Satelites. I love Folk music too.

3- Describe your guitar and rig. Fender American Standard in white, Blues Jr., with Zoom multi-effector, and Ovation Elite. I am not the type to invest into my equipment.

4- What do you think about TrueFire? I got to know TrueFire from Youtube.com. I though it was a great idea to advatize, but more people should know this site.

5- How can we make this forum better for you? Well, forum is forum. Some participate, others don't. I think it is good as is.

[flathead]

1. I bought my first guitar 16 years ago. I played it for about 3 years then put it away and hardly touched it for the next 7 years. Then I rediscovered the guitar about 6 years ago and have played it almost every day since then. So I've made a million times more progress in these last 6 years then I made during my first 10 years.

2. Favorite style. Well I like alot of styles. I grew up in the 80's, so 80's hair metal is my favorite style. I bought a guitar after seeing Vito Bratta of White Lion. But I like all those 80's rock bands/artists, i.e. Dokken, White Lion, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Ratt, Motley Crue, Vai, Satch, Malmsteen etc. Truefire roc
Then I got turned on to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who became my biggest influence. I also like guys like Albert King, Robben Ford, B.B King, etc.
Then these past 6 years I got turned on to guys like Scott Henderson, Shawn Lane, Alan Holdsworth, Guthrie Govan. I don't know what genre these players are considered. Fusion I suppose.
I've always been interested in music theory so I became interested in jazz just to learn more about theory but I don't really listen to jazz much. But I respect the 'jazzers' and enjoy watching them play on occasion i.e. , Jimmy Bruno, Joe Pass etc

3. Guitar and rig. Nothing great, but I only play in my apartment. I have a Fender Acoustic, a fender strat, and a guitar that I assembled from a kit (Carvin bolt kit). My very first guitar was a Washburn (forgot the model). I sold it just a few years ago. I also owned a Samick Les Paul copy which I didn't like and sold. I bought a solid state Fender princeton 65 amp many years ago, but its loud and I can't use it much where I live now. I bought a PodXT so I can practice with headphones on so as not to bother the neighbors. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to fiddle with it to try to dial in a good tone. So I wish I knew more about how to use it, but it's good enough for me now.

4. Truefire is incredible. I love all the lessons on the monthly Cd's that you send out, but especially the video lessons on them.
TruefireTV/AllAccessTV is awesome. There is so much there that is was overwhelming me. I wish I had more time to really get in depth with something on TruefireTV, but with my job and everything I just don't have the time. So I decided to just focus my attention on your Cd's.
Truefire rocks. I highly recommend it to anyone. No complaints here.

5. I really don't know how to make the forum better. People just have to want to contribute. You have amazing products and services here.

[Boogie]

Hi,

1- How many years have you been playing?

For about 14 years now... I started when I was 15 and shortly after that I started a band with friends of mine, I played in several bands and 2 years ago I stepped down because I was tired of gigging and playing in general. Mainly played self made punk/ska/blues songs with very high bpm. I little like NOFX but with blues and swing in it! very hard-not-to-dance music.


2- Favorite styles?

for playing it will be the Blues. for listening it mostly will be punk like NOFX, hard-rock like Iron Maiden, 'Black' blues/gospel/swing like .... I don't know... bluesbrother stuff. Classical music ala Grieg.


3- Describe your guitar and rig.

Aha! when i stepped down 2 years ago I swopped my Ibanez prestige for a strat deluxe with V-neck for that bluesy sound. I have a Mesaboogie Mark III combo wich i planted into a 19" rack. and added a THD Hot-plate to absorb the immense power a little bit. then a tc electronic effects rig wich I only use as a compressor, and a channelswitching device for the amp with some
equalizing. I don't like effects on the mesa... It is just perfect without them.

Now at home a mesa Mark III isn't the right choice. To much power... When extremely absorbed it's sounds like sh*t.

Now I plugged in my guitar in my computer via a DI-Box and run Native Instruments Guitar Rig 2, which is fun and sounds perfect for the things I want to do.


4- What do you think about TrueFire?

I think it is a excellent provider off guitar lessons! The courses available and the way presented kicked me back to playing guitar and made me want to grow as a guitarist. The TFU is the best deal for me. Despite the fact that I haven't got much time lately to practice, All-access tv is the best way to make my own arrangement of lessons I need/like.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?

I like the fact that the instructors are more online lately. Then I think a couple of categories would be nice such as theorie, technique, general, nonsense.

Of course there must be a audience wich want to post or reply.


Well that's it.

Bye

[cakeboy]

1. I play for 2 years now and get hooked more everyday
2. I prefer to play blues, but spice it up with some rock
3. I use Dean Evo electric guitar through Crate 60 W amp
but I plan to buy Strat for Christmas
4. I tink Truefire lessons are amazing. I totaly love Play Killer Blues set. Great work guys!
5. I think forum is good, but it is ultimately up to people to participate. I think registration process could be simpler though.

[senorjefe]

How long?
Started around 16 or 17 years old. Surf stuff and whatever the girls liked. Stopped playing at 20 and didn't start again until about 45. Always stayed in touch with music and now 10 years after ( sorry, Alvin) it has become an obssesion and I can't wait to make time to practice.

Styles?
Mostly anything that rocks. I like the guitar to talk, to tell and be felt. I am hooked on electric blues. Peter Green, Mike Bloomfield, Coco Montoya, Lightnin' Hopkins, Hendrix... Lately old Mississippi Blues like Skip James, Elmore James, et al, but I can't fingerpick worth a hoot!

Rig?
Lotsa toys, but usually a Custom Shop "Blackie" or a Les Paul Studio thru a Hot Rod Deluxe or a Line 6 Spider 210. Sometimes a Tube Screamer and a DD-6 delay.

TrueFire?
Really cool! Choose the kind of music you like and learn it! The instructors are very patient and don't mind being played over and over.

Forum?
This is the first forum I have participated in, so my opinion is limited. I only used it to answer a specific question (Thanks again!) and am now participating again. Cool!!

[no disclaimer]

Dave here, long time lurker but think it's time to join.

Been playing for 20 or so years. The 80s big hair stuff and I still like to shred, 90s classical what a beautiful style highly underated, 00s blues but I'm not a SRV clone love the delta style instead ,especially the stuff that David Hamburger is doing.

Right now I'm doing blues (Bluesology, architect, alchemy, Blues groove) learned all the blues groove solos note for note (good ear training). I like Robben Ford plus many others.

I'm a major gear head with my shred rig being a bogner 101b into a VHT fatbottom cab and A dean Z plugged into it. For blues I use a tele plugged into a BadCat Tremcat that is hands down the best blues amp I've ever owned (I've had fenders, alessandro red bone special, fuchs ods SLX, and others but will never sell the BadCat). Really looking forward to getting my Thorn Artisan Master soon the guy makes a stunning guitar.

Love Trufires approach of taking an idea and expanding on it,the best method I've ever seen. I've bought so many courses I really should get a membership though.

It is sad that more people don't join (I guess they would rather talk about the neighbors dog or something). Hopefully more people will join soon.

[emeryr]

1- How many years have you been playing?
40 years on and off, more off than on last 2 years steady
2- Favorite styles?
blues, classic rock, starting on accoustic
3- Describe your guitar and rig.
gibson custom les paul, carvin bolt kit, carvin 780 accoustic, carvin amp with a digitech gnx 2 processor
4- What do you think about TrueFire?
enjoy it alot, but I wish there was a way to better organize it. I start most the courses then by the second or third lesson it's already to an advanced level, which I realize after all this time I should be but I'm not
5- How can we make this forum better for you?
take a song or a truefire lesson post it weekly and let everone go over it, post our likes or dislikes of style, troubles with playing it, and how we can work it out on the Forum.

[beboy]

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
It would be neat to have formatting tools and a menu full of smileys (emoticons). Smileys are good at helping us communicate, especially if we crack jokes. It can be difficult to type a joke online without someone getting the wrong idea and think you are serious. A smiley lets the person know you were joking :D

Here's what the screen looks like at another message board I visit.

(click the picture for a bigger view)
(Also, click on underlined text in this post because they are links - See above and below ;) )

They have lots of other smileys as well.

There are lots of things we could do on these boards (post pictures, links, format the text) that I bet a lot of folks may not know how to do.

Check out this smiley. Our boards definitely need a smiley like that!!!

[jrhoden]

1- How many years have you been playing?
I have been playing for about 6 years off and on.

2- Favorite styles?
Blues, rock, country.

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
I have two strats: An American Standard and a Texas Special. I use a Fende Cyber Twin amp. I also own a Tube Screamer and a Crybaby wah pedal.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
I love the monthly TFU CD's. They are alot better quality lessons than anything I can find locally, plus I can archive them for review at any time. Something I can't do with traditional lessons. I can also honestly say that the customer support here is 2nd to none.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
I feel the forum is only as good as the people who post on it. Moderating it and keeping out irrelevant and obscene material would be the biggest issues I can think of. Not to say that has ever been an issue. I would have to say the biggest thing would be to keep threads up that people are interested in.

[sillystring]

1- How many years have you been playing? Sporadically for almost thirty years. Taking lessons again (including using my True Fire cd sets).

2- Favorite styles? Blues, Rock, and anytihng Twangy.

3- Describe your guitar and rig. I alternate between a Fender Telecaster and a Reverend Club King. Use a Roland Micro Cube for private practicing, and a Reverend Hellhound for fun, fun, fun. Reverend Drive Train II and Visual Sound Liquid Chorus pedals. Also have a Tacoma acoustic; I do like folk and acoustic blues!

4- What do you think about TrueFire? I have the Acoustic U and Blues U cd sets (which I received as gifts a few years back) - now that I know about Tabledit, I will be able to put them to better use. I like the content, and the Powertab, and the technique info from the instructors. I tend to re-sort the lessons by difficulty level; it would be helpful to have a rating of some sort on them. So far, I have gotten quite a bit out of them, and I've just been scratching the surface! Oh yes, and the Improvisation Tool Kit is very helpful!

5- How can we make this forum better for you? Just started using it, but I do tend to like forums with sub-categories. Perhaps sub-categories such as by style or skill level?

[Brad]

Hey all! I like the way this thread is developing especially getting to learn more about those of you brave enough to actually post something (and smart enough to take me up on the offer for the two free video cd-roms!).

So thanks for jumping on this thread! Here's my answers as well ...

1- How many years have you been playing?

I've been hacking away now for over 35 years! Adn I can tell you this ... the more you know, the less you know!


2- Favorite styles?

Love playing any style of blues, rock and jazz. I dig the classic stuff as much as the modern stylings.

3- Describe your guitar and rig.

This is a tough one. One of the perks of the biz is working and playing in a virtual guitar store as we have a ridiculous amount of guitars, amps and geeky stuff we can get our hands on.

But at the moment, I am addicted to Guitar Rig 2 which I play through a PA using either a strat or my Buscarino. Lately been doing a ton of geeky stuff with Garage Band, Sonar and G7 (along with Guitar Rig) and so will use a Brian Moore for midi input or just slap a GK on the strat or Buscarino.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?

I often ask myself how I lucked out to have a gig as cool as this one!

5- How can we make this forum better for you?

Well for me its all about particpation. If we could only achieve a certain critical mass of particpation, this forum could be very cool. And we'd be more than happy to kick in a ton of special stuff for participants if we could only get more of the watchers to get involved.


Meanwhile ... thanks to all that post and all that watch!

P.S. Got some absolutely killer deals staging for our annual 12 Days of December promo. So, a word to the wise ... don't buy anything until this thing kicks off on December 12th.

Happy Holidays! Brad

[flathead]

I've been hacking away now for over 35 years! Adn I can tell you this ... the more you know, the less you know!

If you're Brad Carlton who does some of the lessons here, then there is no need to be modest. You're freakin great.

[Brad]

Haha ... I'll tell him you said that. I'm not that Brad tho although we are the same age, in fact born a couple of days apart in that same year. meanwhile, that fact has not improved my playing <grin>.

[slingerjr]

1- How many years have you been playing?
* 3 years, started late in life and trying to make up for lost time!

2- Favorite styles?
* Anything I can play....primarily blues and rock

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
* Godin Solidac electric and a Roland Cube 30 amp

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
* One of my best finds!!! Thanks to instructors like Brad Carlton, Jeff Scheetz, David Hamburger and others, Truefire is making learning guitar a reality for me. I've enjoyed the excellent presentataion of lessons combining video, audio and print to learn with.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
* Category for beginners to post questions. Category where Players can share tips and experiences. Categories for lessons that could be presented and then discussed.

[capoche]

1- How many years have you been playing?
* Off and on for 12 + years

2- Favorite styles?
* Rock (classic) and blues styles primarily; I am also interested in fusion and jazz though and try to be open-minded about any styles.

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
* Epi Les Paul Ultra & Schecter C-1 Classic guitars with Marshall combo 50 watt amp. Use some modeling software through a computer setup at home.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
* I was an original TFU student, but, due to finances, had to drop out about a year ago. I hated to do so because I had always found Truefire to have some of the finest guitar instruction available on the internet. Thankfully, I have just recently been able to re-join as a level 2 student, and I have found that the quantity and the quality of the various types of instruction (dvd's, cd's, truefire tv, etc., etc.) has really become a lot better than even they used to be. You could spend a lifetime going through all of the various styles and types of guitar stuff that Truefire has for your perusal. I learn something new every time I log on. The Truefire TV alone is worth the tuition price. I am just sorry that I was away for so long, but am more than happy to be back. Keep up the good stuff Truefire!

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
* Actually, this is my first post, but I think the only way for a forum like this to get better is for people to use it... and use it often. A forum like this can be an invaluable tool in your continuing guitar education.

[flathead]

Haha ... I'll tell him you said that. I'm not that Brad tho although we are the same age, in fact born a couple of days apart in that same year. meanwhile, that fact has not improved my playing <grin>.

heh. Well I'm sure you're pretty good too

Anyway someone just mentioned a suggestion to have categories in the forum. I would second that suggestion. Should at least have one dedicated just to comments/questions about Truefire and then others for general guitar related questions, theory, maybe one to post our own personal music for others to check out.

[larro]

1- How many years have you been playing?
I started playing at the age of 44. That means I have been playing 4 years.

2- Favorite styles?
Electric Blues and Blues-Rock.

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Fender American Deluxe 50. aniv. Stratocaster, Epiphone Les Paul Heritage, Takamine EG441C accustic, Vox AC30cc2x, Marshall AS50R, Boss TU2, Keeley modded Boss BD-2, Boss PW-10 Wha-Wha.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
TrueFire is one of the best ressourses for all of us who are learning to play the guitar.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
One thing you can think of is to have a group / tread for each of your courses where we can discuss and post our own recordings. Well, we already have the possibility to self publish at this site, but in a learning prosess it is important to get some feedback on our work. I don't mean that Brad should listen and comment everything, but those who are working on the same material know the stuff and can comment. In this way we will not be left alone with the problems we face, and maybe we get some motivation out of it.

[beboy]

Anyway someone just mentioned a suggestion to have categories in the forum. I would second that suggestion. Should at least have one dedicated just to comments/questions about Truefire and then others for general guitar related questions, theory, maybe one to post our own personal music for others to check out.

I think that is a great idea but it might be too soon to split up the board.

It might be better to wait until the forum is more active before splitting up our threads into different categories. Think of it this way, on average this forum gets approx 1 new post a day (I'm just guessing). If the forum were to be split into 4 categories, each category might only get 1 post every 4 days. It might make these boards seem even more quiet than usual.

In the meantime, we can still start threads that deal with any of the categories that were suggested. And if we post them in General Musings, rather than a sub-category, there will be more visitors to read them (which means there will be a better chance of somebody posting a reply).

[Brad]

yup, have to garee that we need more participation before we break up the forum into different categories. we had that but it was too difficult to suss out the latest posts. this way its relatively easy to pick up on new threads inside this single catgeory.

in fact, if you go deeper through this thread you'll find a lot of cool stuff, free lessons, disucssion, etc.

the good news is that it is building, slowly but surely.

another good suggestion was creating threads for particular lessons. we're goin to start to do that with the video lessons on all access tv so that anyone working with a aprticular lesson can chat with others working on that same lesson.

how many folks here are on truefire tv?

[Brad]

if you're reading this post but have not yet posted yourself, you're leaving some good money and some serious chops on the table.

anyone who posts a response to the five questions listed in the first message of this thread, gets 2 free video software courses; Top 10 TrueFire Rhythm Lessons and Top Ten TrueFire Soloing Lessons. Value $55. Killer stuff, especially if your somewhat new to TrueFire.

We're trying to learn more about the folks that use this forum and how to make the forum, and TrueFire for that matter, a better hang. Simple as that.

And if getting two free courses for participating in a simple poll sounds too good to be true, then we'll be glad to charge you the $55 <grin>.

Seriously ... we're just trying to get this thing jacked up and doing what you'd like it to be doing.

Cool? Post now!

[ez-one]

I have been playing on and off since I was about 8 (over 40 years) I took lessons for a couple years when I was a kid and it really hurt my ablitiy to learn and got real boreing so I gave up guitar. Over the years I have picked it up on and off. THe last couple years I started palying again and using stuff I found on the internet. I have changed equipment several times over the last few years and now have a set-up that I am really happy with. (although my wife is not as happy as me) I have a Fender American Deluxe Tele and Strat, a taylor 310ce a little VOX DA5 and a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, and also a Podxt, computer stuff like Calkwalk and numorous other programs. I play mostly BLues, Classic Rock, and Folk. As for TrueFire, it is by far the best place to get instruction videos, I think that I have accured most of your offerings, even though I can not play most of it, I have learned a ton of stuff, Brads way of teaching on the video cd's with pointers tips etc.. has helped more that any of the other web sites I had used up til now. I live ut in the country, work and have a farm so I really don't get much of a chance to play with friends and jam. I have also worked on some of Jeff's stuff and also have learned alot there. As for Truefire your product is the best out there, and the staff I have dealt with over the last couple years have been trully great. You all seem willing to go that extra mile to make sure that people tha tdo business with you feel that they are being treated right. And that is greatly appreacated. As for the forum thats a tough one. I posted some things to it a long time ago, some free programs that I had found and stuff like that. I don't know that if its becasue most of the people who use your product just don't mess around with forums or what. I use to be a member at GA and their forum was really active, with lots of questions being asked and lots of responses. But most of the people there seemed to be early to mid beginners, I think of myself as a mid beginner at best, and alot of what is in your courses goes why behond my ablities, but I pick up a few things, and then down the road a bit I am able to pick up some more, so its worth it. Maybe if some of the catagories where reworked to cover things like Practice tips, equiptment tips and set ups or something like that. It seems that TF has a large group of good guitarist that use your stuff, a ton of knowladge could be tapped into if a way can be figured on how to use it. Maybe some kind of posting incentive for awhile to get people interested it posting and responding. A monthly raffle drawn from the names of everyone who post or something like that. Thanks again and Merry Xmas Kraig

[ez-one]

I checked it out but already had most of the things that I was really interested in. But I started messing around with David's Slide course and even though I had never played with a slide before, I was having a blast trying. I ended up ordering the course a few days ago. I like the fact that I can full screen it and see things better. I think that its a great way for people to try your products and see if they are interested or if a certian course is right for them. So its a great tool.

[beboy]

Here's some more random thoughts about the forum:

I know the True Fire website has a link to the forum, but maybe from time to time it would be good to add another link, which draws more attention to itself. For instance on the left side of the website screen there are pictures with links to "Join & Get Free Lessons", "All Access TV" and "Questions?".


Maybe more folks would visit the forum if the TFU website had a flashy (attention getting) link to the forum. Maybe the link could have teaser wording such as, "Go beyond TFU, Visit the Forum", or "Get Ignighted on the Forum". Or the link could advertise forum giveaways (such as this thread), which would encourage people on the website to go to the foum to have a look.

My thoughts are that maybe it would be easier to increase forum participation by increasing the forum traffic rather than taking the existing traffic and trying to get them to post.

[ez-one]

I have to agree, I once emailed Nancy and mentioned that they needed a link to the forum on the home page, she emailed me back saying that there was one there. I went back and looked really close and sure enough its there. I still have to kinda look for it sometimes. Maybe the font size on that banner could be increased so that it is more noticeable or some other way of making it easier to notice. A catagory for beginners questions might be a good one. there are always question that newbes or early beginners like myself would ask, and with all of the guitarist that use this site there would be a good resorce for gaining knowladge and info

[Vivian]

Hi Brad and Everyone,

I'd like to reply to these questions.

1- How many years have you been playing?
Since the age of 13 and that was many years ago - I am now eleigible to join AARP. But I actually didn't play or practice for most of those years as I was too busy with the rest of life. I returned to playing 5 years ago.

2- Favorite styles?
Acoustic fingerstyle blues, jazz, ragtime, Celtic. I also love electric guitar blues and aspire to develop some "chops".

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Several very good acoustic guitars, a Parker Fly which I play though a Marshall acoustic guitar amp (I know, I know).

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
Amazing breadth and depth of material. Some courses are spectacular, some could use some tweaking to make them more understandable or user-friendly. Your interactive video courses are generally superb and you have some of the best instructors-players-professionals around! (That includes you, Brad!!)

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
That's a short question which requires a very long answer. For now I can tell you what attracts me to guitar-related forums: a sense of community, intelligent discourse with good humor and mutual respect, friendly folks who help each other, moderators who are attentive, good communicators, and set limits when needed. It would be great to have a virtual "guitar hang-out" to share with people who have the goals of enjoying music, learning, and who can support and encourage playing and practicing (my discipline and motivation are often lacking, sad to say!). It's a great thing to have moderators who are artists who teach the courses, as are Brad and others. It seems that a critical mass is necessary to get things going. Those are a few intial thoughts... I'll stop for now.

Thanks for asking and thanks for the "freebies"! I hope to see you all around here soon!

Best regards,
Vivian

[gerald]

1- How many years have you been playing?
4

2- Favorite styles?
Rock, Blues, Country

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
2001 PRS Santana, 1961 Les Paul Jr., Ibanez G series, Fender A/E, Alvarez acoustic, Gilb classical.
GNX4 Modeling Effects Pedal/Recorder into Marshall practice amp.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
Truefire is great, Especially the stuff Brad Carlton does like the "ology" series.
It is a great addition to my regular teacher. I signed up for TFU level 2 in October and find the monthly CDs interesting, but the real value is in All Access TV.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
Get Brad Carlton on here to discuss applications of his lessons, exercises, practicing, and show us how to get to his level. I think the one thing missing from these lessons is instructions on how to drill this stuff until it becomes second nature.

[OneFourFive]

1- How many years have you been playing? 30 years, but really much more focused on it for the last 3

2- Favorite styles? Blues, Rock (classic and hard rock), some Jazz and Alternative

3- Describe your guitar and rig. Standard Tele running through Roland Micro-Cube or Fender Eighty-Five. Old Morley Fuzz/Wah and DigiTech RP100A effects

4- What do you think about TrueFire? I really like the All-Access TV - would prefer if it could be a bit more configurable for larger viewing area. I also like the quality and availaiblity of the interactive lessons.

5- How can we make this forum better for you? Keep subscribers like myself engaged by referencing special features (like this one) that drive folks to visit from the main lesson site.

[JimboT]

1- How many years have you been playing? 35 years or so
2- Favorite styles? Allman Brothers / Jazz & blues rock mainly
3- Describe your guitar and rig. Gibson Les Paul / Gibson 333 / Fender Tele / Peavey Classic / Mi audio / Tim / etc...
4- What do you think about TrueFire? Excellent stuff, great instructors
5- How can we make this forum better for you? Continue to do what you have been doing.

[frebre]

1- How many years have you been playing? 22 years
2- Favorite styles? Blues, Rock, Progressive Country
3- Describe your guitar and rig. Current/ Les Paul Standard, Marshall AVT-50
4- What do you think about TrueFire? Best guitar instruction anywhere.
5- How can we make this forum better for you? Seems to work fine.

[DJJ830]

Hey Brad!
1- How many years have you been playing? I hate to age myself but I started playing at 14 with a used Gibson which I still have. Learned on early Beatle stuff then Clapton, etc. Duane Allman's death to me was like "the day the music died". At 30 I stared a family and put down the axe and turned off the music for 20 years. About 4 years ago I found a few sites like TrueFire that got my jiuces flowing. Now i can't get enough.
2- Favorite styles? Originally (and still) blues but thru learning thru the TrueFire lessons, I've really gotten attached to jazz, especially chord melodies.
3- Describe your guitar and rig. Guitars: Les Paul Std, Strat, Takamine accoustic (really want a Martin) and my old Gibson. Amps: Fender & Marshall.
4- What do you think about TrueFire? I researchd a lot of sites and still use many but for lessons had to go with TF. I just signed up for TrueFire TV and can't turn it off, I losing sleep!
5- How can we make this forum better for you? I'm new so maybe it's there & I just don't see it but perhaps a thread for technical question - maybe by genre for playing questions and an equipment thread for gear and things like ... how did Clapton get such & such a sound on ...

I have so much to catch up on that if you never improved the site it would take a long time to take it al in - very dymanic! But don't stop improving or I'll catch you! Take care.

[mhoward]

1- How many years have you been playing?
I'm 54. I've had a guitar since I was a teenager, but never learned more than basic chords back then. About 15 years ago I started taking fingerstyle lessons for a year or so. But two years ago I decided to get back into it, and have been playing an hour or so a day.

2- Favorite styles?
I admire any well-played guitar. I've tried to play Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Leo Kottke tunes, and would love to be able to improvize over the blues. I'm currently working on the TrueFire Bluesology lessons. I like jazz like Al DiMeola too. Heard some guy in a guitar store the other day playing flamenco and now I want to play that too!

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Fender American Deluxe Strat with the smallest practic amp, and Collings D-2 (like a Martin HD) acoustic. I tend to play both every day.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
I think it's a great idea, fairly well executed. But the TrueFire player is kind of disappointing since it can't slow down the videos, even though the terse instructions point out a speed control. I think the problem is that you can't play shockwave flash files at different rates. MPEG4 might have been a better choice for the videos. And I have a hard time with some of the videos when they don't have tab, because it's really hard to see what strings are being held down from the fretboard shot. I was amazed that Greg Koch's "Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan" DVD did not come with any written tab, though it was otherwise great. I'm kind of stunned by the Bluesology One and Two DVDs... there's so much! And it requires a lot of study - nothing is handed on a platter. But it's giving me the theory I want.

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
I'm surprised there's not more activity. I'd like a thread on each lesson, and people could contribute powertab for lessons they are working on. Months ago I asked if anyone wanted to work with me on tab for the SRV DVD, but all I got was one reply saying there are books with SRV tab. I just posted a Bluesology tab that flathead gave me some advice on -- that's the kind of collaboration I'm hoping for. I'm hoping this can turn into something where we can ask real specific questions about something on a DVD that is unclear, and someone actually responds.

[gmultman]

1) 20 years off and on
2) Like all styles but especially blues
3) MIM Strat & Crate Amp
4) Signed on for monthly lessons last year. Definitely worth the investment.
5) Better the particpation the better the forum will be.

[BCrist]

Answers are as follows:

1. One year (newbie I know)
2. Blues, rock and alt-country (Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earle).
3. Electric Guitar - Michael Kelly Patriot Limited. Amp (if you call it that) - PODXT through Klipsch Pro-Media Speakers. Accoustic - Gibson J-100 (Christmas present from my wife).
4. Truefire seems to be very good for someone who is in the solid intermediate category. I am just moving out of beginner stage, so some of the content is well above me. Truefire doesn't need programing that teaches open chords and hammer ons and pull offs, but it could use a couple of programs geared towards someone who has the basics but is looking to make the next step. Since I have only been a member for a couple weeks, perhaps my impression will change as I work through some of the lessons. It wasn't long ago I had trouble moving from an open c to open g., so to expect there is no learning curve on more advanced concepts is probably unrealistic. Overall it is a great product with great content for anyone serious about guitar. My delimia is to find time to split between the electric lessons and the accoustic lessons.
5. I don't really have much to say about how to improve the forum. In general, the best guitar forums are usually the result of a critical mass of users providing questions and answers that the 95% of people who don't post find interesting (e.g. harmony central, which I regularly read, but have never contributed).

Keep of the great work and keep adding content on a regular basis.

Brian

[xtcoranges]

Hi Everyone at Truefire

I'd like to reply to these questions.

1- How many years have you been playing? 25 Years.
2- Favorite styles? Blues,Progressive Rock,Jazz,Funk.
3- Describe your guitar and rig. Selmer Treble & Bass sv head,Two Greenbacks cab, Fender Concert 80`s with Lee Jackson mod. Fender 52 Telecaster, Strat, Patrick Eggle Broadway.
4- What do you think about TrueFire? Since joining Truefire I find myself being much more opened minded as regard other styles, I`m inclined to believe there is something to be learnt from everyone and every style,you can then adapt it to make your own. With Truefire you have lots of experience to draw from.The lessons I find are indepth and stretch you, which of course they should do.
5- How can we make this forum better for you? I must admit I am a viewer mainly. I can only use the excuse of having to get on with life. I shall try and participate more. But when I view I look to be able to find categories quickly.
I know silence is not golden.

[beboy]

4. Truefire seems to be very good for someone who is in the solid intermediate category. I am just moving out of beginner stage, so some of the content is well above me. Truefire doesn't need programing that teaches open chords and hammer ons and pull offs, but it could use a couple of programs geared towards someone who has the basics but is looking to make the next step.

Have you tried the Blue Grooves course yet?
http://truefire.com/bluegrooves/bluegrooves.htm

Its got a lot of stuff that is fun to play and most of it is not too difficult. Its a great course.
If you are a level 1 or 2 member, you can view the Blue Grooves course online on TrueFire TV.

[lightninhopkins]

Hi,
I was just wondering if Truefire is already shipping out the 2 CDs for those that replied to this thread.

Has anyone received them yet?

[flathead]

Hi,
I was just wondering if Truefire is already shipping out the 2 CDs for those that replied to this thread.

Has anyone received them yet?

I was just gonna ask the same thing. Not that I'm complaining or anything cause I have a TON of stuff to look at here, but I was just curious...

[SteveBishart]

1- How many years have you been playing?
It all started when I was a kid. I picked up the guitar and have been playing it
for about 40 years. When the mood strikes, I play professionally. There was a time
that I slowed down on playing but one night for some crazy reason I go swept into
the "Esteban Infomercial", probably because of midlife crisis. Well, I bought a couple
of his guitars and much to my surprise they were really nice. A couple months later
I started playing about once a month at B. B. King's at Universal Citywalk in Hollywood.

2- Favorite styles?
Rock and Roll, Blues, Slide, Jazz, Punk, Experimental.
I keep a little note from Chuck Berry in the same frame as my BA in Communications
and Fine Arts from Loyola Marymount University.

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Les Paul Custom, Ibenez Arch top, Esteban American Legacy, Esteban Granada.
I use little Roland Micro Cube or Dan Electro Mini amp and run that through
a board and mic it when playing at B. B. King's. They thought I was a comedian when
they saw the little green Dan Electro on a stool with a big ol' microphone up to it.
I have monster tube amp stacks in the basement but they are not allowed out of their cages.
I practice in parking structures because I like the acoustics.
When I want to really belt out some vocals or do
serious screaming leads I drive my truck up to a scenic overlook
in the Hollywood Hills and sit on the tailgate.
Of course when I play with a band we rent studio space.

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
TrueFire is Fantastic. It's like being a kid in a candy store.
One week of TrueFire Level II has opened my understanding of guitar
to a new level. I never knew how much I didn't know! Now I am having a blast
learning this stuff, sometimes practicing all day. The TrueFire guys are IT!

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
It is good that this "2 Cents" thing is going on to break the ice.
The forum could be "ignited" with more activity. It could have some
"live" sessions with a chance to communicate directly with some of
the famous cats. Maybe some sort of "radio" or pod cast interplay.
Just putting more content and reason to come to the forum. If there is
a show going on in the forum, the audience will start finding reasons to
interact. Also, better navigation and banners, special nights etc so people
naturally pass through it and see what is going on. You guys know what to do.
Keep it going guys, this is really great!

Ok, now where are my free lessons....

[beboy]

Hi,
I was just wondering if Truefire is already shipping out the 2 CDs for those that replied to this thread.

Has anyone received them yet?

I received mine a few weeks ago. (sorry you haven't gotten yours yet :( )
Did you send an e-mail to Nancy to tell her you posted in the thread?
Either way, you should send her an e-mail and she'll take care of it.

[lightninhopkins]

beboy, thanks for the reply.
I will email Nancy one more time. Did you like the lessons on the CDs?

[ez-one]

I also got mine a while back. The TF people are really great when it comes to taking care of business and support. So I would also agree just email them again. THe CD that you get is kinda a completion of several of their courses. A couple lessons from this one and a couple from that. Its still a good CD and well worth the price.

[eddies]

How long been playing?I messed around with playing in my teen years.
Really got serious about playing 5 years ago.Looking to really ramp up my
technical ability.I am 40 now and really hate the time I`ve lost.
Favorite styles.Love the blues and jazz.Also like chicken picking so my
musical taste do cover a deversified spectrum.
Guitar rig.Currently playing Fender SRV Strat,Fender Hot Rod 410 amp,and
a Boss ME-50 effects pedal.
About Truefire.Have not been a member long.I really enjoy it so far and hope
to learn a lot.
How to make forum better.First day on forum but I really like the free
offers or anything which gives me the opportunity to improve as a
musician.

[beboy]

The CD that you get is kinda a compilation of several of their courses. A couple lessons from this one and a couple from that. Its still a good CD and well worth the price.

I almost didn't notice your subtle joke :D

Did you like the lessons on the CDs?

Yes the cd-roms are very good. Its stuff that TFU members can already view online on TrueFire TV but its still nice to have the discs - Especially since TrueFire let me have them for FREE and they paid the postage !!! (Thanks TrueFire )

[sgero]

1- How many years have you been playing?
35 off and on

2- Favorite styles?
Blues

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Yanaha AES 1500 through a small fender reissue

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
Excellent resource

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
Not yet sure ...

[Bluefish]

1- How many years have you been playing?
38 years
2- Favorite styles?
Fingerstyle
3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Several nylon string guitars (Taylor, Yamaha, Takamine), plus a few Martin steel strings, and some electrics (LP, Strat, Kramer). A couple custom built amps and a Fender Cybertwin.
4- What do you think about TrueFire?
Excellent resource. The video/mp3/powertab/pdf combo cannot be beat. Even better than in person lessons in some respects
5- How can we make this forum better for you?
Sub-categories would be helpful, but otherwise, it's just what the participants make of it.

[Brad]

we're keeping this thing going as long as we keep getting folks to jump on the bus. and the suggestions are everything we were hoping for. many of them taking place as we speak. thanks for that!

meanwhile, for those of you that have ... we want to make sure you got the free goods. if you sent nancy@truefire.com an email as instructed, the stuff should be in hand. if you didnt send her an email, we have no way of knowing where you want us to ship it. so please email nancy ... she's a sweetie and will jump thru hoops of fire for you!

thanks again for supporting this thread - brad

[ledhed]

1- How many years have you been playing?
OK, I hate this question. Since I first started to date, 27 yrs. But actual hands on, (10 yr. zilch) may be barely 2 yrs, if that.

2- Favorite styles?
Blues, Rock'n'roll, late 60's, 70's, early 80's

3- Describe your guitar and rig.
Gibsons 70 SG & 96 Les Paul, Marshall AVT 150 full stack, Boss Tuner

4- What do you think about TrueFire?
TrueFire is quite an amazing entity! The lessons, courses, TV, staff, instructors, etc., etc. are great. TrueFire University is very cool, I started from day one, and have all the videos, and quite a lot of courses (scored from awesome holiday deals). Actually too many! A couple of lifetimes worth, to truely absorb the information. And, I must say Brad Carlton is AMAZING!!, I want to be like him when I grow up!! Watching him "elaborate" is like watching a four ring circus. Then he apologizes for "going on a tangent", after realizing the comparative idiocy of his students. The knowledge from this man is worth every 1/100th of every cent!!!

5- How can we make this forum better for you?
I've never done any forums, chatrooms or much e-ing, I have a typing handicap...one finger. But I will check it out for points of interest. Theory or Brads steps to success.

[mdoublemm]

1. 48 years
2. Blues, jazz, country,classical
3. 2006 fender american Deluxe Tele, 1978 Les Paul Standard, 1998 Epiphone Sheraton, 1999 Fender Mex Strat, Marshall Tsl 122 amp. 1972 Martin D-35
4. Excellent and very comprehensive. Wish this was around back in the 60's. Would have made life so much easier.
5. I know Truefire U is all about learning how to play. Maybe see a section dedicated for people who are interested in home recording studios. Tell others their experience on recording their new licks that they are learning. I know there are a lot of other places that you can go for that, but it seems a natural for the guys and gals that post on this forum. You know nice and easy. There are probably a lot of members out there who could help others out in this regard.