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Fretboard Wizard–Worth the cost?
Tony is pushing the Fretboard Wizard program now, and is offering a discount for the next few days. I can’t access the sample lesson, it won’t load. But it seems that it might be like the first lesson of the Fundamentals of Fretboard course he offers in the Skills section, which I did take.
But, due to short, stubby fingers, I can’t play about half of the chords he teaches (C, F, all the bar chords, and anything longer than 3 frets; and yes, I do the stretches). I’m getting a custom Parlor guitar in August with a shorter scale neck and more spacing between the strings, so I may be able to play the C and mini-F cleanly.
So, those of you who have taken FW, how fast does Tony go? Are the lessons longer than the usual TAC lessons? Does he teach ways to compensate for short fingers? I’d love to be able to play by ear; is something like that alone worth the extra cost? I have trouble with the videos in general, if I can’t see his hand positions, I want to at least be able to hear the audio of him playing through the lesson. The audio generally comes through OK.
So those of you who have or are taking FW, do you feel it was worth any budget constraints you may have? Could you go through the lessons even with short fingers? I’m not afraid of memorization, I learned piano at one time and learned where to put my hands, but you had the visual cues of black and white keys!
Thanks in advance, Barbara M
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9 Replies
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Hi @BarbaraM , I would highly recommend signing up for the FW course. It will help you get a much better understanding of the fretboard and how things connect. The FW course is more about practical application of music theory fundamentals to the guitar and not so much about how to play guitar. That being said, it will definitely help you move along your guitar journey path by giving you some awesome “tools” to use when you play. It’s worth every red cent – particularly if their’s a discount period! The course is similar in style to the “Skills Courses” in that you watch a video for each subject (that you can watch as many times as needed) – everything is self paced, so you can work at your own speed – do as much or as little in a day that you want – did I say that it’s worth every cent, and then some?
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Hi Barbara,
I purchased the FBW course 1st edition and found it very useful for my needs.
So in that respect, it’s worth investing, especially if it’s on offer and If you are interested in navigating up and down the fretboard with the knowledge of notes, scales and matrix for various chord placements, also finding keys to songs by ear etc..
the course is easy to follow i think. I have not gone through the latest edition and i believe things have been changed and improved since i have taken the first course.
But of course, it depends on your current budget. I won’t push anyone in purchasing anything if they cannot afford the cost.
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Yes, @BarbaraM , it is definitely worth the money. In fact, you’ll find it one of the best values you’ll ever spend your guitar money on.
It takes multiple times to really get music theory into your fibers and on your guitar. Most people take Fret Wiz multiple times because it is actually fun. Once you buy it you own it for life.
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The value of FW is the breadth and scope of the material presented in each lesson. I have a lot of experience in single-note (trumpet and other wind instruments), and FW has set me on an incredible journey for the guitar. I highly recommend the course to anyone learning guitar.
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I just purchased the FW and it is set up like the 30-Day Challenge where you will be doing one lesson and then a practice video. I am on my first week of instructions and already getting those “AH-HA” moments. Things are making sense on why certain frets work better than others and the creation of Keys/Scales. As for value wise, it depends on your goals and needs.
For myself, I wanted to know more of how the fretboard operated in terms of scales, sequence of chords, where each note was located on each fret, hand positions for note identification (which based on your initial comments this might not be for you due to the stretching of fingers), how they harmonized with each other, and the creation of keys. In later weeks, Tony will go into the CAGED method which I’ve heard about and curious to learn more. Also, I was curious on how to tell a key of a song just by listening to a song (which is hard and need to practice this skill of listening).
FW is definitely more of a theory course. Since I switched my account to a life time membership, FW was discounted so I did both and made the cost advantageous. Again, this may or may not work for you depending on your needs. If you just want to play guitar, then stick to the skill/technique/challenge sections of the website. If you want to know why certain notes work, scale creation, chord sequencing; then FW will give you some of your answers.
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I purchased a 4-DVD set of theory lessons, by a well-known guitar player/teacher, at a crazy low price several years ago via his web site. I am getting back into theory and have started reviewing his videos and accompanying PDFs. I watched the sample video that Tony recently posted and I read through the course specs and it is very similar to the course I already have. This course is no longer available for DVD purchase and one needs to subscribe to the web site, at a cost of $300…. The material has been sexed up, but the meat of it is the same as I already have.
Tony is currently offering his course (If I read right) at a one-off payment of $150; IMO this is a bargain considering that you have the TAC team hovering in the background, as well as the wonderfully supportive people on here. I have asked several technique/theory Qs and have had my answer in very short order.
There are free resources online where you can get the info but you need to know what you don’t know, and it is time consuming ferreting it out. I think it’s far better to have a structured course at your finger tips, such as FW.
I’m afraid I can’t address your Qs on technique, regarding your fingers.
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Like those who have already posted, I benefited greatly from Fretboard Wizard and from knowing some Music Theory. It has made playing more than memorizing chords and scales and techniques. Beyond playing guitar, It has enriched my general music listening experience. I hear music in a much deeper way. When asked to teach 4th graders Ukulele, it was easy to transfer basic skills from one instrument to another since the theory is all the same. I endorse Fretboard Wixard.
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Yes, it’s worth every penny!!!!
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I signed up for it and am already learning great stuff!
Barbara M
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