Fret Board Wizard compared to other courses

[Bill_Brown]

Hi @Ron-N , I’ve used both sites you mention, and all I can say is, Tony is the best teacher. That’s not to dismiss the other guys, they each have good content. In fact, I’d include Steve Stine at GuitarZoom.com also as a good source of music theory, and their are others. The thing is, no one teaches it like Tony, and none of the other sites quiz you like TAC, to help drive home the point of each lesson. Could there be more content involving music theory in Fretboard Wizard? I think yes, but what is presented in Fretboard Wizard (as it is now) is just enough to allow most people to realize and understand the possibilities🤩 I’ve gone through the FW course a few of times now, and I’ve picked up some obscure, helpful tidbits each time. I believe some detail can be missed by a “once over” because of the simplicity of Tony’s teaching style😱 So to summarize, IMHO, the others have relevant content, but Tony is the best teacher of the content👍 YMMV

[N-lightMike]

This was a very well thought out reply @Bill_Brown . As you said, the other sites and teachers have good content and offer things that beyond what Tony’s course contains. However, NO ONE teaches like Tony, again as you have already said.

Here is what I would add @Ron-N . I was not able to pick up the extra concepts that other sites and teachers tried to impart until I started seeing things the way Tony teaches music theory. AFTER I took Tony’s FW course, THEN I was able to benefit from other sites.

My suggestion is in line with what Bill has already said: go through Tony’s course as many times as it takes to understand what he teaches. Once you truly understand the material Tony covers, then go expand your understanding on other sites.

MG 😀

[Ron-N]

Thanks for the reply. I do like Tony’s style. I always thought I would know when I was ready for Fret board Wizard. I’m ready now for some music theory to better understand what I am playing. Tony is never boring and I can see how this could be a difficult class to keep interest at a high level. Cost is always a factor and the lack of a monthly choice in FW makes me pause to think about it. How long does the class go for?

[Bill_Brown]

Hi again @Ron-N , FW has 6 major “lessons” with 20 different “topics” total, spread throughout the “lessons”. Their are 14 “quizzes” total, spread around throughout the different “topics”. There’s also downloadable materials (workbooks and other materials) for quick references and guides. As far as the amount of time it will take, that’s up to you, it’s a self paced course. It’s usually offered to TAC members a couple of times a year, and you could – if you like – go through the course with other members at the same time (over a 6 week period). The advantage there would be the ability to post comments and questions, seeing other’s comments and questions, as well as the answers to those questions. The nice thing is, once you buy it, it’s yours forever. You can go through it as many times as you like, and repeat topics as often as you want💡

[NW7]

I think Ron-N was curious what the runtime of the course is – but I may be misunderstanding his question.

I think that’s really cool it includes quizzes and workbooks. Quizzing is a tried and true research proven method to improve memory and comprehension of subject matter.

[NW7]

What would you say is the main benefit of buying FW over a music theory text? They go for $10-20 on Amazon.

[Bill_Brown]

That’s a good question @NW7 . Here is my quick answer. First of all, FW is strictly guitar focused – unlike a music theory text book. That being said, FW is not as “in depth” and doesn’t cover every aspect as a text book might with regard to the multitude and minutia of music theory😱 (apologies to those who majored in music and musicians by trade). Second, Tony “teaches” the subject matter in FW through video lessons divided into different topics (with quizzes) that build on each other. And you can go over the videos and quizzes as many times as necessary. It’s not just reading a bunch of words on a page, where you’re on your own to figure out what you just read, and what it really means🤔 or how that relates to guitar. Finally, you have the TAC Community, including previous graduates of FW😎, to help answer any questions you might have by simply posting the question in the Community Support Forum.

One more thing, the “end game” with FW is that it leads you to create your own music and write your own song🤩. In fact, that is the final project of FW, before graduation. I don’t think you’ll get that from a text book!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by  Bill_Brown.

[NW7]

Awesome, thanks Bill! I should have been more clear but I was referring to guitar specific music theory texts.

[Bill_Brown]

Hello again Neal ( @NW7 ). Thanks for taking the time to read my explanations. As far as comparing a text book to Tony’s course, I stand with what I’ve said above. A text book leaves things for you to interpret, and hopefully understand their meaning. While Tony’s videos (I believe) are clear and to the point IMHO – YMMV. So if money is an issue, then try the text book. But if you want to invest in yourself and your guitar journey, then FW is a wise choice. Think about it, you’ve made the investment to join TAC. How are things going with that? Have you seen progress with your journey? If you feel confident that things are moving in the right direction for you with TAC, then why would you not think FW would be a great course, and well worth the investment (in yourself)💡IMHO. Wish you the best of luck in your decision Neal👍

[N-lightMike]

Hello @NW7 . Again, I think @Bill_Brown has covered the question very well, but again, I would like to add my own personal experience.

I bought the music theory book. And then another one. And another one. I haven’t counted them, but I know I have well over 10 of them. Pretty much all of them were guitar specific, but some were more general. I took music courses at a community college from people who were academically trained musicians with personal experience in performing. Some of those courses were guitar specific.

Here is what I learned: a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated tidbits that at times even seemed to contradict each other. Music theory, it turns out, is NOT that complicated. However, for a number of reasons, it appears VERY complicated when taught academically. The only way to see/hear the simplicity of music theory is to teach it through and on a musical instrument. In the world of guitar players, music theory is especially difficult as there is so much music theory misinformation among guitarists. Again, there are a number of reasons which I won’t mention here so as not to muddy the waters.

Now, here’s the point. I am a true intellectual. I always did well in school. I was sure that I understood all the music theory I digested from both books and courses. However, it never seemed to add much to my abilities as a guitar player. Then, I took Fretboard Wizard.

Ah-Ha, Light Bulb, understanding that transcended my brain and somehow reached my fingers. Words just can’t capture what Tony does. NO ONE teaches the basics of music theory in such an intuitive way as Tony. NO ONE teaches the basics of music theory with as few words and intellectual concepts as Tony. This is the course that opened the world of guitar musicianship for so many of us here at TAC. NO ONE has taken the FW course without having light bulb moments.

This is my opinion, but it is based on my experience and the expressed experience of many others here on TAC. This IS NOT a TAC commercial. I get no benefit from singing the praises of TAC and the FW course other than the joy of helping others. I hope that this helps you.

MG 😀

[JohnV]

My 2 cents here. If you have taken the other free theory courses elsewhere, you may find fretwiz a bit disappointing because those programs may cover what Tony covers. If you have little to zero theory, fretwiz is perfect. It is a basic no frills music theory program that is really good. You will not be a theory master after the course. But you will have a solid foundation to go deeper on your own.

[Bill_Brown]

👍

[Taddeo]

Have you looked at Guitarhead’s Memorize the fretboard in 24 hours? It’s about $17 US. I can’t compare it as I’ve not done FW (just joined 3 days ago and checking TAC out to see if I want to stick with it). I didn’t get the fretboard in one day (lack of applying myself I expect) but I learned a lot.

[Ron-N]

Thanks to @Bill_Brown and @MikeGaunier for their excellent explanations of FBW. Thanks also to @Johnv, @Taddeo, @NW7 for bringing up interesting thoughts. The one comment that really resonated was:

“The only way to see/hear the simplicity of music theory is to teach it through and on a musical instrument” by MikeGaunier.

Although everyone recommended FBW first and then explore, I’m inclined to do the opposite. Delve into Justin, Active Melody, maybe another and then see where that leads me. I have a feeling I will end up at FBW but will bring some increase in knowledge.

[N-lightMike]

Here’s the wonderful thing about our guitar journeys, @Ron-N . We can do what we want in whatever order we want. The important thing is to continue to have fun and make progress.

That having been said, if you spend enough time trying to learn music theory from books or free videos, you could eventually learn pretty much everything Tony teaches. There are 2 big differences. Obviously, the FW course will greatly speed your progress. Second, you may not find some of the simple, direct understandings that Tony presents anywhere else as every one develops their own way of seeing things.

As @Michael-K73 points out below, “free” courses is a pretty misleading claim. No one teaches a thorough and logical development of music theory in free courses. The truly free courses will only teach a tidbit here and a tidbit there. You will find that after the free trial, you have to pay. Or, to see more videos in the series, you have to pay to join their Patreon community. There are a number of different ways the different sites and instructors set up their payment structure, but one way or another, you simply won’t get a complete, continuous course without paying.

The most important point I was trying to make regarding Tony’s FW course is that you will have enough understanding to be able to learn from all those free tidbits. You will have a framework of music theory to plug these tidbits into and therefore fill out and expand your understanding.

My experience is that Tony’s music theory course is the least expensive way to get to where you want to be. Most people won’t feel the need to learn any more theory but will have enough theory knowledge to understand the many free guitar videos they may watch in the future. And if someone wants to learn more theory after Tony’s course, they will have a foundation to build from. Most pure theory courses are too advanced to be of any benefit without this basic foundation. The problem is that you need some definitions and understanding to follow the first simple explanations. All the concepts and definitions are so interconnected that it is hard to make a simple beginning. That’s where Tony’s course is so unique. But hey, if the cost is too much, it’s just too much.

MG 😀

[JohnV]

Another thought is when I purchased FBW, there was a 30 day money back offer. I hope that still applies because like I mentioned, FBW covers the essentials. So you may not learn a lot more than what you already learn from the other programs. I say this from experience. TP offered a 5 day course for free and I had tons of lightbulb moments. When I purchased FBW, the majority of it was already covered in the 5 day course. I also went beyond the 30 days and have since gone through the program at least one additional time. But I have not had as many revelations the second time. But it was reinforcing what I learned the first time. What FBW does offer is quizzes and other bits not available in the 5 day course that helps drill it in to your brain.

[Michael-K73]

Hey there Ron 🙂 a little correction. After the free lessons, Justin guitar charges $9.99 for 6 months of theory access.

-M