Price: US $47

Pros:

• Large amount of quality content for the price
• High Quality Video, Audio and PDF learning materials
  
• A Step-By-Step Approach for learning to play the blues
  
• Members area online content for fast access
• 56 day money back guarantee
• Lifetime updates
  

Cons:

• Not suitable for complete beginner guitarists
• Doesn't match the quality and pedigree of competitors such as Learn and Master Blues Guitar

Review Detail

Playing through the Blues is the brainchild of Griff Hamlin, owner and founder of GHB Productions, a company based out of Southern California. Griff has been a teacher and musician for 20 years, and judging by Playing Through the Blues, he is a polished professional guitarist and educator. The value for money with this product indicates that Griff's goal is to provide the absolute best experience for customers. To be honest, there is easily 6 months to a years worth of solid material here for the average "advanced beginner" or intermediate guitarist. It is intelligently structured to provide the most effective Blues guitar tuition.
One thing to bear in mind, this is not a product for the absolute beginner, some competency in strumming and picking, and a basic knowledge of open and barre chords is recommended.

Screen shots of Examples of Learning materials:

Highlights

• Blues Rhythm & Chords module to provide a solid foundation
• How to solo over the entire fretboard effortlessly
• Video Examples in both slow and regular speeds
• The 'Blues Masters' section. Solo examples are directly from tunes recorded by artists such as Eric Clapton, Freddie King, BB King, and Albert King
• Audio examples of lessons
• Fundamental Techniques such as bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, pinch harmonics and slides
  

Upon purchasing Playing Through the Blues, you gain access to the members area where the course materials can be accessed. The course is in digital form only. No DVD, CD, or physical product is shipped at any time. For some this is an advantage as there is instant access (no waiting for delivery), for some it's a disadvantage as they appreciate the value of a physical product. I feel that the digital format of Playing Through the Blues is a huge bonus as the elimination of the physical reproduction means it can be offered for a very competitive price, without sacrificing the end user experience.

The product is available in the following formats:
ebooks: PDF
audio: mp3
video: .wmv files for Windows, and .mp4 for Mac
All are standard, universal formats that 99.9% of people with a computer can access.

The course itself is high quality, well-paced and structured to build gradually on a foundation. It covers both rhythm and lead playing. Aattention is paid to 'blues-centric' aspects such how to nail bends including 1/2 step and 1 1/2 step bends, how to use chord substitution utilizing 9th, 11th, 13th, and altered chords, understanding chord/scale relationships and working with minor and major keys. The addition of jam tracks to play and improvise over is also to be commended as they are an essential part of any guitar instruction package.

Conclusion

Playing Through the Blues gets right down into the nitty gritty of how to play blues guitar. The whole approach with this product is authentic and it's and definitely worth your time and money if you are considering a product that will successfully teach you this style. While it doesn't match the quality of market leading products such as Learn and Master Blues Guitar but is a more economical option for those with a tight budget. The 56 day money back guanentee sold with this product makes purchase pretty much risk-free.

What you get

• A Guide for the Lead Guitar Player ebook. The book includes TAB and standard notation for all of the examples.
  
• Rhythm & Chords Module ebook. This book also includes TAB and standard notation for all of the rhythm and chord exercises in the course.
• 18 Blues Rhythm lessons with over 90 minutes of video. Examples include slow speed full speed
• Access to the secret members-only blog. Includes additional TABs.
• Complete transcribed solo examples. All examples are written in TAB, and audio examples are included.
• The main lead guitar course which includes over 120 minutes of professional, high quality video. The videos are divided up by chapter and cover every single note in the book.
• The 'Blues Masters' section. Solo examples are directly from tunes recorded by artists such as Eric Clapton, Freddie King, BB King, and Albert King.
• 10 Complete Jam Tracks to play to and hone your skills. You can also jam over any of the tracks for the 18 rhythm & chord lessons, which gives 28 jam tracks in total
• Turnaround and Ending Licks ebook. This additional ebook contains an additional 20 turnaround and ending licks.
• Lifetime Updates. Added to the Playing Through The Blues members area as often as possible.