Learn & Master Guitar – Review
By Steve Krenz
Reviewed By Shawn Bradshaw (Cyberfret.com)
rated (5 out of 5)

Learn & Master Guitar

Important Update: Learn & Master Guitar now has 20 DVDs, not 10. I will update this review soon, but keep this in mind.

What is Learn & Master Guitar?

Learn & Master Guitar is a course that contains 10 professionally produced DVDs, 5 jam-along CDs and a 100+ page instruction book. There are also extra materials that can be downloaded from a special members only website. Learn and Master guitar starts you from the beginning, but is not only for those just starting to play guitar. Often as players reach a certain level, they find they are missing key pieces of the puzzle that hinder further progress. So I would say this course is specifically designed for the beginner, and the intermediate player who is missing those pieces. There are many advanced techniques discussed, but more advanced players would probably do better to seek out a product that targets just their level.

There are a large number of topics covered in this course; chords, reading music & tablature, strumming, fingering picking, soloing, theory, ear training, techniques like bending, slides and tapping…and the list goes on. Learn and Master Guitar also gives a great overview of how to play many styles of music such as Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Funk and Classical.

Your Teacher

One thing that stands out about this coarse is the instructor Steve Krenz. As I watched the DVDs I was struck by the clear explanations of the material. You can tell he has spent many years teaching guitar. Playing guitar, and having the ability to teach it are 2 different skills, and Steve Krenz can do both extremely well. Steve has a wide range of experience as a performer and teacher. He also has a degree in music, which is a huge plus.

The DVDs

The heart of the course is about 20 hours of video instruction on 10 DVDs. This is professionally shot, high quality video. There are close-ups of Steve’s hands, and at times a split screen so that you can get a closer view of both hands simultaneously. All of the exercises that are being demonstrated are up on the screen. This material is also in the book, so you have the option of following along on screen or in the book.

Learn & Master Guitar is broken down into 20 sessions. This is a progressive course that takes your from the basics though some more advanced concepts. The sessions are broken down into sections.

• Instruction – This is the main lesson part of each session. The concepts are explained and demonstrated.


• Guitar Tips – This section covers extra material that is important to your progress. Some of the topics include taking care of your guitar, working with a metronome, practicing tips and more.


• How Music Works – This is where you learn about Music Theory, and how it applies to the guitar.


• Assignment – Here Steve gives you your homework assignment for the session. Here he goes over the key points that you should practice before going on to the next session.


• Workshop – In this section you get to practice the Assignment material along with Steve. So you can see and hear the exercises that you are practicing.

The Book

This 100+ page book has all of the exercises from the DVD and more. It is divided into sessions that correspond to the DVD. It has a clear layout and design that makes it extremely easy to read and follow.

The CDs

There are 5 Jam Along CD’s that you can use to help with your practice. Exercises from the book are played at a slow, medium, and fast speed. Steve and other professional studio musicians recorded the tracks on the CDs. So you get to practice with some real pros.

The Downside

This is a top notch course, and I really can't say anything negative about the product itself. There is something on their website that I will have to disagree with. "Learn & Master Guitar is the only instructional package you’ll ever need for total mastery of the guitar." There is not 1 product that is the end all, be all. Mastering the guitar is a life long pursuit, and you will probobly own many other books, DVDs, CDs, and computer programs along the way. So besides that one big of inaccurate hype on the website, believe everything else because this is the real deal.

The Bottom Line

This is an excellent product for learning how to play the guitar that I highly recommend. It covers all levels of playing, but is recommended for beginners and intermediate players. This is not a budget guitar learning product, but for the scope of the material covered and the quality of instruction, it is reasonably priced. Keep and eye out, because it is often on sale. There is also a No Risk Guarantee. So if for any reason you decide this course is not for you, return it within 60 days and receive a full refund of the purchase price. Check out the Learn & Master website for more details, as well as some screen shots of the DVD and audio samples from the CDs.

Update: Especially with the addition of 10 more DVDs, a total of 20, this is hands down the best beginning guitar course that I have seen. And I have seen a lot in my 20 years of teaching privately.

Learn & Master Guitar Website