Eh ??
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I hadnât noticed the hash tag, but Iâll confess to being a little jealous of the BLIM folks when they talk about it.
I love the blues. Have for decades. Iâm originally from Chicago, and spent a lot of evenings in the many blues clubs there. Every live show Iâve seen for probably 40 years has been blues.
I chose not to join in BLIM for several reasons. I didnât think I was good enough to benefit from it. I feared investing that much money into something that I would drop out of. I only play for my own amusement, and donât have anybody to play with. I think youâd really need people to work with, like your âBBP,â to get good at it.
Sorry for the rambling, but thatâs my feeling on the whole thing.
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Everything you have just said Mark echoes with me as many on the forum will recall. Grade 2 and 3 sets you up nicely for BLIM. To me as an advanced beginner it is quite a challenging course but Iâve found with dedicated practice it is manageable. Youâre not going to manage to perfect everything taught in those 6 months and Justin does not expect that from you as there will be some many months consolidating. Plus you have the course for life. My biggest benefit so far from the course is confidence which I feel will benefit me further on learning other material. So if you love the blues and are confident with your Grade 2 & 3 material go for it mate. Plus those that have been through the course will also be there to support those in Class 2.
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BLIM is the kind of course that takes years to master all content. In the long term, I think that passion for the blues will make a bigger impact than plain skills. Passion is definitely a huge thing that you have in your bag 
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Mark I envy you that is a wonderful experience but would also echo every word James has said. I didnât think I was good enough, I donât have anyone to play with and I only play for my own amusement and will inflict this pain on the wider JGC. But have no regrets signing up and feel my playing has moved on leaps and bound.
And the #BBP has been a big part of that. Class 2 will be starting soon and there will be more news on that in the coming months. And you have been around long enough to be familiar with Community members you would most likely gel with. Maybe some of them might also sign up for Class 2, Iâd highly recommend it as a good investment. You only get to find the folks to work with, in my case like those in the BBP, by Community engagement and awareness and to that I think you are pretty tuned in. Look at the big picture it pays diveidends,
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I was also hesitant about signing up for BLIM, and I think thatâs not uncommon. On the other hand, I do wonder (based on some comments I have seen) if some people who werenât ready for it have signed up thinking it was some magical, silver-bullet.
The fact is, regardless of level, a course like BLIM takes hard graft. And thatâs the point of these things: you only get out of it what you put in.
In my case, I had no doubts I was at the required level, but I was concerned about the level of commitment I could put in to make it worth it, and whether I would lose interest or get distracted part way through. You might have seen squirrel-themed art? It turns out I wasnât alone!
The great things is (as @Richard_close2u has pointed out) you donât have to âkeep upâ with the course. Itâs best you do to some degree, but the course is pretty packed and I defy anyone to nail all of the material presented every month, and retain it. If they are capable of this, then they probably didnât need the course in the first place. And you have lifetime access.
But, bringing it back to the subject of this thread, for me the, one part of keeping the squirrels at bay has been to have small support group and, for me BBP has been a key part of that. Itâs a safe space to open up about how you feel with people that you grow to know and to trust. Itâs a space to discuss, to vent, to confess, and (sometimes) to be a little random, silly, or even inappropriate with without the cacophony of voices and potential judgement you get in wider communities.
Itâs a place to discuss progress, concerns, challenges, triumphs and to share humour through the good days and the not so good.
I am extremely grateful that this wonderful little group of people invited me to be part of their beautiful madness. It has been a lifesaver for me.
But this community is full of wonderful, supportive people and, I hope and expect, that BLIM has spawned many such groups, just as it has fostered and spawned many such wonderful little groups who support and collaborate (this springs to mind).
Justin encourages such groups and, if you do a course like BLIM, I thoroughly encourage you to seek out âyour peopleâ as part of your journey.
Cheers,
Keith
#BBP
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Sorry to hear this, Toby. I hope the support in this thread helps you to get the enthusiasm back! Would love to check out a video on your progress.
One of my favorite things about this community is the ability to connect with others. There is so much support here! 
I have âmetâ others that I never would have had a chance to otherwise and am forever grateful to be here.
To the BBPers- keep doing what you are doing. Aside from doing BLIM, you are all active community members here. I donât feel that by supporting each other through (what sounds to be) a very rigorous and challenging course that you are at all being exclusionary. I think itâs great that you are all supporting each other!
Thatâs what we are all here for right? 
That and guitar
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All good here fellas. The air of mystery was just a bit of spirited fun to be honest; and anyone who knows you guys would never think otherwise.
Glad the group has been a success for you. Its whatâs its all about.
Cheers, Shane
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Hey Toby & the other legends in the BBP! 
Interesting (and at times very entertaining! 
) but equally troubling read. My absenteeism on the forum of late has meant all this has slipped past me, but reading your detailed post and the following string of (as always very supportive 
) replies, it has been great to have some insight into the BLIM experience and benefits gained, not only from the course content, but also from each other as well! Having gained so much myself from learning and working with others I have met here, Iâm a huge advocate for taking those opportunities when they arise 
Sad that youâve had these issues interfere with what should just be a fun experience but well done to you all for navigating it with grace and common sense! Keep having a blast 
This gave me a giggle 
Take care mate!
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I did notice the tag and only thought was I wonder what it means, and now I know I can carry on in peace
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Iâm starting to feel a little sorry for the several people who have indicated that they started to wonder things and experience a feeling of exclusionâŚ
After reading all the comments( Of course I knew that a lot of people would respond, but not that much textâŚ) , I would like to say that if you all create groups in an already separate group and there are also groups that are not accessible to everyone because they work by invitation or gender and talks about there was hinting for special merch âfor crew under the radarâ , it is a matter of time that questions could arise if it is so prominent, even outside that first large Blim group it was easy to follow the group of you 6 ⌠I was therefore not surprised (or better should I say âwas afraidâ) that these question marks arose, but look how big this topic has now become 
⌠now I donât know exactly what was reported to Richard, but apparently enough to report it to Toby that something had to be explained and even though it was never intended that way, it is how it came across to several people ⌠and quite understandable (or a bad example?) if you consider how it went very briefly before the start of e Blim and a short discussion about the stickers on the avatars ⌠and a closed sectionâŚ
This was always a completely transparent community and now there are more and more closed clubs/sectionsâŚ
not everyone likes that and if there are only 2 people with complaints (or questions) with something there are many more who keep their mouths shut and look further⌠an important lesson when you have a business )
To be clear, I am very happy that you from this group and share and learn and all those messages personally and not here in the open ⌠almost 5000 messages 
I just hope for some understanding for people who may not be able to express themselves well and have simply asked @Richard_close2u some (maybe complete normal ) questions about this âŚ
Greetings and please have fun 
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This reminds me a bit of the âstorm in a teacupâ when Justin introduced the Class of â23
(The FB platform was one concern, but also a sense of separation/exclusiveness in the community 
)
One of my favourite aspects of this forum is the sense of inclusiveness, irrespective of how advanced you are or how long youâve been here
Watching a separate group and smaller groups within that evolve, esp. when they are folk we like and admire, does leave me with a sense of FOMO.
Donât get me wrong, I know Iâd be welcome (but also know itâs not my cup of tea).
For all those feeling âexcludedâ, please bear in mind that the bloominâ Blimmers (including the BBP) are funding your free guitar tuition and Community platform
Cheers lads, and back to the bluesâŚ
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You may be forgetting we were actively encouraged to create Study Groups by Justin at the start of the course. Plus there were no guide line per se, just a strong recommendation to do so and no suggestion who to include or not. That was down to each individual student, if that was something they wanted or needed to do.
And I would have been happy to field any questions via a DM, so please bear that in mind folks in the future as, I am not wasting another dayâs practice and recording time.
Thank you.
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Hi Toby,
No, I have certainly not forgotten this, and it is not at all a complaint or anything against you or your group from my side , I am just saying how it comes across to some people when you personally inviting people to a small group without an open invitation simply gives that to some people that feeling what also Brian discribes âŚI think itâs the same thing with slightly different words, right?
I am 100% happy with what you are doing ,no reason for discussion as far as Iâm concerned, just a small side note for the more sensitive people to try to understand a little⌠this is now being made way too big⌠something about that storm in a cup of tea glass saying 
Greetings , And yes lets play
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Donât forget the hats!
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I think that no more need be said.
It has all been covered. And the overall discussion has impacted the well being of at least one of our most respected and supportive friends.
Toby - I advise that you literally ignore this topic for at least the next 48 hours.
Hopefully it will fade away.
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Thatâs a very useful answer @Socio. I didnât feel my skills (nor my budget) were ready for the initial Blues Immersion and decided to focus on becoming a more competent âadvanced beginner.â Your thoughts make me think perhaps Iâll be ready for the next offering. Plus I really want @TheMadman_tobyjenner to teach me the #BBP secret handshake!
Toby, it sounds to me like youâve got the blues. Great opportunity for some new music! Could be the lead track on the BBP Under the Radar releaseâŚ
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Iâve got to be totally honest, I know what BLIM is, I have no idea what BBM is, and all this other stuff really just passed me by. Takes me back to being at work when everyone wanted to know what the latest gossip was and I never had a clue what was going on! Maybe I should get on the forum a bit more regularly or try and work out how to use it more effectively or something I donât know.
Ignorance is bliss as far as Iâm concerned. Iâm just a simple soul really.
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