Browsing Category: "DVD"
A unique chance to learn from the greatest Chicago Blues guitarist of them all! Buddy reveals what he learned from Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker, and Lightnin’ Hopkins in a DVD lesson of exceptional quality. Buddy shows you a whole bunch of licks, techniques and styles including 9th chord licks, country blues finger-pickin’, double-stop licks, turnarounds-plus some exciting jamming with Junior Wells and Arlen Roth. A supreme lesson in The Blues from the man Eric Clapton once called “by far and without doubt, the best guitar player alive!”
User Reviews
5 Stars Excellent way to expand your blues vocabulary!
If you’re expecting a “how to get started on the blues” video, looks elsewhere. You should at least know the basics of blues soloing and rhythm to be able to play the stuff in this DVD. I would recommend this for mid-level players who want to expand their blues vocabulary in a way similar to the raw, pure sound of Buddy Guy.
As Buddy himself says on the video, you learn other people’s stuff and eventually put in your own things, making them unique. This DVD is great for sparking ideas. It also has a lot of fingerpicking blues, something I’d like to get into.
The slow-motion section of the examples are very helpful, and Buddy’s comments are spot-on and even inspiring.
Buy it!
4 Stars licks like the pros
I have this Hot Licks video on VHS, and I really like it. It’s true he isn’t playing his licks from his records, but he’s teaching the blues, going back to Muddy Waters and Lightning Hopkins all the way to the I guess the 90s, by way of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. It’s like blues music appreciation lessons… aren’t you supposed to slow down records to learn licks like the pros?
It does repeat itself, maybe Arlen Roth could of fixed the continuity, and it could put you into a trance with it’s slow pace, but that’s what you want music to do anyways, isn’t it?
5 Stars The Bluest of the Blues
The is a fantastic DVD a must have for all guitarists. It gives you the nuts and bolts to play authentic vintage blues. Buddy lays it in your lap. The slow motion section (which does not alter pitch) is outstanding. How anyone can say anything else is beyond me, do not delay, if you want to play the blues, GET THIS DVD NOW!
5 Stars Wow! I’m Glad I got this!
Review is about Buddy Guy: Teachin’ the Blues
I almost didn’t get this DVD because of the negative review on this site.
Man! I am SO glad I didn’t listen to that review and bought it anyway!
I figured it would be worth the price to watch Buddy Guy, even if it wasn’t such a good teaching tool, so I ordered it. I was very pleasantly surprised.
First, It DOES come with a booklet of tablature that’s tucked right in the clips of the front half of the case.
Now about the DVD; It has a “play” function that lets you just watch it like any other DVD, which may be all that some do. AND, it has a lesson function that lets you play each lesson individually – in either real time or slow motion and still have the right tone and sound to the notes played. In this mode there is also a box on the upper right of the lesson screen that says “loop” for repeating the lessons.
It also has a “tuning” function for getting your guitar tuned properly.
There is more that I haven’t explored yet (some of the “special features”) But I’ve seen enough already to know that this will be a very useful learning tool, as well as being good for watching Buddy play.
If you will listen to what he is doing and follow his instruction, there is a ton of useful stuff in this DVD to learn. You just need to stay with it like you would any lesson material. And Buddy tries to encourage you all through the video. He leaves a very good impression.
If I could contact him somehow, I’d say great job Buddy!!
Of course, if you just want to watch it and not take the time to learn, then you can do that too with the “play” function.
3 Stars Not an Instructional DVD
Boy this DVD was a real letdown in the sense that it was great to watch Buddy Guy Play but…..There was nothing to learn from it.I wanted to see the licks that inspired a young Jimmi Hendrix to play like he did.Not once on this dvd did Buddy show any usefull lead runs or turnarounds other than standard technique.
The stories he told while playing were fun to listen to but there was not enough solid playing tech to back it.
This could have been a great DVD if there were Direction to his playing.
Eric Johnson Total Electric Guitar
Here is a unique opportunity to study with one of the great electric guitarists. Eric Johnson gives a master class in advanced picking techniques for speed and accuracy, left- and right-hand muting, blues bends, pedal steel-style bends, and unique chord
User Reviews
5 Stars Loaded with ideas
Eric Johnson really seems to have mastered a variety of styles. This video is light on music theory, but heavy on useful tips and tricks. His exploration of Hendrix, Richards, Reed, Atkins, and others makes this video an interesting look into the styles of several guitarists, and complete with examples of how to play in their styles. He also demonstrates many interesting harmonic uses and talks a lot about picking and fingering (which isn’t that relevant for the advance player, but there are still things one can pick up and incorporate). This is DVD has little fundamental music education (doesn’t dive into scale theory much) but many tips on how to get interesting sounds and melodic lines, as well as some nice tips on chord voicings.
5 Stars Grand and Glorious Superstore of Techniques
I want to emphasize that this is not for beginners except for those who may be inspired by seeing and hearing a wide variety of possible techniques.
With that said, it really seems to be geared toward the guitarist who has at least an intermediate skill level and is looking to explore new techniques or sharpen their playing.
After a brief tune-up, Eric begins explaining and illustrating techniques of some of the guitarist who have inspired him (Hendrix, Clapton, Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, .. etc). Eventually, he goes over his own techniques much of which are combinations of other techniqes and scales. He also includes GREAT and very detailed instruction on picking techniques.
On most instruction, the picking hand and fretting hand are shown separately on a split screen and are easy to see. The DVD also has a number of exercises that can be played at normal or half speed with the ability to loop.
While he really does a great job of describing and demonstrating the styles and techniques, he does not spend a whole lot of time going over them. He also breezes over certain parts rather quickly. Though this part will probably frustrate many beginners and players who want more time spent in that area, it is absolutely necessary to cover such a great amount of material. I also feel that this is one of the strong aspects as it allows intermediate and advanced players to quickly pick and play with new techniques without being bogged down by numbing repetition.
What I love about this DVD is that it is so densely packed such a wide variety of techniques and absolutely beautiful playing. If you have the aptitude, don’t need every detail defined, can pickup guitar visually and are interested in exploring techniques in rock, jazz and a little country – get it!
1 Star Very Basic Material
This DVD is a disappointment. Besides the fact that Eric is incredibly boring and stiff throughout this video, the materials he covers is very introductory. If you are a beginning rock guitarists, this might be helpful for you. Unfortuantley, I don’t think many new guitar players today will probably discover Eric Johnson until they have been playing for a while. By the time they get an appreciation for his abilities and decide to buy this DVD, they will have probably already learned most of the content in these lessons. Also, if you want to lean how to play like Eric Johnson – what scales he uses, how he build chords, etc. – don’t bother with this.
4 Stars Ridiculously good!
Most of the music product I buy is on eBay, but occasionally you can only find something special on Amazon. And Amamzon has an awesome collection of EJ’s work.
After purchasing and watching Live/Austin City Limits (1988) complete with blonde, Flock-of-Seagulls hairstyle and Sgt. Pepper’s jacket, I wanted to pick this up and see if a mature and seasoned Eric Johnson would really give up some good pointers about technique, tone and thoughts.
And he didn’t let me down.
Many guitar players in instructional video-land sit in front of a camera and you get to watch them play for 45 minutes with hardly any narrative or a lot of looking-down mumbling mixed in with a few licks or “Here’s what I nicked from Jimi Hendrix.” Not the case here, thank goodness.
Eric is such a pleasant person to listen to and such an inspiration to watch play that I highly recommend this 2005 piece.
Even if you don’t play, it’s still entertaining enough just watching him play that it deserves a look/listen.
It’s easy to see why Billy Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan and even the reclusive Jeff Beck have given a thumbs-up to EJ over the years. Steve Morse, no lightweight player himself, was quoted, “This guy is ridiculously good!”
And he is!
EJ’s “problem” is that he has no peers to compare with and there he sits, at the top of the heap when it comes to blistering runs, powerful bass-string roars and those carefully crafted, thoughtfully plucked and emotion-wrenching chords.
You would just love to have lunch with this guy sometime!
5 Stars I do get it
It’s pretty hilarious reading the one star reviews posted here. Basic material? I was a music student in college and not once did I run into a guitarist that had the virtuosity and picking perfection of Eric Johnson. If you pay a little attention to these lessons you will find worlds of detail in his technique, touch and phrasing that may help you delineate the difference between just being good and being great. A true virtuoso lifts an instrument so far beyond shredding that it’s hard to compare what they do with players that think speed is the only dimension to technique. Eric Johnson is the epitome of a virtuoso.
Joe Morello Drum Method 1 The Natural Approach to Technique
Joe Morello is one of the most important drummers in jazz-and here’s your chance to learn directly from him! Joe demonstrates roll techniques, matched grip and traditional stick positions, sounds on the drumhead, cross sticking, tuning, and much more, all using natural body movement. Plus great vintage footage of Joe in action with the Dave Brubeck Quintet!
User Reviews
2 Stars Natural Approach for beginners
Unfourtunately, after the anticipation was over. I started into the program and found it never really got moving. It was nice to see Joe talk about things and demonstrate some things, but it didn’t meet my expectations of Joe Morello. Thought he would of been more technical. For a begineer this could be a good DVD.
4 Stars Get a grip!
If you’re looking for a flashy video packed with drum solos, don’t go here (although, the couple of video clips of Joe with Brubeck are awsome).
But this DVD is more profound than it might first appear…to the casual viewer. If you think about it for just a moment, the way you grip your drum sticks actually determines your ability to make music. Anybody can grab a stick and bang on a drum; two-year-olds are especially adept at it. But to articulate real music is a completely different game. Joe shows you the “magic” used by himself and dozens of the greats (both past and present) that seem to bring the sticks to life.
Speed, be it slow or fast, and accuracy of note placement (in short, controlling the stick and it’s bounce) are paramount to playing a groove, swinging, or playing “in the pocket”. Joe breaks down the elements of an effective grip, as well as forearm and wrist motion, and then articulates the use of the fingers in the over-all stroke. If you can resist the urge for flashy, fast, and convoluted playing, and study meticulously the form Joe is showing you (I found some fascinating secrets by advancing the movie frame by frame), and then work on it every day, it won’t be but a few months before you notice a marked difference in your ability to play.
My only complaint is that I wanted more. I have many more questions now than when I started watching, but then isn’t that a sign of good teaching? That Joe has got me thinking more deeply about my grip? For example, I wish Joe would have gone a little deeper in to when to use the index finger and when not to use the index finger in the left hand of the traditional grip. I think I got my answer by watching him, but he didn’t address it much.
Short of those nitpicking points, any drummer who wants to play more musically today should start with studying Joe’s DVD. Consider that Steve Smith and Dave Weckl, two formidable players today (regardless of whether you “like” their playing or not) both speak often of having studied with Freddie Gruber. What did they learn from Freddie? Maybe lots of stuff, but what both of those players mention is how much Freddie’s teaching affected their grip and how their grip affected their over-all ability to play.
Watch Joe closley, practice it, and then start swinging!
5 Stars How to drum properly…
This is essential viewing for drummers at all levels to fine tune technique and relaxation. In particular, matched and traditional grip, natural stick motion and accenting are covered in detail. Also a good section on buzz rolls. Morello’s dry humor adds entertainment value. Maybe more on double strokes would have been useful.
5 Stars Great Product
I would highly recommend this DVD as an excellent learning tool in basic drumming rudiment technique and style. Joe explains it in an easy to follow and relaxed manner.
