Learn Guitar Techniques Fretburning Blues Runs

This superb DVD will teach you 30 runs using all of the classic techniques used in blues soloing: bends, pull-offs, hammer-ons, slides, double stops, vibrato and more. Each idea is played in context with a backing track and then demonstrated slowly with full explanations on the scales and techniques used. These melodic phrases will help you to solo over the entire length of the fretboard in a variety of blues situations.

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Learn Guitar Techniques Fretburning Blues Runs is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Product Description

Let Paul Pigat (aka Cousin Harley) take you on an easily accessible lesson through the many techniques of Rockabilly guitar!

This lesson is for the intermediate/ advanced player. Topics covered include: Rockabilly Intros Alternate Picking/TraviS Picking Rockabilly Style Soloing for the Left and Right Hands Country Swing Licks James Burton Styles Double Stops and Tritone Licks Bends Diminished Runs Gear Set Up And much more!

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Amazon Rating: (4.5) (out of 11 reviews)
List Price: $ 37.98
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Availability:Normally ships in 24 hours

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars It all starts here
A number one teaching tool for the rockabilly genre.Paul breaks it all down nice and easy giving you everything you need to get that authentic feel in your playing.I heard about this dvd from all the rave reviews on the gretsch pages forum and decided to give it a whirl.It is everything they say and more.Much to my surprise i found out he lives in my town.After seeing a few of his shows i whould say he is easily one of the premier guitarists in the billy\swing\bob genre.If you were to buy only one instructional dvd,this would be it.

5 Stars Great Rockabilly Guitar Lessons
Out of all of the rockabilly guitar video lessons that I own this is the absolute best! Paul Pigat teaches some of the best classic rockabilly licks in a wonderfully slow and clear style. I am actually learning great material and I feel like I am getting better at playing rockabilly guitar. Thanks to Paul Pigat.

5 Stars Good Video
Another review stated that the video could use some tab – the complete tab is included on the dvd as a pdf. If you don’t have a pc there is a link you can use to download the tab. Great video. Highly recommended. I hope Paul put’s out more Rockabilly videos.

Rockabilly Guitar with Paul Pigat is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Fender Presents Getting Started on Electric Guitar A Guide for Beginners

Getting Started on Electric Guitar offers a complete course for the beginning electric guitarist. Step-by-step lessons incorporating clear, easy-to-follow 3-D graphics and unique play-along tracks teach the viewer the essential chords, scales and techniques used by electric guitar players in every popular style, including rock, blues and country. This DVD is separated into two major sections.

Part 1 ? The First Step covers: tuning methods ? string names ? essential chords and scales used by all players ? musical reference section (notes, rhythms, chords and scales) ? practice tips ? fretting-hand technique ? picking-hand technique ? backing tracks for play-along ? an animated fretboard ? plus much more.

Part 2 ? Play Electric! covers: right-hand technique ? left-hand technique ? rhythm parts (muting, alternate picking, arpeggios) ? soloing technique (string bending, vibrato) ? rock, blues & country styles ? rhythm and solo ideas for each style ? backing tracks in each style for play-along ? sounds (amplifiers and effects) ? caring for your instrument ? and tips from the Fender Custom Shop.

Special DVD features include: bonus footage, including a tour of the Fender factory! Also: looping capabilities ? web site links specifically for beginning guitarists ? a multi-language feature so you can view the DVD in English, Spanish, German, French or Japanese.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very helpful
This video helped me out alot. The instructor in the video goes slow to help slow learners like my self.

5 Stars Electric Guitar Class
Recommended for beginners players. Very good classes with sound and images (a DVD video from Keith Wyatt)

3 Stars “Getting Started”?
I’m a beginner and for me this DVD is hard to follow now matter how many times I watch it, there are things that I can’t understand when he talks about steps and stuff. I’ll keep it maybe one day I’ll have enough background to understand it.

4 Stars I love this DVD!!
I received an electric guitar for Christmas, and not knowing how to play a single note, I turned to this DVD. It really works! Although I would probably recommend some lessons, just for the sake of correction, this DVD is the right one to turn to if you can’t afford them. I have learned notes, rhythms, picking, and chords all through this helpful DVD. It’s almost like having Keith Wyatt sit down with you and go through the lessons! I especially like the practice track so that I can just sit down whenever I want to and practice chords and stuff without having to go through the whole lesson again. The DVD was a great help to me! I wouldn’t recommend any other!!!

4 Stars Keith Wyatt is a good teacher
When I bought this product I thought I wouldn’t be able to go far in learning the guitar because of the reviews that it was too challenging for someone my age. Of course, I was wrong. This dvd tells you important parts of playing the guitar. It also explains about the scales and more. After you have seen the contents of this dvd you will learn basic things like chords. You will need to buy books if you want to learn things that aren’t covered in this dvd.

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Fender Presents Getting Started on Electric Guitar A Guide for Beginners is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

A chord played on the acoustic guitar is defined by pulling two or more strings at the same time. By doing this you get a collection of tones sounded in harmony. There are many different acoustic guitar chords, start by learning just the elementary ones and keep practicing, it will become easier as you go. Start with an easy song which you like and then work on playing the chords to it. With practice you will find yourself moving on and being about to play a whole lot of songs.

Chord diagrams are used to notate guitar chords. Acoustic guitar chord diagrams resemble guitar tabs except for one crucial difference; strings are represented by lines running vertically instead of horizontally. When you study a chord diagram, note that what you are seeing is essentially a grid. Again, the vertical lines are the strings. The frets are represented by horizontal lines. When you see a dot, it is telling you to hold the strings down.

The acoustic guitar chord diagram will have numbers at either the top or the bottom, which tell you what finger to use. 1 stands for index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky and 0 means the string is not held down with a finger and is played. If there is an X, the string is not held down and not played. Rarely, the thumb is used and noted by a T.

G-major is the first chord were going to learn on the acoustic guitar. Place your fingers as follows: middle finger on sixth string at third fret, index finger on fifth string at second fret, ring finger on first string at third fret. Play each note one at a time, including the open strings. Each note should be heard clearly, with no odd buzzing or rattling sounds. If anything sounds off, you can push down firmer on the string or move your fingers so they are closer to the fret. Your fingers should not be in contact with one another and only on one string at a time. When each individual note sounds good, strum them all together. You have just accomplished a G-major chord on your acoustic guitar.

The chord E-minor is considered to have easier fingering than the others. Use your index finger to hold down the fifth string on the second fret and your middle finger to hold down the fourth string on the second fret. Both fingers need to have plenty of room on the fret and can not touch each other. Try the notes out and alter your fingering a bit until it sounds right to you. Finally, strum the E-minor chord. You will note right away the dark sound associated with this acoustic guitar chord. With a little practice, you will have this chord down in no time.

There are only a few basic acoustic guitar chords you need to learn. These include C-major, D-major, A-minor, and A-major. You should familiarize yourself with them by moving back and forth between these acoustic guitar chords. With practice, you will commit them to memory and playing will go more smoothly.

Learning an instrument and a guitar specifically, can be a wonderful experience that fills you with the joy of achievement. Remember when first learning the acoustic guitar chords you will need to start off slow, and eventually, your fingers will get in place by themselves. With some practice, your fingers will be moving quickly across these acoustic guitar chords.

Learning Acoustic Guitar Chords is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Very important before buying a new acoustic guitar, be sure to check out some acoustic guitar reviews. Two kinds of reviews you’ll find are ones written by experts who sample and play a wide variety of guitars, and reviews written by ordinary people who just want to give you an opinion about how the guitar works, sounds and feels to them.

Only consider an acoustic guitar review to be expert if it is written by someone with several years of guitar experience. These experts should have information about several different guitars made by several different manufacturers. A good reviewer will be objective in pointing out the good and bad points associated with any acoustic guitar, despite any personal preference they may have. They do not have to have a Bachelor’s Degree in music to be helpful. They just need to be very familiar with acoustic guitars and explain it to you enough that you will feel comfortable taking their advice into consideration when shopping for you new guitar.

If you want acoustic guitar reviews, you should look for a site that has multiple reviews of each guitar by many different musicians. Many music stores also have websites with user reviews. Each guitarist plays in different types of venues, different kinds of bands and has a unique style of music. A guitarist from a band that plays at wedding receptions has much different instrument preferences from a guitarist who plays in a rock band. Look for reviews for people who play in the same area that you do, or someday hope to.

Searching for acoustic guitar reviews online will bring millions of results, which can be quite frustrating and leave you asking yourself where do I start. There are a couple of tricks that you can use to find the type of review you are looking for. In your search bar, put the search term in quotes, like this- “acoustic guitar reviews”. Try this on a Yahoo search and it decreases the hits from about 17 million for acoustic guitar reviews to about 6000 for “acoustic guitar reviews”.

This handy technique also works when youre looking for individual acoustic guitar reviews. For instance, if youre looking for reviews of the Martin DX1, enter martin dx1 (without quotation marks) into Yahoos search engine and youll come back with over 35,000 hits! But if you type “martin dx1″ you will only get around 10,000 hits.

Try this hint and use is a simple plus sign (+) right next to the word you are searching for in that hit, this will allow you to be more specific in your search. The simpler the better, seems to be the trick. By putting Martin dxl review, the returns will be only 9, the reason being you will hit the sites that have the exact phrases in them.

If you try something new by entering this- “martin dx1″ into your search bar, you’ll get upwards of 500 hits. To find something more specific, like the action on a particular guitar, you can add that to the query as long as you add a plus sign to it. Acoustic guitar reviews will be easier to find, which will make your decision easier if you take advantage of these two small search tips.

Researching Acoustic Guitar Reviews is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

The primary choice you have to make when purchasing a beginner acoustic guitar is deciding what kind of music you’re going to play. A nylon-string classical guitar is best suited for playing classical, Latin and some kinds of folk and pop music. A steel-string guitar works best for playing rock, country, and some pop and folk music. Its up to you to play the various kinds in order to decide the sound you want for your beginner acoustic guitar.

Many instructors recommend a guitar with nylon strings as a first beginner acoustic guitar. The reason is that those strings are not so hard on the guitarist’s fingertips. However, if your idea of great music is rock and more rock, a guitar with nylon strings will never produce a tone that will satisfy the rock idol in you.

If you are into rock music, then you want to learn to play music with a guitar with steel strings. Starting off with steel strings can be a bit hard on your fingers at first and they probably will hurt, but don’t give up, with regular practice and over time you will develop calluses. Remember don’t be enticed by a steel string guitar if you are wanting to play classical music.

Here are some pointers for you when looking for a classical nylon-string guitar. Classical guitars have the same relative dimensions. The distinct features of classical guitars are their small bodies and wide fingerboards and most importantly, their classical sound. Despite same physical features, each classical guitars still have their own feel and tone so try several to find the beginner acoustic guitar that best matches your taste. A six-string dreadnought is the most commonly purchased beginner acoustic guitar. There are only slight size variations among dreadnoughts, and they offer the kind of tone that is popular with guitarists who are just starting out.

The kind of wood your beginner acoustic guitar is crafted from affects the tone of the guitar. Many beginner acoustic guitars come with a spruce top. Make sure you select a model made from solid spruce and not one with a two-piece top. A solid top is long-lasting. When it comes to the back and sides, your options will generally be mahogany, rosewood or spruce. If you want a lighter tone, look for guitars that have back and sides of mahogany. You will get a heavier tone from a guitar that features rosewood back and sides.

Looking for a beginner acoustic guitar with relatively low action is something else to think about when you are a new guitarist. The space between the string and the neck is called the action. An action that is too high it can be a distraction and a hindrance to learning.

While you’re out purchasing a beginner acoustic guitar, you’ll want to pick up a decent electronic tuner at the same time. You haven’t had enough experience yet to develop the ear of an expert. If you can spend less time in tuning your new guitar, you’ll have that much more time for practicing on it and actually playing.

Choosing your first Beginner Acoustic Guitar is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Learn Guitar Techniques Metal Zakk Wylde style

Learn Zakk Wylde style licks and techniques with Jamie Humphries. This excellent two hour DVD will teach you some of the guitar techniques that influenced metal guitarists worldwide! Take your playing to the next level with an arsenal of Zakk Wylde style licks that you can incorporate into your own solos. Also includes guitar jam tracks and Zakk style rhythm and solo lesson!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Good Instructor, Good Lesson
If ur looking to pick up a couple of ZW tricks this is a very good dvd.. first of all the instructor is very coherent and makes it easy to pick up.. Also a part for beginners w intro to minor pentatonic and blues scales.. Parts on country and southern rock approach and licks also very nice, gives u a raw foundation for further approach..

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Learn Guitar Techniques Metal Zakk Wylde style is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Hal Leonard Guitar Method DVD For the Beginning Electric or Acoustic Guitarist

The world-famous Hal Leonard Guitar Method has taught millions of people to play. Now learning will be even easier, thanks to this great new Digital Video Disc! Designed for anyone just learning to play electric or acoustic guitar, it covers: tuning, identifying the parts of the guitar, reading both standard notation and tablature, playing chords, strumming and picking, improvising basic rock solos and lots more. It features great camera angles, helpful on-screen music, guitar diagrams, hand-position close-ups, and the navigational freedom that only a DVD can provide, so you can go straight to the topics you want! You’ll learn to play the songs: Let It Be ? Wild Thing ? Twist and Shout, as well as the famous intro riffs to: Smoke on the Water ? Day Tripper ? Sunshine of Your Love. The DVD corresponds with all the books and supplements in the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, and features exclusive DVD Bonus Lessons covering chord progressions, songs, licks and jam tracks!

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star No method, no teaching
As a professional musician (not guitar) and teacher, it is possible that I approach this with a higher expectation of what should happen in an educational setting than most; but I am hard pressed to find a “method” to this DVD, or really to identify where any actual teaching occurs. All this DVD contains are mediocre demonstrations with no explanations as to how to do things or why they work. If actually taught, the material in this DVD would be great, but its really nothing more than a play-along DVD that leaves figuring out the why and how to the student. Further, there is no technique taught past elementary tips on holding the guitar (“most people hold it kind of like this …”) and holding the picking (“grab it like this and then make fine adjustments”). I’ve encoutered guitar lessons with better content and clearer instruction on youtube and am very sad to have spent money to purchase this DVD. Look elsewhere!

2 Stars No impressed
I bought this dvd because of the list of songs in Product Description. It says: “You’ll learn to play the songs:….” but in most of the cases they are not the songs but small riffs. Also this dvd is difficult to navigate and you can not loop the exercises.

I learn some tricks from the dvd but the bottom line is that I was disappointed.

5 Stars This and the method books are a great way to start
I bought this in order to supplement the method books I am currently studying. Its much more informative than the “Dummies” dvd and you will learn more. My only complaint is when using it to do chapter searches(get to a specific point) it is very confusing. It also would be better with a supplemental book that contains the songs you learn. Still buy it you will be glad you did.I would also recommend Hal Leonards Method books as well. Enjoy!!!!

3 Stars Useful, but only along with the book
I recently purchased the Hal Leonard Guitar Method book, packaged with a CD and this DVD. The DVD is good, because there is a brief explanation by Kolb before each song, but a beginner needs to work on the book alone before jumping in to the DVD. The DVD should probably only be sold together with the book. One other catch: the written music that scrolls along the bottom of the screen is sometimes too slow and often doesn’t appear until Kolb begins to play. The viewer needs to see the music to begin the song. I had to get a quick look at the beginning of the song, then rewind before I could play many of the songs. Stll worth while, but get the book also.

4 Stars This is a good choice!
This course (DVD + Books) may not be the most fun, but it does cover all the bases better than any other SINGLE course out there. To tell you my honest opinion if having fun while learning the guitar is what you want to do, then I would say go with “Guitar Basics” by Bruce Buckingham and work your way up through the Musicians Institue series of courses. The main difference between these series is that Guitar Method starts with reading music and picking out “lame” melodies, where as Guitar Basics starts you out with playing chords and chord progressions. So the decision is really in the hands of where you want to start. Chords or notes?

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Hal Leonard Guitar Method DVD For the Beginning Electric or Acoustic Guitarist is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Learn To Play the Songs of John Denver DVD 1

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great overview into John Denver’s music
I enjoy playing the guitar and singing along, poorly I might add. Generally, I can only play the guitar chords. This DVD does a great job of unlocking the secret behind what the artist is doing. Not only does he do an exceptional job of giving behind the scenes information on what made John Denver so good, but also his mannerisms and ability to explain the songs made it easy to play songs that many of us would find difficult to do on our own. Many of these type instructional videos play the song and then play it slowly and move on. He repetitively went through the songs so you could really pick it up. Obviously, that’s a credit to excellent camera work and direction. When you’re as bad a player as I am, it’s really helpful to have a video like this one that gives such great insight.

3 Stars Nice effort – Could be better.
I know everyone hates bad reviews and especially a bad one over something as great as John Denvers music, but I do feel a need to make a few comments about this DVD. I bought all three of them BTW as I had to purchase all three to get my favorite songs. First off, if you love acoustic guitar playing and John Denvers music by all means buy this DVD as I did and I don’t think you will regret it too much. You will learn to play the songs, though it could have been made a much easier.

Considering the price of this DVD more should be expected of it especially considering the technology nowdays and the quality of the competition in other Learn to play type DVDS.

First I will mention the good things about this DVD. To the producers merit, it has a nice tablature book included with it, showing “Most” of the chords and all the fingering for the songs, although it lacks lyrics to every single song (Which can be looked up online at many lyric sites). The instructer Pete Huttlinger did play with John Denver and obviously knows the songs and the ins and outs of it all, and it is awesome to see exactly how John Denver played each song as compared to tab or chord books which can be bought that don’t always show every exact thing. There is a split screen showing both right and left hands to help viewers out, although the left hand fingering isnt shown up close enough and when he’s doing some chords you have to refer to the tab book to actually see what he’s doing. Pete dominates playing of Johns songs on the guitar no doubt. The sound is also really good and listening to what he does play of each song is a great experience. I would say for all these above features this DVD IS worth buying.

Now for the bad things.

This DVD appears to be just a transfer to DVD format of VHS. It has absolutely no DVD features like looping and someone correct me if i’m wrong as I don’t have a DVD player in my computer now, but it doesnt mention anywhere that the TABS are included on the DVD so that the viewer can print them out in a more user friendly fashion. The included tabs, in a small booklet hold very few verses per page and it’s impossible to be page flipping while playing the guitar and none of the tab is ever shown on the screen while Pete is playing the songs, thus making learning them much more difficult. I am literally going to have to type all the tab up myself and print them out in pages that hold more verses per page, and mind you include the lyrics for every song I wish to learn so I can play and sing.

The material here should be considered advanced guitar playing, though nothing is too difficult that with practice it can’t be mastered. I really didn’t have problems playing the songs at all, but then again I’ve played the guitar for 20 years. Beginners will have to master chords and picking before being able to really play these songs. Contrary to some comments I don’t feel Pete is that great of a teacher. Great guitarist yes, teacher emphatically no. Not sure why another reviewer said he was (Maybe he works for the producers of the video) he runs through all the songs way way too fast, (though of course you can easily rewind with DVD) but it’s just that some of the parts are so extremely difficult and as Pete can dominate the guitar so well he runs through it and left me with my jaw hanging wondering what he had done on several occasions. He will explain it very quickly sometimes but I think he just needed to slow down and really demonstrate what was being done if in fact he really intended to teach it to us. He basically assumes way to much from guitar players.. as if we were all at his proficiency of playing. I know if I was, then I sure wouldn’t have bought the DVD to begin with. He also Assumes everyone knows every song well and just says buy a CD of it so you will know how it should go. Excuse me but that’s the reason I bought the DVD.. to learn them. He doesnt play some of the songs in their entirety and just goes over major parts. Those he does show he is quickly finished with as if he is in a hurry to get them over with and start on his next DVD.

I had problems with this DVD from the get go on the first song, when I discovered the chord diagram in the tablature for the DMAJ7 in the 5th position is missing. Another minor gripe was when I saw him use the D and Dsus4 on the 5th fret in the intro to “Annies Song”, when i’ve seen John on a live DVD concert play it in the first position and although John uses a 12 string, and maybe it does sound better on the 5th fret, it’s not how John played it and it makes it much harder to play the intro to the song.

All in all though I would recommend this DVD to Advanced players wishing to learn exactly how John played his songs as I have no doubt that each song CAN be learned, though the producers have made it more difficult then it should be. I literally spent 4 hard sessions learning “My Sweet Lady”, however after alot of hard work, I can now play it. I do think for the price of this DVD Pete could have spent way more time with each song and DVD features could have been incorporated.

I’m giving it a 3 as others have given it a 5 and there’s just no way with the previously mentioned flaws it deserves a 5 and though I am learning the songs so the DVDS not a total waste, it is very expensive to buy all three of them and they definitely could have made the process easier for us.

4 Stars Almost made it.
John Huttlinger does a overall good job of explaining
the ins and outs of John Denver’s music.It is wirthy of having. If you grew up listening to John Denver’s music and like to play guitar like me, you’ll understand what I’m saying. Which brings me to his really cool( and never played anywere) tune “Late Winter Early Spring” Since this is the reason I bought the DVD in the first place He only goes through half the song. It is really a duet and he didn’t even touch the leadsection. To say the least I was really Disappointed.

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Learn To Play the Songs of John Denver DVD 1 is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar

Learn to Play The Blues Guitar and Harmonica of John Hammond

John Hammond’s passion and commitment to his music have inspired blues lovers throughout the world for more than forty years. Now guitarists (and harmonica players) can learn, up close, how John plays the songs, licks, grooves and soulful solos that make up his dynamic blues style.

John breaks down nearly a dozen songs from his vast repertoire, showing the scales, chord shapes, licks and turnarounds that define the country blues genre. As he shares his musical ideas and techniques, he discusses his musical mentors and recounts colorful anecdotes that illustrate his long career as a touring blues musician.

You’ll learn innumerable ways to improve your own blues playing, including the use of the slide and how to integrate the harp into your songs. The whole lesson is enhanced by John’s heartfelt performances of the songs he is teaching, which include Just Your Fool, Phonograph Blues, Hellhound on My Trail, Terraplane Blues, Come On in My Kitchen, Untrue Blues, Honest I Do, Drop Down Mama, Jitterbug Swing, Come to Find Out and Slick Crown Vic.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Perfect for any John Hammond Fan or Blues Fan
I almost passed out when I saw this. There is almost no available video of John Hammond. All I’ve been able to compile over the years is 2- half hour Austin City Limits shows and an older instructional video he did many years ago. Now there is this and an amazing new Paris concert DVD. I found out about them on the same day and ordered them both immediately. I was not disappointed. John is so humble and gracious when interviewed which contrasts with his power and emotion when playing. His voice and playing are in the best shape of his career and I’m so glad that both have been captured for ever on this (and the Paris) DVD.

Specifics: This is not a DVD that will teach beginners how to play the blues although there is a lot they can still absorb and take away from it. Even non guitar playing fans of John will love this for the stories and the close up playing and as I said because there is so little available video of John. The Tablature that comes with it is very useful but does not always match perfectly what John plays. Only small sections of what John plays shows up in the Tab booklet that comes with it. Although the title mentions harmonica playing there is basically no instruction on harp playing other than a broad discussion of what keys he uses. I have some harp playing experience and wasn’t able to add to it from this video. The split screens are nice and the DVD is nice and long at about 2 hours so it doesn’t feel rushed. Note, he covers both standard tuned acoustic guitar and open tuned resonator guitar.

I love this DVD but feel it is more about being up close with John while he does his thing than about learning to do what he does. That’s why I think it has wider appeal than just guitar players.

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Learn to Play The Blues Guitar and Harmonica of John Hammond is a post from: Learn The Acoustic Guitar