Guitar Lesson DVDs I’ve Been Studying
After 34 years of guitar playing I’m still eagerly studying and learning as much about guitar and guitar playing as I can. Is there anything more fun than guitar?
Easily my favorite method of learning these days is from the plethora of excellent guitar lesson DVDs available from all the big music publishers. There simply is no better way to learn guitar than DVD.
Here’s a list of a few guitar lesson DVDs I’ve personally been studying lately:
The Best of the Allman Brothers Signature Licks — I’m in an Allman Brothers and Southern Rock tribute band (see AlmostBrothersBand.com for our performance videos and calendar) so naturally this one hit home for me. While I usually figure out all songs by ear (usually using slow down technology when needed), I love to cross-reference what I’ve figured out with the available songbooks and teaching materials. Obviously, my tribute band makes more money the more accurately we play the songs! This DVD kicks ass!
Lynyrd Skynyrd Signature Licks DVD — Ditto what I said about the Allman Brothers DVD. And besides, virtuoso instructor Greg Koch is hilarious on this one! Really enjoyable viewing…
Eric Clapton Acoustic Classics Signature Licks DVD – My band doesn’t yet play any Clapton (does it count as Southern Rock? — yes, to some degree, if you consider that Duane Allman guested all over the Layla album) but I’ve enjoyed digging in and learning some of the great Eric Clapton songs on this DVD lately, especially “Tears In Heaven.” Man, I don’t know how he can play that song in concert — it brings tears to my eyes every time.
Django’s Rhythm — I’ve always loved Gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt’s playing, but I’ve let a couple decades slip by since I first started listening to him without really buckling down and learning his style. And not just his incredible lead guitar style (and that with a severly burned/messed up fret hand), but his great rhythm guitar chops too. I just got this one and I’m really excited about it!
Best of Lennon & McCartney for Electric Guitar – I’ve got nine- and six-year-old children, and as a part of their early musical education, I am continually playing them the music of many classic artists, including the likes of Chet Atkins, John Coltrane, B.B. King, and of course rock artists such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles. And since I’m hearing those early Beatles songs over and over again, I found this DVD really fun to study. And who doesn’t like the Beatles? (The new Beatles Rock Band video game is pretty cool too, ain’t it?)
There are others, and I routinely check out new DVDs and learn at least a few chops from each. I’ll blog about my favorites from time to time…
