Customer Reviews

Blues Master [VHS]

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This has some of the most valuable and comprehensive blues video instruction material you'll find anywhere. It's an absolute treasure trove of blues guitar knowledge and chops. There's something for everyone: beginner, intermediate, advanced, pro.

But it goes way beyond that: A real bonus is that the set includes a number of B.B-with-full-band-in-studio performances. Anybody (player or not) who loves the blues and B.B. King should own this set.

The set does not include printed (or displayed) music or tablature, a disadvantage for those in the early stages of developing their ability to learn by watching and listening. My advice to beginners (and non-beginners too!): Stay with this stuff and your time and concentration will be well rewarded.

If you're one of the many players who have become adept at learning by ear, I'd say use this as a supplement to (but not replacement for) learning from his audio recordings.

There is interesting coverage of the mechanics of B.B's sound, including first-finger string bends (ouch) and getting that famous vibrato.

Some of the most valuable material (for me) is where the discussion gets inside B.B.'s head, where he describes what he is thinking as he builds a solo, his approach to entertainment and the audience, how he approaches building on a previous solo, and using a playing style to take the band and the music in a certain direction.

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