Product Details

• Actors: Adam Kadmon
• Directors: Carl Fischer
• Format: Dolby, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Carl Fischer Music
• DVD Release Date: October 1, 2002
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0825849063
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,710 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The wizard of the guitar reveals in person, all the mysteries of playing the instrument. This is your opportunity to see and hear Adam Kadmon lay the Guitar Grimoire books all out for you in ways that will amaze you. Let the power of the Grimoire infuse your playing so you can reach the pinnacle of your talent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only for the experienced theorist (and B-movie fan), May 27, 2004

By 

Robert Graves (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Guitar Grimoire: Scales & Modes (DVD)

This DVD is strange. Let's just get that out of the way. I almost turned it off after the first thirty seconds because it is so bizarre - tons of weird, satanistic goth stuff. But, mostly out of curiosity, I kept watching. I'm a former Berklee student and I'm very familiar with intervals and modes, but was looking for something to refresh my memory. Believe it or not, this was actually perfect for what I was looking for. But I can't imagine a beginning musician trying to follow this video. He flies through the material at a breakneck pace, barely explaining anything as he goes. Within minutes you're already talking about Phrygian modes and so forth. If you're not familiar with advanced musical theory, you'll be hopelessly lost, trying to keep up with the information while being slightly amazed at the surreal (ridiculous) production quality of the DVD.

However, if you are somewhat experienced with musical theory, you may glean a good bit of info from this. Strangely though, when he relates it to the guitar, it seems to be very basic info. It doesn't really add up - to be giving musical info at the most advanced musical levels, but giving guitar tips at the neophyte level.

All in all, I can't say I recommend this for too many people. You'd be much better off just buying the book version of this DVD (the Guitar Grimoire). It has tons of theory info in it, minus the pentagrams and dudes in black cloaks. He also references the book constantly in the DVD, so unless you have it, the DVD isn't particularly useful anyway.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally Cheesy And Not A Good Learning Tool, November 4, 2003

By 

Taos Turner "Books Rock" (Greeley, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guitar Grimoire: Scales & Modes (DVD)

I was very excited about getting the Guitar Grimoire Scales & Modes DVD. I had been told that it was tantamount to a month's worth of guitar lessons with a top-notch instructor. Unfortunately, I found this DVD to be exceptionally cheesy with a pedagogical style that is both tedious and repetitive.

As an intermediate guitar player, I bought this DVD to improve my knowledge of the way scales and modes can be used harmonically with chords. I had already bought the Grimoire scales and modes book and found it to be a decent reference tool, though only for someone who already understands the basics of guitar and music theory.

The DVD disappointed me in every way. It added nothing to the book. Moreover, it is incredibly boring. To his credit, the instructor attempts to liven up the video by dressing in a wizard's costume. In addition, when the instructor talks, he does so while sitting atop a thrown surrounded by gargoyles. His voice is digitized so that it sounds only partly human. Lightning bolts shoot out of his guitar between segments. To me, this was an attempt to make an otherwise boring video into something a bit more entertaining. But the attempt failed. The result is a DVD that is more adolescent than professional, more cheesy than instructional.

I would recommend that guitar players (especially beginners) stay away from this DVD. It is far too complicated for someone with no previous understanding of music theory. Furthermore, many guitar buffs might be turned off by the fact that most of the DVD's lessons are based on the piano, not the guitar. This DVD might as well be titled the "Piano Grimoire" because it focuses almost exclusively on the piano.

If you want to learn more about scales and modes, you might want to try Joe Satriani's lessons on this topic in Guitar World magazine. You can find these online at www.guitarworld.com. For a really great book about the guitar and music theory try Fretboard Logic by Bill Edwards. I am sorry that I bought the Grimoire DVD and cannot recommend it to anyone.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The books are excellent, August 10, 2005

By 

Eddie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guitar Grimoire: Scales & Modes (DVD)

In the early 1990s I purchased The Guitar Grimoire, Scales and Modes. Eventually I purchased 4 other books from the series. These books are an invaluable source of information.
I mistakenly thought that the DVDs would be an excellent medium for the viewer to learn some of these concepts and their applications directly from Adam Kadmon.
While Adam is indeed the instructor in these DVD "lessons" (and almost everything else too), this is another case of "the book is SO much better than the movie."
I can't believe how bad the DVD is, especially considering how great Adam's books are.
A lot of time is spent explaining how to use the book, and in general repeating concepts and ideas from the book. The DVD adds little value, if any, to the book. To me it would have been more interesting to listen to some of the scales and modes in a variety of contexts, with explanations regarding scale/mode choice as well as note choice, exercises, progressions, or something that would make me glad I purchased the DVD. To me it was a waste of money.
I witnessed the equivalent of a really bad B movie (as mentioned by another reviewer). Who knows, maybe this one will become a cult classic too. I'm giving it too stars because there is some knowledge in the DVD. Unfortunately it does not add much to the material included in the book.