Customer Reviews

Guitar World Presents: Dimebag Darrell's Riffer Madness

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This is a good book to learn a lot of Pantera's (they since have split up) riffs. Although, it gives you a glimpse of some of the techniques he uses during his soloing, you still have listen to Dimebag play them on the records to get the full enjoyment of his musical talents. He is without a doubt, a great guitarist and this book will show some of his more innovative ideas. This book really concentrates on the riff, hence, the title. However, it comes with a CD that is much slower and easier to follow than trying to play with your favorite Pantera album.

I first met "Diamond" Darrell in 1984 when he was only 17, and giving guitar lessons at Mansfield Music. I'd finally decided I really wanted to PLAY guitar, and not just bang on it. They tried several teachers, classical, and a country teacher. It just didn't work out, so the owner told me he had one more teacher, a kid with his own band. In walked a skinny kid with the biggest electric frizz hairdo I'd ever seen, Darrell. Each week, he'd take my list of 10 songs I wanted to learn, and if he knew them, would show me how to play them. If he didn't know them, he'd take the list home, and next week, he'd have all of them down pat. I learned more in that 18 months than in the previous 35 yrs! Ten yrs later, I went to a guitar show in Dallas, and was waiting outside the Dean showcase when I heard a voice call, "Hey, Everett! How're you doin'!". It was Darrell, there to put on a demo for Dean. Needless to say, there were some wide eyes around me after that! Darrell dropped everything to talk to me for about 10 minutes. That's the kind of guy he was. We lost a goodern, that's for sure. R.I.P. Darrell...

If you love Pantera and Dimebag, you must have this. If not, there is still so much you can learn from to benefit all aspects of your playing. A lot of good info and exercises and he will also teach you cool tricks, things most guitarists would hold too sacred to divulge. He even teaches you how he did those infamous squeals at the end of Cemetery Gates! He also taught me something about how to harmonize that was so simple yet brilliant and has helped me more than other sources (that are so much more complicated). Also some great info on alternate tunings. He really does simplify so much here.

Above all he helps you to become your own person as a player and doesn't stick to any rule but to just go for it and not worry so much about whats going on in the brain or getting bogged down too much with technical stuff (ironic since he has technical brilliance as well, but he admits he doesn't know too many scales, he's amazing).

He encourages feel and to do whats right for the song, he seems so down to earth and humble. So few resources out there available in his style, you gotta buy it! You wont regret it.

First off, the basis for this book was the 48 installments that Dimebag Darrell had written for Guitar World. So to say that i would have high hopes is most definately an understatement. Having this book teach some of Dime's greatest riffs, along with solos and technique for warm-ups and certain phrases. I know it kinda sucks that he's not featured on the cd, but you have to think, this Guitar God is the one who wrote 99% of what is in this book. And I mean really, why have him break it down Barney style considering that it's his music to begin with? If you want to learn Some of Dimebag's greatest RIFFS, along with a few good solos, this book is a must. There isn't much focus on Dime's actual style, but the lessons are there in black and white. From facing cover all the way to the back flap, Dimebag's theory on music never changes. Play what feels right and it will sound right. The book is a truly amazing.

I have played for a few years now but I consider myself a noob and never thought in a million years I would be able to play Pantera. Thanks to this book I am able to play Revolution is my name, walk, and a few others. Not the solos of course. Pantera is my favorite band and I shed a tear the day Dime was taken from us. This book helped me play the music I love and I am very grateful to those who made this possible. Anyone who is a fan should buy this book.

Though it may not provide much in the way of theory, scales, or fundamentals, this book is a great insight into the style of one of rock music's greatest guitarists. Not only did it offer written and recorded examples of great riffs, intriguing solos, and useful exercises, it offered great practical tips for any serious guitarist. I poured through the book in under a week and it made me totally re-think several aspects of my playing. Riffer Madness reminds us of the importance of forgetting the rules and just playing great music.

This is a must buy for a Dimebag Darrell fan. This guy knew what he was talking about when it came to guitars.

Everything is transcribed perfectly.

My only beef with this book is that Darrell doesn't play on the CD.

I found the content to be pretty good. I am a big Dime fan so to just have his entire column in one book was great. I did notice that there is some bad tab but it's enough to get you going in the right places. Additionally I expected Dime to be playing on the CD instead of the author.

If you are really trying to say that Dimebag deserved to be shot, or that he is anything less of one the fastest, greatest, and most vicious guitar players ever to live, then you are the one who deserves to be shot. Not just shot and killed, but shot in both knees and the stomach with a shotgun and left to be eaten by a rabid pack of wolves. Keep in mind that Dimebag didnt even deserve to be killed in the eyes of his shooter. The murderer was schytzophrenic, crazy, heard voices in his head. So if you are a certain 6 year old pantera hating loser, hiding behind the computor, puking his useless opinions all over the internet in a failing effort to feel important, I have a bit of advice for you. Show some respect for the dead, and keep your idiotic opinions to yourself, before somebody decides to beat some respect into you. Trust me, it wont be long at the rate your going.
Dimebags legacy will live longer than any of us, much like Jimi Hendrix and Randy Rhodes. For Dimebag is a true metal genious.

I play a ton of Pantera with my band so I thought it'd be cool to check out how Dimebag plays some of this stuff. If you are learning to play, this book is definitely a no-bull approach. There is quite a lot to learn if you're up to it.