Customer Reviews

Rockabilly Guitar 1 & 2

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2 star:		(1)
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I was hoping for a DVD that broke-down Rockabilly guitar styles but what I got was a two DVD set watching Jim Weider play guitar and wondering, how the heck did he do that?

1) This DVD is NOT for beginners. If you are not an accomplished finger-picker, don't bother with this DVD, you aren't ready for it yet..which I am not.

2) The only really instructional parts of this DVD set are the two booklets that come with each of the DVDs showing the TAB for the various licks.

On a positive note, Jim is a fine player and it if this DVD was $10, I wouldn't mind watching him play so much.

I used to see these at Mars Music many years ago and thought they were over-priced ($40 for one vhs tape) and looked kind of cheesy. Since then I've bought several books and videos on country and rockabilly guitar.I eventually bought both of these on vhs from ebay several months ago. I was floored by how much info there is here and how much stuff I got wrong (I always wondered why my versions of "Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie" and "Something Else" didnt sound like the original-now I know). I didnt hesitate to order the DVD versions. Alot of great detail goes into Chuck Berry's rhythm playing (thats right-rhythm),Scotty Moore's wacky fingerpicking and Paul Burlison's playing. Theres also plenty of Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy too.This is a great place to start. I also reccomend Paul Pigat's Rockabilly Guitar DVD from www.learnrootsmusic.com. Amazon should be selling this stuff too.

I will start by saying that this DVD is invaluable if you want to play Rockabilly Scott Moore style guitar.
The DVD is the REAL resource here. I suggest putting it into your PC and being prepared to stop/pause/rewind/play again because I found that the booklets that came with the DVDs do not show half of the licks that are on the DVD.
Also, I was not a finger picker when I bought this DVD, and now, thanks to the DVD I am. The DVD is as useful as, you the guitar player, wants it to be, therefore if you have never finger picked before the DVD will seem intimidating, however if you take it slow you will reference the DVD may times.
What helped me the most was first learning the riff played by the instructor leaving out some of the harder finger picking parts and then once I had this down, I would reference the video again and add the next layer of complexity (Like adding the bass notes that Scotty Moore is famous for) while playing lead with my non picking fingers.
After a while I realized that I had gone from using only a pick to incorporating my fingers into the act. It totally changed my style of playing.
One WORD OF CAUTION: You will probably take the DVD out of the package, place it in your DVD player and begin watching and quickly get discouraged at how proficient Jim is at playing the guitar, as I did, however, take it slow and break down the riffs into bit size pieces and before you know it, you to will be playing rockabilly. I will also add that a lot of what I learned from the videos are variations of what the instructor plays because I am not as proficient in playing exactly what he plays, HOWEVER this DVD gives you a great foundation of Rockabilly and really expands your ability. IMO It also takes alot of the mystery out of finger picking and the rockabilly style.

What I liked about the video is the original equipment used. Jim Weider is not only a great guitar player but very knowledgeable about the equipment, sound techniques Scotty Moore, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry and Eddie Cochran used. He assumes an intermediate level of playing. He breaks down the licks well. On the "bad" side, there are no accompaniment tracks to practice on. His teaching is not very systematic and moves all over the place quite a bit. However watching him play all the classic guitars and amps with the band is worth the price alone. I wish he would also include Cliff Gallup (Gene Vincent's guitarist). Highly recommend this to all the rockabilly fans.

If you want to learn about rockabilly, buy this DVD set above all others. Wieder takes you through the rockabilly greats in detail - explaining not only the licks and rhythm figures, but also the gear these guys used. You get great material on Scotty Moore, Eddie Cochran, Paul Burleson, etc. Very different styles, but all covered very well.

I have wasted a lot of money on so-so rockabilly DVDs, but this set I will keep forever.