Search - John 5 - The Devil Knows My Name (DVD) on DVD

Bang for your buck!

Thinker | USA | 03/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is possibly the coolest guitar instructional DVD I own. It's shot like a seedy, grainy old horror film and has plenty of blood and, YES, T&A! I remember thinking Paul Gilbert's hot assistant in Intense Rock sequences was awesome, but this instructional is a lot newer, and is a lot more provocative. I'll say it's a great approach, and leave it at that.

The main meat and potatoes of the thing is John 5 performing some of the songs off his new album (the title track, Werewolf of Westeria, Black Widow of La Porte and others) and then showing you, the student, how to play some of the licks in the songs. Even though John 5 certainly falls in the category of shredder, he has his own distinct style (which is a real accomplishment, especially in shred.) He really doesn't employ three note per string scales that much. (I'm going to go out on a limb here and say he doesn't use them on the DVD). Rather he has a deep affinity for the blues, country, and metal with the odd neoclassical flourish. He also uses chromatics often, so he can maximize the number of notes used (which is very clever). The result of this odd and refreshing style is that guitar gurus can learn a lot from John's licks. The heavy reliance on legato, insane atonal tapping, chicken picking, and John's original approach to arpeggios may broaden your horizons.

Perhaps the most valuable part of the DVD is the "Improv Licks Lesson." Here John improvs, and shows the student how to execute behind the nut bends, chicken pick, pull off Banjo Rolls etc. I must admit I just got the DVD and I haven't been to able play for the past few days, since I injured my little finger on my fretting hand while doing a marathon session practicing pedal tones with wide intervals. However, I must admit that this is all new to me, and I'm looking forward to incorporating these tricks into my playing once I get them down. The only I was familiar with were the pedal steel style double stops. I still think that it's great that he went over such a simple little trick, since a lot of young players seem to lack good bending/vibrato skills. I should also note that he is a great teacher. John plays the licks up to speed and then slows them WAY down. He even goes so far as to tell you note names, and which fingers to use. This is the kind of detail that is more akin to a private lesson than an instructional DVD.

John 5's "The Devil Knows My Name" is a great performance/instructional that features both an offbeat cinematic approach and an offbeat guitarist that I couldn't admire more. John 5 has weathered tragedy after tragedy, and he still finds a way to persevere and rise to the top. I highly recommend getting this DVD if you are an intermediate/advanced guitarist and like John 5's style
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Bad porn instructional video

R. Hopkins | Nebraska | 11/15/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I love John 5. This video is very poor. I think musicians need to understand that not all people who are fans are MALE. I don't want to watch naked girls while I am trying to learn guitar. Very weak video and barely any training on the guitar, more like a bad porno movie."

Very original tricks for guitar players!!!

Alberto Carbuccia | 07/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this dvd is an excellent guitar lessons, is like a private class right in your room. very explicit in the tricky parts of all songs that john 5 performed. I like that he perform the songs live. I wish that this dvd was more extended but it worth the money! because you never see this kind of technique in others guitar player."