Search - The Legendary Guitar of James Burton on DVD

Informative and patient lessons from a master

Stephen Moore | Bethesda, MD | 06/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James Burton is a true legend and in this video proves to be a great teacher as well. This is one of my favorite instructional guitar videos because of the easy going pace and extremely good close-ups of Burton's left and right hands. He uses finger picks and it is relatively easy to see how he does everthing. From Suzy Q, Hello Mary Lou, Traveling Man etc solos to general techniques, he takes you through quite a beautiful trip. He talks about his early days (he wrote and recorded Suzy Q in his teens) and drops insider, informative comments about playing with Ricky Nelson and Elvis- specifcally how he approached the sounds he was looking for in their recordings. He shows how he gets the "echo" effects heard on Nelson's recordings without any pedals or guitar effects. (Heck, there weren't any effects pedals in 1958). This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's kind of thrilling to watch him play such classic stuff like the solo in "Fools Rush In".

The slow-motion section is just excellent. Kudos to Hot Licks for adding these sections to their DVD editions.

At the end, he shows off his "new" Fender signature paisley Telecaster with the chicken-picken style (which I think Burton practically invented). You can't go wrong adding this one to your collection."

The Great JB

Mark A. Kunie | MD USA | 11/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a great Guitar Player! The beginning is really cool watching James walk around 48th Street in NYC! Then the way he plays is like magic! He starts out with this blues thing man it sends you to a different way of living! The DVD has great features like slow motion! Any guitarist would be crazy not to get this one !"

James Burton Style Guitar

Michael B. Wiseman | Berkeley, CA | 07/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James plays over chords and his chording style is different, which gives him a pretty unique sound. If you want some rockabilly licks, this is probably the best place to get them... and he's got everything in slow motion at the end of the DVD. I'm having a ball picking up on this stuff.

Great!"

Insight into an Original

Rusty Wilddog | NY | 07/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This guy developed a style and technique that not only has been a foundation for generations of guitar slingers that followed but is still an inspiration today. The cat can just play! The next best thing to a few private lessons. Highly recommended."