Guitar Method: In the Style of Jimi Hendrix

Rating:
Summary: Good for what it is...
Review: A ten dollar dvd is not going to make you play like Hendrix no matter what the packaging claims. Mitchel is a very, very competent guitarist who can effectively cover a multitude of styles...Hendrix being no exception. I used to have this on VHS, and back then it did come with tabs and a jam track at the end. And while I can't speak to the quality of the dvd specifically, I can address the issue of content quality: In my opinion, the over all instructionally quality is decent, and I believe the previous reviewer expected a bit much for a relatively paltry sum. The video assumes the viewer has a working knowledge of guitar playing and that "tuning down a half-step" won't send the student into an emotional tailspin...if this is beyond your competence level, you shouldn't be watching a Hendrix instructional tape (you've got bigger problems). The dvd's "production values" are of little concern to most guitarists, and it probably WAS shot in a basement, but who really cares? Accept it for what it is: a good, basic overview of Hendrix's style with enough playing examples to stimulate the imagination. There are a lot worse products on the market...and no, I am in no way affiliated with the company. Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: Amateur DVD with little to offer.
Review: Instead of a simple, "this sucks, don't buy it" type of review I will give a detailed criticism in the hope that, "MVP Home Video" and similar companies will read my critique and produce instructional material of better quality.

This DVD staring Curt Mitchell is an attempt to teach the viewer how to play in the style of rock guitar virtuosos and genius, Jimi Hendrix. It falls very short of its goal, in fact it hardly teaches anything.

The DVD cover promises, "full band and rhythm trax for solo practice." THIS DVD CONTAINS NO SUCH THING! There is no play-along on this DVD. A play-along , or music minus one, a la Jamey Abersold would be a great tool to the person playing by himself to practice with. This is a clear example of false advertising, MVP Home Video should feel ashamed.

The DVD cover promises, "amp and effect settings", indeed this is not covered in the DVD. Curt explains that he does not have the same effect pedals as Hendrix used, instead he uses modern Boss pedals. This is okay because few people can afford the vintage pedals used by Jimi, however, no settings are described or even shown. Every song is played with distortion including, "The Wind Cries Mary", "Little Wing", and "Castles made of Sand." The infamous Octava and Univibe are never mentioned, or used. Curt tells the viewer that Jimi rarely used the, "out of phase" setting on his guitar, apparently he knows very little about Jimi's recordings. That fact is, Hendrix was one of the first people to discover and use the, "out of phase" setting (listen to Little Wing). Instead of explaining to viewer Hendrix's guitar, amp, and effects set up Curt Mitchell recites a long soliloquy about scalloped finger boards, locking tremolo units, hummbucking pickups, graphite bridge saddles, and how he has Jaguar pickups on his Stat; all these things have nothing to do with Hendrix.

For this video Curt tunes down 1/2 step and he tells the view to do likewise. This is easier said than done for most guitarists.

The instructive lessons look like they were filmed in somebody's basement with an old VHS camcorder in SLP mode. The picture quality is very poor for a DVD product. Curt Mitchell seems fidgety and anxious as he rushes through his instruction. The DVD does not contain a booklet with the musical examples, nor is any tablature shown on the screen. Instead the tablature may be downloaded for FREE at, "www.MVPhomevideo.com" hey who needs to buy the DVD if the transcriptions to Jimi's songs are free. Isn't this a violation of copyright law? Curt plays 61 riffs and licks, they are played well, you can tell Curt is a decent guitarist. When each riff is played at normal speed, you can see the entire guitar and both of this hands, then Curt plays each example slowly. During the slow examples the camera shoots only a close-up of Curt's left hand. This is a major flaw, the viewer needs to see both hands in order to learn the example. Curt's transcriptions are not completely accurate, for example he plays "Manic Depression" in open position and, "Red House" in the key of A. The examples are short signature Hendrix phrases with no context, complete songs are not taught.

The back cover of the DVD states, "running time: approx 60 minutes" the video is only 40 minuets long. Basically what you are buying is a 40 minuet video of man showing off, but not explaining, Jimi Hendrix's most beloved licks and riffs.