Guitar Concepts DVD by Joe Dochtermann

Joe Dochtermann, author of one of my new favorite books on audio recording and production, was kind enough to send me his new DVD – Guitar Concepts – which is available for purchase on his website.

It’s always interesting to look at a person’s sophomore effort after hitting such a huge home run. Kind of like wondering what the Phillies were going to do after winning the World Series. (They sort of lived up to our expectations. Damn you, Yankees!)

Going into the review I had very high hopes for the DVD since his book on recording was of such high quality. Because I pride myself on always trying to focus on the basics, the fundamentals, any and every beginner or intermediate guitar method piques my interest.

So, with interest piqued, I dove in to see what Dochtermann had to offer us in the DVD world…

The first thing that struck me was the angle the video was recorded. I have never seen an over-the-shoulder camera perspective before. For the first few moments it seemed weird to me, but then it made perfect sense. It’s pretty much the best angle to see what the teacher is doing. Kudos to Dochtermann right off the bat for figuring this out.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a “basic” DVD, however; perhaps an high beginner DVD is the best way to describe it. This probably isn’t the DVD for you if you don’t know how to tune your guitar or hold a pick. Intervals, bending, and 6th dyads are covered right off the bat, so you probably need at least some playing under your belt before tackling the content here.

The Chord Shapes section was very good, especially the extreme close-up shots of the fingering. All of the basic chords are covered here, with the goal being to internalize them and burn the chords into your memory.

Chapter 2 – The Chord Scale Connection spends a lot of time in the major pentatonic world, with plenty of blues bends and feel. It’s apparent that Dochtermann lives in the blues rock world. I probably would have liked this section to specify pentatonics a bit more in the title, as it was slightly misleading to me at first. But, the information is good and easy-to-understand, so I’ll give him a pass.

Arpeggios and more chord progressions are shown in the subsequent sections, which really drive home the connection between chords, scales, melody, and arpeggios. It’s nice to see other guitarists spending time teaching this way; we’re a small minority, after all!

One of the chapters focuses on using the material taught by applying them to famous songs. The instruction is very good here, but I wasn’t too sure about the material; as great of a song Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits is, I don’t know how many young players are going to feel inspired by it. For my generation, yes, but for the younger kids perhaps not. He does, however, redeem himself a bit by teaching some Pink Floyd, which is absolutely timeless and good for all ages. AC/DC is on the fence for me, but it is pretty simple stuff. Dochtermann does a good job, however, of demonstrating and explaining both the rhythm and lead parts, so you get plenty of pointers!

I was pleasantly surprised at the last chapter – Guitar Setups. I have never seen anyone put this information on a DVD. It’s something of the guitar tech’s secret handshake, and most guys don’t really want to give away the information. So, I think it’s great that Dochtermann does share this information with us. For me, since I guess I’m a bit more advanced as a player, I found this section to be the highlight of the material covered.

Overall, I think this is a very good addition to the DVD instruction market, and Doctermann can rest assured that the sophomore curse hasn’t bit him in the butt. Another thing to mention is that each order also comes with the ability to download PDF files for the DVD material.

If you are looking for a somewhat beginner DVD that teaches differently, albeit effectively, then I encourage you to check out Guitar Concepts. Here are a few youTube examples from the DVD. Enjoy!