The Worst Learn Guitar DVD user reviews on Amazon.
Learn Guitar DVDs or Guitar Lessons DVDs that has been around for quite a while usually get at least one or two bad reviews from users. Even the good ones sometimes don’t escape bad reviews.
The main reason why people are not satisfied is because they were misled by the cover. One example is that on a particular learn guitar DVD that promises to teach acoustic guitar, the instructor used an electric guitar the whole time. Another guy thought that he would learn intermediate guitar skills but what he was getting was basic beginner instructions. Sometimes the dvds are too advanced or too basic.
The top ten bad reviews includes even some of the bestselling learn guitar dvds. Here they are:
This one actually has high user ratings but the product description can be misleading as one reviewer found out.
Review by T. Buchta
“The word “beginning” has no place in the title of this book. The editorial introduction…”Anyone with a knowledge of basic chords and guitar scale fingerings can dig right in and start learning to play jazz right away” is completely misleading. Those who are looking for an introductory book should pay attention to the reviewers who say that this book is for those with years of experience and an understanding of music theory. Even with that experience you are going to have to unlearn a good deal of what you have learned elsewhere, like standard scale patterns. Expect to spend a lot of time trying to understand and carry out instructions like, “…over the next three lessons, build major, minor, diminished and augmented triads in all keys, all inversions, on all string sets, and become familiar with their shapes on the fingerboard”, on page 20.
I am truly puzzled by the high ratings that reviewers are giving this book. If this is one of the best introductions to jazz guitar then I would say there is a fortune waiting to be made for someone willing to put together an understandable text for beginners.”
Read other reviews for this learn guitar dvd.
#9 Guitar Lessons: Learning Guitar Step 1 - How to play guitar instructional video
This one is a result of a misleading pitch and it’s not very good either.
Review by ART
A Kid’s Review
I spent lots of time reviewing all your offered DVD’s for guitar beginners. I thought the one I bought is the very basic one for somebody who has not seen or put a hand on a guitar . My son is an absolute beginner but he is very interested playing his new guitar . When we played the DVD , I myself could not follow the instructor . Maybe your description of the lesson is misleading . I am still looking a very starting point lesson for my son. Thank you , more power to you ……..
#8 Nancy Wilson: Instructional Acoustic Guitar
This guitar lessons dvd doesn’t serve its purpose i.e. to teach instead of to show off.
Review by J. Michael Beasley “ministermike51″
This young lady is an incredibly talented singer and musician and a great entertainer. You will enjoy watching and listening to her explain her “style” and rather unique chord structures and Nancy herself will be the first to tell you, “I am not sure what this chord might be called”, because she won’t claim to be either a virtuoso nor a music theory professor. For that reason I would have to say that this “course” is more for entertainment or inspirational purposes than for building a solid foundation in guitar. She will “wow” you and you will thoroughly enjoy listening to her style, but if you actually learn from this DVD it will be merely to copy a few of her tricks of the trade.
#7 Learn To Play Rippin Lead Guitar with Paul Lidel
Nothing worse than being given a bad review followed by a pitch to other guitar lessons dvds.
Review by K.Scott
“I own a lot of guitar books and videos. My Favorite is John Petrucci Rock Disipline. With Rippin Lead Guitar, it’s more blues solos than anything. Paul has the personality of a tree. He stands there and looks unsure of himself. The solos are not melodic at all. If you want a great guitar DVD, I reccomend John Petrucci Rock Disipline or any of the Frank Gambale DVDs (Modes, No more Mystery). Also, MI Guitar Fretboard Workbook is awesome book. Best of luck.”
As a side note, I happen to like John Petrucci’s Rock Discipline, so why don’t you check out what people have to say.
#6 Hal Leonard Guitar Method DVD: For the Beginning Electric or Acoustic Guitarist
You’d expect this one to be good and perfect but it really is not. Getting a review by the average person is bad enough but for a learn guitar dvd to get a bad user review from both a professional musician and teacher you’re better off staying away from it.
Review by J.Williams
As a professional musician (not guitar) and teacher, it is possible that I approach this with a higher expectation of what should happen in an educational setting than most; but I am hard pressed to find a “method” to this DVD, or really to identify where any actual teaching occurs. All this DVD contains are mediocre demonstrations with no explanations as to how to do things or why they work. If actually taught, the material in this DVD would be great, but its really nothing more than a play-along DVD that leaves figuring out the why and how to the student. Further, there is no technique taught past elementary tips on holding the guitar (”most people hold it kind of like this …”) and holding the picking (”grab it like this and then make fine adjustments”). I’ve encoutered guitar lessons with better content and clearer instruction on youtube and am very sad to have spent money to purchase this DVD. Look elsewhere!
#5 Eric Johnson: Total Electric Guitar
Great guitar player doesn’t necessarily translate to great teacher. Eric Johnson is one of the best guitarist in the world but that doesn’t mean he can teach you how to play guitar. His fans won’t probably like this review.
Review by Dan J. Duszynski
“This DVD is a disappointment. Besides the fact that Eric is incredibly boring and stiff throughout this video, the materials he covers is very introductory. If you are a beginning rock guitarists, this might be helpful for you. Unfortuantley, I don’t think many new guitar players today will probably discover Eric Johnson until they have been playing for a while. By the time they get an appreciation for his abilities and decide to buy this DVD, they will have probably already learned most of the content in these lessons. Also, if you want to lean how to play like Eric Johnson - what scales he uses, how he build chords, etc. - don’t bother with this.”
#4 Intro to Acoustic Guitar DVD
This one is highly recommended… that you stay away from it unless you can get it for a dollar.
Review by “A Customer”
When i bought this i thought “cool a dvd that will help me play the guitar” but………. It didn’t. In the dvd it teaches you 3 chords. I think this is a total waste of money. Sure. It may teach you to tune the guitar or how to hold it or the picking technique. But if your looking for a dvd that will ACTUALLY help you play better, look for something else. you know what they say… You get what You pay for. So spend a little more and get something else a little better.
#3 Learn Rock Guitar - Intermediate Program
Intermediate program for beginners is probably what it meant to name it.
Review by R. C. Impink “Porrah”
This is more like a begginer DVD. If you don’t know the scale shapes, then this DVD might help. If you know the shape but don’t understand what it means or want to learn how to use it….NOT THE DVD FOR YOU!!!
He says: “Here’s the shape”
Then plays it slow….
Then shreds all over the fretboard without any hint as to why he chose those notes or the rhyme or reason for what he’s doing.
He shows how to make barre chordes and some finger “exercises”.
If this is intermediate, I’d hate to see begginer….”Um der…these are strings…ummmmm, the vibrations make sounds….ummmmm….errrrr”
This DVD is for the guy who wants to start playing.
#2 Learning Guitar For Dummies
Review by Randal Brown
I am glad to see that some people have found this DVD useful. If you barely know what a guitar is, this is an inexpensive introduction to guitar playing. However I truly feel like a dummy (more like a sucker) for having purchased and watched this DVD. This is a shallow treatment, which would be OK if the cover were not so misleading.
The back cover includes the phrase “Play in a variety of syles, including folk, blues, rock, and jazz.” (Yes play these styles, but this DVD won’t help you.) And it includes the phrase “Play open-position chords and jazz chords.” This is the one that suckered me. Most musicians consider a “jazz chord” to be something more complex than a seventh chord - a ninth, eleventh, or thirteenth, perhaps with a flatted or augmented member. This presentation includes… Read more.
#1 Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar — A Guide for Beginners
This one has a lot of bad reviews and the fact that the instructor uses an electric guitar don’t help things much.
Review by MrDave03
I have to agree with TDub… I found it odd that this dvd is titled “Getting Started with Acoustic Guitar” When he’s using an electric guitar. Albeit I found it useful it didnt give me quite the feel I was looking for because the sound of an electric is different. They should tell you somewhere about this on the cover…
Read the other shocking reviews.
Guess which ones are the bestsellers? Like they say the bigger they are the harder they fall. It turns out the best sellers are:
#1 Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar — A Guide for Beginners - number 1 at Amazon.
#2 Learning Guitar For Dummies - number 2 at Amazon.
If you have any Learn Guitar DVD or Guitar Lessons DVD you want to have your say on, you’re welcome to do so here.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 am
Classical guitar is considered to be an art; one that has been practiced for hundreds of years. It has a history all of its own. Before you begin learning to play classical guitar, you will want to study its history and learn a few other things that make the classical guitar different from a regular acoustic guitar.