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66 of 69 found the following review helpful:
 two solid hoursFeb 16, 2004
By Ilia Asafiev
I've always been a fan of John Petrucci's playing in Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment, and when I purchased his Wild Stringdom book, I thought the DVD wouldn't have much new information. That didn't stop me from getting it, and it turned out that I was wrong.In fact, if you've read Wild Stringdom, this is the perfect supplement. There isn't much information overlap - most of the exercises are completely different and new. There's also new information that wasn't covered in the book. Mr. Petrucci begins by showing some non-guitar warm-up exercises, and then proceeds to left-hand stretches on guitar. He also shows warm-ups for the picking hand, and then integrates the two. The warm-up section is very thorough, more so than that of most comparable videos that show only a lick or two for fast alternate picking. The other sections deal with traditional technical issues such as subdivisions of time (very useful), working with the metronome to increase speed, and sweep picking. Petrucci also thoroughly covers the subject of inside picking, and how to get comfortable with it. Afterwards, he goes in-depth on lead construction by showing how to put together scale fragments - this also encompasses left-hand legato playing. Finally, there's a section on chords, in which common "progressive" chords are covered. The examples of the techniques explained range from easy to hard for each section. They grow in difficulty bit by bit, not everything all at once. Also, Petrucci covers the considerations in coming up with your own etudes. In-between each section, Petrucci talks about how he approaches composition, playing in the band, early experiences, and stuff like that. This insight is interesting - it makes him seem more human if nothing else. Additionally, Petrucci goes over his pre-Ernie Ball setup. In the DVD section, he also talks about his new Ernie Ball guitar, as well as gives a backstage tour before a DT show. There's also a bloopers reel, where John is shows messing up several takes of various parts - such as the introduction. There is also G3 footage of John's band from the 2001 tour with Satch and Vai - these fragments are short, but the video is decent quality. This has the bang for the buck - two hours of instruction, plus the extras. The explanations are clear, and the booklet is very detailed - there are no typographical errors or anything like that. If you're an intermediate player looking to spend $50 on an instructional video by a celebrity guitarist, this is probably your best bet.
38 of 41 found the following review helpful:
Inspired and astonishingAug 04, 2004
By James LeMay
I bought this never having heard the name or the work of John Petrucci. Wow. What a combination... he is a quiet, friendly guy with astonishing skill and speed. He shows you what's possible, and how it's done.
Once you see this guy play, there are 3 possibilities: 1.) You'll see how good you could become, and use his advice to move in that direction; 2.) You'll see how good you could become, ignore it and go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before; 3.) You'll realize the futility of the situation, give up, and burn your guitar!
If you've been playing a while, and you've never gotten past the basics, you should look at this DVD and see what is beyond. Even if you don't make it there, using even one or two techniques John shows will probably improve your playing.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Definately worth the money.Nov 10, 2003
By Branden Hong
John Petrucci is an awesome musician, and teacher. I've played guitar for 16 years, and I own an army chest full of how-to-play guitar books, CDs, and videos, and Rock Discipline is one of them. My little brother picked up the guitar and I was passing on what I learned from J.P.'s video to him and went ahead and let him have the VHS and I bought the DVD, and this was about a year ago, and I still like to go through and pick out things to practice from Rock Discipline. I like to play different styles of music, and even though the title may imply one genre, what you can learn from this video/DVD you can apply to any style. He'll not only give you material to practice, he'll show you how to manage your time wisely. There is a lot of practice material covered, including warm up exercises, and both left and right hand exercises. This is the one instructional video/DVD that I own that I'd recommend buying if you were to own only one, whether you are just starting out, or if you've been playing for a while. I hope John comes out with a second instructional recording, I'd definately check it out.
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
A stellar approach to technique by a phenominal playerFeb 03, 2003
I am a huge John Petrucci fan and follow all of his work with Dream Theater and all of his side projects. I have been inspired by him to push my musical boundaries and try new and sometimes difficult things. This DVD is a god-send, and let me break everything down and tell you why: Warm ups - John goes through a series of warm ups that cover your left hand, right hand, and both of them together. He plays them slow, up to speed, and furiously fast. He breaks them down into small parts, plays them slow, talks about picking technique (pick holding, attack, etc), and applies them with a metronome and/or musical backing track (so it doesn't feel like a steril exercise). Techniques - John also runs you through techniques such as legato, sweeps, tremelo picking, and much more. He also applies them to music, and intertwines them with the previous exercises given to give you a feel of progressing through the course. Theory - It is recommended you have basic knowledge of theory. John runs you through scale fragments, connecting them, and applying them to your solos. Whether you have a little, or a lot of musical experience, you can still walk away with something from this section. Inspiring Insight - John talks about setting up and allotting your practice time for maximum gain. Gives helpful hints for gathering information and creating unique practices each day that you play. He also talks about his struggles as a practicing musician and gives you tips to pass your barricades quicker and smoother. Complaint - Yeah, I have a complaint, although it's only a mild one. John kind of seems stiff during these sessions. I don't know if it was because he was nervous during the recordings or if that's how he really is. He makes a few jokes during the lessons, but they seem kinda forced. He seems to loosen up a bit during the "Bloopers Reel" when he screws up, but not really much. Final Thought - This is a very well presented DVD and John is easy to follow all throughout his lessons. It's recommended that you have a decent knowledge of music theory, but it isn't a must. All in all, this is a great tool for any musician (even if you don't know/like Petrucci's work). The bonus material is kinda subpar, but doesn't detract from the wealth of knowledge contained within this DVD. 5 stars here!
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
The best guitar how-to video availableSep 27, 2002
Rock Discipline is easily the best of the guitar videos available, and I've seen nearly all of them. Unlike many of the others out there who focus on teaching snippets of known songs, Petrucci shows you exercise upon exercise on how to improve your chops. Everything pertaining to rock guitar is included. From chord building, to melody to fast, screaming soloing, it's all here. The best feature of this video is that Petrucci teaches you how to practice. The VHS copy is two-hours long, and it is PACKED with information. You cannot go wrong with this one.
I'm hoping that John Petrucci, who has won countless fan-favorite awards, will come out with a second installment soon.
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