Hey folks. This arrived a few weeks ago and I haven't had much time to go through it.
My first impression is that there is a lot of information in the lessons, but they are not terribly organized.
He goes through a whole range of different progressions with crazy (interesting) inversions. For me it's intimidating because there's no book or frame of reference. He slows down a bit and names the chords as he goes, but it's up to you to pause the DVD, get out the chord dictionary and figure out exactly what he's playing. I did that for an hour last night and learned a lot. There's something to be said for THINKING your way through something.
I'd say this is not a disc for beginners (and it's not marketed as such). His language is perfect for my current level of understanding. He'll go through a progression and say things like "that's a C9 with the 3rd in the bass, and that's a Gm7 with a 5th in the bass", which gives me enough clues to go on. Plus it forces me to really learn where all the notes are on the fretboard.
The progressions themselves are really neat. He says they can be used in all kinds of contexts, but as a basement player I'm not sure how that will relate to my real life. The good thing is he'll say "Here's a way to get from the 5 to the 1", which is the kind of thing you'd hear in a band/jam setting, so I appreciate that sort of information.
Overall I know I'll get a lot from the DVD. As I said before, I think it could have been a bit better organized. It feels a bit like he made stuff up on the spot. He's an amazing player, so his 'off the cuff' information is still relevant. It would be nice, if he does another DVD, if there was more of a context. I'd like to see something where you take a progression and say 'this could be used in "I Got Rhythm" and "Sweet Sue" because they have THIS in common. Does that make sense?
Anyway, if you're into swing/western swing the DVD has a lot to offer. If nothing else I know I'm going to learn a ton of useful chord shapes that will delight and amaze ... my cats.
I don't think there are any promo clips, so I'll just link to Whit being awesome on YouTube.
Can I Get Some Chords Over Here?
EDIT: I forgot to link to where you can buy the DVD!
