Open D DVD

[tbeltrans]

Recently I purchased online a DVD BY Larry Allen Brown, titled "Open Tuning for the Guitar", from www.DecentHill.com. I just wanted to mention it here because this DVD and Larry Brown's teaching style have some unique qualities worth mentioning.

I had never previously heard of Larry Allen Brown and have had no interaction with him other than buying the video. His presentation is very relaxed, sort of like watching a golf tournament on TV - very nice after a day's work. The video is really geared toward the upper beginner level, I suspect, though beginner's certainly will find it quite accessible. I guess what I am saying is that the material, while accessible to a beginner, is really of interest to anybody. It doesn't start "this is how you hold a guitar", but it does start by patiently walking you through getting into open D tuning. You can easily skip those first few minutes if you already know how to do that.

Next, Larry gives you 4 picking patterns that he will use throughout the video. Then, he gives a review of what has been covered so far and what you should have gotten from that first section. Note that when he teaches the patterns, he has you work on dynamics by emphasizing different notes in each pattern, a subtlety often overlooked when learning similar patterns from a book or a teacher not tuned in to the subtleties that make your playing come alive. Also, he emphasizes that you should work to sound like you, not like him.

Then, he gives you a number of "double stop" scalar elements to work with, followed by the 7 chords of the harmonized D major scale. He mentions that he plans on a future DVD about theory applied to the fretboard, rather than explaining chord construction here. I agree with him not spending time in this video on that. You can get that info, even in past threads here. He also delves into rhythm and "ornementations" a bit.

Finally ( and here is what makes all this useful to those not beginners, though still very accessible to the beginner), he uses all the things he taught in the video to show how to compose your own music. Most videos might teach you to play some folk tune, but he goes through the process on camera of making up his own instrumental tune. So, basically, I can summarize the content as - here are the building blocks and here is how to use them to create something.

Though my main thing is chord melody through Robert Conti's materials, I find this particular DVD a nice change of pace. It is fun to grab a guitar and noodle about, making up your own stuff once in a while. Then you come back to your main thing refreshed and with a more open perspective, like having a little retreat. In that sense, this is a DVD to keep around and return to from time to time. For beginner's, it is a good introduction to fingerstyle, creatively approaching the guitar, and having fun in the process.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Here is the exact URL for the video that was the subject of my previous post:


http://www.decenthill.net/Open-Tunin...0916003004.htm

Tony

[BlueBuddha]

Looks great, thanks for that.

[tbeltrans]

BlueBuddha,

Thanks for the followup! It seemed awfully quiet in this thread and I really thought people around here would be interested in something like this because it delves a bit into composing. I made a point of reviewing this DVD even though open tuning is not generally my thing, because the write ups I had seen about this DVD really don't mention that aspect of it.

Tony

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

BlueBuddha,

Thanks for the followup! It seemed awfully quiet in this thread and I really thought people around here would be interested in something like this because it delves a bit into composing. I made a point of reviewing this DVD even though open tuning is not generally my thing, because the write ups I had seen about this DVD really don't mention that aspect of it.

Tony

Hi Tony,
How did you, personally, find that this helped you in terms of composing in open D tuning?

HE
It Ain't Necessarily So: http://howardemerson.com/music2.html

[tbeltrans]

Howard,

I spend my guitar time learning and playing chord melody. That is a rather narrow focus, as really would be any discipline. Personally, I think those who write memorable tunes are those who really dedicate themselves to the craft. There is a lot of music coming out in the fingerstyle world that is nice to listen to, but I really doubt much of it will have the staying power of, say, Duke Ellington, the Gershwin's, etc. That is the music I play chord melody style. It is my approach that is narrowly focused, not the music itself.

What I get out of this DVD is a sort of self-contained "retreat" in which I feel as if I am being invited to leave the structure of chord melody for a while and do something different with a sort of "musical guide". What I do with it is certainly nothing memorable - I won't pretend to be a Gershwin or Ellington - those guys wrote music that deserves to be remembered and played. What I do with open tunings is just noodle around for a change of pace.

I tried to put that across in my original post, but hopefully this post elaborates on that a bit. I have played fingerstyle for some time, but find the unique combination of structure and freedom of chord melody more to my liking (I.e. not memorizing any one arrangement, but adhering to the melody and structure while freely experimenting with the underlying harmony and bassline), not to mention the sheer craftsmanship and quality of the tunes in the repertoire. But I still like to dabble for a change in pace from time to time.

I suppose I really share Mr. Beaumont's sentiments on the subject of open tunings, except that my "guilty pleasure" is the occasional dabble, and this DVD is a good guide for that. For beginners, it would be a fun, relaxed intro to fingerstyle.

Tony

[tbeltrans]

Just to be clear here, there are people composing and playing using open tunings that seem to have a strong sense of melody and song construction. A few I can think offhand of several, such as Leo Kottke, Clarelynn Rose, Larry Pattis, and Pierre Bensusan. I am quite sure there are others. So I don't intend to imply that open tuning ALWAYS means noodling, but it often does.

I do wonder how much of this music will withstand the test of time and be remembered, performed, and enjoyed by audiences in the future as is the music and lyrics of the "great" songwriters of past musical eras. A lot can go into a conversation such as this, such as whether instrumental music would ever have the broad appeal as well-written lyrics with a strong melody that fits perfectly. What I do know is that no DVD is going to teach me to write like that. What I can get from a DVD is a guided means of the process of exploring some of the sonic landscape afforded by a given open tuning. For me, this is just an occasional thing. I always come back quickly to chord melody, using well written tunes that have withstood the test of time and that work well in that style. Even if people don't directly know a given tune, they know they have heard it before. Tunes such as "When I Fall In Love", Moon River", "Misty", "Over the Rainbow"'etc. Are what I typically like to play for my own enjoyment. I just don't have songs like that in me, and it seems, not many people do. So I enjoy playing these great tunes using my own harmonies, thanks to Robert Conti. Then, for an occasional change of pace, I will pull out the Open D DVD and noodle for a while.

Tony

[Ryler]

Tony,

That looks really good. I would be the perfect candidate for this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.

[tbeltrans]

Ryler:

Thanks. I try to provide context for the things I say, hoping they make more sense that way. The DVD isn't a course on composing, but instead Larry Allen Brown composes a piece on camera and you see his process. He sticks with the ideas and techniques he teaches in the video to it. So, he gives you a few techniques and ideas and then demonstrates how he would use these to make up some music. To me, that is interesting. For somebody who really wants to compose music that has real staying power, maybe there are other avenues, but for having a bit of fun as well as for beginners to do something other than memorizing set pieces to learn to use their newly learned fingerpicking patterns, this DVD could be useful.

Tony