Wooden Horses DVD
Laurence Juber
A new DVD by Laurence Juber is always an event in the fingerstyle guitar community for good reason: LJ is one of the very finest composers for the instrument today, and his detailed instruction is always top-notch.
In my review of the Wooden Horses CD I called it the finest guitar CD of 2009. Now you can learn to play all of those great songs and arrangements from LJ himself, as he walks you through all of the songs explaining how he plays them and the special techniques he uses. This alone is fantastic, but there is more. LJ also gives you his compositional thoughts on each piece, adding a virtual master class on composing and arranging for guitar.
LJ's fans are already familiar with his use of different tunings. Here he explains why he uses particular tunings for particular songs, and he demonstrates the sounds he attains by doing so. To pick just a few examples: he shows how blues and pentatonic scales fit into DADGAD tuning, why the key of A works so well in DADGAD,and why he chose yet another tuning for the key of C minor. Very valuable stuff for both player and composer/arranger!
Of equal interest and importance are LJ's instruction on use of left and right hands. His gorgeous chord voicings are well worth the price of the DVD alone. Added to this are his terrific tips on using the right hand in fingerstyle, just the thumb, and even the backs of the nails. If you ever wondered how LJ gets some of the great sounds on his CD's you will certainly learn it here.
There is so much to learn in each song that I do not have enough room to name them all. Some examples will have to suffice. On Enough Is Never Enough we are shown how a simple vamp can lead to a very bluesy effect using the right scales. Guitar Noir demonstrates very jazzy chords in CGDGAD as well as tips on improvising.
We are treated to LJ's ingenuity in The Crow's Nest. Although LJ wrote this tune he was unable to do a full demo of it due to licensing constraints. Instead, he walks through all of the sections, demonstrating each technique without once playing a phrase from the melody. You have to admire someone who is that on top of his arrangements!
Other highlights are LJ's tips on playing a "solo" as a solo guitarist on Maple Avenue Strut; his sustaining a melody as the chords change underneath it on The Ornament Waltz; how to navigate to all sorts of keys on Wooden Horses; and finger tremolo on Shebeg and Shemore.
Full disclosure requires that I tell you I had the privilege of proof-reading the notation/tablature booklet that is included as a PDF on the DVD. I was thoroughly impressed with the work and dedication that LJ put into making sure that every note, every fingering, every expression mark was correct. You will not find a harder working composer or an artist who gives more of himself for the sake of those who purchase his work. And viewing this DVD, it shows!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
You can buy Wooden Horses DVD at Acoustic Music Resource.