A guest post by Jenn at Random Chatter Music
Intense Rock II is the Paul Gilbert instructional video often cited by viewers as “the one with the distracting, crazy backgrounds”. It starts off with a little interlude by a mariachi band introducing Paul in Spanish. It then switches to Gilbert playing along to “Down To Mexico,” which is from Flying Dog, his second solo disc, released in 1998. Once the heavy-hitting rock is out of the way, we jump right in to the video.
A longer-haired Gilbert, this time sporting a black tank top and playing a red Ibanez, dives right into teaching. At the beginning, after tuning up, the first thing Gilbert addresses is accenting certain notes, controlling dynamics, and manipulating the tone of the string such as muting versus playing it open without muting. He also briefly talks about precision picking vs. a looser, more percussive, “rock” feel, and finally addresses palm-muting, briefly.
So, right out of the starting gate, here we are with at least one new exercise, plus two ways to mute the strings, as to affect dynamics, and a few tips on how to vary and improve our playing. He recommends using a metronome at least twice – driving home the point this will really build ones speed as well as their rhythmic sense.
Gilbert’s playing has vastly expanded its scope from Intense Rock I to this second volume in the series. The focus is decidedly more on feel with a heavy lean towards rock and blues. He touches on swing, shuffle, and neoclassical elements and the virtues of the pentatonic scale are addressed throughout.
Bending, and even sliding from one note to the next are explored. Bluesy licks, arpeggios, even a large segment discussing arpeggios in the key of D, which Gilbert has played in many beautiful variations over the years, and speed-picked exercises receive coverage.
Phrasing, dynamics, “developing your phrasing intuition”, improvisation, “groove” and “fitting your licks in” in a “real life band” situation, and endings (plus, stresses rhythm and keeping proper time) are all addressed. This video greatly expands the range of topics that were introduced in Intense Rock I.
In this video, the mariachi band, the cheerleaders, and others, serve as topic dividers of sorts. Fretboard close-ups appear in place of TAB. Fear not – a printable Adobe PDF booklet accompanies the DVD and one can print out TAB if they so choose.
One topic that Gilbert addresses is troubleshooting while soloing. This sort of advice is gleaned only through years of practical experience – and these insider playing tips make this entertaining DVD more then well-worth it’s price. An in-depth playing analysis of part of “Down To Mexico”is included as an example of how to deconstruct-construct songs based on their rhythmic content, and utilize rhythm. Europeans were paying $250 per ticket in 2008 for these sorts of hints at Gilbert’s VIP group lessons. Here viewers can have this same information for a much lower price, in Intense Rock II.
As a true beginner guitar player with a whopping three or four hours of playing time under my belt, I watched this series to see if any of the items were simple enough that I might be able to play them at a really slow tempo. The answer is a resounding, unequivocal yes. I found two techniques in Intense Rock I, and two in Intense Rock II which I could easily work on. I’m sure I wouldn’t have one fiftieth of the speed, but if I could get one tenth of the accuracy after an hour of work, I’d be elated.
The first exercise in IR II doesn’t seem like it would be ‘rank beginner friendly’, but this video builds on the solid foundation provided by IR I. Beginners are not left wanting, even on the “terror death licks”: memory and synchronization between your hands are built or helped with various hints and tips. An invalid criticism of this video has been that it is not suitable for beginners. It really is suitable for beginners, plus all other levels, although beginners should not expect to be able to rub the DVD across their hands like some sort of Instant Yngwie potion and suddenly be able to play 16 notes per second.
One of the finest points in this DVD is the assignment we are given near the end: to go on a bit of a musical quest. It somewhat defines a “future point” or “goal” for us. The DVD closes with a very metallish-yet-bluesy instrumental number, “Screamin’ Blues O’Mania,” PowerTabbed here.
To get the most out of these videos, some background in music is very helpful. A basic knowledge of music theory, a familiarity of musical ’shapes’ (as they are applied to the fretboard), by-heart memorization of the guitar string names, basic facility in picking, and knowing most root notes in various keys is assumed. Intense Rock II doesn’t have the same defined topics as Intense Rock I does, although it does define segments loosely.
The only things I can think of which Gilbert seems to gloss over in these videos, are all items which he’s really drilled into his students in face-to-face lessons or clinics. Those are: paying very careful attention to eliminating string noise (i.e. muting), making sure to practice a lot, and paying very careful attention to rhythm. Keeping those errata in mind, you will really excel if you apply yourself to learning from these videos.
Packaged in 100% recyclable polypropylene, this more eco-friendly DVD product by Alfred Publishing’s Artist Series, contains small bonus clips from other artists as well. These items further expand on Gilbert’s teachings. It truly is a “the more you know” feature.
The bottom line is that these lessons really will help you. If you are serious about improving your technique, buy this DVD. You can watch this all-killer, no-filler DVD many times. I got it as a gift and I truly appreciate it. Paul Gilbert’s practical knowledge, presented in simple language, is a gift to us all.
Links
Intense Rock, Vol. 1 and 2 on Amazon
