the final word on how to learn from an instructional dvd

[diverse379]

this information was compiled
after I finally started to really dig in deep

my library boasts over 30 titles
and I am happy to say I have finally started to get the most out of my resources

I have taken some time to help some of you
get past some of the pitfalls I encountered


I know this may be better placed in one of the instrument forums

but I figured there may be many here that dont really play but would like to
and may never =read the instrument forums regualarly


maybe you have a dvd or two and dont really use them because you never really got anything out of them


maybe you want to learn to play but you dont really know where to start

In this thread I will share some tips on how to get the most out of your instructional dvds.

the first thing you need to do is to pick a dvd that matches your level of skill


the dvd should not be too far above your level
because if it is you will get very very little from it

the second thing to do is to pick a dvd that has a style you appreciate

if you dont like jazz then dont buy a jazz dvd

I know this sounds obvious
but many people would settle for a jazz dvd hoping they will get something out of it

there are so many dvds that cover just about every genre so do a little research and get one you like

the player or teacher on the dvd is also important

gospel aint just gospel
theres east coast
west coast
contemporary
traditional

worship
praise

all styles have their own unique differences.

you need to understand the type of worshipper you are
and what your goals as a musician are.

this is important because
the closer the style on the dvd is to your own personality and inclinations
then the more you will get out of the dvd


finally one other thing you need to discover before you continue
understand your learning style

are you a visual learner?  = learn best by seeing
auditory= learn best by hearing 
or kinesthetic learn best by feeling touching doing

we all have a little of each no one is clearly one and not the other
however we all lean more to one than the other

I will attempt to give some do's and dont's

The first order of business is picking the dvd
I recommend the wheat works and the hear and play and homespun tapes for your selections choices



there are others popping up I havent had the opportunity to view these other products


Homespun has been around for a very long time and they have really mastered the teaching by video genre
their tapes are labeled by skill level which is very important

you can see from their catalog which they will send you free or is available online
they list I II  III IV
I = beginner
II is advanced beginner
III intermediate
IV= advanced
this is very helpful because you can be sure that all the material on the dvd will be what you need for your level

homespun only has one gospel dvd
it is by ethel caffied austin
but to me it is still one of the best products of its kind on the market
although it is all traditional
she breaks each style down systematically
and by the time you finish the two dvds you will at least be able to play for a devotional service
and play a few hymns at your church

this dvd is a great place to start

anyway moving along

wheatworks
has been around for almost a decade if not a little longer
he started out with organ dvds
which filled a vacuum
over the years he has perfected and tweaked his productions
until they are fast becoming a standard by which all gospel instructions will follow

the great thing about Wheatworks products

they all will contain the essential elements of a service
talk music hymns
preacher chords
shouts \
progressions


regardless of the tape they almost all contain these building blocks

sebastian also uses a vast aray of talent from pj morgan to cassandra o'niel
and even lesser known but still outstanding players.


hear and play
hear and play is
an overnight success
due in part to his website which looks like a hoax but really draws you in to the product
thanks to his sales pitch I bought one and was pleasantly surprised

his dvds especially his early ones
approached the music from a theory perspective
not done on any tape or dvd I ever had

jermaine teaches a number system which is really an old figured bass system
that mozart and beetoven and bach had to study

but he presents it in a unique way teaching chords that go with each number then showing you how to connect the numbers to make progressions

very useful system
and will have you playing real music very soon


finally I cant leave out jamal hartwell

much smaller company and tI think he only has three dvds
but they are definitely worth looking into
his style is more urban contemporary
if that is what you seek then look no further
he will set you right


ok now on to how to learn from these

once you selected your product hopefully you got it right
but you know if you picked the wrong one maybe too far above your level
or whatever dont feel bad sometimes you will make a mistake
like picking the right teacher it could take a few missteps

ok you bought your dvd

you should have your keyboard set up facing the dvd
player and television
or computer

if using a dvd player have the remote close by

if using your computer have the mouse where you can reach it so you can quickly pause

my first rule

see the dvd teacher like a real teacher you wouldnt book a 5 hour lesson would you?

no normally you would book one hour
you take the lesson learn what you can in that hour

then practice it and come back
review what you learned if you learned it well you will move on
if you didnt you will review and review until you get it

try using this same discipline with the dvds
as tempting as it is to skip stuff

I say dont do it

there are many foundational things that are on these dvds and the stuff early on
really has the core of the players sound

s Do

watch the dvd for an hour
do practice what you learned for a week before returning to the dvd or at least until mastering the material


to what level should you be able to play the material

you should be able to play the material to the level the performer on the dvd is playing the material

that is why you bought it
so you should endeavor to play to their level

this is why it is important to pick dvds that match your level

why are the songs important
some people want to learn the songs
I at first didnt
because I didnt feel learning one song was going to help me play a whole service
but I was wrong

learning songs develops all sorts of things that would take too many pages to enumerate

classical tradition teaches all of that finesse and skill by teaching songs that have finesse moves in them

our gospel genre is full of finesse moves
so learning the songs on the dvd is an important part of the puzzle

so Do
learn the hymns and any song that is taught on the dvd

review I think it is important to review and recap occasionally
maybe the next day after you watched it the first time go back and re watch up until the point you left off
taking notes
you will probably find you missed a few things

so do
review

Dont be in a hurry if you make consistent progress you will be very far along in no time

if you hurry you may find the dvd collecting dust on your book shelf because you bit off more than you could chew
and often we get fustrated and just set it aside

so dont try to learn everything at once
learn one or two concepts at a time and master them
to be honest the real learning takes place when you walk away from your instrument
dont know why that is but its true you can practice a lick or a run over and over
and it just wont be correct

get up get something to eat talk on the phone
come back to the instrument and Haeleliua
the run has been learned

this next part is hard
but you should endeavor to learn everything in every key

you can start out by learning one chord and moving it up and down chromatically

you can learn each song up and down one half step


you can take a two or three chord progression in every key
so Do
transpose the examples


learning style tips

if you are  a visual learner you probably will learn best by just watching the players hands
pay attention to how he uses his fingers
and the performance sections
use your zoom

your eye will take in so much more than you can consiously think about so just watch and imitate
you are in a complete right brain zone

just launch into it almost without thinking

klike an athlete
will perform so you to can execute
you wil get more out of this then by listening

because you are visual try to see the moves you are about to do
close your eyes and see the instructor do it then you imitate

visual learners probably dont need to buy dvds
because they can watch a player and learn the same way

auditory learners

because you learn best by hearing
you need to focus on what is being said and listen to what is being played

a good thing to do is to isolate the musical examples and make dvds or cds of them
you can use a product that allows you to take audio off of a dvd

so you can play the musical examples in the car

when you are watching the dvd
play a segment then pause it and try to recreate the sound

little by little you will get closer and closer until you get to the point where you will be playing right along with little effort


kinesthetic learners

this group is probably in most need of the dvds and probably will struggle the most with getting information from them

however you can learn thoroughly you just have to be more proactive about it

because you are kinethtetic
the dvd medium is difficult there is not teacher to put your hands on the right keys
to remind you about your posture and hand position

but you can do some things to bring this to your cerrebellum

first keep a note book
and write down the chords as they are being taught
even if there is  booklet with the chords in them write them anyway

it reinforces the learning

because your method of learning is more involved you will need to take smaller chunks

I would even recommend learning in half hour segments




well that is all I have for now

GO out there and find the right product for you and begin learning


but feel free to explore them


finally  tips will be broken down into learning styles

 

[Mrandrew]

Very informative. You pointed a lot of things that many may not think about, one I found important is find a dvd that is right for you. Buy the one that is more towards your style and what you like to play.

[momuzik]

...well that is all I have for now...

That's all?
Really good stuff.

I have Jamal Hartwell DVD. My weak area would be learning everything in all keys.
Once I get the initial "wow" response from everyone, I tend to get a little slack in learning all the keys. Just being honest.

[diverse379]

That's all?
Really good stuff.

I have Jamal Hartwell DVD. My weak area would be learning everything in all keys.
Once I get the initial "wow" response from everyone, I tend to get a little slack in learning all the keys. Just being honest.

Haaaaaaaa

I know what you mean strive to wow yourself

sometimes we want to get the pat on the back
and the acolodes

but  truly those are fleeting momments
and after it is over they will be expecting more

how can you give it to them?

practicing in every key yields dividends you wont even understand until you begin to do it

there are crazy things you can do when you can play progressions
chromatically

just like you can use a passing chord
you can also use a passing progression
but you have to be well poised to do it

that is why if you slow down your learning to really absorb  what you are viewing
you can take the time to explore the other keys

after two days of doing the same voicing you will get bored and want to practice in another key

but if you keep on heaping on more on you plate

you wont be able to digest it all

[berbie]

Of all the courses that you mentioned, Ethel C. Austin   has the best overall by a good margin in my opinion.  You have to bring something to the table, though, to make it work.  An adequate level of reading ability is a must in my opinion.  Transpose everything to at least several of your favorite keys. 

If you learn everything that she presents in several keys, you will be off to a great start. I would concentrate on that course until I did. A person could use that knowledge to provide music for a(traditional) church service right away. (Be aware that it will take some time to learn the material thoroughly)

Then I would go to Jermaine and Jamal.(Jamal for contemporary) Personally, I don't like wheatworks at all. 

Kurt Cowling's book is good, but difficult for beginners.  It is about concepts and does not translate as directly into actual playable full songs as does Austin's course. 

[Fenix]

I fell you on the wheatworks berbie. Although teh KC Conley one is quite good. I preferred teh Hear and Play series.

Good stuff D, thanks.

[under13]

Funny, I prefer Wheatwoks to the Hear and Play Dvds. With Wheatworks, you feel like you are getting your money's worth. There are so many different topics covered on each dvd, and they are quite long (between 3 and 10 hours)

As for kevin's, it wasnt your typical WW production, Instead of doing songs, he was more into showing different moves and what not. I thought it was pretty good, though its not one of my favorites.

I've got Mike Bereal and gospelkeys organ. I was  disapointed with mike's because he didnt seem to cover much, and it really just not what I was expecting. The organ one, i think its 450, I got for free when I got mikes, that one is good, but Still, they only did like one praise song, which i know can be applied to many songs, but still, its only one song.

As for Jamal's, I have Urban Worship extreme and Tritone extravaganza, as well as both of the midi sheds.

The only one I've gotten into is UWE, And I think its a great product, I apply a lot of what he does to the organ and it sounds awsome. Yeah, you have to pasuse a lot, but its worth it.

I have all these dvds, but now I just need to stop being lazy and start breaking them down.

[chevonee]

This is very helpful information you guys, thank you ALL so much! Remain blessed

[T-Block]

sometimes we want to get the pat on the back
and the acolodes

but  truly those are fleeting momments
and after it is over they will be expecting more

Man, this is the pure TROOF right here.  Sometimes, it ain't good to show all your skills in one setting or try to impress people.  They will look at you like "Now what, do something else..." etc.  Then if u drop the ball, people will start complaining.

[diverse379]

Of all the courses that you mentioned, Ethel C. Austin   has the best overall by a good margin in my opinion.  You have to bring something to the table, though, to make it work.  An adequate level of reading ability is a must in my opinion.  Transpose everything to at least several of your favorite keys. 

If you learn everything that she presents in several keys, you will be off to a great start. I would concentrate on that course until I did. A person could use that knowledge to provide music for a(traditional) church service right away. (Be aware that it will take some time to learn the material thoroughly)

Then I would go to Jermaine and Jamal.(Jamal for contemporary) Personally, I don't like wheatworks at all. 

Kurt Cowling's book is good, but difficult for beginners.  It is about concepts and does not translate as directly into actual playable full songs as does Austin's course. 

let me just say this 0n kurt cowlings book

true as you said it may be a little difficult for beginners
but as far as directly translating to actual playable osngs
I have to disagree at least on principle
because you are ocmparing a book to a video course
like apples and oranges they are so different

the book unlike the video has so many more examples
and true he didnt put every technique to a song
but if you check out the discography in the back you will see
that all of the examples in the book came from a song on that list
so in reality he gave you cheat notes on many many many songs

not to mention the songs at the back that combine the concepts

this is one of those things where you need to learn those songs in every key and if you do you will be on another level

that being said let me address the rest of this great post

wow I didnt know there was another Ethel caffie Austin Fan out there

you are right her Dvd was the truth fo sho

Everything from the break down
to the final examples

correct again on the being able to play a service
truth be told I used her two dvds to allow me to play church services for quite some time

I didnt learn her stuff in every key

maybe I should have


also I must agree I havent seen any product that really delivered the essence of church playing like hers did

However I must also say that when I would play her style many other musicians were un interested and I couldnt get out of that darn stride style

everything I played sounded like that

so You have to be careful

I was at the point where every hymn I tried to stride on it.

of course I am sad that you dont like the wheatworks products

I guess different folks for different folks

they may be better if there was some sheet music accompanying them
I think he does have some chords spelled out on the midi files

But I would like some of these producers to start to print some real sheet music for the musicians who have taken the time to learn how to read even if only a little
I would rather look at note values etc
to sharpen my game

I think I am going to go back and get the austin collection again

because I watched those videos (they were only on videos when I got them )

back in 2001
so it is time to go back and get some of those advanced licks and like you said learn them in every key.

[diverse379]

I fell you on the wheatworks berbie. Although teh KC Conley one is quite good. I preferred teh Hear and Play series.

Good stuff D, thanks.

it would be good if you and berbie
pm me and let me know what you dont like about wheatworks and which dvds you own

I have Sebastians ear on issues like this
and he is always looking to improve
his products
but like under 13 says he does give you your moneys worth

and look you liked kevin connelys and for the very reason you probably liked it

under 13 didnt like it as much

see you cant please everyone

at least not with one prodcut

each one has a different spin
some are more thorough than other what some love others hate

so there is a great disparity among them
this could be good because he hits many people but bad
because you dont know what your getting until you get

which is why i offer periodic reviews

[under13]

john peters next level, included sheet music. But I wont even attempt to read anything that hard

As for KC's dvd, I was listening to it a work last night, and though it was different, it was very modern, and sorta essential if you wana keep up with what some of  these young kids are doing. That shout he did was crazy, and he did do some nice grooves on the organ.


I also ike wheatworks, because everyting isnt broken down. Like D said in an old thread, some of the best stuff is the stuff that isnt broken down. And do  you expect to grow when you need everything broken down? I think that that allows you to come back months oy years after you "learned" the dvd, and still have more to learn

[diverse379]

john peters next level, included sheet music. But I wont even attempt to read anything that hard

As for KC's dvd, I was listening to it a work last night, and though it was different, it was very modern, and sorta essential if you wana keep up with what some of  these young kids are doing. That shout he did was crazy, and he did do some nice grooves on the organ
I also ike wheatworks, because everyting isnt broken down. Like D said in an old thread, some of the best stuff is the stuff that isnt broken down. And do  you expect to grow when you need everything broken down? I think that that allows you to come back months oy years after you "learned" the dvd, and still have more to learn

kevins dvd had a few jewels in it some stuff that if you extrapolate it you will have some funky creative sounds for sure

[Calipraise]

I really like Greg Hannons "gifted player" Dvds. He's a great teacher and he has an up to date sound. Im thinking of getting more of his products.

[Casioman]

   

I really like Greg Hannons "gifted player" Dvds. He's a great teacher and he has an up to date sound. Im thinking of getting more of his products.

I agree with you on this, I have had his "Ultimate Trio package" & his "Entire Gospel Lesson DVD Series" sitting here since last Christmas. I sat down & watched all the DVDs & listened to all of the Audio CDs a few weeks back & I must say that it is the best set of tutorials I have ever seen.

As soon as I have finished committing my set of standard hymns to memory I will be going through his Tutorials exclusively.

I have quite a few of the DVDs mentioned here including Ethel Caffie Austin & the entire Gospel Keys series up to 600 excluding organ. Although I must confess that the only ones I have "completed" are Gospel Keys 101 & 202. 

Greg Hannon's beats them all for content. no contest. simply awesome tutorials. But to get the best out of them you will need both packages In my opinion.
 
Be Blessed

Casioman

[diverse379]

   
I agree with you on this, I have had his "Ultimate Trio package" & his "Entire Gospel Lesson DVD Series" sitting here since last Christmas. I sat down & watched all the DVDs & listened to all of the Audio CDs a few weeks back & I must say that it is the best set of tutorials I have ever seen.

As soon as I have finished committing my set of standard hymns to memory I will be going through his Tutorials exclusively.

I have quite a few of the DVDs mentioned here including Ethel Caffie Austin & the entire Gospel Keys series up to 600 excluding organ. Although I must confess that the only ones I have "completed" are Gospel Keys 101 & 202. 

Greg Hannon's beats them all for content. no contest. simply awesome tutorials. But to get the best out of them you will need both packages In my opinion.
 
Be Blessed

Casioman

well yall hipped me to something very very new

I will have to scoop that stuff

[chevonee]

I really like Greg Hannons "gifted player" Dvds. He's a great teacher and he has an up to date sound. Im thinking of getting more of his products.

I agree 100%!!! I have some of his dvd's in my collection and they were worth every penny!!