We’ve interviewed Roo twice and we also reviewed his solo album earlier this month. He’s a great guy, a very professional individual, and his playing is as off-the-wall as it is mind-blowing. More great news is that Roo’s instructional DVD “Creative Shred” is a breath of fresh air as far as tuition videos go.
Rather than the rudimentary “Here are my best licks fast, now slow” kind of instructional video format, Roo takes the viewer deep into his unique approach to technique, taste and timing.
From mixing up the notes of a basic scale to understanding the intro to The Simpsons, this DVD takes a look at shredding from a completely original angle.
One of my favorite parts of the DVD is the “Chops Building” section where Roo shares some fantastic insights concerning the construction of your own licks. Instead of only playing examples of his own licks and letting you go off and practice them until you sound like him, Roo shows you how his heroes create their licks, how he creates his licks and how you can create your own unique licks and ideas.
Another interesting section is the Arpeggios chapter. Here Roo takes a good look at exciting sounding extended arpeggios, focusing on how to fit the correct amount of notes in a particular beat, and how to play the notes using Sweeping, Tapping and String Skipping.
The last chapter is a showcase of Roo’s favorite licks, how he came up with them and why the sounds appeal to his ear. Every finger twisting lick is as wacky as it is ear catching, and is sure to rip you right out of your comfort zone.
The DVD is a lot of fun, and I take my hat off to Roo for successfully making an instructional DVD in his third language! While not the DVD with the biggest production budget, the content will hugely benefit any shredder looking to set themselves apart from the crowd.
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