Have you ever seen or used any of the videos in the SongXpress product line? What did you think of them? Or, if you've got any other instructional videos to recommend or criticize, let your opinions fly in the Guitar Forum.

When country music surged to the forefront of the music industry in the early 1990's, critics everywhere deemed the music's popularity a fad. Nearly ten years later, the country music "fad" is still in full swing. In response to this, Song Xpress have issued several instructional videos designed to teach novice guitarists to play country music songs. The tapes all carry an attractive $9.95 list price, which make them a valuable alternative to learning songs via a private teacher.

Country Ballads Vol. 1

• Angels Among Us BEGINNER
• Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain BEGINNER
• I Still Believe in You BEGINNER
• Jesus and Mama BEGINNER

Like Country Rock Vol.1, this SongXpress video has been designed with the beginner guitarist in mind. Instructor Tommy Anthony keeps the pace moving at an understandably slow pace throughout the video, taking time to explain how to play basic chords.
The material on this video draws from both "country and western" and "new country" genres, so fans of either style of music should find something that pleases them on Country Ballads Vol.1. The first song on the video is Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain", a nice ballad with just three chords, and a simple strumming pattern. For guitarists keen on a challenge, Anthony includes an optional bass strum pattern, and a walking bassline, to liven up the guitar part. Following this tune is Alabama's "Angels Among Us" (which gets my vote as one of the corniest songs ever written), which is only slightly more difficult. Confederate Railroad's "Jesus Mama", and Vince Gill's "I Still Believe in You", both of which are also fairly simple to play, round out the content on this SongXpress video. In all cases, the guitar parts for these songs have been simplified, making them easy for beginners to tackle.
Country Ballads Vol.1 is definitely targeted towards beginners, and as a beginner guitar video, it works wonderfully. Tommy Anthony's explanations are clear and concise (although someone needs to remind him exactly what a G5 chord is and isn't), and novices should have no trouble following his instructions. More seasoned guitarists probably won't find the video to provide enough of a challenge, however, and might want to consider some of the more advanced SongXpress titles.

Buy Country Ballads Vol.1 at Amazon.com

Also this week, a review of the Getting the Sounds - Classic Country Guitar video.

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