Pierre Bensusan

As the first reviewer expressed, this is not a "how to" on DADGAD tuning. Instead, it is a course for the guitar "explorer," as the name rightfully suggests. There is no repository of chords or belabored measure-wise play-by-play. If you want a roughand-ready intro to DADGAD, there are books published by various authors that fill that role. If yo u just want to work with Pierre Bensusan's repertoire, his published sheet music may be a better resource for that. On the other hand, if your music is at all feeling stale and you need fresh ideas or a philosophical tune-up, this is the course for you. Bensusan demonstrates carefully and succinctly the arsenal of techniques he uses to express himself on the acoustic guitar, supported with methodical explanations and detailed practice exercises. Of all the acoustic guitar courses I have worked with, this course distinguishes itself in the presentation of a systematized way for evaluating and improving technique -- a resource that is all too hard to come by on an instrument dominated by self-taught musicians. Bensusan's course definitely has increased value for those working in DADGAD, or at least an open tuning, as many of the exercises highlight how to effectively use open strings, and all the performance studies are of course in DADGAD. It's also fair to say that a handful of the technique sections are skeletal and are only really useful as a launching point for continued in-depth exploration in practice or using outside resources. But to me, that's part of the thrill: getting a taste of the seemingly infinite array of paths I could pursue, and catching a bit of Bensusan's insatiable curiosity in the meantime.