This is a lead guitar instructional book with accompanying CD. For those unfamiliar with practice routines for warm-ups, legato and alternate picking it is a valuable resouce that will provide many hours of material. Working through the material will enhance the technique of most able players.

The book does not concentrate on musical theory or delve deeply into technique application - you will have to look elsewhere for that.

This has been one of my favorite study pieces! Just the warm-up exercises are a lesson in expanding musical horizons and pushing you to new levels to explore. This is not for the faint of heart! If you are looking for the 'magical' simple lessons that transforms you into a rock guitar god, then skip this altogether. Use must be, like the title implies, 'disciplined', to get through...in other words "practice"! John is very thorough and skillfully builds you from basic to complex in incremental steps, each giving you plenty to chew on for days. His mastery of the frets show and yet he brings his knowledge to meet you wherever you are in your playing. If you desire to play, and play great, this training is your passport to the next level and beyond...no matter where you are beginning your journey of guitar!

In the first scene in this video, John shows some warm up excercises and massages, not using the guitar. These are for the fingers, arms, back, and shoulders. I thought that was pretty cool. Then, he dives into the meat.

John goes through every aspect of his practice regimen. Lots of good close up shots of his insanely perfect technique. John also throws in musically philosophical observations from time to time, as well as telling stories about the band. Plus, he gives a detailed walkthrough of his gear.

The only downside is the "bonus" concert footage, which is largely shot from a good distance away, and not the greatest quality. That's a small knock on a DVD that has so much to offer.