From The Shred Zone.com
Rusty Cooley's "Extreme Pentatonics"
Reviewed by: Nick Martinelli for The Shred Zone.com

Posted: 11/4/02

     Shred guitar monster Rusty Cooley is back yet again with another superior instructional CD-Rom brought to you by our friends at Chops from Hell. "Extreme Pentatonics" is Cooley's sophomore release and its phenomenal. I never dreamed of so many ways to play the same damn pentatonic scale! Rusty will take you out of your standard box pattern rut and give you the tools to make your soloing that much more impressive. I found myself like other guitarists out there thinking that I learned all I could from using this basic of scales. Well, man was I wrong! This instructional ROM has well over100 different examples and licks. Yes, I did say 100 plus. So now your combinations of patterns and movements are endless (100 to the power of something or other). You do the math. Here's what Chops From Hell advertises:

     "JUST RELEASED! Rusty Cooley's second instructional release at CFH. This CD EXTRA is your opportunity to learn how Rusty developed his NO-BOUNDARIES approach to Pentatonic & Blues scales to become the PENTATONIC MONSTER that he is. Covered are 2, 3, and 4 note per string concepts, legato technique, alternate picking, sweep picking, pickhand tapping with up to 3 fingers, string skipping, and more. This is not your usual "box pattern" pentatonics approach...this is "EXTREME PENTATONICS". The CD ROM portion of this CD EXTRA includes the complete 50 minute "RUSTY COOLEY - EXTREME PENTATONICS" digital video; the accompanying 159 video examples taken from the "RUSTY COOLEY - EXTREME PENTATONICS" digital video (88 examples from the "6 STRING" section, 41 examples from the "7 STRING CONVERSION" section, and 30 examples from "THE LICKS" section); plus the 100 page "RC2.pdf" file containing the "RUSTY COOLEY - EXTREME PENTATONICS" lesson tab/chart examples...all presented thru a browser-based interface which allows instant access to all ROM features. The AUDIO CD portion of this CD EXTRA includes 25 minutes of audio containing the 30 examples from "THE LICKS" section of "RUSTY COOLEY - EXTREME PENTATONICS" plus two compositions featuring Rusty's PICK-MELTING CHOPS: "E.B.E" and "DOMINION". Watch the video, print the lesson, listen to it in a normal CD player, or open it thru your web browser for instant access to any lick or track."

     Well shred heads I think Chops from Hell hit the target with that pitch. This ROM is just packed! An added bonus was the attached 100 page PDF file that had all the examples in notation ready for printing, so you don't have to be in front of you computer to be able to learn these licks. I printed it out and I now keep it in my practice area. When I get in a rut, I break out this little trusty "Rusty Book" and BOOM, instant new licks. Folks its just that easy. It slices, it dices, and even cleans your bathroom, well not really, but I think you catch my drift!

     Being a player myself, I know how important it is to have a million licks in your bag of tricks. Its safe to say that, Cooley gives you enough material to last a life time. Like I said before, there are ungodly amounts of ways to play this scale and Rusty proves it. Some areas include legato, skips, tapping, sweep picking, 7 string guitar licks, and that's just the beginning. I really enjoyed the 7 string guitar presentations that Rusty provided. There aren't many instructional videos on the market that explore this newer style of guitar playing and its cool that Rusty always covers them. This really makes this ROM more dynamic than your normal instructiona videol, because you get two styles for the price of one. Your playing will benefit immensely from this instructional aid, guaranteed. Rusty delivers the material to you in a very relaxed atmosphere and you'll feel very comfortable interacting with this aid. Being a instructor in real life, Rusty has great teaching abilities and really wants you to benefit from what he's showing you.

     This instruction ROM, can benefit anyone at any playing level. Are you a beginner that hasn't found the right material to help you progress yet? Then this is your ROM. You can't go wrong with over 100 examples and licks now can you. Plus, Rusty explains every single one of them for you just in case your not fully clear. This ROM is also great for more advanced players. This cd helped me break free from the boxed in Pentatonic way of playing. Cooley opened up my mind to some new ideas and techniques, and for that I'm very grateful. Personally I felt that this ROM was superior to some of the other on the market today online and off. I highly recommend purchasing this CD, and I give a 4 star rating.

     The CD-Rom is very easy to use, just pop it in your CD-Rom drive and open the the main web document and your ready to rock. I liked the friendly layout that the folks at Chops From Hell have on every Rom they release. A nice big interactive menu loads up that any non computer user could get through. Its like ordering food at a restaurant, no joke, its just that easy. The hard part is picking out your main food, I mean lesson. (laughs) Chops From Hell gives you a few different options as well. You can skip through to certain areas, view the whole video start to finish, or even check out the notation. It doesn't get better than this folks. Chops From Hell and Rusty Cooley have put together a phenomenal instructional CD-ROM. Rusty represents up-to-date material and fresh points of view in this upscale presentation, and even a few funnies as well. So if your wanting to become a serious bad as* on the guitar, Cooley is the teacher you need. Please drop by Chops From Hell and pickup your copy today. Along with that, please stop by Rusty Cooley's web site for more information on this guitar madman!

     News Flash: Rusty Cooley has just signed a record deal with Lion Music, we at The Shred Zone send our congratulations to him.